Guided Wolf & Mountain Lion Hunts in Idaho

Hunt a Mountain Lion early Morning, Soak in Idaho Hot Springs at Sunset

Hunt a Mountain Lion early Morning, Soak in Idaho Hot Springs at Sunset. Mountain lion hunting in Idaho with Mile High Outfitters is offered both inside the Frank Church Wilderness and in the front range along the Salmon River between Stanley and Challis, Idaho. Most of our mountain lion hunting takes place in the front range that borders the Frank Church Wilderness and the Boulder/Whitecloud Wilderness areas. We stay in our lodge and use snowmobiles, ATVs and trucks. Each hunter is allowed one lion tag. We rise early in the mornings and look for mountain lion tracks in the dark. With any luck, we will have a good cat track found by daylight and can turn the hounds loose early. Idaho does not allow you to hunt big game with the use of artificial light. If we tree a lion after dark, we must let it go, therefore, we start early and try to get done early. An old hunter once told me that “a good day of lion hunting is when you are back to camp with all the dogs by dark”. Most front range hunters enjoy soaking at the Challis Hot Springs in the evenings. We ask our hunters to purchase a wolf tag just in case we see one but when you use motorized vehicles, it is tough to harvest wolves.

The wilderness trip is a more aggressive horseback, tent camp hunt and hunters need to be physically fit. We put on many miles each day looking for lion tracks and glassing and howling for wolves. It takes the guides 2-3 days to get the stock into the wilderness to our base camp. We then must use a team of horses and plow off the runway so we can land the airplanes. Each morning we saddle the horses and ride out of camp with the hounds following. This is probably the most remote hunting experience you can get in the lower 48 states. The success rates are not as high as the front range for two reasons. First, it is lower elevation and highly successful lion hunts rely on fresh snow for the best chance of success. Secondly, horses move at a slower pace and the more miles of trail you can cover in a day is the more successful you are. Having said that, the lions in this area receive very little pressure, are allowed to grow to an old age and that is what creates a record book cat. When you look at the Boone and Crocket record book, you will notice that there are many lions taken in Valley and Idaho Counties. Those entries are there because of this vast wilderness area that receives very little pressure. Top that off with the opportunity to have two lion tags and multiple wolf tags, unlimited bobcats and coyotes and this becomes one of the best winter combination hunts available anywhere. We prefer to take two hunters at a time but you can book as an individual if you do not have a companion. January is the best time to come.

Hunt a Mountain Lion early Morning, Soak in Idaho Hot Springs at Sunset

Hunt a Mountain Lion early Morning, Soak in Idaho Hot Springs at Sunset. Mountain lion hunting in Idaho with Mile High Outfitters is offered both inside the Frank Church Wilderness and in the front range along the Salmon River between Stanley and Challis, Idaho. Most of our mountain lion hunting takes place in the front range that borders the Frank Church Wilderness and the Boulder/Whitecloud Wilderness areas. We stay in our lodge and use snowmobiles, ATVs and trucks. Each hunter is allowed one lion tag. We rise early in the mornings and look for mountain lion tracks in the dark. With any luck, we will have a good cat track found by daylight and can turn the hounds loose early. Idaho does not allow you to hunt big game with the use of artificial light. If we tree a lion after dark, we must let it go, therefore, we start early and try to get done early. An old hunter once told me that “a good day of lion hunting is when you are back to camp with all the dogs by dark”. Most front range hunters enjoy soaking at the Challis Hot Springs in the evenings. We ask our hunters to purchase a wolf tag just in case we see one but when you use motorized vehicles, it is tough to harvest wolves.

The wilderness trip is a more aggressive horseback, tent camp hunt and hunters need to be physically fit. We put on many miles each day looking for lion tracks and glassing and howling for wolves. 

It takes the guides 2-3 days to get the stock into the wilderness to our base camp. We then must use a team of horses and plow off the runway so we can land the airplanes. Each morning we saddle the horses and ride out of camp with the hounds following. This is probably the most remote hunting experience you can get in the lower 48 states. The success rates are not as high as the front range for two reasons. First, it is lower elevation and highly successful lion hunts rely on fresh snow for the best chance of success. Secondly, horses move at a slower pace and the more miles of trail you can cover in a day is the more successful you are. Having said that, the lions in this area receive very little pressure, are allowed to grow to an old age and that is what creates a record book cat. When you look at the Boone and Crocket record book, you will notice that there are many lions taken in Valley and Idaho Counties. Those entries are there because of this vast wilderness area that receives very little pressure. Top that off with the opportunity to have two lion tags and multiple wolf tags, unlimited bobcats and coyotes and this becomes one of the best winter combination hunts available anywhere. We prefer to take two hunters at a time but you can book as an individual if you do not have a companion. January is the best time to come.

Wolf Hunting

The wilderness wolf hunt is a tent camp, horseback, fly in hunt. Wolves can be hunted in the spring along with Black Bears, in the early fall with Black Bears on our cast and blast hunts, in the fall during elk and deer season or in the winter with Mountain Lions. Basically, wolves reproduce so fast, Idaho Fish and Game gives us as much opportunity as we could want. The spring hunt has milder weather and is a fun time to be back there. The winter hunt probably has the best odds of success because the elk and deer are pushed down onto the winter range and the wolves follow the prey. This winter hunt takes us 2 days to get the stock into camp and then a day or two to drag the horse drawn snowplow along the airstrip so we can land the plane. This hunt needs to be booked well in advance so we can prepare. I can count on one hand the number of other people seen on a wilderness wolf/lion hunt. Many hunters ask me what hunt has the best odds of shooting a wolf in Idaho. The answer is wilderness hunts. Riding horses is quieter and gives you more time to glass and listen for wolves. Each hunter is allowed 2 lion tags and as many wolf tags as you can stuff in your pocket. If booked during the season, we also have opportunities for bobcats and coyotes. Mountain lion and wolf tags are guaranteed.

This is one hunt where long-range shooting is very beneficial. I usually do not push my hunters to shoot long range but on this hunt, I do. Your odds of killing your game increase drastically if you are a 1000-yard shooter. The open hillsides and cross canyon shots present a long-range shooter’s paradise. This is not an archery hunt so don’t even think about it. Our goal on this hunt is to reduce predators. We would love to help you help our big game herds! In recent years, the Foundation for Wildlife Management which is based here in Idaho, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game have given wolf hunters partial reimbursement for the cost of your hunt. Ironically, this is the only hunt you could go on and potentially have it paid for. You must be a member to collect money from F4WM before you come on the hunt. We highly encourage everyone join regardless of whether or not you join us on a hunt. F4WM is the leading advocacy group for Idaho’s wildlife and wolf management.

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