Diamond Creek Unit

[Deafirishman]

Good morning everyone !! I am planning on hunting the Diamond Creek Area this September. I understand there are a lot of hunters in this area and the pressure is great and challenging. Any helpful information in regards to this area would be greatly appreciated. I am deaf/hard of hearing so my goal is to get close enough to a bull screaming. I have been hunting elk for a few years and have not had that opportunity yet so I am hoping my first time out archery hunting will increase my odds of getting a chance to hear one. I do wear hearing aids and do hear somewhat. Thanks for taking the time to read this and submit your opinions. Best of luck this season to everyone !!

[Deafirishman]

I must clarify that it's Diamond Creek Unit in Idaho. Hope that makes it a little easier !!

[FemoralArchery]

I don't know how much help you will get with that exact unit here, but this is the most knowledgeable group of elk hunters you will find on the internet anywhere.

If you have any other questions concerning elk hunting, this is the place to ask.

[Freebird134]

Welcome! What exactly are you wanting to know?

[Deafirishman]

Freebird 134 : I have heard that this unit has a lot of hunters and the elk are pressured greatly. I am trying to find an area that is less likely to be pressured compared to other areas in the unit. We plan on hunting a few miles south of Tincup area since there are very few roads in this part of the unit. We are hoping this would be a good area to start. I have been studying maps upon maps looking for what I think is the best area to set up base camp and hunt from there. Trying to convince a hunter in my group to backpack camp in for a few days and see if we can find the elk that way. I have also heard that elk in this unit are call shy so we are undecided if we should use calls or not. I have also learned to stay away from Diamond Creek Road as this area is heavily pressured and very many campers are located off of this particular road. This is our first time hunting Idaho so I am trying to gather as much information as possible before heading out. I purchased Elknut's Playbook and I must say this is the most informational book I have ever read and will be carrying this in the field with me. I have rifle hunted elk in Colorado a few times so I am still learning the elk hunting game so I get ahold of as much information as I can. My goal this season is to be able to hear a bull bugle and actually getting him will be a bonus. I am deaf/hard of hearing but can hear somewhat with hearing aids so I am hoping to get close enough to hear a bull screaming. That would make my hunt !! Any information that you are able to provide is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Lefty]

While the area is hunted hard, horseman really hit it. Great part of Idaho
You have gotten some pretty good info. My wife use to hunt mulies with her dad around Tim Cup. they use to go in on the Wyoming side to get away from others( dont know if that is still true.)
Let us know how thr hunt goes
Where are you coming from?

If you want to hear elk and it doesnt happen on your hunt go up to Island Park to Harriman State Park and do the bugling horse trip

[Deafirishman]

Thanks Lefty for the information. My thought process is you can never have too much information. So I am trying to gather as much as I can. We are coming from the frozen tundra of MN. I have always wanted to hunt in Idaho so this year a group of my childhood friends decided to go for it. I missed out in the last few Colorado trips so I am super excited to get back in the field of elk hunting. Bought a new bow and have spent a ton of money at Cabelas this year to get prepared for this trip all I had was cold weather gear so I had an excuse to buy more camo clothing I plan on keeping a journal of the hunting and preparing a article for this site. I wrote an article regarding deaf hunters on www.elk-hunting-tips.net if you are interested in reading it. Once you get to the site there will be some tabs on your left, scroll down til you get to the Miscelaneous tab and you will see Deaf Hunters, click on that and the article will come up. Best of luck this season. Hope you do well.

[Lefty]

,......is you can never have too much information. So I am trying to gather as much as I can. We are coming from the frozen tundra of MN..

Im from Mankato, My wife is from SE Idaho
The mountains can be challenging. Expect the night temprature to get cool or cold. Ive hunted geese just east of Tin cup in Wyoming , The last day of August and it was 22 degree in the low ground.
Just be prepared for possible cold and snow.

