Montana Elk Hunting - Advice for a new Hunter

[goathunter]

Some great info here! Some, not so much, but I expected as much.

Im not looking to be spoon fed. Welcoming terrain doesn't mean Im not willing to put in the work. Ive been training for months already and am generally in athletic shape. I just haven't navigated off trail mountainous terrain a lot so I figured it would be good to include that.

I also haven't asked for the coordinates of huge elk populations. I am excited about the hard work. Im just not from the state so I would hate to spend 10 or 12 days in an area that is known for not having any elk and I was just none the wiser.

I have been given shit and ridiculed for being a novice hunter since I started 3 years ago. Its like trying to learn a new instrument and someone says "oh I've learned some great tips and tricks over the years but I won't share them with you and shame on you for asking." But for every 10 comments I get like that, there is one or two that give me a helpful pointer.

Apologies if I somehow came across like I was taking the easy way out and wanted to be spoon fed long kept secrets. Im the kind of guy that is willing to share my coveted family recipes, but maybe I leave out an ingredient or two. That gives the cook an opportunity to make a decent meal with room to get creative and try their own thing. I suppose I was hoping for something similar here.

I can't tell you how often this back and forth has played out on this forum, probably weekly?

New guy fishes for location tips, but won't come out and say that's what he wants. If someone is nice enough to give specifics, hey you can't turn that down.

People call new guy out for fishing for tips, new guy gets defensive.

My tip - don't get defensive. Instead figure out why people are not helpful and make that a learning experience. Take the good advice you've been given and run with it.

Here's a tip I'll give for bears - hiking the garden wall in glacier is different than creeping through the woods trying to sneak up on elk!

 

[Brewster33]

I'm a lifelong hunter from Iowa and went on guided pack-in hunt in the Bob in '21. I was incredibly blessed to kill the only elk spotted during an 8 day hunt in remote wilderness area. There were 8 hunters in camp, and we covered/glassed an immense amount of ground during the hunt. There are better areas with higher elk populations for sure, but you need to keep your expecations of killing something very low. Most guys in camp had elk/deer combo and bear tags, and again, my elk was the only animal killed and the only opportunity.


You could very easily go to a "good area" and spend 10-15 days without a sighting or opportunity. For a new guy in a new area, I would stay as long as realisticallly possible- 3 weeks if you can. Come up with plans A, B, C, D, etc..., because once the shooting starts the elk will scatter and head for private. Weather is also a huge factor. If you spot some elk, it may take a few days to get their pattern down, and other hunters, weather, etc..., can completely blow them out just when you think you have the puzzle put together.
Novice tip #1- book as much PTO as you can, up to 3 weeks or more is ideal.

I took my daughter on a cow hunt in the Big Horns last fall in a "good area". We hunted extremely hard in tough terrain for 9 days dark to dark. We were on good sign every day and spotted elk on 3 days out of 9. However, we never had any decent opportunities. Inside the same unit thiere is a chunk of private where residents said over 200 elk were hanging out, unavailable to any hunters but easily in view from roads and glassing points.
Novice tip #2- stay positive and be prepared to move. Don't throw all your eggs in one basket.

If you pass by guys hunting in the same unit, introduce yourself and be willing to share some intel. We met some guys from Michigan last fall that gave us a lead that led my daughter and I to a sighting of elk, but we were too novice to set up correctly. If we simply would've waited for the elk to come to us (down hill to water in evening) we may have had an opportunity. Instead, we used overly aggressive whitetail tactics and passed the elk on our way up the hill while they were going down hill (out of our sight).
Novice tip #3 and #4- be cordial, courteous, and respectful when you run into other hunters. Your manners may be rewarded with some good local intel. Watch videos, read books, etc..., and learn about elk movement patterns, behavior, and preferred food sources during the season your hunting.

Think about these tips and what I and others already mentioned re: harvest reports, talking to biologists, etc... This isn't rocket science or magic and you're already doing a lot of things right.

Good luck

Great information here. Thank you!!

 

[Dos Perros]

-Area with lot of elk
-Enjoyable hunting experience
-Less Populated
-Lower Grizzly population
-Welcoming terrain

This is the kind of stuff people burn 20 points for.

 

[S.Clancy]

This is the kind of stuff people burn 20 points for.

or pay 15K+

 

[gtriple]

Some great info here! Some, not so much, but I expected as much.

Im not looking to be spoon fed. Welcoming terrain doesn't mean Im not willing to put in the work. Ive been training for months already and am generally in athletic shape. I just haven't navigated off trail mountainous terrain a lot so I figured it would be good to include that.

