Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Who hunts area 410 ?

Just wondering who hunts MT 410 and what they are hunting.
Do you camp, drive out to Winnett/Lewistown to a Motel?
If you camp, is it ten or trailer?
Have you had good or bad experiences there in the past?
thanks much.t

I have hunted 410 before, but not in some time. From my understanding the deer/lopes have taken a hit in the area from several bad winters.

We usually bow hunt elk up there if we are lucky enough to draw the permit. We have always been in elk everytime we go. We usually tent it. Lots of people

it use to be the best back up plan in the state when you didnt draw a permit you could always go there and hunt. since we have to put in for the area we want to hunt now it has seen a tremendous increase in pressure. I have spent many a night in my trailer in the bottom of carrol coulee but beware if it rains hard it may be staying a lot longer than you. There is alwaus James Kip state park at the Fred Robinson bridge and its all weather. Or you can do the Lewistown Roundup thing but you better have reservations that time of year.

Thanks everyone, our main home is in 410 so I am very familiar with the area. What I am asking for is to try to find out a bit about what the traveling hunters are doing and looking for.
Also wondering how many guys would use the area if they had a place where they could pull in at night and have shower, bunk and food ready for them? Or would the majority rather bring camp gear in and set up. Thanks

for those ones it wasnt so much bad winters as the blue tongue outbreak that hit the year or two before that bad winter....lope and deer populations are at the lowest ive seen them in the eastern half of the state...gonna take awhile to bounce back....

hadnt thought about it since i normally hunt various 600 districts but if your speed goats bounce back before ours(which i think they will) i may have to look into the area.....since i dont have a camper a place to rent for the weekend would be nice....main thing i hate bout tenting it, especially for goats is its early season and often warm and dusty so i like to have a shower available to me....

I have archery and rifle hunted HD 410 for numerous years and plan on concentrating my bowhunting there his coming Fall (assuming I draw a limited elk archery permit). There are antelope, mule deer, white tail deer, elk and upland bird to hunt. You will need a permit to hunt antelope and elk (for either archery or rifle). The drought and "blue tongue" have taken its toll on the various wild animal populations (mainly antelope), but there is still animals to be hunted. IMO, there are a lot of archery hunters and quite a few rifle hunters. This place offers a lot of public land to be hunted without the fear of crossing a fence line onto private property that does not allow hunting. FYI - the CMR typically shuts down the Mule Deer (rifle) season the 2nd Sunday of November.

HD 410 suffered two "large" fires in the past several years. The Chain Buttes area experienced a fire and it never really recovered most if not all the trees are gone. The area west of the Chain Buttes caught fire and it too burned a fair number of acres. IMO, because of the fires and hunting pressure the elk moved to the northside of the river, so IMO there are more elk on the northside. The elk can and will cross the Missouri with no problem. That is not to say, that HD 410 does not still have a good number of elk. A lot of elk reside along the Missouri River in the "Willows" and they take refuge in and around the willows. A lot of archery hunters use boats to travel up and down the river. Some folks hunting in the AM/PM and fish mid-day in Fort Peck Reservoir. In the places where there are larger trees (Cottonwoods, archery hunters will set up tree stands). The larger trees are primarily located up stream of the Reservoir.

As stated above, if you have never been up to this part of the State then camping at James Kipp State Park/Campground is one of your best options. There is a nightly fee to stay at the campground. There is a boat ramp, outhouses, and running water (faucet near boat ramp, but don't depend on this being a source of water). We typically bring our own drinking water. There are unlimited places to camp in the Breaks if you don't want to travel to and from the the place you plan to hunt. There are certain rules/regulation regarding camping X number of feet from the road. If you stay at the "Bridge" (James Kipp), then you have to make time to go to the Slippery Ann Game Refuge to view the elk during the rut. This is a refuge within the CMR Refuge and is located on the northside of the river about 5 miles east of the paved highway. IMO, it is better than Yellowstone Park. Also, the road (on the Southside) coming down the "hill" to the river is under construction and there may be some delays getting through the construction (time of year will dictate number and time of delay).

The mud (gumbo) is notorious for being very difficult, so be aware of the weather (rain or melting snow). It is not impossible, but it is wise to avoid it or come prepared.

You will want to contact the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (PO Box 110, Lewistown, MT 59457) and request a Charles M. Russell - National Wildlife Refuge - Guide and Informational Map. This map will show all the roads on the CMR.

Whoops after re-reading your post, above . . . an RV Park/individual "cabins"/Gas Station at Bohemian Corner or at the bottom the "hill" (maybe even Mobridge) during the archery and rifle season may prove like a good business opportunity. I would venture to guess that a fair number of non-resident hunters would use this option.

When I hunted Elk in 410 (mainly around Chain Buttes) I camped in a trailer that we stay in when we are working cows West of the Buttes. Every 4 days or so I'd drive back to Roy for gas and incidentals @ the store. I was in there 17 days. I can't imagine coming even out to the highway every night; but that's me.

I liked being able to get gas and a burger @ Bohemian Corners when we work cows---- but apparently not enough people agreed with me. Fortunately, there's a good operator (gas and parts) in Roy and the VFW is great.

Last time I was by Bohemian Corner going ice fishing the gas pumps were not operational. I don't know if they've fixed them or not.