Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Montana. Still haven't figured out where to go.

22WRF,

PM me if you are going to be hunting around Livingston. If so, I can help and I think you will have a chance.

Jeff

22wrf
Don't take the kidding serious, it makes things worse.

While not elk, this is how it can be: Have a friend whose son usually kills a big Whitetail in the Pa. mountains bow hunting each year. Now this year during scouting he found an area with a lot of Grouse and a big Buck, and told his Dad. His Dad and I hunt Grouse together and the Dad naturally asked where? The son just laughed and said, "Yea, I'm going to tell you two and have you go in there and run that buck out. Keep dreaming." He will eventually let us know, but it will not be until he either kills that deer or another one. No sense in asking for a general proximity either. It's just not going to happen. We all understand and get a kick out of the whole deal.

I'm no big time-or little time for that matter-elk hunter, but I wouldn't expect guys to just volunteer up a choice spot, especially over the internet.

Nobody is being a smart azz. Just the way it is.

Well, I am leaving for Montana on Monday. And if I find a good spot, and it is on public land, I will be happy to share that spot with anyone who asks me.

I guess that is my definition of a good sportsman.

that'll just ruin it for the locals that have been hunting that spot for years... think about it.

Not sure if you have explored the Block Management system at all, but for starters, I generally wouldn't recommend the areas that only have sign in sheets, as these are just about as crowded as public lands. The best places are typically booked well in advance by calling the landowners. I can recommend a name for you to call if you PM me. Talking to the landowners will also get you the very specific current advice you are looking for, and it's FREE! Since it doesn't sound like you will just be weekend hunting there's a chance you can get in on some properties that aren't being hunted midweek.

Before or after you are done hunting it?

Addition: Have a great trip and hope you have some critter pics to share.

How things can quickly change. Just got a call from the Dad. He and the son wanted me to come up to camp. They have pounded the Grouse the last two days. I was supposed to be working, but came down with some number of flu and have been up and down for the last couple. We had a bad connection and got cut off. Either a deer died or the son gave in. Lots of luck involved in this hunting stuff. Hope you have a bunch of it.

either way

Have a good trip and hopefully this will be your year to get into them. Find sign and go get um. Take care.

Thank you Jimmy.

Well, I can report that I hunted hard for 5 days. I hunted in the pre-dawn, and during the snow. I made sure I was at least a mile back from the roads, and probably more than a couple miles on a few occasions.

No elk. No elk tracks. Thats 4 years without seeing an elk.

But I had fun.

Perseverance will eventually pay off. Good on ya.

Glad you had fun, but that's gotta be frustrating also. I would have been happy to steer you somewhere that had been productive for me when i lived in MT.

Well, I don't mind saying where I went this time. I went to the Little Belt Mountains. Basically west from Livingston. If you go to the North quite a bit of the land bordering the Lewis and Clark is private and they mean it. I spoke to a couple of guys who absolutely would not allow hunting. (in previous years I have gone twice just north of Yellowstone and once over in the Beaverheads)

So I went further south and West from Utica off of the South Fork of the Judith River.

There seemed to be a lot of local hunters there so I was confident that there were elk to be gotten or otherwise the locals would not have been there.

But I did not hear a rifle shot in 5 days.

Saw one nice trophy quality mule deer. Alas, he was on the other side of a fence, meaning on private land.

If I were you I'd consider rethinking my strategy for finding critters.

Sounds like my fishing strategy - just find a bunch of boats and go there. There must be TONS of fish there, why else would everybody be fishing right there? Granted, it has been said that I'm the single worst fisherman on the planet. I think I could do really well if they would lift the ban on fishing with explosives, however.

ranger1-I totally disagree with you.....I am the single worst fisherman...

And when did they ban explosives?

Dober

I don't know, bad fisherman scoff at how bad I am.

I already did that by starting this thread asking for advise on where I might go to have a good chance at an elk. There were no takers.

Since you seem to know something about it, please tell me what you know.

I'm not claiming to know all about hunting elk, but I think that basing a hunting plan on following large groups of "locals" is very questionable logic.
My honest advice is to learn more about elk habits in the area you plan to hunt. Learn what the local vegetation is and what it has to offer the game species that you plan to pursue (elk in this case) in different seasons and conditions. Look at scientific journals, College/University extension sites, and professional wildlife texts for this information. Call the regional Fish Wildlife and Parks office and find out what you can from them. There is a lot of info on-line at the Montana FWP site in this vein as well.
Look at maps, photos, and scout the area to determine what types of landform and vegetation they might prefer at different times of year in the specific region you plan to hunt. Take hunting pressure (accessability via roads and trails is obviously important) and weather into consideration.
I think that spending more time planning and focusing your efforts on areas that should biologically hold elk would be much more beneficial than simply hiking through the forest hoping to bump into something.
Make your own luck, don't expect to score unless you give yourself good odds. There is always a learning curve for a new area that must be overcome. Take notes on what you see where and when so you can plan better for next year.
I hope you are more successful on future hunts.