[Lefty]

Checked out your article;
Sadly too many of us dont realize how important our sences are doing everyday activities.
My first bull that I killed 20 years ago with a rifle I heard it troting well over 1000 yards away on frozen ground. I had too much time to be excited.
I was a sqirril hunter as a kid,.. I would think squrril hunting would be really hard with out hearing

Maybe Im dating myself, Harmon Killibrew had a ranch just east of Tin Cup

I hunt Blackfoot resiviour for geese to the west, always kind of a neat hunt. We use to trail ride , Elk were often a problem with out horses at night.

some good hiking and pack trails,.. no ATV's in that region

[Deafirishman]

Thanks Lefty. I appreciate the input very much. What a small world, Mankato ?? My dad, who lives in Kansas at the moment, is moving back to MN near Mankato. I have a few friends who still live there and do go there from time to time. That's kind of neat the Killebrew had a ranch out in Idaho. He is a legend around these parts This may sound like a dumb question but is the Tincup area considered to be the area south of Hwy 34 ? The reason I ask is I see that Tincup Peak is in Area 66 and Hwy 34 is called 'Tincup Highway'. There are no ATV's in that region ?? That's another area I am trying to avoid. We do not want to set up camp or hunt near ATV accessed area. According to the Idaho Vehicle Use Map I don't see any ATV access areas in that region. ATV usage is a sticky topic. In my opinion, they don't belong on Public Lands unless you are disabled and cannot get to and from your hunting area. There are always a few bad apples out there that are tearing up the land with ATV's. Thank for taking the time to read the article. I appreciate that very much. I am trying to promote the issue since there isn't much information out there on deaf/hard of hearing hunters. I personally don't know of any other deaf hunters. I have been deaf/hard of hearing since I was 2 years old so its something I have learned to live with and adapt to my limitations. I may just do a separate post on hear regarding the article and see if I can generate some interest in it. 22 degrees on the last day of August ?? Now that's MN weather !! Thanks again Lefty.

[Lefty]

What part of Minnesota?
Use this site
You are in an area I considered to elk hunt. The states map doesnt show any ATV trails only non moterized
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/huntplanner/mapcenter/
select Diamond Creek , scroll down on the right and select trails. nearlu non moterized,.. but horseman can be problematic too
My wife considers the pass on the highway as "Tin Cup",.. Realize by Minnesota standards this is fairly remote country Many of the ranches are only lived in during grazing months June to Thru October.
. We have a ranch with warm springs we can hunt out that direction but nearly a 5 hour drive in the winter. Again most services will be in Star Valley Wy.

ATV's are big out here and in some areas cause a lot of damage. The state has made a lot of great trails, generally old jeep trails that were rebuilt to prevent run-off and closed to big vehicles
While I put hundreds of hours trail riding I dont "ride" like most people. Wednesday my wife and I drove the Boundry trail. 42 mile curcit . It took us 10 hours on the trail( only cut one elk track ) We never met anyone on the ride
Like cows and logging ; ATV's have a place,.. but on trails and roads only. Guys that hunt are some of the biggest abusers. A few years back there were a few guys that released brakes and pointed ATV s down the mountian. Compared to many other states ATVing didnt get out-of-hand
Lots of public land out here

[Deafirishman]

Thanks for the link Lefty. I checked it out. Now I have even a better idea on where to go. I was born and raised in southeastern MN by Red Wing.I currently live about 45 minutes south of St. Cloud. Since we are coming out from MN, my only worry is that we find a decent place to camp. We have a 12x24 outfitter tent that we will be staying in and hunting from there. I would love to backpack camp in for a few days but I am afraid I would be the only one that would want too. Maybe next year. I sure hope the bulls are screaming by the time we get out there. I would love to hear one if we can get close enough. I have never heard one so I really couldn't say how close I would have to be. We are leaving Sept 6th and coming back the 17th. Any advice on travel plans ?? I believe it's a 20 hour ride from MN ?

[Lefty]

I currently live about 45 minutes south of St. Cloud.?,....

