I have deer hunting on my mind, but first....

[RVTECH]

It sounds like November in the PNW is the best time to deer hunt.

Assuming there is a deer hunt in November in a unit you have drawn a tag for.

Also regardless of your personal opinions or beliefs of the buck or doe kill % you can only hunt what you have a tag for.
When I was hunting yearly I put in for tags based on the unit I wanted to hunt in and what gave me my best chance of drawing a tag - antlered or antlerless.
At one time a particular unit I put in for had an antlerless and antlered draw for the same timeframe and I typically applied for antlered as the first choice and antlerless as the 2nd.

Wildlife 'biology' is rarely a concern for the average hunter who is applying for the unit he or she wants to hunt in and wants the best chance at drawing a tag - antlered or antlerless.

 

[Koda]

It sounds like November in the PNW is the best time to deer hunt. Just before the snow flies. Snow can make hunts downright miserable. Very cool weather to better keep killed game as it's being moved. How did Indians safeguard their game against spoilage?

The PNW isnt really a hot enough place to worry about this in detail, maybe a rare hot Oct day. Generally I drag the deer to camp to skin, just as long as I skin it in a couple hours and the meat is in a cooling trend.

I think the Native Americans smoked and dried their meats to get thru winter...?

 

[snarlingdog]

Shot a deer, gut it, drag it to camp or truck, hanging it on a meat pole in camp, skin it, put a game bag on it and tape his nose and mouth shut to keep flies and wasps out and let it hang. Most hunts are early to mid fall it can get in the mid 90s during the day but 40s at night. But your meat will be fine.

Deer blinds are kinda of a east coast and midwest thing. Western hunters rarely use a blind.

 

[j_ravenswood]

Assuming there is a deer hunt in November in a unit you have drawn a tag for.

Also regardless of your personal opinions or beliefs of the buck or doe kill % you can only hunt what you have a tag for.
When I was hunting yearly I put in for tags based on the unit I wanted to hunt in and what gave me my best chance of drawing a tag - antlered or antlerless.
At one time a particular unit I put in for had an antlerless and antlered draw for the same timeframe and I typically applied for antlered as the first choice and antlerless as the 2nd.

Wildlife 'biology' is rarely a concern for the average hunter who is applying for the unit he or she wants to hunt in and wants the best chance at drawing a tag - antlered or antlerless.

Whenever I hear "drawing tags" I get the impression that hunting competition might be fierce. What is your success rate at tag drawing? Is this a case of too many hunters vs not enough game?

 

[RVTECH]

What is your success rate at tag drawing?

You might want to hit ODFW website for success stats as they do not seem to be consistent from one person to the next. I know of people who draw with what seems like an unnatural regularity and others who don't draw for years - and these are in high tag number units.

Is this a case of too many hunters vs not enough game?

This is a controversial subject. While it is stated statistically 10% of the hunters take 90% of the game may be true hunter numbers grew substantially for many years and got to a point where some hunting units became more popular than others and were drawing in a majority of the hunters.

I remember the 70s & 80's of hunting in the Upper Deschutes unit and it was like a war zone.

I may be wrong but I firmly believe the move to a lottery type draw did many things for ODFW such as increased revenue, reduced hunter numbers in the 'field' and to spread out hunters into other units where many would have never considered hunting previously.

 

[Koda]

Few years ago i checked odfw sucess rates for western deer and the rough average iirc was only about 15pct. Makes sense that 10pct take the majority.... But IMO private land access skews that result....

Drawing tags is a game learned to play over the years to work the odds in your favor, gone are the days you can hunt the best spots every year.... Makes it harder to be sucessful even in the best spots. Sucessful hunters hunt the same place and know where the game are there. Changing units lowers your odds, though can make you a better hunter if you put the time in and learn how to find game wherever your at.... Ive got lucky that way a few times as my dad always wanted to try new units but the flip side is ive hunted all over the state and experienced some beautiful country.

 

[Mistman]

No disrespect to your father but I doubt he was a wildlife biologist.

