Moving to Montana - Looking for Mule Deer Advice

[HydroThermal]

Hey Guys, I will be moving to Montana for work in the next few months, most likely in the Helena area. I'm from Wisconsin and have never been to Montana before. I have done a decent amount of hunting in Wyoming for mule deer, but never Montana. I am super excited to get to hunt mule deer instead of white tails! I am looking for some general advice for finding a hunting spot near Helena. I'm don't want to steal anyone's spot or take their honey-hole, I am just looking for a little bit of general advice for finding hunting spots near Helena. I want to put the work in myself, but someone pointing me in the right direction would go a long way.

 

[S.Clancy]

Scout a lot. That's how I did it, pretty sure thats how everyone does it. When you find that "honey-hole" it will be incredibly rewarding. I don't want to cheat you out of that.

 

[elkguide]

Welcome to the forum.
Montana mulies are just like Wyoming mulies.
ENJOY!

 

[rustneversleeps]

I want to put the work in myself, but someone pointing me in the right direction would go a long way.

Look North, South, East, or West and start hiking.

 

[KHNC]

Look North, South, East, or West and start hiking.

Avoid the NW part of the state unless you are Wolf hunting . Best advice i know of.

 

[Flatgo]

decent mule deer around helena are pretty uncommon not saying there are not some good mulies, but outside city limits i've seen very few respectable bucks. if you're specifically hunting mule deer i would travel east. That's been my experience living in helena.

 

[rustneversleeps]

Avoid the NW part of the state unless you are Wolf hunting . Best advice i know of.

I guess my point was - there are deer all over the state. Pick some public land and start hiking.

 

[HydroThermal]

Thank for all the advice! It sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to find some deer. Do you guys usually find them in the timber, high country, broken hilly fronts? Or is it all of the above as long as you are looking hard enough?

 

[Indian Summer]

You might look into hunting over near the Breaks.

Since you’ll be there in a couple months you’ll have lots of time to ask your neighbors and co workers. Good luck!

 

[Mt Al]

Or is it all of the above as long as you are looking hard enough?

Yes, all of the above. They're from high to low and tons of fun just finding your honey hole, give yourself some time. My recommendation is to buy the printed Gazetteer with all the delicious maps, couple with Google Earth internet sleuthing, get a GPS with chip or app on your phone to make sure you're on public and hit the hills. Expect that the place you "found" has been found by others many years ago, just part of the deal.

I had a guy with a deep Southern drawl squealing at me about being in his place on public land - you read that right. Just laughed, asked him how long ago he moved to Montana to claim "his" place and kept hunting. You are going to run into people.

Helena is a great place, IMHO!

 

[HydroThermal]

Yes, all of the above. They're from high to low and tons of fun just finding your honey hole, give yourself some time. My recommendation is to buy the printed Gazetteer with all the delicious maps, couple with Google Earth internet sleuthing, get a GPS with chip or app on your phone to make sure you're on public and hit the hills. Expect that the place you "found" has been found by others many years ago, just part of the deal.

I had a guy with a deep Southern drawl squealing at me about being in his place on public land - you read that right. Just laughed, asked him how long ago he moved to Montana to claim "his" place and kept hunting. You are going to run into people.

Helena is a great place, IMHO!

Thanks for the tip on the Gazetteer! I have Onx and I will buy the Montana extension once I move.

Yeah some people are like that. You've just gotta laugh about it and move on.

 

[Howard Mee]

@HydroThermal Have you made the move yet? Hit me up when you do and we can visit. No guarantees that it will help. I'm a little north of you, but I think you'll love Helena. It doesn't have a "big buck" reputation, but that's a good thing. It certainly has deer that we would all be happy with.

 

[Howard Mee]

Here are few links that might help:

Home Page | Montana FWP

fwp.mt.gov

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks :: Maps for Hunters

Maps for Hunters

fwp.mt.gov

Note: The interactive mapping system for Block Management Areas is available each year from mid August until the end of the hunting season.
I print off the the BMA maps and have them laminated to keep them from getting ruined in the rain.
Priceless information.

Montana Cadastral

svc.mt.gov

Montana Cadastral Mapping has all the same land ownership info that you would find with a subscription. Can't take it with you on your phone, but great of e-scouting.

I agree with the above recommendation to buy a Montana Gazetteer.
They're awesome for making notes. I keep my old ones and reread old notes I've written.
You can buy them on amazon (or whatever) for about $17 or pick one up at the gas station.

Also might want to give this a read:

FWP proposes changes for several Helena-area hunting districts

Elk hunters could see a number of regulation changes for the coming year for west-central and southwest Montana.

helenair.com

Of course I could go on and on and on, but anyway, I hope this helps.

 

[HydroThermal]

@HydroThermal Have you made the move yet? Hit me up when you do and we can visit. No guarantees that it will help. I'm a little north of you, but I think you'll love Helena. It doesn't have a "big buck" reputation, but that's a good thing. It certainly has deer that we would all be happy with.

No, we haven't made it out there yet. I am still interviewing for a couple jobs so hopefully we can make it happen soon. Thank you for all the resources, I will definitely look into those! As far as Helena not being a "big buck" area, that's fine with me. I'm just really excited to be able to hunt mule deer more often. They're my favorite thing to hunt!
I'll be sure to hit you up once we make the move, it will be great to have some local knowledge. I appreciate your help!

 

[adowney15]

I have grown up in Helena and have moved to Wyoming a few years ago and will say that do not expect to find as many solid bucks in Montana as compared to Wyoming. However, that also being said I saw the biggest mule deer of my life just outside of Helena. To find good solid deer I would recommend deep mountain hunting. When I say deep I mean deep like 6 miles plus. A lot of the foothills and areas just a few miles from the road get hammered and its tough to find a half decent four point. For deep mountain areas I have always had solid luck at the edge of burns really at anytime during the day. There are some areas up by Augusta that I have run into some studs, but with OnX those areas are slowly being discovered and the deer are moving onto private ground. Ultimately if you hike hard and are patient a solid buck will show himself in any situation.

 

[mtview]

I just moved to MT for work a few years ago. I've been hunting the thick stuff in central MT and it's good for calling elk in archery. But I don't even know where I'd start for mule deer. I've gone east to where it's open and had good deer hunts. I can't put a stalk on what I can't see.

 

[Bear7771]

Don’t plan on getting into a good BMA. Funny how they are all full 5 min after the chance to reserve them opens up. I’m assuming there’s an inside track to getting them reserved prior to opening. Plenty of truly public land though. Get OnX, that’s my best recommendation

 

[MTJake]

Central MT has pretty good public land and a little lower population. I moved up to MT a few years ago, and do a lot of deer hunting out there. Onyx and scouting should help you find a spot or two where you won't see as many other hunters. I lean heavily on Onyx, MT Cadastral, and google earth.

 

[jmav58]

Don’t plan on getting into a good BMA. Funny how they are all full 5 min after the chance to reserve them opens up. I’m assuming there’s an inside track to getting them reserved prior to opening. Plenty of truly public land though. Get OnX, that’s my best recommendation

There are plenty of BMA's where you don't have to reserve a spot. While some aren't as desirable as others. I've several good bucks on Type 1 BMA in central MT.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Mule deer and old burns go well together. Ive never hunted by Helena, but like the look of the Breaks. You might do some digging on easy draw units North and East of Helena.