Montana Castle Mountains

[napid79]

I’m headed to Montana this year and looking at the Castle or Little Belts for general rifle. One thing I‘ve noticed with the castles is that they are extremely wooded with minimal glassing points. For those who have hunted either the Castles or heavily wooded areas during rifle, how difficult is it to find elk? What’s the best way to get on them? Is it a process of still hunting timber until you stumble across them? Hoping for snow to track them? Or staking out small openings and waiting for them to pass through?

 

[KHNC]

I dont know exactly where the castles are, but if its NW Montana, expect some nasty rough country. Add snow and you can barely get around. Very few over looks to glass, and everyone seems to know where they are. Some burns and cutovers that can and do get glassed from the roads. Glassing is pretty much the way to do it in that area though. Stomping through the timber in the snow is pretty much a non-option. You will slide off the mountain side, its so steep and slick. lol

 

[Indian Summer]

It’s not northwest. Central, slightly west. Lots of hunters looking for areas with no grizzlies and fewer wolves have migrated there from other areas. Be prepared for plenty of company.

 

[CoyotieKiller]

I was in the Castles a decade ago. I got mine by watching across tight coulees. Pretty limited areas to glass big country. Add snow and they start moving down to private.

 

[Shootinsurveyor]

Was pretty crowded during archery in that area (Little Belts) a few years ago. Rifle season won't make it better. There are herds around White Sulphur that come down for rifle season if you are into sitting on the side of the road and waiting for them to cross. There are some good areas nearby that get overlooked if you spend some time on ONX. Be prepared to move to another spot once you figure out there aren't any in your area. Pretty good deer hunting all around White Sulphur too if you have the combo. Hope for snow, but not deep snow and you will be a step ahead with finding them.

 

[napid79]

Was pretty crowded during archery in that area (Little Belts) a few years ago. Rifle season won't make it better. There are herds around White Sulphur that come down for rifle season if you are into sitting on the side of the road and waiting for them to cross. There are some good areas nearby that get overlooked if you spend some time on ONX. Be prepared to move to another spot once you figure out there aren't any in your area. Pretty good deer hunting all around White Sulphur too if you have the combo. Hope for snow, but not deep snow and you will be a step ahead with finding them.

We’ve got the combo, so deer are definitely on the menu. Were the deer on public or on the surrounding private?

 

[Shootinsurveyor]

We’ve got the combo, so deer are definitely on the menu. Were the deer on public or on the surrounding private?

I saw deer in all the public areas we hunted from around White Sulphur Springs to west of Helena. No trophies spotted but definitely shouldn’t come home empty handed.