I also haven't asked for the coordinates of huge elk populations. I am excited about the hard work. Im just not from the state so I would hate to spend 10 or 12 days in an area that is known for not having any elk and I was just none the wiser.

I have been given shit and ridiculed for being a novice hunter since I started 3 years ago. Its like trying to learn a new instrument and someone says "oh I've learned some great tips and tricks over the years but I won't share them with you and shame on you for asking." But for every 10 comments I get like that, there is one or two that give me a helpful pointer.

Apologies if I somehow came across like I was taking the easy way out and wanted to be spoon fed long kept secrets. Im the kind of guy that is willing to share my coveted family recipes, but maybe I leave out an ingredient or two. That gives the cook an opportunity to make a decent meal with room to get creative and try their own thing. I suppose I was hoping for something similar here.

There's elk in Montana. It is your job to find them.

I can't tell you how often this back and forth has played out on this forum, probably weekly?

New guy fishes for location tips, but won't come out and say that's what he wants. If someone is nice enough to give specifics, hey you can't turn that down.

People call new guy out for fishing for tips, new guy gets defensive.

My tip - don't get defensive. Instead figure out why people are not helpful and make that a learning experience. Take the good advice you've been given and run with it.

Here's a tip I'll give for bears - hiking the garden wall in glacier is different than creeping through the woods trying to sneak up on elk!

"Where can I hunt elk with minimal effort and pressure?"


Why don't you hunt them on the 20 acres you just purchased.

 

[Greenhorn]

Im just not from the state so I would hate to spend 10 or 12 days in an area that is known for not having any elk and I was just none the wiser.

I spend more than that amount of time every fall and sometimes don't see a single elk and I've lived here over 50 years.

Back to me, I would like to be spoon fed. I'm still open to anybody sharing hot tips with me by PM. And please, give me the good stuff, lots of elk, big ones, and list the closest good watering holes for after a hard day out elk hunting. Thank you in advance. My kids are all grown up and out of the house, I'm bored and could use any of your good hunting spots during the weekdays while you're at work or busy doing more important things.

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

Some guys just have buttcheek personalities and react accordingly to forum questions. For some guys this weird pedestal is all they have.

A tip I would have is to write out your hunt plan well in advance and stick to it. Like, plan A: be in this spot for no more than two days, if not seeing anything go to spot B, etc.

If you’re new, you’ll be amazed how the ‘fog of war’ takes over and you just make dumb call after dumb call and on your drive home wonder… “why did I do that?”

Oh, and as others have said. DEFINITELY keep expectations in check. General unit, non resident, limited scouting… go to learn and be very comfortable not getting anything.

 

[Maidenfan539]

Like others have said, it's a general unit and keep expectations in check. My first year in MT was a learning experience. Saw some elk, close but not shots.

Rifle season was warm. The locals I ran into were very helpful and pointed me to areas to check.

Pick a few spots and go hunting. Pay attention to sign, map it out and come back. With one year hunting you're already putting the puzzle pieces together. The next time you have a tag, you'll be better off and just might connect.

 

[Pony Soldier]

A place to start might be to drive every public road on gov't land in your county. At least you would know how to get to places.

 

[NDGuy]

Im not looking to be spoon fed.

 

[Cfriend]

Hey Adrian, I see that you are quite new to the forum. Your questions make sense and I fully understand where you are coming from. When I first joined I had plans of asking the same type of question. However, after you are around for a while you will see that questions like these come up all the time. Phrases like "I completely understand that someone wouldn't want to give up their prized hunting spots" have been used so often they are now a running joke.

Western hunting pressure has skyrocketed lately and we all have been affected by it. No one wants to share their hard earned location related information publicly where anyone can find it with a basic Google search. Areas with low pressure, few grizzlies, relatively easy terrain and decent elk numbers are rare and anyone who knows of one is probably going to be hunting it themselves.

Hopefully that gives you a little better understanding of the pushback you are getting.

Anyway, I can't help much with Montana but best of luck this fall. Do your research, get in shape, and put in the work during the season and you might be successful. At the very least you'll have an experience you'll never forget.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[DanimalW]

I would look at areas close to where you plan to live. No better time to start learning it than right now.

 

[2ski]

I can't understand all these guys not willing to share.

I will share a spot I always see elk. Always. Mammoth hot springs. Go shoot one of them and enjoy the meat!

