Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Tips on Montana Hunting

My cousin lives on a working cattle ranch near Billings. He got an OK from the owner for me to come out this fall for a mule deer and possibly elk hunt. Friends have told me to get stared now on the proper permits.

I have a several questions and printed hunting regs can read like Chinese algebra. Can the licenses be bought over the internet? Is a drawing involved? Is there any oddball quirk out there I haven't anticipated?

Any insight will be greatly appreciated as a mule deer is one more thing to cross off of my bucket list.

O

drawing for out of staters....only residents can buy over the counter UNLESS there are left over doe tags they put those over the counter....not sure what they do with surplus deer combo tags for out of staters...

make sure you have good glass....a good spotting scope and good binocs save lots of miles on your feet....

Last few years there have been quite a few left over tags

yeah but price of gas dropped and if that stays who knows....

rat..,

so you gotta enter a drawing even on private land?
i found out the ranch is near Hilgar. Do tthe permit apply yo just one district?

O

Tip on Montana hunting: Ride in the truck with shrapnel

OUTCAST,

Non-resident deer tags are good for the entire state, though exactly what kind of deer you legally can take depends on the area. The non0resident deer "combination licenses" (meaning they include other stuff such as an upland bird license) are limited in number to 4600.

If there are more applicants than licenses by the March 15 deadline date, there's a drawing. If there are fewer than 4600 applicants, everybody who applied gets one, and the rest go up for sale to whoever comes along first. But you should apply by March 15.

By the way, it's Hilger.

thanks a lot guys. i'm really looking forward to this. kinda a bucket list thing. as i understand it, a general license entitles you to a buck deer and a cow elk?

O

No, it allows you to take whatever deer or elk is listed as legal during the general season in the particular hunting district you're hunting. This varies considerably depending on the district.

yep, for example where i like to hunt is special draw only for elk and there is a good chunk of land that closes to mule deer hunting 2 weeks earlier than the normal season.....with doe tags, whitetail tags are usually good for a region, mule deer for specific districts...homework is essential, especially for elk but there are curveballs in there for deer aswell.....

You need to find out from Cousin what hunting district you'll be in. It'll be in region 4, then you can look here for the particular district you're in:

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/regulations/

Under "Deer and Elk" the 2nd red tab will give you the regs for every hunting district in the state. Figure out which one you'll be in and look up the regs.

hor..,


The ranch is in districts 426 and 417. But the application asks for a five digit number, thats confusing. So a license is only good for that disrict?

O

the last two digits indicate what it is...IIRC 20 is either sex general, 21 is either sex archery, looks like 426 and 417 are special draw for elk, limited permits....

rat..,

Thanks. His license app was 426-20 but he didnt know why. Its starting to make some sense thanks to you guys.

Another thought, if i apply for a deer/elk combo and dont get drawn for elk, can i still get a deer license?

O

Click the link I provided above. Click on "Deer, Elk, Antelope", Click on "Individual Hunting District Regulations". Scroll down to see regs for 417 and 426.

TY

as i understand it yes you will have the deer, and you will have a general elk license for areas that arent special draw, the permit for special draw areas is an separate draw after you get the general elk license....but please keep in mind i havent helped out anyone out of state with all this....always just helped with resident stuff....

rattler,

You've helped a lot. Your regs are far more complicanted than anything i've dealt with before. Much thanks,sir.

O