Elk Hunter 338
Official LRH Sponsor
Well why not waste your time and hunt Idaho???? I don't have enough words or time to save you from this horrible mistake!! Don't get me started on it!!
This post shows that there is always more to the story. For the past 10 years here in Idaho we have hunted primarily unit 39 OTC tags, and also hunted easy to draw units like LE units in SC Idaho. On an age day we see about 30 elk and rarely see zero. The catch is getting close enough, even with ever increasing LR capabilities. Our teams success rate is about 50%, so above average. Success rate on LE hunts is close to 100% on shot opportunities.
While I admit Idaho is lacking on mature Bulls and even the genetics of some other states, I do believe our herds are doing well and have been improving the past 3-5 years. Wolves are not decimating herds, though they definitely can impact them when unchecked. Wolves have pushed them out of the openings and decreased typical herd sizes into smaller bands.
I do believe the biggest difficulty in hunting elk in Idaho is terrain. It's steep and/or thick up north and simply STEEP everywhere elk live in central Idaho. Southern Idaho has some great hunts, but not a lot of population, historically. We have a lot of pressure on these elk with OTC archery hunts in almost all units and OTC rifle tags in many of the most populated.
I have only hunted elk for 11 seasons and if I can find them so regularly so can others, but it's hard work getting shot opportunities and as we all know harder work getting them to the freezer. We are a true opportunity state.
Well you cant compare offshore fishing to hunting from a cost standpoint. The cost of the boats alone today make it off limits for even above average wage earners, not even considering the huge fuel cost today. But hunting actually cost very little to do at least at a local close to home level. Yet the numbers are way down. Many of the old hunting camps in prime locations aren't even occupied on opening day of buck season in PA anymore.You can say exactly the same thing about offshore fishing. $$$, lack of fish,(no bait fish to bring them here) and lack of interest in the younger generation, regulations.