When you think of western big game, white-tailed deer is probably not a species that comes to mind. You may be surprised to learn that among the wolves, bears, elk, and antelope, certain areas in the west actually hold good numbers of whitetails. Enough for hunting seasons even. Among other places to find whitetails in the west, Washington, Idaho, and Montana have some excellent whitetail hunting.
In Idaho, you can find whitetails from the middle of the state, all through the panhandle. This part of the state gets more precipitation throughout the year and grows the thick wet forests that the whitetails thrive in. They can be found at a multitude of elevations from the top of drainage mountains at 8000 feet down to the valley floors at 1800 feet.
Which Deer Tag?
The first big decision you have to make is which season you will buy a tag for. There are 2 over-the-counter, general season tags that you get in Idaho that will allow for the taking of a white-tailed deer.
There is the general deer tag, which includes units where you can take a mule deer or whitetail. This is the best option if you are hunting in one of those units on the fringe of the whitetail territories and want some options.
If you want to know where the whitetails tend to aggregate throughout the state, the fish and game regulations have a great map in the deer section.
Then there is a whitetail-specific tag. The whitetail tag generally accommodates those hunters that live in the northern part of the state and allows for the hunters to hunt later into the rutting season of the deer. Something that doesn’t always happen in the southern part of the state where mule deer are the majority.
Make sure you check out the regulations before buying your tag and planning your hunt. If you have a question call the Idaho Fish and Game.
Environment
The environment where Idaho whitetails hang out is thick timber forests, agricultural fields, and river bottoms. They can be near the top of a mountain ridge at 7000 feet or down on the river bottom at 1200 feet. It all depends on the time of year and the weather.
For the vast majority of rifle seasons, the dates will be between October and the end of November. So the environment you can expect to be walking through, consists of snowy and wet conditions. The white backdrop is a great highlighter for deer movement when your eyes get used to it.
Public land hunters have great opportunities in the panhandle. There are plenty of national forests that you drive into and have ample hunting room. Like most of Idaho, there are lots of logging roads you can use as access points into the national forests and there are plenty of camping spots.
The closed logging roads make for a great pathway to walk while you hunt. The preferred method of hunting whitetails in the panhandle is spot and stalk. Walking the logging roads and glassing open areas like clear-cuts in the forest can be the key to your success.
I suggest using apps like onX or Gohunt to find public and private land maps, that can help guide you to some prime hunting areas.
Tactics
Glassing Clearcuts
The whitetails in Idaho enjoy having thick timber patches to hide in. As I mentioned earlier walking logging roads that pass by clear-cuts is a go-to method of finding the deer. Glassing areas where there is subtle changes in cover, seems to attract the deer. They enjoy feeding in the open, and being able to bounce back into cover if needed.
Pattern
Another way you can try and plan your move on a whitetail would be to pattern their movements and sit on an intercept area. In late October and November, you will encounter snow which allows you to see fresh tracks. Find a trail that looks heavily trafficked and set up nearby with a good vantage point and wait to see if anything comes by during the morning and evening hours.
Rattle
You can mix it up during the rut with a good horn rattle. If you catch those deer when they are all hot and bothered to find a doe, they have been known to come and check out what is going on. On or about November 10 through Thanksgiving is more or less when those deer are in the rut.
Storms
The whitetails love big weather changes. The colder the better. When a big storm starts to let up, you can expect that the deer will be moving around soon. These are some prime times to be on edge of clearcut areas glassing for movement.
All we can do is speculate as to why the deer move more before and after storms. One theory is that the deer do not like to be out feeding during times when the weather causes the brush and trees and move around them.
When the environment around the deer is moving, it is harder to differentiate movement due to a predator. For this reason, they like to bed during windy weather and then get back to feeding
when things calm down.
Gear
For rifle hunters during the whitetail season, you need to expect cold and wet temperatures. Snow is to be expected in the upper elevations and as you come down in elevation it can be raining. So waterproof is the name of the game.
A good set of “pacs” or snowboots would be a good idea if you plan to get and out and walk the roads. A pair of gaiters go well with snow boots to keep the snow from getting up into your pant leg.
Here are a few recommended items for whitetail hunting in northern Idaho.
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There you have it folks, all the rest is just getting out there and seeing what works for you. Even with all the methods and data in the world, I have found that the more time you spend in the woods behind binoculars is the best way to find whitetails.
If you enjoyed this article, here are some more helpful articles from Pinetrees And Solitude.
- What You Need For An Idaho Mule Deer Hunt
- Catch Mule Deer While They Are Active
- What Should I Bring Elk Hunting? Idaho List
- Hunting Elk In Timber: Tactics To Even The Odds
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