Elk - Palisades Zone (updated-with success)

[the_cactus_kid]

***Update***

You know it's rugged territory you're hunting when you meet a mountain goat coming down the trail that you're going up.

The Palies work, er - I mean "hunt", went well. Work, because I spent two days with my dad packing out his elk. He shot a nice 5 pt. the second day of the season. I didn't end up getting a shot, but I'm glad he did since he paid the big bucks as an out-of-stater.

Good zone to hunt, if you have the legs for it. We saw elk around 7000 ft., but heard that a lot of them were up higher - even towards 9000 ft. The weather was beautiful.

Kind of an interesting elk. Somewhere between the raghorn and mature stage. The tines are long like a mature bull, but the main beam was surprisingly kind of short. A keeper any day in my book.

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I usually hunt Unit 61 for elk, but didn't draw the tag this year, and don't want to do the general season spike hunt in that unit. So I've been thinking about branching out into Unit 64, 65, or 67.

Anybody have any helpful info on those units for elk? I'm familiar with the East side of 65 along the Teton foothills, so I'm mostly wondering about the Big Hole Mts., and what they have for elk.

thanks in advance!
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[michael44]

wolves ate them all[laugh]
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[the_cactus_kid]

I don't doubt it.

I was talking to a rancher over in the Fairfield area a few weeks ago, and he had a good take on the wolf issue. He's had cattle taken down by wolves, and he's a hunter, so he hates them. But he's absolutely against the hunt. He wants them all killed (don't get him wrong), but he believes the legal hunt will actually add more protection to them. Whereas before the wolves were pretty bold, stupid, and easy to shoot, after the hunt has been on for a few years they'll become more cunning, stealthy, night-marauding s.o.b.'s - and almost impossible to find.
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[chrome_junky]

its true they will adapt to whatever situation is presented to them and getting shot at would be easy for them to adapt too. ive been hunting elk in the palouse zone for the last week and i have only seen 2 elk a cow and a calf from about 300 yards away the only other thing i have seen is huge piles of wolf feces about every hundred yards on every trail. fish and game needs to put their big girl panties on and nip this in the butt while they still have a chance and i agree with the old man that general hunts to the public is not going to be what it takes to knock a signifagant dent in the wolf population. they need to gas pups in their dens, and kill entire packs off so the elk population can try and make a comeback. as cruel as it sounds its what needs to be done in order for elk to have a future in idaho.
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[hulapopper]

in 100 % agreement chromejunky. the fish and game need to back the hunters on the wolf issues . keep the politics out ! WE pay for there department not the finch watchers, mountain bikers, ect. i think it would be great if we could all get together and pick a portion of a unit and form a line of a few hundred of us with a few hundred ahead of us and brush them out and rid ourselfs of them.
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[the_cactus_kid]

Updated - see first post in thread. Thanks everyone that helped with info on the area, it was a good hunt.
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[iwantabuggy]

[quote the_cactus_kid]

Kind of an interesting elk. Somewhere between the raghorn and mature stage.
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Nice raghorn. Any elk that's in the freezer is a great elk. Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing.

Oh yeah. When you have to pack them for two days they are called "DEAR".[]
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