 

[hunterjmj]

Just go hunt. Dang dude, hop in your pickup and go hit some spots. Easy as that in a year or two you'll have a bunch of places to go.

 

[insanelupus]

Are you wanting to kill an elk, or learn to be an elk hunter? There can be a big difference between those two things. Sure they can happen simultaneously, but that's the exception, not the rule.

If you just want to kill an elk, best odds are a private land guided hunt, and you'll likely have a great time with a quality outfitter.

If you truly want to learn to be an elk hunter, that's a training program usually requiring some unfilled tags, lots of effort, frustration, and expense of time. Play the game hard enough, long enough, and smart enough, you'll start catching on, but that doesn't mean there won't be some losses.

And just a head's up for your future Montana residency, the answer to, "Where's the best place to hunt elk?" Is similar to, "Where's the best place to find huckleberries?" Or, "Where's the best place to fish? " Or, "Where's the best place to pan for gold? " The answer will almost always be, for each of these questions, "In the woods."

Don't concentrate on asking the where. Concentrate on the best type of terrain for the season. Concentrate on the best source of feed for the season., etc. You'll often get more helpful answers that way.

And most of those questions have been answered in many places on the internet, podcasts, studies, and yes, Rokslide.

 

[S.Clancy]

This bull was killed in a general unit last year. I will trade you coordinates for a half-acre out of your 20 in Gallatin County.

 

[6.5x284]

I'd focus on elk behavior that time of year, and then try to scout out places online that check off a few of those boxes (feed, security, escapement, etc...). Have at least 3-5 places picked out within an hour or so drive you want to hunt from that camp location so you can bounce around. If you need to park at a gate and hike in, get to the gate first. My favorite thing in the world is to get to the gate and have coffee and a nap until I actually need to start my hike in. More often than not, an outfitter pulls up angry that someone beat him to it. Have your gear ready so you can grab your shit and start hiking if you see headlights. Better to wait in the truck an hour than wait on your glassing knob in the dark freezing for an extra hour but be prepared to if you need to. I focus on South broken slopes primarily. I never see anything in those picturesque bare meadows. I find most things in a nasty south facing slope with broken terrain so they feel protected in a small location with escapement close. As mentioned above, sometimes they don't show themselves until the last little bit. I have found if you find a nice secluded place that they will feed pretty late into the morning though.

I would prefer to scout 2-3 days before opening day in a new unit and hunt only a couple of days than hunt the first 5 days (for elk, your buddies mule deer hunting only gets better as season goes on). Opening day is the best opportunity IMO to kill a public land bull if you can find one leading up to the opener.

I have no affiliation but have heard great things about "Treeline Academy" to learn how to be a better scouter until you move up to MT or have more time for physical scouting.

Have fun, just know you are taking your gun for a walk and that's OK. I have many many years taking my bow and rifles for walks during hunting season. Plot things you find like wallows, rubs, trails, beds, etc... and over a couple seasons you'll see a pretty cool picture unfold if you hunt the same area.

 

[Indian Summer]

Just a few things you should say to yourself regularly throughout your planning process.

The words elk and easy don’t belong in the same sentence. There’s a big difference between hiking mountain trails and hunting for elk in the mountains. There WILL be competition and for that reason you should be thinking about some tough country instead of forgiving. Isn’t that what the elk will be thinking? Yes!

After reading several of your posts my advice would be to shoot the first legal elk you can cows included. Get one under your belt. You’ll learn a lot from that.

Picking the area to hunt is probably the most important decision. I look for some type or f obstacle to overcome to get away from other people. It could be crossing a river. Maybe taking hours to get around and on top of a cliff. Sometimes it’s just a matter of putting on miles. But it’s best to have something to separate the men from the boys. Hiking in 2 -3 miles on a relatively easy trail isn’t enough. Good luck!

 

[t_carlson]

Hell, while you're at it I suppose you'll want a run @ my wife too.

Is she hot?

Oh, I also hunted the first 3 weeks of the season and should have done all five or just the last 3

I don't think that was your problem.

To the OP:

At one point in recent history, 1/2 of all of the elk killed in MT came from Region 3. Not sure if that stat is still accurate, but I'd still start there. As an added bonus, your little parcel of land is smack dab in the middle of that region.

 

[Geewhiz]

Is she hot?

It's ok to make jokes about people's mothers. Not ok to make jokes about peoples wives.


Personally, I think the OP should stay the H out of region 3. Head over to t_carlsons neck of the woods. Looks like some elk live there.