My parents kept a place near Litchfield on Washington and Stella

Since we are coming out from MN, my only worry is that we find a decent place to camp. We have a 12x24 outfitter tent that we will be staying in and hunting from there. I would love to backpack camp in for a few days but I am afraid I would be the only one that would want too. Maybe next year. I sure hope the bulls are screaming by the time we get out there. I would love to hear one if we can get close enough. I have never heard one so I really couldn't say how close I would have to be. We are leaving Sept 6th and coming back the 17th. Any advice on travel plans ?? I believe it's a 20 hour ride from MN

Driving straight thru stinks,.. Ive done 90 and 80. Just know way to get there. But you could stop at Mitchell or Rapid City Cabelas Be careful night driving most of Wyoming, deer elk, and the most dangerous black angus on the roads.

As fas as screaming, Is there an elk farm near you? Get your blood rooling by parking along the road by an elk ranch

I do not remember what the trailheads look like in that area. Try to get your tent/camp away from anyplace some cowboy will unload a trailer or want to turn around. Some guys get bent out of shape if they see a non local plate and might get rude and reckless. Stay away from anything that looks like it was used as a corral or hitching post, again some cowboy who shows up late to hunt will want to take it out on your camp,..There might even be good places to camp along the highway. The highway get little use. Most dirt roads get more use than that hightway
A few guys working the mines, ranchers moving cows, a few lost people going to Yellowstone, but mostly elk hunters

[Deafirishman]

Thanks again for the useful information. Went to Cabela's in Rogers MN this weekend. Bought a few things that I needed. I have spent a quite a bit of money at Cabela's this year. I might have broke the bank but it's well worth it !! We have been to the one in Mitchell a few years ago. The best one is in Owatonna in my opinion. I make a trip there a few times a year.
As for the cowboys seeing non-local plates, I can understand their frustration of non-resident hunters coming to your state to hunt. We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to hunt elk and the group I go with are very respectable guys, obey all the game laws and respect other's properties.
A couple of questions, how was the winter this year in this area ? Are the creeks usually full with water at this time of the year ? Our best case scenario would be to set up camp near a creek if possible so I was just wondering if they usually hold water or are dried up.
As for Litchfield, I play softball every Thursday night there. Not sure if you have heard of MN Archery store but it's located in downtown Litchfield. I have yet to stop there and see what they have. I bought a new Hoyt this year so I have been dealing with the Hoyt dealer in Spicer, MN.

[Lefty]

the area had a short water year. However the creeks and springs will still have water.

You dont need to be a NR to have soem of the local boys get bent out of shaper.
Idaho Identifies the county on your plate, for years I bought specialty plates so guys didnt know where i was from.
Where you are headed is all National Forest the only private gound is near Grays Lake or along the Wyoming border

Intersting how all the Cabelas are different. Owatona lots of waterfowl, Mitchell pheasents, Rapid city big game, Lehi Utah big Game , ATV, Boise has the best elk hunting supplies of any of their stores

[mnguy]

Sorry I am a little late to this post but I just found this forum. I would have sent you a Pm but it would not let me. Aaron have you been out to diamond creek yet? I am heading out from Glencoe this Thursday night after work! I've never been so excited for a 20 hr drive! Hope to hear from ya

[idaho elk hunter]

When I lived in idaho I used to hunt 66a, then moved over to 76. Yeah there seems to be more pressure but I got into more elk in 76.I Moved outta state but come back to hunt the weiser zone almost every year with a few buddies. If you plan on hunting idaho every year I'd consider doing a lot of research. Diamond creek isn't a bad choice, but the best places are the ones you don't read about in magazines. If your willing to hike, you'll be able to find zones that offer a lot less pressure and obviously more vocal bulls. Don't get caught up in the "hot spots" and where all the "big bulls" are. I began noticing a pattern with hunters i talked with when i lived there. They were tight lipped when I asked about other zones, but they seemed to always say "have you tried the diamond creek zone"... its funny that they would suggest hunting somewhere they don't hunt themselves. I think you'll find the same thing on most of these forums too! There's alot of non residents that hunt diamond creek year after year because its all they know. Its easy access, maintained roads, close to towns ect. You'll find elk in most units in idaho, and if you look at the stats you'll find herd numbers below objectives in diamond creek, and in other zones elk are above objectives and actually causing major crop damage with farmers. That definitely should be paid attention to as well because it'd been a huge advantage in getting permission to hunt private property.

