Ok how about this: Those of us from Idaho who THINK we know what we are doing will meet at the trad expo, make a plan and then let yall know dates equip needs etc. We can develop a plan by March 10th I would assume.
As a general rule, the last 1/2 of September is best, You can fly into Boise easily and great elk hunting is less than 2.5hrs drive from here.
Equipment wise: I have been snowed on Sept 1st (relatively rare), and it normally is quite warm during the day. Your typical hunting clothes will work, if you layer well and avoid cotton. You will need to be in fairly good shape, the areas we hunt up there vary from rolling valleys to ugly steep, between 6000-8000 feet. Ninja can correct me if Im wrong on that, we hunt different parts of the unit. As for gear, a decent longbow in the 50-60# range, with 500+ grn arrows will work fine. A buddy of min had a complete pass thru on a nice bull @ 18 yards, using a bear montana 60# bow w/ approx 550grn Legacys.
There are tons of grouse and some snowshoe hares as well, so bring a judo or two.
I would suggest getting three tags: Elk, Deer and Bear. There are areas around that have deer in the unit, and you may come across nice buck, there are literally bear everywhere, sometimes in camp, spot and stalk is a real possibility, and this way you could maximise your time. Any questions drop us a line...