Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Montana shoulder season ,poorly run

For conversation, $106 for deer and elk to combat hunt this cesspool..... as a resident

I am headed to a prime private on 19th for the shoulder hunt. I bought a trespass pass at a local charity event.
It should be an adventure. I will do my part to rectify 900% over objective.
I hunted a week during November and then several weekends. I was in elk on public, block and private each day I hunted. I hunted 3 different districts and 5 different block managements.
God help us if the nonresidents bring us more "fixes"

Well, I guess if you think it makes sense that a MT deer or elk license is worth about the same as a six pack of beer..

Judman, nice buck. Easy enough to say that's not the average buck you'll find in MT, especially on public land these days. I hope acting like a white man keeps paying off for you. I've only once killed a mule deer in MT that I loaded whole into my truck, and never an elk.

I’m hoping to load a elk into my boat next year, whole.... grin

I am glad you are satisfied. I hunted 31 days this rifle season for elk in MT. All on public, except for a drive on a nice private place Saturday for a cow. I am not satisfied with the public land elk hunting. Might have to lower my bar for satisfaction I guess.

I never said what I think, I asked you...…...I thought you might have a reason to say that....., as in where the increase in money would best be spent...….personally I think they should be raised quite a bit...….also think special tags should be money up front to apply......more money for block management and so on......of course most people get pissed if you bring it up...….bob

God help us if the nonresidents STOP bringing us more "fixe$$$".

I have a 50-50 chance at drawing a 632 rifle bull tag but I don't want to put my name in the hat.


Archery guys porcupine all the bulls out there.


The Breaks were discovered a few years ago but Newberg really helped to ruin it.


It is a train of KUIU warriors with new lifted Silverado's pulling new SXS's.

I love Montana...

And Newberg has ruined more than 1 hunt, wish more members would speak up.... hint

Sam I couldn’t believe the amount of side by sides headed your way as I was coming home this year.... I have several quads, a dual sport etc and have never hauled them east..... let’s hope Montana doesn’t fall prey like Idaho has..... fuuck me ....

Judman probably not going to like it but majority have Washington plates. They far exceed all others as fashion hunting warriors with fancy rigs. The breaks have been ruined for years. Ashland is next. Publicity ruins everything good. Whether TV internet FB etc.....

Sam in our lifetime hunting will become only for the rich. It’s headed that way in a hurry.

I savvy that, been a lot of changes here the last few years.... I miss the days of buying Montana tags right before the hunt.... as said before I’ll continue to feed the small towns of Montana, have a excellent time, make friends and kill bigger bucks than 95% of residents yearly... oh I hunt broadus!!!! Great town!!! Haha

I need to go to pow and learn them up on buck killin....

Broadus is a great town. So far deer hunting hasn’t brought the money and attention the elk have. Eastern Montana deer hunting is probably safe for a few more years. Judman I don’t doubt for a second you kill bigger deeer and more often than most locals. They often are only willing to drive around and catch a buzz and bitch that the hunting isn’t as good as it was in the old days.

I love spending $$ in Montana, if only because of the folks alone.... great people for sure

That's the same attitude I've experienced from every person from WI when I've met them afield, on the water, or on the ice. Essentially, "You owe me because I paid more for a license."

The US should gift WI to France, or Iran.

I have a lot of friends in WI, so I know there are good people there. One time I camped next to four guys from WI (strangers), who had made the trip down to hunt a very nice part of the "liberal Colorado" mountains. A part like they don't have in WI. They shot three elk, recovered two.
Gave up on one, said there was a blood trail but it was going uphill so the bull wasn't hurt bad. They left one up on the mountain,for about two days, only a mile away with four of 'em in camp. The guy who shot it dodn't pack any out, but was back down in camp, celebrating. Told me he'd just "go into town, call up an outfitter with horses, and get him out here."

I told him not to count on that, it being hunting season and outfitters being busy with their clients. He told me it'd be no problem, but he was back in a couple hours with his dick in his hand. I gave him the name of the outfitter who I knew was licensed in this particular area and luckily, the guy had some time but it took him another day to get out there. Meanwhile these four lazy F***s left the elk up on the mountain, waiting for the man with horses. I'm pretty sure they were party hunting too because all four were talking about shooting bulls but they let it slip that they only had two bull tags.

It does crack me up to hear someone from WI talk about some other place being liberal though.

I only tell this story because like you horse, I'm tired of listening to NR hunters bitch and moan. If it was up to me, there'd be a lot fewer where I hunt, they're ruining the damn place. I once had another guy from WI complain about "too many people hunting here" when he saw me come around a bend in the trail. Like I ruined his day or something. I sat down on the log next to him and told him I'd been hunting the place for years but didn't remember seeing him back in there. Of course I hadn't, it was the first time he'd hunted the area.

The same guy came stumbling into our camp after dark that night, lost. He was headed down a creek bed that was rough as a corn cob, would've taken him a loooong time to get back to the trailhead. The trail (heavily used and on every map of the area) was about 80 yards up the mountian.

I won't disparage any particular state,and don't have a general complaint about NR's.I even hunt with them.. However several years ago a group came into my camp and wanted me to pack out their camp since I had mules . I informed them that I was not an outfitter and since I would not do free, I was not permitted to accept money to do it. It got pretty heated and they left cussing "those damn locals".

This has happened quite a few times to me. Even in 2107 a young fellow from Texas wanted me to do it.Turns out his elk tag wasn't even for the unit he killed the bull in.

Just to be clear, I'm not a MT resident, I live in ND. I have drawn 14 NR big-game general combo tags in MT since 2001 though. I guess I've always thought that drawing the tag didn't entitle me to anything, nor have I ever thought that my opinions or wishes are of any value to the folks who ultimately make the hunting regs in MT.

I've always considered drawing any tag or buying any license outside of my home in ND more of an invite or extension of the privilege to hunt/fish within the bounds of how the residents and their state's/province's Game and Fish, DNR, FWP, etc, etc, etc, have decided things need work. I'm just a guest and guests IMO don't get to make rules or demands. As a guest, my goal is that for the most part, you'll never even know I was there other than maybe a rib-cage and spinal column left behind somewhere that it's not a disturbance.

I guess as I see it, the only choice or voice I have as a non-resident hunter/fisherman is whether or not to buy/apply for a license.

Neither price disparity nor time constraints of travel/vacation entitle anyone to Jack-Diddly Squat IMO.