[Deafirishman]

It's been a while since I have posted on this site...now that Winter is over half over I am getting the itch on elk hunting again. Although we didn't put any elk down on the ground in Diamond Creek, we sure had a great time trying. It was one heck of an experience to remember. It took us a few days to find them, once we did we were into them just about every day We are planning another trip back to the same area this fall. Now that we know the area, we hope it will increase our success this year. Although there were a lot of campers in the area, we did not run into a single hunter out in the field. Very surprising considering every forum regarding this area had people complaint they were running into other hunters left and right....Looking forward to dusting the bow off and start shooting again

[zpd307]

good to know. we are planning on hunting Idaho this year. my firefighter partner had hunted diamond creek several times and pulled a couple of bulls out of there. but that was 10 years ago. I was planning to hunt there as he had maps and such and could show me where they got into the elk. but after seeing the stats on hunting pressure, I didn't want to take a chance with all the hunters. I don't have enough knowledge to be able to use other hunters to my advantage. we are planning on hunting in the salmon-challis area. I spoke with the warden and forest ranger in our area. they were very helpful. the ranger even sent me four forest road use maps, those suckers are huge. as you can see, I live not too far away from your old stomping grounds....

[idaho elk hunter]

Hey Deafirishman, glad to hear ya had a good time! That's some beautiful country over there, although there are some places that are shear hell holes from downfall and brush that I always seemed to end up in...definitely don't miss that.... When I first hunted that zone it didn't seem to get a ton of pressure where I hunted, then over three or four years it had got ridiculous. Bulls got call shy, their patterns became unpredictable, and I moved out. The odds really stack against ya when you can't pattern where they bed, theres water sources and good feed everywhere. It didn't matter how far ya hiked in the dark or how far you packed in a spike camp, there were guys, guides, or sheep everywhere I ended up. I refuse to have those variables in my hunts. I hate to sound so bitter about that zone but I regret the time and effort I put into that zone instead of cutting my losses and looking to areas where I could focus on finding elk, not avoiding other hunters and sheep.

Zpd307, I have a few buddies from Boise that hunt north of Salmon and they seem to take bulls outta there on a regular basis. Salmon is my my plan B if I switch zones. There is soo much country over there, other hunter pressure is pretty much a non issue. You obviously checked the fish n game stats. What did diamond creek zone have, like almost 2,000 archery hunters. Salmon zone had around 250...I hope ya let us know how you do this season. And for anyone who hunts idaho this year please get a wolf tag!

[Deafirishman]

Thanks Idaho Elk Hunter and ZPD. Although we didn't get anything, we sure did have a great time and learned a lot in our first elk archery hunt. The bulls were very vocal when we were there. Took us a few days but it was worth it. I am deaf but wear 2 hearing aids and was able to hear my first bugle. I always went rifle hunting so I never really got the opportunity to hear one. We did have a few opportunities at some bulls but couldn't close the gap or finish the game. We had a nice bull come screaming up a mountain right towards us only to get busted because of the wind. It was in our favor until at the last minute it decided to change direction. Still learning how to use the thermals to our advantage. We estimated this bull came within 40 yards before turning around. Couldn't see more than 20 yards in front of us. Very thick vegetation in front of us. That was just one of the many experiences. Hunting pressure was high but we never ran into any other hunters. The bulls weren't call shy either I believe Diamond Creek gave out 1,800 tags last year. 1,000 resident tags and 800 non-resident tags. The harvest was down in zone 76 last year but was up 5% in zone 66. Best of luck to you both and hope to hear your 2014 success stories

