Montana 2018 rifle hunt

[centralndhunter]

Hello, long time rokslide lurker here. Finally broke down and made an account. Anyway looking to do my first elk hunt this fall in Montana. My buddy and I coming from Central north dakota have never hunted elk before and was looking for a little help. We plan on hunting the little belts hd416, considering we draw tags. I have a wall tent and we plan on hunting out of a base camp. We both hunt whitetails/muleys every year so we aren't new to hunting. Just looking for a little info on the area or if we should look into hunting somewhere else .I've been doing a lot of research on the area and can't find much info and nothing very recent.
Thanks!

 

[Bacwest]

I'm not terribly familiar with the unit you are looking to hunt but I have hunted Montana State wide for over 10 years. The best advice I have is to get up high and glass before season opens so you know where the elk are moving, its such big country that you'll need to know where to start.

 

[mountainman406]

Be prepared to see a LOT of orange that time of year in that district due to the amount of roads/access. I've had quite a few hunts ruined by dirt-bikes in that area if there isn't snow on the ground. If there is snow on the ground, most people will just drive whatever roads they can access glassing. There are much better places to hunt that aren't far from there IMHO.

 

[centralndhunter]

Okay would you all be willing to offer any suggestions as to an area ? Big belts? Or???

 

[NDGuy]

Okay would you all be willing to offer any suggestions as to an area ? Big belts? Or???

I would use the advanced search feature to dig up old threads on Rokslide. Also do research using Google Earth and call the Wildlife biologist in the area. Scouting trips are always good too if you can swing it.

 

[ndbwhunter]

You've got a lot of time before the season starts. I'd suggest going over the population objective maps to narrow down a few units. From there, you can use the motor vehicle use maps to locate areas with limited or difficult access. Once you have a few spots in mind, contact the biologist for that area. They are usually very helpful if you're asking specific questions. If you start off by asking generic questions like "where are the elk?", or "where is the best place to go to get away from other hunters?", you should expect a generic response. Use the maps to learn the areas that you want to hunt, and THEN contact the biologists once you have some very detailed questions.

I'm in the Bismarck/Mandan area, so PM me if you'd like to discuss any further.

Ryan

 

[Jon Boy]

There are plenty of places to get away from hunters in the little belts. The roads and motorized trails keep people on the roads and motorized trails and out of other areas. You will likely find people saying that about every unit in Montana. Pick up a Motor Vehicle Use Map from the belt creek ranger district and you'll see all trails that are non motorized and motorized. There are plenty of elk in the little belts but glassing can be tough as its mostly lodgepole timber with lots and lots of 5-15 acre 'pocket parks' Google earth will be your friend in finding those off trail parks that are used as feeding areas. The most successful people I know in the little belts do a lot of tracking in the snow. Good luck.

 

[ramont]

There are plenty of places to get away from hunters in the little belts. The roads and motorized trails keep people on the roads and motorized trails and out of other areas. You will likely find people saying that about every unit in Montana. Pick up a Motor Vehicle Use Map from the belt creek ranger district and you'll see all trails that are non motorized and motorized. There are plenty of elk in the little belts but glassing can be tough as its mostly lodgepole timber with lots and lots of 5-15 acre 'pocket parks' Google earth will be your friend in finding those off trail parks that are used as feeding areas. The most successful people I know in the little belts do a lot of tracking in the snow. Good luck.

I couldn't have said it any better. So often I read posts about the "orange vests" invading the area and in some places it's true, but even if your area turns out to be like that remember that most hunters will blow right on past elk that are hidden close to roads. Elk can be found within a mile of roads if the terrain provides whatever they need (food, water, security). I've only ever found elk that close to the roads when the terrain was steep and heavily wooded but I've noticed that they always seem to be following a trail that leads to their bedding areas. So one end of that trail will have grass on it (where they grazed during the night) and the other will have good cover and maybe a small grass park that is close to water. Imagine what a smart elk might do if he notices that all the humans are in a rush to get to a high spot away from the roads - maybe he'll go to a low spot closer to the road.

 

[centralndhunter]

Thanks everybody I appreciate the advice!

 

[Sam01]

I hunted the Little Belts for a couple days during rifle season last year. I shot a bull elsewhere in archery season so I was just hunting deer and checking the area for potential future elk hunts.
There was a significant amount of logging and forestry activity. Seemed to be a fair amount of people driving the roads.


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