jon_norstog
07-14-2022, 11:44
We used to camp on Mex Mountain, at the western end of Idaho's "Lolo zone" hunting elk above the Lochsa River. It used to be elk central, with game trails running everywhere and a bull staking out every finger ridge, bugling like mad. IF&G census had the herd census up close to 20,000 animals back then. Just blundering around you could likely get your bull. Then came the 1996-7 winterkill, followed by the reintroduction of wolves in the Fish Creek drainage right below the Mex. We stuck it out until 2009, then came back a couple times in the 20-teens. It was our hunting grounds, a really nice roadless area with big old trees and lots of forage, hunt all day and not have to climb/descend much more than a couple thousand feet.
Official herd census numbers are still way down, maybe 20% of the old days. IF&G cut the number of tags they sell in the entire Lolo by over 50%, and can't sell them out, except non-resident. My brothers and I are all in our seventies and I'm looking at 80 coming up. We can see the end .. Paul suggested going back one more time and bought his resident tag there ... i said I would try and get a tag, and I did. I bought a lifetime license when I moved to Oregon, turns out that gives you a chance at unclaimed resident tags, you just have to pay non-resident price. There were over 500 resident tags available as of Tuesday, so I bought one. Might be an elk-free area, but it looks like we will have it to ourselves. There HAS to be an elk or two out there. The season is like 28 days.
Meanwhile I did win the draw for the post-Thanksgiving cow hunt in Oregon's Murderer's Creek unit. Paul came along when I hunted that area year before last and we had tracking snow, found the animals, and came close to getting one. Now we know the area a lot better.
Our middle brother's health is failing but he wants to hunt the first 6-day general elk season in the west Cascades near where he lives. We will probably take a break from the Mex and see if we can move something into his line of sight. This is probably the last hurrah for him.
Paul and I probably have a few more seasons left in us.
jn
Official herd census numbers are still way down, maybe 20% of the old days. IF&G cut the number of tags they sell in the entire Lolo by over 50%, and can't sell them out, except non-resident. My brothers and I are all in our seventies and I'm looking at 80 coming up. We can see the end .. Paul suggested going back one more time and bought his resident tag there ... i said I would try and get a tag, and I did. I bought a lifetime license when I moved to Oregon, turns out that gives you a chance at unclaimed resident tags, you just have to pay non-resident price. There were over 500 resident tags available as of Tuesday, so I bought one. Might be an elk-free area, but it looks like we will have it to ourselves. There HAS to be an elk or two out there. The season is like 28 days.
Meanwhile I did win the draw for the post-Thanksgiving cow hunt in Oregon's Murderer's Creek unit. Paul came along when I hunted that area year before last and we had tracking snow, found the animals, and came close to getting one. Now we know the area a lot better.
Our middle brother's health is failing but he wants to hunt the first 6-day general elk season in the west Cascades near where he lives. We will probably take a break from the Mex and see if we can move something into his line of sight. This is probably the last hurrah for him.
Paul and I probably have a few more seasons left in us.
jn