Washington/Idaho

Any trappers in NE Washington or NW Idaho? Looking at a 2023 Spring turkey trip. Just wanting to know about public land access. According to onX there appears to be quite a bit open to the public. Not wanting anyone’s spots just general info.

Lots of public land, many landowners will grant permission to hunt turkeys.

Why would anyone travel to shoot a turkey, just drive down the road get out and shoot one or 2

Want to hit those 2 states and possibly Montana as well. I live for turkey hunting. I trap to make turkey trip money. I work to keep the wife happy so I can take turkey trips, lol. Something about Merriam’s and the mountains just have a mystic power over a SW Georgia boy!!

Looking at Kaniksu National Forest...it stretches across all three States. Anyone ever hunted there? Again not asking for spots, just yeah or no. What to watch out for and what to avoid. I’m a glutton for punishment as far as working for a bird.

Idaho has lots of nf and state land, idaho non res license is 185.00 plus access degradation fee of 10.00
Non res turkey tags 88.00 ea, you can get 3

Thank you sir. Only want one, maybe 2, lol.

I'm in Idaho right now. It's not easy and a lot of the State and Fed land doesn't seem great. I met a local and he told me the Moscow to Plummer region is where it is at. There is quite a bit of land owned by timber companies that can be hunted and that's where I'm seeing better populations. I'm struggling with bear hunters and late season birds but I would think it would be a better hunt earlier in the season.

I'm with Fiske. I called one in one time and shot it with a bow, and called one in for a 10 year old this year. But otherwise I just shoot them. They taste good. Just drive down the road and shoot one or get out and when you hear one gobble head that way and run over there and shoot it.

I work for an outfitter and he does some turkey hunts in the spring in his backyard (only has big game on public land, can't guide turkeys on it but he can on his 40 acres) Always boggles the mind that someone would actually travel and pay to shoot them.

But since you are asking, I've hunted the Kanisku for other game, I know there are turkeys up there, but they like some more openings in the ground, find some clearcuts or creekbottom meadows if you're going to hunt there.

Just curious, since I'm one of those bear hunters. What are you struggling with them over? The turkeys just gobble more at my dogs barking, never seen that it spooks them any.

They are running utvs everywhere.

Seem to be lots of turkeys in the Bonner's Ferry area. Part of the issue in Idaho is the steepness of the terrain in the NF areas. The birds are there though Same with NW Montana. Lots of private ground

Turkeys everywhere up here man, too many. PM if you want, that's the one critter I have no problem giving honey holes for. Kanisku bottoms are great, lots of timber land that allow hunting, state land, you'll find turkeys in all of them. Plummer to Moscow is CDA tribe and they just increased their permit by 1000%, not worth it unless you live on the res.

I’m for hunting wherever there are birds. My brother lives in Spokane so that’s sorts where our “base camp” will be. We’ll more than likely fly in there and either use his truck or rent one. I’m not opposed to tent camping or sleeping in a truck to kill a turkey. I don’t mind putting in the work to kill a bird, but I’ll take an easy one just as well, lol.

I'm originally from Missouri and grew up turkey hunting. It has deep traditions and a completely different set of rules in the Midwest and South compared to up here. Most of the guys up here grew up grouse hunting and look at turkeys as nothing more than a big grouse. Not knocking the guys up here and there are plenty who hunt turkeys the way I was raise to hunt turkeys. But up here they road hunt them, just like grouse, they stalk a turkey, they ambush a turkey. Things that, at least were I grew up, was frowned upon. Part of it I think in the Midwest and Southern states is you stand a much better chance of getting a face full of shot if you go stalking turkeys in the south due to the thick vegetation and the amount of hunters. Lots of guys proudly display birds they snuck up on, where as where I grew up in Missouri, back in the 70s, you were not considered a real turkey hunter unless you could call in a cagey ol tom. NOT knocking the NW guys, just different view on the way to hunt turkeys.

