Montana 2015 Tips

[Bulldawg]

As the application period gets closer I am trying to get my plans set up so I can make the most of my year. I am thinking I will do a deer hunt in Colorado and maybe elk as well but I would like to venture out and go to some new places and figured Montana and Wyoming would be pretty fun. The thought of having to stay on edge because of being in grizzly country sounds like it would add some excitement to a hunt as well. My question is for the guys that have been in the backcountry in SW Montana, do you honestly believe the wolves have made a big enough impact on the elk that it might be worth going somewhere else? I know there has been some people on both sides saying that the elk have been really damaged and some saying that there are still strong numbers.

As of now I've been looking at the Lee Metcalf wilderness. I prefer wilderness since it has taken me 5 years to find my place in Colorado where I don't have to listen to ATV's all day and haven't run into another hunter for a few days in a row.

Thanks for any advice guys

 

[Jon Boy]

My question is for the guys that have been in the backcountry in SW Montana, do you honestly believe the wolves have made a big enough impact on the elk that it might be worth going somewhere else?

No.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Go to FWP's website and do some research on elk populations and the objectives. You'll find that elk numbers are fine. Access to some of the elk can be problematic in some districts because of private land.

People are slowly starting to realize that the Toby Bridges of the world are full of shit.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Many of the forests in SW Montana have very limited motorized travel. If you have your heart set on the wilderness, go for it. The Lee Metcalf is a really neat place. Take bear spray.

However, you can find plenty of solitude in non-wilderness areas, and sometimes more than you would in designated wilderness.

 

[Bulldawg]

I'm not set on wilderness.. I haven't acquired a good map to really examine an area yet. I just know where I'm at I colorado you almost have to be in wilderness in order to get away from tourist traffic

Wheres a good place to buy forest service maps and do you guys know of any trail maps of the area down there?

 

[squeekieslayer]

Elk herding up on Private land is worse for hunting elk than wolves. I think they are slightly overrated.

 

[squeekieslayer]

Ps... Hunting the lee will get you away from atvs... Tons of hunters, horsemen, and rec hikers in there though.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I'm not set on wilderness.. I haven't acquired a good map to really examine an area yet. I just know where I'm at I colorado you almost have to be in wilderness in order to get away from tourist traffic

Wheres a good place to buy forest service maps and do you guys know of any trail maps of the area down there?

The main forest maps you want will be for the Gallatin National Forest, Beaverhead-Deer Lodge, and Lewis & Clark National Forests. Those will cover all of Region 3 and will show you trails and travel plan information.

 

[ElkhuntrMT]

Well I have never hunted Southwest MT, but we have wolves in Northwest MT as well so I figured I could weigh in on the topic as well. There is no doubt that wolves have had an impact on elk wherever they are. But that doesn't mean that the elk numbers are horrible. What it does mean is that elk have had to change up their habits a bit. Like "squeekieslayer" said "Elk herding up on Private land is worse for hunting elk than wolves." Well elk are not dumb. They hang on private land because they have figured out that they are safe from the masses. My point is that elk have to move a lot more with wolves around. So wherever you decide to hunt for elk in 2015 be prepared to cover ground. Where elk are one day, they may not be there the next. I also agree that it is seems elk are making a comeback to a certain degree. Weather it be that they are just learning how to deal with wolves better or the actual hunting of wolves has really equaled out the playing field. Montana is a great place to hunt elk. Good luck in finding the right place!!

 

[mtluckydan]

Are you hunting with horses or on foot? Sometimes the further you get from the road the more hunters there will be. Many people here are hunting with stock including outfitters, locals and non-residents. For those who say the wolves haven't had an impact on the elk hunting, they are hunting in areas where there aren't many wolves. One would only have to look at the population estimates on the herd living in Yellowstone. When I moved here they gave out over 1000 cow tags every year for the hunt near Gardiner. That herd has gone from over twenty thousand elk to less than five thousand and still declining. The late season hunt that used to occur no longer is held. In NW Mt in areas I hunt, there are far fewer elk here than 5-7 years ago. Success for outfitters hunting in the Bob has declined significantly because of wolves. Does this mean you can't still get an elk - no but it isn't as easy. There are areas in the state that have had less impact. I wouldn't necessarily believe what fish & game tells you. I have found doing research for both MT and Idaho hunts that they stretch the truth especially when it comes to the impact wolves have had. Wolves have cost both agencies alot of dollars in lost license sales. I think their policy is say all is ok no matter what. Montana used to sell all there non-resident licenses every year. They have not been doing that for quite some time and they also increased the cost so you get lower quality hunting for more dollars. Idaho has had the same issue with license sales. They started a new program this year and offered discounted non-resident licenses to residents just to salvage some of the money they have been losing. As mentioned above, there is far less allowed use of atv's and motorized use in MT as compared to Colorado. However, sometimes this concentrates hunters more because of access and you can only pack one so far on foot. If you do your research there is some good hunting to be had. Maps can be had from Forest Service offices for the forest you are looking at. I am sure you can get these online as well. There are also some good mapping programs that can be used with a gps and computer to check out public/private land. Good luck in your research.

