Keep a backup plan. Eastern MT is in a bad drought. Not only might that impact access to land and even whether there will be a season, but in my experience a really dry spring and summer mean far fewer birds of the year...the young, tender ones that are good to eat.
Bad drought is an understatement! 2021 will probably be a very poor UGB year in eastern MT and western ND due to the unbelievably dry conditions. I fully expect a large number of BMAs in MT to be closed thru most of Sept due to the extreme wildfire conditions. If I were planning a sharptail hunt this year I would look around Pierre, SD. It hasn't been so dry down there, and there should be decent numbers of sharptails and chickens on the National Grasslands. Another plus will be the greater number of UGB guiding operations in SD. Good luck!
