Non-Resident Western Hunters…No, I’m not wanting your OnX pins.

[WildBoose]

Planning my first Montana deer hunt.
Public ground.
Solo.
I have some info I’d like to discuss with people who are in my position or have been recently.
#ooserproud

 

[go_deep]

Just post the different questions you have, or things you're concerned about.

 

[WildBoose]

Just post the different questions you have, or things you're concerned about.

Eastern Montana.
I know it’s been “spot burned” by multiple “influencers”.
But if a man put in the work, got away from the roads (as much as possible)….could he have a successful hunt?

 

[go_deep]

Eastern Montana.
I know it’s been “spot burned” by multiple “influencers”.
But if a man put in the work, got away from the roads (as much as possible)….could he have a successful hunt?

Yes

 

[huntnful]

Age class is smoked with the general rut hunts. But there’s plenty of deer if you just want to kill a buck.

 

[WildBoose]

Age class is smoked with the general rut hunts. But there’s plenty of deer if you just want to kill a buck.

I don’t have to fill a tag to have a successful hunt.
I’m afraid too many people are if that mindset, hence the lack of maturity.
If I can to learn and become more experienced…killing is a bonus.

 

[AHayes111]

Eastern Montana.
I know it’s been “spot burned” by multiple “influencers”.
But if a man put in the work, got away from the roads (as much as possible)….could he have a successful hunt?

elaborate on successful.

 

[WildBoose]

elaborate on successful.

Seeing animals.
Being able to get away and “hunt” without being covered up with other hunters.
Observe animals behavior.
Eat questionable food, sleep in a tent, purify water and shat in hole.
Potentially take an animal.

 

[Caseknife]

With those parameters and that mentality, should be able to have a successful hunt.

 

[Tmac]

Eastern Montana.
I know it’s been “spot burned” by multiple “influencers”.
But if a man put in the work, got away from the roads (as much as possible)….could he have a successful hunt?

Yes, but I might spend a little time checking how bad the spot you are looking at got hit the winter of 22-23. In some areas they got hit by blue tongue first, then winter. Some info on the MT web site, some in other places, but I might call the local dept office and ask.

 

[Buglebrush]

Age class is smoked with the general rut hunts. But there’s plenty of deer if you just want to kill a buck.

I agree with this. It's astonishing how few bucks live to maturity

 

[Scottf270]

I agree the hunting there is a shadow of it's former self. It's easy to blame the season dates but it's simply a matter of too many tags and hunters with no trigger control. The dates just make it easier to kill small bucks but a calendar never killed a buck.

 

[AHayes111]

Seeing animals.
Being able to get away and “hunt” without being covered up with other hunters.
Observe animals behavior.
Eat questionable food, sleep in a tent, purify water and shat in hole.
Potentially take an animal.

Of those five, the only one that is guaranteed is number four. When I get more time I will try to elaborate.

 

[AlphaK9]

Seeing animals.
Being able to get away and “hunt” without being covered up with other hunters.
Observe animals behavior.
Eat questionable food, sleep in a tent, purify water and shat in hole.
Potentially take an animal.

Hell yeah!

 

[WildBoose]

elaborate on successful.

Hell yeah!

I mean at the end of the day…that’s what we’re after.

 

[Taco John]

But if a man put in the work, got away from the roads (as much as possible)….could he have a successful hunt?

I don’t have to fill a tag to have a successful hunt.
I’m afraid too many people are if that mindset, hence the lack of maturity.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

There are no deer in MT. Look elsewhere.

 

[WildBoose]

There are no deer in MT. Look elsewhere.

Noted.
I guess I’ll sit over my corn feeder in Kentucky then.
Thanks for the helpful input.

 

[Geewhiz]

I was hunting a few days ago. Ran into a nonres hunter who had just smoked a very small 3 point from his sxs. He proceeded to tell me that he had been hunting the area we were in for 8 years now. They had 10 tag holders in camp this year and 1 fork and 2 small 3 points had already been killed that trip. He expressed frustration to me about how when they first started hunting there, there were lots of big bucks around but now they were lucky to find anything bigger than a small 3 point.

He told me that all he had seen up until that moment were 2 points (a whole day into his trip) and he decided to shoot him when he saw him. He was downplaying the size of it and was trying to justify its size at the same time. A grown ass man that drove 3 states over to shoot a 2.5 yo deer from your sxs. Are you proud of that??

I left that conversation feeling very frustrated. Do these people not understand? If they roll in there and all 10 hunters (just in that camp, let alone all the other camps) shoot the very first young immature buck they see that there won’t be any bucks to grow up. He answered his own question but was too stupid to realize it.

Unbelievable. Don’t be that guy.

 

[WildBoose]

I was hunting a few days ago. Ran into a nonres hunter who had just smoked a very small 3 point from his sxs. He proceeded to tell me that he had been hunting the area we were in for 8 years now. They had 10 tag holders in camp this year and 1 fork and 2 small 3 points had already been killed that trip. He expressed frustration to me about how when they first started hunting there, there were lots of big bucks around but now they were lucky to find anything bigger than a small 3 point.

I left that conversation feeling very frustrated. Do these people not understand? If they roll in there and all 10 hunters (just in that camp, let alone all the other camps) shoot the very first young immature buck they see that there won’t be any bucks to grow up. He answered his own question but was too stupid to realize it.

Unbelievable. Don’t be that guy.

I struggle with the same mindset of non-res hunters in my area.
They come here because we have a resource…then they start depleted the resource lol.
Only difference is, 95% of my area is privately owned and leased. People coming from out of state are horrified that they will go home with nothing to show.