 

[Bulldawg]

I'll be on foot I don't like to deal with stock in the back country.. I need to find a place to order some maps from. Usually I like to get a public lands map then one like a mat geo or lat 40 but I don't think they make those for that area.

I always do have that sneaky suspicion that being in wilderness you get more traffic.. I'll do some scouting and should be able to make one scouting trip this summer to find a starting point

 

[airlocksniffer]

Elk herding up on Private land is worse for hunting elk than wolves. I think they are slightly overrated.

+1. A good place to research is public land (State trust and Nat'l Forest) that borders private land. We spent a bit of time on some state land near Augusta this year waiting for the herd to hop the fence onto public. Unlucky for me (but lucky for my buddy), they did the last 30 minutes of the last day of the season and he got a cow and a calf.

 

[jmez]

National Forest website is a good place to order maps. You can get maps with all trails, campgrounds etc listed. Then when you narrow down where you want to hunt go to MyTopo.com and order a map specific to your hunting area.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Montana used to sell all there non-resident licenses every year. They have not been doing that for quite some time and they also increased the cost so you get lower quality hunting for more dollars. Idaho has had the same issue with license sales.

Not to sidetrack this thread, but Montana had more NR applicants than licenses right up until the citizens of MT upped the NR price from $650 to $950. They have not sold out since then. Idaho's precipitous drop in licenses also happened when they increased their tag prices.

I'll agree to disagree with you on the level of wolf impact, but you can't argue the impact that overpricing has had on license sales.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I'll be on foot I don't like to deal with stock in the back country.. I need to find a place to order some maps from. Usually I like to get a public lands map then one like a mat geo or lat 40 but I don't think they make those for that area.

I always do have that sneaky suspicion that being in wilderness you get more traffic.. I'll do some scouting and should be able to make one scouting trip this summer to find a starting point

Even if you don't scout them, I would highly recommend that you have 2-3 backup areas in the hopper. Maybe your primary spot doesn't pan out like you had hoped, you can always go try a different area. Or, your primary area may be closed because of fires, etc.

 

[kamcgraw]

ALWAYS have back up plans. Don't learn this the hard way as I have in the past.

 

[Shrek]

Also need backup places because sometimes you just won't like the place you're hunting regardless of the game in the area. The gps hunt maps with all the land owner info is priceless. Being able to walk down a property line that is not clearly maked could save your a** ! Unlike where I'm used to hunting in the south where creeks , plantation trees , and other edges mark most of the un fenced lines Montana is laid out on a grid that overlays the land and the mountains make it impossible to keep good enough track to be safe from trespassing. I hunted the edge of private late in my hunt and there was no way I could come close to keeping on public without the gps map locating me in relation to the lines on the screen.

 

[Cross]

Shrek,

what is the name of the GPS hunt maps that you use?

 

[squeekieslayer]

Not to sidetrack this thread, but Montana had more NR applicants than licenses right up until the citizens of MT upped the NR price from $650 to $950. They have not sold out since then. Idaho's precipitous drop in licenses also happened when they increased their tag prices.

I'll agree to disagree with you on the level of wolf impact, but you can't argue the impact that overpricing has had on license sales.

The tags do not sell out at the draw... But I am about positive that all were sold eventually for the last few years... mostly to Washington folks if I had to judge by the license plates I saw all over haha. My dad recently moved to Newman Lake and said that the MT FWP had a trailer set up selling NR licenses at Cabelas.

Joe

 

[BackcountryMT]

Shrek,

what is the name of the GPS hunt maps that you use?

Im sure it was the HUNT chip from onXmaps.

http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com/