Montana Surplus

[huntaholic123]

Been planning an archery elk hunt this fall and was looking at Colorado from day one. Just happened to stumble onto the Montana GFP website and noticed they had a large number of surplus nonresident elk tags. After doing a little more research and talking to a couple of residents, I find myself second guessing my state of choice. I know the price tag is higher but the benefit of the tag turning rifle is a bonus. I have a couple different spots in mind but was hoping to see if there was anyone else out there with some more insight. How is the herd population doing? What are some pros/cons of Montana DIY elk? Not nearly as much information out there compared to Colorado. Any information, comments, tips would be greatly appreciated!

Huntaholic123

 

[huntaholic123]

Definitely not trying to intrude on someones honey holes or anything of that sort. Just hoping to chat with some fellow hunters who have some experience in the state and some good information. If you want to argue the fact that Colorado is the better way to go, I would love to hear your reasoning as well. As always thanks for any insight

Huntaholic123

 

[Shrek]

I hunted Montana last year and will again this year. Having both an elk and deer tag is nice and the season is long. Much of the state is open to a general tag and if you archery hunt thereis even more opportunities. Colorado has a bunch of short seasons and lots of elk. If you are only going to have a week to hunt and only want elk then Colorado is great but I think Montana is a good value with two tags and a lot more time to fill them. There are still plenty of elk in Montana and some really large elk in general areas. I hunted all over the state last year and saw elk or elk sign everywhere I went and failing to kill an elk was purely my fault and not due to there being no elk. I want to add Idaho and I think they have the best value overall. For a few bucks more you can have a bear tag too but the season is shorter.depending on which Idaho elk tag you buy you can either have a longer archery season with a short rifle season or vice versa. Also , Idaho offers multiple elk tags in some areas so you can tag out on day one and drive to town and buy another tag if it's available for the area. Same for deer and bear.

 

[Ross]

Montana offers 3 months of hunting on one tag with diverse areas to hunt. For me being only two hours away it is a great opportunity to go that direction once idaho has come to a close. Depending on the area in the state you can find mucho national forest and plenty of elk to pursue. Good luck.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Montana for sure.

 

[westrnwild]

Did what you did..picked up a leftover tag last year. I struck out but that was my choosing...took me a while to find them but once I did I was in them I just ran out of time. I fell in love with state while I was there. I will advise its a different hunt then Colorado. Its a longer hunt but doesn't have the volume of animals. Also acces can be more of a challenge over all with more checkerboard. Its also more rugged as there aren't as many worn trails...lol. But if your willing to give it a go I believe Montana is a great state...oh buy a wolf tag too...3 tags!

 

[mt100gr.]

Out of state hunters are required to produce a wolf pelt in order to buy an elk tag for MT.

Kidding aside, I love hunting MT and like many, I am possessive of my home state. I don't begrudge anyone for coming here to extend their season, though. Opportunities may be fewer but they are there if you are willing to work.

 

[Jon Boy]

Hard to beat Montana's season. A lot of general units offer some pretty unreal trophy potential too.