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Unit 69 & 66 Elk / Fishing

Posted on: September 06, 2007

By
Dave Langston

By now most big game hunters have picked the unit or area they wish to pursue deer or elk in. But, every year hunters wait till the last day to decide on a unit to pursue both species. Although in Idaho you can chase mule deer in most units, elk hunters have to decide what unit they are going to hunt and whether they want an A or B tag. This is a constant dilemma for hunters in late September and early October.

Unit 69 which covers the entire east side of Blackfoot from the Gay Road Mine near Fort Hall to Birch Creek and east to Grays Lake Outlet is a good bet for elk hunters looking for a low pressure area close to home. In fact, Idaho Fish and Game officers say this could be a sleeper unit but does have access issues.

Wildlife biologist Daryl Meints of region 6 Idaho Fish and Game 208-525-7290 says that although the herd is holding stable at 4200 animals, unit 66 is a top bet holding the largest density of elk in the Tex Creek unit during the spring, summer and fall time periods.

“Unit 69 is tough, the access is fair at best and a good portion of the land is private,” says Meints. “During the winter herds come into the Tex Creek WMA by the hundreds but the hunting season is over at that point. Unit 69 does have resident herds though and hunters do score on these animals but you definitely need a good topo map, BLM map and Forest Service travel plan map. You will need these essentials in order to have a successful hunt,” he adds.

Meints also says that this area does have access YES points of entry and most landowners do require that you call before entering. “Go to the Idaho Fish and Game website http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ and study the access YES map very carefully, you will need this information if you want to hunt this unit” he says.

Here is a short list on some of the access YES areas you may want to target with requirements listed.

Wolverine Canyon
Landowner Notification Required.
Property Contact:
Peggy Stolworthy
1525 E. Wolverine
Firth, ID 83236
Phone: (208)346-6503
Directions: East of Blackfoot at the bottom of Wolverine Cyn.
Description: Rangeland, dry cropland, and wetlands.
Private Land: 9805 acres
Public Land: 7000 acres of BLM and STATE
Available: 4/1/2007 – 12/31/2007
Access: Unlimited, contact landowner
Access Restrictions Landowner notification required No vehicle use: foot or equestrian access only No open fires
Call between 9AM and 8 PM. Camping allowed in designated areas only. Parking allowed in designated areas only. No snowmobile or ATV use permitted. No hound hunting. Bird dogs for upland birds by permission, ask first. Written permission for vehicle game retrieval is required. Sign in at roster/registry boxes prior to hunting. No hunting in safety zones.

Dan Creek-Jumpoff Hill
Landowner Notification Not Required.
Property Contact:
Directions: Idaho Falls to Kepps Crossing to Dan Creek
Description: Rangland, Timber, Mountain Shrub
Private Land: 7200 acres
Public Land: 2800 acres of IDL
Available: 9/1/2007 – 12/31/2007
Access: Unlimited
Access Restrictions Vehicle use only for game retrieval No vehicle use: foot or equestrian access only No overnight camping No open fires
ATVs for game retrieval are permitted- no pickups, no exceptions. Not every side road would be open only main county road
Sportsman Opportunities
Hunting:
Big Game
Upland Game
Small Game
Waterfowl
Trapping
No trapping for beaver. Offenders will be prosecuted

These are just a few of the areas you can find if you go to the I.F. &G. access YES map on the web.

One of the top bets in this area has to be the Blackfoot River system as a whole. Over the years I have hunted successfully and have also had reports of successful hunters concentrating on the river. A year like this with very little precipitation often brings elk down to the flats and the river basin looking for water early and late.

This can be a very fruitful hunt or agonizing venture, as hunters either down their elk or just miss them within minutes. It is a hunt that takes a good amount of luck and spotting along the river corridor.

I frequent this area during the season not only due to the possibility of dropping an elk but also for the fabulous fishing the river offers. Cutthroat up to 20 inches can be landed during any given cast and fat chunky rainbows up to a few pounds are also on the take in the Blackfoot River system. I suggest taking your spinning rod and a small array of tackle. Panther martins, rooster tails and rapalas are all top bets during this time of the year.

At this time of the year the river does get low. Concentrate on pools and undercut banks. Last year my father and I took a September trip and we both scored on cutthroats and rainbows using orange panther martins during my bow hunt.

Small tributaries like Williams Creek, Willow Creek, Hells Creek and Tex Creek are good bets to keep your eyes on. Although most often than not elk are not in these areas before the hunting season, as soon as the guns start roaring you can bet elk will be hunkered down in these out of the way areas. This is where a good topo map will come in handy.

Upland bird hunters may want to stow away their shot gun as ruffed grouse do thrive in the many draws and also along the river side. This is truly a cast and blast dream hunt that many eastern hunters drool over.

Unit 66 could be where all the elk hunting action is this year according to Meints. “If hunters are willing to do some hiking or horse backing 66 is the unit to concentrate on. The majority of the elk in the Tex Creek zone are holed up in this unit,” he says. He did point out that this is a vehicle restriction area and use of vehicles to hunt is prohibited.

McCoy Creek and Big Elk Mountain are top bets and have produced some monster bulls over the years in the dense timbered country. Further up, Bear Creek has always been a good bet, but remember this is horse country and if you drop an elk in here the pack out is going to be long and rough going.

From Pine Creek to Elk Creek hunters have traditionally done well in this area but again you’re going to have to do some scouting with a bit of luck thrown into the mix. Most of this area is thick pine mixed with pockets of aspen along with some nasty blow downs. Again, this is foot or horse back country only with a vehicle restriction enforced.

Hunters also concentrate on the South Fork of the Snake River, although the lower elevations’ are often overlooked as hunter’s race for the mountains which could be a big mistake on their part. This covers miles and miles of prime elk habitat but most can only be reached by boat only. Hunters can access many of the side draws and canyons by boat and if you can do this I envy you. You will find when the guns start blazing elk tend to hole up in these out of the way and very hard to reach places.

Meints does state this, “We do have a resident wolf population that runs between a few of these units. Do not shoot at or near the wolves as they are federally protected.”


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About Dave Langston

Outdoor writer Dave Langston resides in Chubbuck. He grew up in the Midwest and south fishing and hunting across the country.

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