First Montana Elk

[KaelBear]

Hey y'all - Checkin in from Knoxville, TN.

Heading out to Montana tomorrow for my first MT Elk hunt. Was able to get my first elk last year (WY).

A bit late, but if anyone has any general advice for the area, meaning weather concerns, red flags, etc. Feel free to share. NOT looking for info on the animals, we will figure that out firsthand. Just want to check for any useful help in terms of what to expect, or what to keep in mind. We have planned fairly well, but never can get enough info.

Flying into Helena. General plan is to start in 215. We have deer b tags there, so if we aren't seeing any elk, we will fill them and move to another nearby unit. Have about 8-9 days to hunt and plan on hiking in a couple miles and setting up camp. This is our first hunt (backpacking) in MT, so we figured we will play it safe until we get a good feel for things, and go in a couple miles to start. Taking my Cimmaron tent, so hopefully will be able to stay a bit warmer if temp drops. My last hunt in MT (3 years ago/deer) was 0 degrees outside Havre, which was my intro to hunting MT...needless to say, I learned some sh*t about under estimating the MT weather.

Any general advice is well appreciated! Hopefully, I will be posting pics in a couple weeks of my first MT bull.

Good luck everyone and stay safe!

 

[Geewhiz]

Best of luck on your hunt. Keep us posted!

 

[RMM]

My only suggestion is something you seem to already know. The weather is unpredictable. We went out in 2020 and had 2 feet of snow and -20 degree temps on the opener then mid 50's by the end of the week

 

[Hoosker Doo]

Never hunted Montana, so I'll throw you a little elk advice (that for some reason I have to relearn every couple of years). Don't leave elk to find elk.

Finding the elk is 80% of the battle, so if you find elk and they're not where you expected, a little too far away, etc. Figure out a way to get to them or where you need to get to to make a shot.

There MIGHT be elk in the clearing above you where you intended to sit, but you KNOW those elk you spotted across the canyon are there. Make a play on the elk you see, because there may not be any on your side of the canyon.

Don't ask me how I know...

 

[Flatgo]

Your hunting 215. You can’t get more than 2 hrs from a road in any direction. Backpacking in that district will likely just scare the elk away from where you want to hunt

 

[KaelBear]

Your hunting 215. You can’t get more than 2 hrs from a road in any direction. Backpacking in that district will likely just scare the elk away from where you want to hunt

Thanks! This is the info I was hoping to get. Wasnt sure how many of those roads we’re accessible in late season

Sounds like it might be best to just setup camp near trailhead and hike in from there…

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Work hard and finish.

 

[Pony Soldier]

There are some real varieties of environment within 215. What you will find will depend heavily on where you plan to hunt. A lot of the east side is winter range. West and north end is tough to get past the private land. Lots of luck.