So to answer your question, absolutely BEAUTIFUL country to chase spring gobblers. You will NOT regret coming up here to chase birds. I will give you a bit of advice for when you get up here, the birds sound MUCH farther away then they do in the south. I think it has to do with the mountain air and the terrain, but in the beginning, mid 1990s, in WA State, I was busting into birds trying to close the gap, because they were half the distance I thought they were. Another neat thing you will experience is the little motorbikes that start up all the time while you are hunting toms. At least that is what you will think they are, but in fact they are grouse drumming.

Now that would be an added bonus to see and hear grouse. I’m not knocking Merriam’s, but to me they “yodel” when they gobble. They don’t have that thunderous boom of an Eastern for sure. That “light” gobble fools me everywhere I hunt them. I had one gobble in my face in NM and would’ve swore he was a lot farther than 50 yards.

Eastern WA has Merriams and Rios

Yeah, I’m trying to pick areas with Merriam’s. I killed a lot of Rio’s in Kansas and Texas. Need a few more Merriam’s. Also trying to just knock different states off the list. I’ll probably never kill the US Super Slam, but it can’t hurt to see how many states I can cross off the list.

Good luck, when it gets closer to you coming up, drop me a line and I'll be happy to help. I live about 25 miles from Spokane.

I’m also teaching my son it’s possible to travel out of state for fairly cheap and kill birds on public or even private land without paying an outfitter. DIY hunts mean so much more to me. The only hunt I’ve ever paid for is the Gould’s in Mexico.

The NW is turkey country anymore, more people getting into it now but still plenty of opportunities on public land and private timber with public access unlocks a lot more access. I’ve hunted in northern Idaho, east of Moscow and had plenty of willing landowners and even got invites to come back for elk and deer in the fall. Moscow area is farm country and farmers were pretty open to hunt anything that eats wheat or garbanzo beans. Far northern Idaho is even better for bird numbers but I’ve never hunted there. I’d recommend coming for the beginning of the season (april 15 most places). It seems like the birds really disperse when higher elevations melt off later in the season.

I’ve also hunted them in the midwest and they are much easier to call in and kill in the NW. Less pressure, less call shy? I don’t know, but that’s my experience. I am sure you’ll be able to get into some birds in Northern Idaho or areas around Spokane. Another hot spot is SE Washington in the higher elevations outside of Clarkston and up the Clearwater River in Idaho. Oregon has phenomenal turkey hunting too but you are getting further away if you want to base out of Spokane. There is always the fall seasons which is basically shooting fish in a barrel but you could couple it with other hunts.

Thank you sir. Don’t take this wrong but as of now I have no desire to shoot a Fall bird. Granted I’ve never hunted them during the Fall (no Fall season here) but if they ain’t strutting or gobbling I want no part of it. That’s one of the reasons I’ll never get a World Slam...don’t want to hunt a turkey that looks like a Peacock and sings instead of gobbling.

If we could get our Washington and Idaho birds in short order we are planning to hit Montana and if that happens quick and we can get back to Spokane to rest a day we even talked about heading South if we could find something in northern Oregon.

I hear ya, fall hunts are basically population control since you can shoot hens. They’re often dumb as a post in the fall. I don’t even take a call, I just put the sneak on them to make it semi challenging. It’s really just something to do. Our fall season runs from mid Oct through the end of January with the latter two months being private land only (damage control). Pretty wierd hunting turkeys in a foot of snow and single digits in December lol.

I'm a meat hunter, I hunt deer, elk, turkeys, whatever for meat. If I'm hunting something for sport it is a predator and most likely with hounds. If you like to call them in great, I'll admit it is kind of fun to hear them or watch them coming in (nothing like calling in a bull elk though, no matter what anybody says) but it is kind of fun to run and gun them also. I'll do whatever is most efficient, which more often than not is to remember to throw a shotgun in the rig when I am going bear hunting

If I had to actually pick a method as most fun and sporting I would say to run and gun over calling; but that's just me, whatever turns your crank is what you should do.