Montana elk unit 380

[MTSasquatch]

Lol

 

[137buck]

I know of three people who have drawn that tag and it took all of them at least thirteen years to get it. Now I've heard of people hitting the lottery and drawing sooner, but for the most part, it'll be awhile before you draw.

 

[cgasner1]

Seems like Montana is pretty wide open with General we have some archery only units that take non residents 3-4 years to draw and other than that about any rifle tag for you at this point that is a draw would be as stated winning the lottery most of our tags for big bulls are 10+ years for residents


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dust Rider]

I know three people who have drawn that tag in the last 10 years. All MT residents. One Hunted her ass off and got permission on the Boulder side which is hard to get private access. After 40+ days in bow and then Rifle she landed a small 6x6. Another guy I know hunted all bow and then last week of rifle ended up shooting a 5x5. The third kid was 18, put in for his first time and didnt kill a bull at all. It is a Trophy unit, but the trophies do not come easy. It is a hard unit to hunt due the private land on south of unit and hard terrain in north. I shot a cow in there on special draw tag one year, and a spike on a guys farm who I went to college with at MSU.

 

[Hunt41]

I’m getting excited about the opportunity to go elk hunting for the first time somewhere next year on a general tag. I’m upset with myself that I waited so long. Go and do it. Apply for 380, hunt general.

 

[Dust Rider]

Join the RMEF, or reach out to MT FWP and they will point you in the right direction on where to hunt public land in MT on a general OTC elk tag. Elk are all over. Access is the hardest challenge. If your willing to hike a few miles you will find elk.

 

[noisy]

Access is the hardest challenge.

This seems a common refrain, but I don't get it. My biggest problem isn't finding a place to hunt, it's choosing where to go on any given day from the seemingly endless multitude of options. There's easily accessed national forest every which way you turn, not to mention all the block management. How come people have a hard time finding access with so much land to hunt?

 

[Hunt41]

That’s what I am faced with. I figured out a unit with lots of public access. That was the easy part.
I find the tough part is trying to figure out where inside the unit I want to hunt. Especially will no possibility of putting boots on the ground before I get there.

 

[noisy]

That’s what I am faced with. I figured out a unit with lots of public access. That was the easy part.
I find the tough part is trying to figure out where inside the unit I want to hunt. Especially will no possibility of putting boots on the ground before I get there.

Not a ton you can do but there are a couple things. First, find out who the FWP biologist(s) is for that area and call them in the OFF SEASON to ask specific questions. Feel them out about areas that have caught your eye when e-scouting. You'll get a better result if you ask about specific areas rather than "Where should I hunt?" I believe you can find the biologists on the FWP website, but it might require making a few calls to the regional offices to track them down.

Second, call the sporting goods/hunting shops in any nearby towns and ask to speak to their most knowledgeable elk hunter employees. They're not going to share their spots but since they are in the business of selling gear to visiting hunters they may be willing to share some info. Again, arm yourself with specific questions. If you're far off base they will tell you, and that might lead them to sharing better info with you. Showing that you at least have a clue about the geography of the area will make them more receptive.

Good luck.

 

[Dust Rider]

This seems a common refrain, but I don't get it. My biggest problem isn't finding a place to hunt, it's choosing where to go on any given day from the seemingly endless multitude of options. There's easily accessed national forest every which way you turn, not to mention all the block management. How come people have a hard time finding access with so much land to hunt?

You are correct about abundant lands to hunt on any given day. It is not hard to find access to public lands or Block Management. But it is hard to find mature bull elk on public land, and success rates are not high on public land for elk. In Montana the average for all resident and non resident is +/- 20% for reported harvests for elk, both sexes and both public and private property. It is just that in most of these areas the majority of mature bulls and bucks are on private property. The most prime habitat is leased, posted or unaccesable due to new wealthy outside landowners. If I can tag anything on public land I call it a success. Im all about tagging a little 6 point white tail buck, doe, cow or raghorn on a state section, but it is frustrating when on the other side of the fence on XXX ranch is a heard of 200 elk that dont move from September to February.

 

[noisy]

You are correct about abundant lands to hunt on any given day. It is not hard to find access to public lands or Block Management. But it is hard to find mature bull elk on public land, and success rates are not high on public land for elk. In Montana the average for all resident and non resident is +/- 20% for reported harvests for elk, both sexes and both public and private property. It is just that in most of these areas the majority of mature bulls and bucks are on private property. The most prime habitat is leased, posted or unaccesable due to new wealthy outside landowners. If I can tag anything on public land I call it a success. Im all about tagging a little 6 point white tail buck, doe, cow or raghorn on a state section, but it is frustrating when on the other side of the fence on XXX ranch is a heard of 200 elk that dont move from September to February.

I guess I did not understand that by "access" you meant access to animals taking refuge on private land. I don't even think about that. Although, I have gained a lot of access to non-block management private land by knocking on doors and talking to ranchers. Not everybody wants to or is able to do that though (understandably, it takes a lot of time and effort). But still, not the same thing as pay-to-play leased land. Oh well, we can agree that DIY hunting on land accessible to the public is challenging. And yeah, trophy animals are not likely. Fortunately, the younger animals, cows, does, etc. taste a lot better. I guess we'll just have to suffer through all that tasty meat! Lol

 

[Hunt41]

Thanks for the reply.
I plan on calling the biologists. Sporting goods store employee is a good idea.
It is a big job planning a first elk hunt. But, I really enjoy the work.
It’s not about the harvest, it’s about the experience. Yes, I want to be successful. Taking in everything else is what makes it enjoyable. This year I ended my archery season quickly. And wow!! Did I miss not being out hunting. I love the whole experience