Montana with my son

[curtisloyd12]

Going to eastern Montana with my son (12 yrs old ) in November. I have the option to pick any week to hunt, I would like for him to have an action packed hunt but also don’t want him to be soo cold that he doesn’t want to hunt. Any suggestions?

 

[Geewhiz]

Is it fair to assume you will be hunting mule deer?

 

[curtisloyd12]

Is it fair to assume you will be hunting mule deer?

Correct

 

[SuperDUECE22]

no one can predict the forecast in 6 months from now. So you're either going to have to be flexible or pick a week now and deal with it. Can be 80 degrees and sunny or -20 with 2 feet of snow .....

 

[Dos Perros]

We have killed mature bucks with does late Oct and first couple days of November. I wouldn't necessarily say they were next level bucks or we looked over a whole bunch...they were 140+ and 150+ gross type bucks. Over the three separate years I would say the weather was generally mild. But honestly it's a crap shoot...you just never know when a significant weather event will roll through. If you're sensitive to it you could plan a primary week, watch the weather, and then pivot to your backup week if you need. I think if you hunt later than the first week you probably peel off some pressure and the hunting could get better, but risk of bad weather goes up.

 

[stank.243]

I prefer Mid-November to the end of the season personally. A little less pressure and good rutting. As others have said weather can be anything. Last season the week before Thanksgiving was 50s and sun. The year before was 0 with blizzard conditions.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Moon phase doesn’t matter to the animals, but it matters to me. Pick a dark moon late in November and go kill a buck. Amazing how warm it is when it’s 0 degrees and you’re stalking a big buck.

 

[Erict]

I have hunted many years there in late October and early November. Sometimes I hit the rut, and sometimes it's just beginning - most locals wait until later from what I've seen. Even a week out, the weather forecast can be way, way off and like others say, it can be 70 or -10. You MUST prepare for cold and especially the wind, which rarely stops. Even in the cold, I don't ever remember getting cold feet out west, probably because most of my hunting time is spent moving (completely opposite of deer hunting in the east). Good luck.

 

[Taudisio]

Hunted the region 3 times. Some trips, mild weather with jeans and a sweatshirt and losing the sweatshirt during the day, the last trip, 10 days straight it did not get above 35F in the daytime. I shot a nice buck the first morning and it was -6F. A big change from the 70F weather at home. Pack for all of the above.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Are you camping? What's the coldest weather he has ever been in.? I would pick a date and make the best of it. When the date gets closer you can always pick up some foul weather gear if needed. As mentioned, no predicting the weather this far out.

 

[jtevanMT]

Later is typically better for seeing mature bucks and more deer, but the chance of very cold weather also goes up. Personally, I would select the last two weeks of November and hope for decent weather. If Eastern MT temps are horrible, having a backup plan for deer hunting in Western MT is not a bad idea. Look carefully at the regulations for each hunt unit, several general deer tag units changed to draw 2024.