He most definitely was not. Completely a personal thing, I just don't think he liked shooting does. He was also most definitely not a horn hunter, he'd take the 1st legal buck he saw. It probably averaged out to about 50% 1.5 yo and the rest 2.5 yo+ . I shoot cows when I can but in over 40 years hunting I've just never shot a doe. I let friends shoot them on my place once in a while though. I drew a Willamette doe tag last year, my hunting partner lives in the valley and has property. After a successful buck and bull season I just didn't see the need to put anything more in the freezer so didn't even hunt on that tag, he didn't shoot one either.

 

[j_ravenswood]

Few years ago i checked odfw sucess rates for western deer and the rough average iirc was only about 15pct. Makes sense that 10pct take the majority.... But IMO private land access skews that result....

Drawing tags is a game learned to play over the years to work the odds in your favor, gone are the days you can hunt the best spots every year.... Makes it harder to be sucessful even in the best spots. Sucessful hunters hunt the same place and know where the game are there. Changing units lowers your odds, though can make you a better hunter if you put the time in and learn how to find game wherever your at.... Ive got lucky that way a few times as my dad always wanted to try new units but the flip side is ive hunted all over the state and experienced some beautiful country.

I figure it might be especially hard to:

1. draw a tag for an "accessible" hunting unit: park the truck and a 5-minute hike, at the very most, to the stand on flat ground, I think many a deer "hunter" want convenience, little hoofing involved
2. draw a tag for a unit reputed to produce the best venison or the best trophies
3. draw a tag for units which limited numbers are issued for that particular unit

I found this:

Drawing Odds | Idaho Fish and Game

The Idaho Hunt Planner provides all information the hunter needs for a successful Idaho hunt: regulations, seasons, drawing odds, harvest statistics, and hunt boundaries in one location.

fishandgame.idaho.gov

A few units have as many as 99,999 permits. Are these crappy units to hunt in?

 

[BigGame]

Idaho has general deer tags (requiring no draw to acquire), controlled deer tags (requiring that you enter and win a draw), and some controlled deer tags with unlimited numbers (hence the 99,999 permits available). The latter group can be a bit confusing. Rather than go into the details, I suggest that you begin by reviewing the Idaho big game regulations. That will answer a great number of the basic questions that you have about how the tag system works, hunting seasons, what tag options are available, etc. Once you have that basic knowledge, I'm sure people will help you with what questions remain.

https://idfg.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/seasons-rules-big-game-2019-2020-v2.pdf

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Luck plays a big role in hunting.
Every day is "deer season" to a deer...so he or she , is far more woodwise than most hunters.
( Human hunters that is )
The deer also have the "home court advantage" as well.

Scouting out the area where you plan to hunt is very helpful.
Andy

 

[snarlingdog]

And I put just as much effort into deer hunting as I do for elk. One is not more easier than the other just different.

 

[RVTECH]

park the truck and a 5-minute hike, at the very most, to the stand on flat ground, I think many a deer "hunter" want convenience, little hoofing involved

Dare to dream!

 

[Koda]

Hh

I figure it might be especially hard to:

1. draw a tag for an "accessible" hunting unit: park the truck and a 5-minute hike, at the very most, to the stand on flat ground, I think many a deer "hunter" want convenience, little hoofing involved
2. draw a tag for a unit reputed to produce the best venison or the best trophies
3. draw a tag for units which limited numbers are issued for that particular unit

I found this:

Drawing Odds | Idaho Fish and Game

The Idaho Hunt Planner provides all information the hunter needs for a successful Idaho hunt: regulations, seasons, drawing odds, harvest statistics, and hunt boundaries in one location.

fishandgame.idaho.gov

A few units have as many as 99,999 permits. Are these crappy units to hunt in?

Not necessarily...
it takes time to learn the ropes, today we have units and tags and controlled tags and you have to learn where you like to hunt and compare that to if its practical to draw a tag there.
My only real advice is to just dive in somewhere and do it because you love hunting not because you want to provide food.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

My only real advice is to just dive in somewhere and do it because you love hunting not because you want to provide food.