[zpd307]

idahoeh, yep, we scoured through all the stats. we started by making a list of the higher success ratios then narrowed it down to hunting pressure. we started drooling when we saw all the units with over 15% success..... in Colorado 6% was considered good. then further narrowed it down by access points. the harder the better. 30 had ridiculous success ratios, but when you looked at the unit, you could drive all over in it. we wont be too far from it. I guess I looked harder at the eastern units so that the drive time would be a little less. I plan on getting a wolf tag, I am glad they are that cheap for non residents... you bet I will be planning on announcing my success story when I get back!!!! all my planning and studying for the past hunts has gotten me into elk the last two years. now I am studying up and learning from my failed tactics. this site has helped me connect the dots on what I saw and heard to what I should have done differently. I am still shaking my head.... I had 2 bulls fighting near me last year, I'd guess a 100 yards from me. they were close enough I could hear the ground thud as their hooves were digging for traction. but my lack of knowledge and confidence prevented me from ever seeing them. sigh.....

[zpd307]

on a side note aaron. I found out you are from goodhue! ever make down my way?

[Deafirishman]

ZPD : I just sent off my application last Saturday for Idaho. Can't wait to see that my check gets cashed and that means I am in for this fall I learned a ton last fall and now that I know the area better, it should help my increase my chances in putting one on the ground. Zone 66A is mainly used by those who use horses. Pretty rugged country there. The wolf tag is included in the Dianond Creek zone as long as you get the A-Tag. We did not see any wolves nor did we hear any where we were at.


As for Goodhue, I was just down there last month for some coyote hunting. I do make it down there quite often. May try and get down there one more time to do some coyote hunting before the snow disappears, which could very well be Juky at this rest winter is going !!

[idaho elk hunter]

Zpd, ill have to look at unit 30 a little closer regarding the access roads...hopefully I won't have to ever worry about going to my plan B.

Sorry to tell ya deafirishman, but most of the hunters in 66a are not going in on horseback...obviously at the trailheads you'll see a lot of horse trailers parked. But most of the terrain in 66a won't allow most guys to ride just anywhere they feel. I know if I had horses or mules, diamond creek would be the last place I would go! Especially as a non resident. I'll have to check the regulations again but I don't think there is a B tag in diamond creek zone, and I don't think they give you a free wolf tag that I'm aware of. Please correct me if I'm wrong! I dont want to post inaccuracies! Its really does get confusing when you read multiple states game regulations. sadly, it doesn't take much to get me confused....sigh...

[zpd307]

we are not hunting unit 30. we will be in 29 next door. I talked to the leadore ranger and she sent me 4 huge forest service road maps. 29 had more restrictions come fall. the area game warden gave me some tips on where to find more secluded areas and feel pretty good about where will be hunting. the wives are getting into this elk hunting thing and are letting us go out there as a family trip in august so we can do a little scouting! we did a family trip to Colorado the first year we hunted there also. funny, that was the first thing my buddies wife said when we picked Idaho this year "when we going to Idaho this summer?"
aaron, the farmers might get into the fields by july. I wonder of the five inches predicted what we will actually get this weekend. if you applied this year, how are you planning on hunting? archery is otc.

[Deafirishman]

Idaho Elk hunter : The game warden last year told us that Zone 66 was used by a lot of horseback hunters and we just went off of what he said. As for game laws, they are constantly changing. Might have to be a lawyer to read all the interpretations As for the wolf tags, here is what I read on the Idaho Game regulations :

Nonresident Deer and Elk Tags
Nonresident deer and elk tags, excluding nonresident junior
mentored deer and elk tags, are valid to take a black bear, mountain
lion or gray wolf instead of a deer or elk, if a season is open for that
species, where and when the deer or elk tag is valid, and if there is
an open deer or elk season in that same unit.

Nonresident Deer, Elk Tag for Bear, Mountain Lion or Gray Wolf
Nonresident deer and elk tags, excluding Nonresident Junior Mentored
deer or elk tags, are valid to take a black bear, mountain lion or gray
wolf, if a season is open for that species, instead of a deer or elk where
and when the deer or elk tag is valid, and there is an open deer or elk
season in that same unit. Hunters may buy other bear, lion or wolf
tags, but after the deer or elk tag is used to harvest a deer, elk, black
bear, mountain lion, or gray wolf, a second deer or elk tag may not be
purchased – except by buying a leftover nonresident deer or elk tag
when available.

