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

I agree with much of your advice, which is why this year I went to the Little Belt Mountains, which are known to contain many elk. I did hunt a few areas that had the "landform and vegetation" that they prefer. I did not just hike through the forest. Rather, I walked carefully through the forest, always keeping an eye open for any type of movement, just like many successful elk hunters do. I also got up high and glassed, and I watched parks in both the morning and the evening. I have done all of these things for 4 years.

What else do I need to know?

I used to hunt the south end of the little belts but the 'Sandpoint Fire" years ago seems to have had an effect on their movement and since then, elk have been harder to find. The locals you saw are probably a bunch of guys like me that have hunted there forever and want to keep believing that this year will be different. Old Montana hunters are pretty well set in their ways and it's as much a social event as anything so don't bet your poke on what you see them doing.

Bull Elk

Damn. If I would have known you were around I would have bought you a beer or two.

Thanks.

Bull Elk, nice way to put it...kind of like gold panning...you find a nice spot with some panning buddies and then all of the sudden the gold is gone...imagine that. But you still go back to the same spot were you found that first piece and end up drinking beer around a campfire eating unhealthy food and having a blast doing it.

One other thing about elk hunting: If you aren't seeing any sign of them, MOVE! If they are there, they will leave sign and lots of it.

Exbiologist

Yes. Which is why, the day after it snowed 6 inches in the high country where I was, I drove 35 miles of two track lousy fire trails looking for elk tracks. NONE.

I was ready to get out anyplace I found some and do some tracking. But they were just not there to be found.

Again, there are elk there somewhere. And folks know where they are. They just aren't saying. And I can understand that, although that isn't the way I operate.

Later.

22WRF,

I left Montana in 1987 so I can't give any recent info on herd locations. I would go to my area at least a week before the hunt and then the day before. I would find the highest vantage point that gave me a view of the surroundings (usually about five miles) and I was there with my spotting scope 90 minutes before daylight. If the moon was bright enough I could spot the elk in the parks. Most would leave the parks and begin their migration to beds before first light. I followed their movement (sometimes hard to do) and noted their location at legal shooting time. Then I set up an ambush. I was successful two of three years hunting out of Bozeman. The one unsuccessful year was shortened due to commitments and my partner got an itchy trigger finger.

You'd be amazed what you can see under a full moon at 4am.

Did you call Jenny? She told me where to go - but made me promise to keep my mouth shut as there were a couple other good ones around. I'm not a good sportsman. My 16th 6X6 or better in Montana in a row.

Greenhorn, how come ya shot such a dink this year musta been close to the road.

Very nice.

Now dat is a nice bull Greenie!

Well done!

Dober

That was a dick reply I made, but I've never seen anybody ask for GPS coordinates to find elk before. Wow.

I'll give some advice. Try to find a place where there are no other hunters. That's typically a much better place to hunt elk. I hunted public land for elk for all this rifle season, and although I didn't see many elk, I saw zero hunters. I did see man tracks almost every time I went out though so I know other hunters are around. If you find a good spot or get a good tip, keep it to yourself. Good spots can turn into crap spots pretty quickly. Loose lips sink ships.

Public land bull I killed only 25 miles from one of the largest towns in Montana.

Hunt hard...get ahead of the crowd...sometimes that means starting from the trailhead at 3AM before anyone else is even out of bed.

Scenarshooter, I could be wrong, but I think I shot one fairly near to that photo of yours once. Just guessin that I was probably 3 miles south of it, same side of drainage.

Where's yours? I'm crossing fingers for you. Have a great hunt.

I was once telling a person about a drainage to go and check out and he actually wanted me to get on google earth the same time he was on it and talk him thru how to hunt it......I didn't...

Dober

Dober, Greenhorn and Scenarshooter

One thing I am not is jealous. Congratulations to each of you on your nice bulls. I am sure you worked hard for them and I am happy for you that you were able to have the success that you did.

wow.....that takes some balls to ask....generally when i ask where someones been hunting im happy with what town they were closest to just to get it in my mind bout where they were at for the purpose of the story....most are generally "I was south of Sidney"..."few miles west of Glasgow"....if we are talking more specifics i sometimes get what coulee or ridge when talking north the lake but if i get a "west of the Hill Ranch aways" im happy enough.....if the hunt was on private land its generally bad form to ask whos land....

most of it is cause so many ppl have been burned before....hell i know the huge chunk of land north the lake pretty well and i have yet to get my stepdaughter on a cow in 2 seasons of hunting on public ground....good solid productive elk spots are hard to come by and given how far elk can move if pressured heavily those spots quickly dry up if alot hunt there....

Kurt, you are probably right...I've killed 4 or 5 decent bulls out of there....and my knees are still paying for it!!

Mine???....(grin).. it's still running around out there just like your mule deer buck is....laffin!

22WRF,
I offered you help, so did RAS. I don't know if you PMed him, but I never heard from you. I have little doubt you've done some research on the Forest Service Lands, but did you look into any of the block management land?