Excellent advice here....
Andy

 

[clearconscience]

My deer meat we used for mostly chili, spaghetti, burritos, etc.

But the best is burgers. Not sure why but I love deer burgers

 

[j_ravenswood]

Dare to dream!

A lot of deer hunt videos from the South, the Rust Belt, the Mississippi Valley, Pennsylvania, or the Plains states have this scenario. But all that terrain is low and flat. Southern Idaho is largely flat but high desert.

 

[j_ravenswood]

My deer meat we used for mostly chili, spaghetti, burritos, etc.

But the best is burgers. Not sure why but I love deer burgers

Deer in the form of patties is not going to have spicy sauces blended into the meat well. Venison does have a woody undertaste like eucalyptus leaves.

White-Tailed Deer | National Geographic

Love Bambi? Get to know the graceful creature that inspired her. Learn what white-tailed deer eat, what eats them—and how they (usually) escape.

www.nationalgeographic.com

.

It appears that deer can either browse, graze or both. Cows and sheep are strictly grazers: no woody trees or leaves in their diets.

graze = non-woody vegetation - grass, clover, cereal grains, poppies, wild flowers
browse = woody vegetation - tree leaves, bark, brush, shoots, trigs, acorns, nuts, tree fruit, bushes, shrubs

 

[RVTECH]

It appears that deer can either browse, graze or both.

It appears you mentioned 'deer' in the generic sense however the link you posted was about white tailed deer.
Are you going to be hunting white tailed deer or mule deer?
Reason is because white tail deer are dramatically different than mule deer in all aspects of their lives.
I am not familiar with the deer in Idaho but I suspect mule deer comprise the majority of the deer population but a knowledgeable Idaho hunter can probably answer this more accurately.
Also while it has not been mentioned make sure you accomplish your hunter education requirements if you have not already done so.

Venison does have a woody undertaste like eucalyptus leaves.

It does? Was this your experience with the venison you ate? Personally I have never eaten version. elk or any wild game that has tasted like 'eucalyptus leaves' - but then I have never eaten them either but know how they smell and no game I have eaten has this flavor.

 

[j_ravenswood]

It appears you mentioned 'deer' in the generic sense however the link you posted was about white tailed deer.
Are you going to be hunting white tailed deer or mule deer?
Reason is because white tail deer are dramatically different than mule deer in all aspects of their lives.
I am not familiar with the deer in Idaho but I suspect mule deer comprise the majority of the deer population but a knowledgeable Idaho hunter can probably answer this more accurately.
Also while it has not been mentioned make sure you accomplish your hunter education requirements if you have not already done so.


It does? Was this your experience with the venison you ate? Personally I have never eaten version. elk or any wild game that has tasted like 'eucalyptus leaves' - but then I have never eaten them either but know how they smell and no game I have eaten has this flavor.

The coastal blacktail buck (mule deer relative) my brother shot in NorCal had that menthol-like aroma but very strong. This was in the forests of Trinity County. Acorns were clearly evident in its belly. The axis venison I just got has a trace of that same gaminess. I believe wild deer will consume a certain amount of leaves, twigs, bark, brush and maybe some acorns. The wild deer in Texas probably eat a lot of brush. I now believe the gaminess of venison comes from a diet of woody vegetation. I can imagine the giraffes in Africa to taste very woody because they browse off tree tops with their long necks and tongues. A giraffe never grazes ground cover. Our domestic beef is sweet and mild because the cows feed on sweet clover, sweet grass and sweet grains.

I believe deer is often made into seasoned sausage to cover up wild flavors.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

As far as for how critters taste....
It depends.

The diet of said critter...
Where the animal lives...
How it died...
Whether it was late season or early season...
How the meat was prepared...
Care taken or not taken in the meat processing...
How it is cooked....

All of the above will affect how the meat will taste.
Andy