Unit 76 (Diamond Creek) Wolf season runs from 8/30-3/31, bear season runs from 8/30-10/31 and mountain lion season runs from 8/30-3/31. There are no B tags given out for this unit for archery.

ZPD - I just found out that I will be getting a OTC archery for Diamond Creek in the mail. I must have gotten lucky I believe they are giving out 776 OTC tags for non-resident elk archery in this unit. Somewhere in that range. As of a few days ago, they had 614 OTC non-resident tags left. Last year they gave out over 800 OTC tags for non-resident elk archery.We are going back to the same area and hoping to get the same campsite for base camp. We will hunt from there every day. We are considering setting up a spike camp but haven't made that decision yet. Plenty of planning and preparation to do until September...winter needs to go away soon here !!!

[idaho elk hunter]

Deafirishman, the key word being "instead" of elk you may use that tag to take a wolf. I didn't want anybody to make the wrong assumption and potentially end up with a game violation. There are some people who take information on these boards as fact without doing proper due diligence. Sorry if you feel I'm being critical of the material in your post, but it read like you got a wolf tag additionally when you bought your elk tag.
Hey deaf, and ZPD, shoot me a pm.

[zpd307]

x2 on the wolf tag. you can use your tag on a wolf, but then have no tag for an elk. aaron. from my reading there might only be two units in Idaho that you have to draw for an archery tag. otherwise they are all otc. some units like diamond have a set number of tags to be given out, but it is a first come first serve basis. hence otc. I think there are somewhere around 12,000 total tags for nonresidents. i remember seeing a page on their site that lists the total tags and also how many are still available. I heard back in the old days before the wolves got bad, you would have to buy your tag asap otherwise they would sell out. the warden up in salmon told me that they havent sold out of nonresident tags for a number of years now.... we should buy our tags, now that we have officially set on where we will be hunting. good choice on getting your tag early for that unit. a firefighter partner of mine has hunted diamond in the past with success, so we were originally going to go there. especially since we would have the maps and boots on the ground to tell us where to go. but.... i saw how many people hunt that unit. and my buddy did say that they ran into people every day. i just didn't want to chance it.

[zpd307]

i just looked again at their website. total tags are 10,415 of which 10,050 are still left. there is no cap for salmon zone a tag, but there is for b tag. i see diamond has a cap of 772 of which 610 are still available.

[Deafirishman]

ZPD - you are reading it correct. I most certainly wouldn't waste this tag on a wolf. Maybe only if it came down to the last day or 2 of being there then I would let an arrow fly I already invested a lot of time into buying and printing maps, so it would be tough for me to change to another area and having to learn a new area all over again. Last year we were going in blind and didn't know a thing about where to go. Like a stated earlier, it took a couple of days to find them but once we did, the bulls were bugling all over. We saw more bulls than cows, which was a little unusual for me.

We know of 4 other guys that go to this unit as well and that's how we found out about it. They have had some success over the years too. We know of 2 areas to avoid in the Diamond Creek Zone, which we did, and it worked to our advantage. We checked those areas out prior to hunting and boy were there a lot of campers. There were campers where we were at but not nearly as many and we did not run into a single hunter while we were out. Maybe we got lucky

I have read some good things about Salmon. I am sure one of these years we may try something different. We talked to the game warden last year and he said the wolves are not real bad in Diamond, maybe that's why so many people hunt this zone. This area is some pretty remote country. No service anywhere including cell service.

September isn't coming fast enough !!!

[zpd307]

sept is coming awfully slow..... i hear you on the knowing the area thing. we actually started hunting that area from a guy in goodhue that rifle hunted it. we have 2 years and a scout trip into our old area in Colorado. i was just starting to get the area really figured out. but the elk there are really pressured and were not very vocal. not just from hunters. found out that the area was a prime recreational spot and the good folks of Colorado would come up the mountain and camp. they would ride around on their atvs and blast away with an arsenal of guns.... unfortunately the camp we used took us over two hours to pick up the shell casings, broken beer bottles, and general garbage. 3 garbage bags worth!