General Rifle Idaho - Owyhees?

[mjblowers]

I hear this is a good spot to go if you just want to get a small 2 pointer. Anyone have experience during the Oct 10-30 hunt? IT looks like a lot of road hunting to me... maybe I'm looking at the wrong area?

[LckyTylr]

It's a lot of road hunting. I don't mean to be offensive, so I apologize right now if I come off wrong . . . . . . oh Brother . . . that's never a good way to start.

Are you looking only for a deer to put in the fridge . . . or are you looking to spend time in a trophy unit to watch all of the big deer and kill a forky as a bonus?

I guess that doesn't seem like two different approaches . . . but I have spent a lot of time out there looking at the big bucks . . . and a lot of time watching adults kill yearling 2-points because they are too lazy to kill a buck anywhere else in the state (like 39). I hunt in 39 every year to fill the freezer with deer meat . . . and I walk to do so. I spend the rest of my season in unit 40 learning the area in case, some day, I draw that tag. Obviously IDF&G feels that it makes sense to purposely put a target on immature deer in a "trophy unit" . . . for some inexplainable reason . . . so it's also well within your rights to drive out there, square up to a tasty 2 point and fill your freezer. More power to you. Honestly though, I mean no disrespect to anyone that kills 2 points . . . I have killed my share and will probably kill more . . . I just choose not to do so in a trophy unit.

So, to help you with your question. Yes, it's a lot of road hunting. It's an excellent opportunity for folks that may not be as mobile as they once were . . . and there's no shame in that. One question, do you have a GPS with the Landowner Chip that shows public and private. If not, you could be in for "confrontation". I don't have a chip so I rely solely on maps and knowing about where I am in relation to landmarks and roads. With that, I have been "spoken to" by numerous ranchers out there as to "why I'm glassing on their property". It's probably no secret that the best hunting out there is on private property, so it's frustrating that there are so many locked gates preventing access to public property beyond . . . the way it goes I guess. Naturally, since it's difficult in certain areas to get too far off of the main roads and there's a lot of unfortunately-located private . . . it's a lot of road hunting going on. With that . . . there are still a lot of deer out there and a plethora of 2-points on public property, so please don't be discouraged by any of this. I was out there a few weekends ago looking for coyotes and I saw a bachelor group of 2-points (all 5 of them). One thing to consider when you are headed out there. If you have all season to kill a deer and enjoy your time out there . . . it's also pretty easy to find a fairly mature 2-point that SHOULD be taken out of the "trophy unit" herd. One of the five 2-points that I saw on that trip was a 4-point when I first spotted him . . . and then he turned his massive rack so I could see a side view . . . a HUGE 2-point! Last year I saw a 2x5 . . . how cool would that be to put a tag on in a 2-point hunt?

Well, I hope that I didn't sound like a jerk and I hope I helped a little.

[bowbeck]

It's a lot of road hunting. I don't mean to be offensive, so I apologize right now if I come off wrong . . . . . . oh Brother . . . that's never a good way to start.

Are you looking only for a deer to put in the fridge . . . or are you looking to spend time in a trophy unit to watch all of the big deer and kill a forky as a bonus?

I guess that doesn't seem like two different approaches . . . but I have spent a lot of time out there looking at the big bucks . . . and a lot of time watching adults kill yearling 2-points because they are too lazy to kill a buck anywhere else in the state (like 39). I hunt in 39 every year to fill the freezer with deer meat . . . and I walk to do so. I spend the rest of my season in unit 40 learning the area in case, some day, I draw that tag. Obviously IDF&G feels that it makes sense to purposely put a target on immature deer in a "trophy unit" . . . for some inexplainable reason . . . so it's also well within your rights to drive out there, square up to a tasty 2 point and fill your freezer. More power to you. Honestly though, I mean no disrespect to anyone that kills 2 points . . . I have killed my share and will probably kill more . . . I just choose not to do so in a trophy unit.

So, to help you with your question. Yes, it's a lot of road hunting. It's an excellent opportunity for folks that may not be as mobile as they once were . . . and there's no shame in that. One question, do you have a GPS with the Landowner Chip that shows public and private. If not, you could be in for "confrontation". I don't have a chip so I rely solely on maps and knowing about where I am in relation to landmarks and roads. With that, I have been "spoken to" by numerous ranchers out there as to "why I'm glassing on their property". It's probably no secret that the best hunting out there is on private property, so it's frustrating that there are so many locked gates preventing access to public property beyond . . . the way it goes I guess. Naturally, since it's difficult in certain areas to get too far off of the main roads and there's a lot of unfortunately-located private . . . it's a lot of road hunting going on. With that . . . there are still a lot of deer out there and a plethora of 2-points on public property, so please don't be discouraged by any of this. I was out there a few weekends ago looking for coyotes and I saw a bachelor group of 2-points (all 5 of them). One thing to consider when you are headed out there. If you have all season to kill a deer and enjoy your time out there . . . it's also pretty easy to find a fairly mature 2-point that SHOULD be taken out of the "trophy unit" herd. One of the five 2-points that I saw on that trip was a 4-point when I first spotted him . . . and then he turned his massive rack so I could see a side view . . . a HUGE 2-point! Last year I saw a 2x5 . . . how cool would that be to put a tag on in a 2-point hunt?

Well, I hope that I didn't sound like a jerk and I hope I helped a little.

Well said. I just posted an intro today. I live in 40. Hunted the archery hunt and usually do the rifle hunt to but am getting tired of fighting lots of other hunters and private land. There are lots of nice big bucks out there so if you are using the two point season to scout in hopes of drawing the tag it can be fun. Just trying to fill your tag without any other purpose can be frustrating, at least to me.

[FemoralArchery]

Where in 40 do you live? I live here too.

[bowbeck]

I live in Grand View. How about you?

[FemoralArchery]

Homedale.

[Duck-Slayer]

Homedale.

no he lives in Parma now.....

This year is the first year I have not done the 2 point hunt, usually my wife and I go, you don't have too road hunt either, there are plenty of area's that are now wilderness you can go in and probably not see anyone and get a two point, I have an obsession with 2 points, I like too shoot them over other deer in general units. but I do think they need too limit the number of 2 points coming out of the south hills units, wish they would make that a draw for meat hunters and lessen the number of 2 points shot, but there are plenty of big bucks down there, my family and I have taken 3 good bucks out of there and I did eat my tag one other time as well, but after that we haven't drawn squat down there....

The rifle hunt down there gets a little crazy in spots, but I have learned most people stay pretty close too the main roads, some atv's go just off not too far, lots of 2 pointers down there, that being said if there were no 2 point hunt and not youth/archery doe tags I don't think the population would be any better other than big bucks and some doe's, the habitat I don't believe can handle too many deer, but that's just my opinion.... I like it as a meat hunt and scout just in case my family gets on a lucky streak again....
Matt