For many Idaho hunters “deer season” is seen as two or three weeks in October during the general, any-weapon season, particularly if they’re targeting mule deer in central or south Idaho. But there are many other opportunities available for those who haven’t notched a tag and want to keep deer hunting.
Pull out your dog-eared and tattered copy of the 2020 Idaho Big Game Seasons and Rules, or see it online, and check out the seasons you’ve skimmed or overlooked in the past because you still have plenty of places to continue deer hunting.
In fact, there are so many opportunities it would be difficult to list them all, but here are some hunts worthy of your attention:
Whitetail hunts
But wait, you might say, don’t I need a white-tailed deer tag for those? In some units for November hunts, yes. But in others, your regular deer tag is still valid, particularly hunts in the far-north Panhandle units. If you have a whitetail tag, there’s also a long list of hunts available in November and December.
Archery hunts
Look down the list of units offering general archery deer seasons and you will see archery hunts around the state that stretch into November and December. Make sure you get an archery permit, and you’re ready to go.
Muzzleloader/short-range weapons hunts
These two are two different types of hunts, so make sure you know the rules for each. In short, you’re limited to muzzleloaders in those hunts, but you can also use muzzleloaders in short-range weapon hunts, along with archery, shotguns, handguns, crossbows and air rifles. Additional rules and requirements apply to each weapon type, so see page 100 of the Big Game Seasons and Rules for details.