Some lucky people recently found out that they drew an antlerless elk controlled hunt in the Panhandle Region. Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5 and 6 have long controlled hunts for antlerless elk than run from August 1 through December 31. These hunts were put in place to target the growing number of elk who reside in agricultural areas.
The antlerless controlled hunts require tag holders to hunt private land within one mile of a currently cultivated field. A cultivated field is pastureland or a field where soil has been used or broken up to raise crops. Currently means that the field was used to raise crops during the most recent growing season. You can hunt on a cultivated field if you have permission from the landowner. You can also hunt nearby private land that is within a mile of cultivated fields. Private land includes corporate timber land. It’s important to know who the landowner is because some timber companies require an access permit. State (IDL or IDFG) and federal (Forest Service or BLM) lands are not private land.
Now is the time to contact private landowners to get permission to hunt! Don’t wait until the last minute or you might be disappointed.