Gospel Hump Wilderness, Selway unit 19

[niels]

I will be going there in October for the first time, one of the three guys I'm going with has been there 3 times before, and has taken a buck, couple pretty good ones each time he has been there, the only year he got an elk tag, he shot a spike, he saw a herd of 78 elk on a ridge with a couple big 6x6 bulls that he couldn't get to before dark. I was just curious to hear if anybody else has hunted this area, and what you took and/or saw? and how big they were? from what he's told me, the area can hold some trophy mule deer, and up to 330 class elk. I like the sound of that! but this being my first elk hunt, I'd be plenty satisfied with a 300 class elk, hell, what am I talking about, I'd be happy to take a 6x6 of any size, even if I end up with a raghorn or nothing, the experience is going to be something I will never forget.

 

[idaho]

I haven't hunted any there since they made the zones. I always hunt the Elk City Zone which is mostly unit 15, and it borders the Gospel Hump area. There shouuld be some bulls there that go quite a bit more than 330. My son was out shed hunting two weeks ago in unit 8a and found a set of Elk Antlers that would have went 354. He is going back up there today and see if he can find some more.

Bill

 

[idaho]

Also be sure to get in shape as it is either up or down. No level ground unless you are right on top of the main ridge which is the divide between the Clearwater drainage and the Salmon River.

Bill

 

[LeeChul]

One more thing to add to that, when we hunted up there we used the ambush method, someone- the one who expects to get the bull- should be posted on the ridge before first light, then another person should try to run the canyons. Those elk will go straight up and over when spooked. But you'll never know they're there if you don't check out those canyons.

Cheers and good luck.

 

[niels]

Thanks fellas, I appreciate the posts, any other helpful suggestions or insight and I'm all ears. I need all the help I can get. Lee, we plan on hunting the area the way you talked about, and we plan on still hunting the timber as well. We are going to be doing a heck of alot of hiking to find the bulls and bucks, but somehow someway I have a good feeling that we are going to get into them.