Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Montana Mule Deer Options

Looking for some advice here for my Montana combo tags this fall.

I have a week long elk hunt for the south western part of Montana (gravellys) coming up. Last year, we hardly saw a deer in this area so I'm planning on coming back to MT the last weekend for a 3 day deer hunt. I will be traveling from North Dakota. Has anyone hunted the area around Broadus / Miles City / Baker ? There seems to be a fair amount of BLM,National Forest, and other huntable areas in this region. I'm not holding out for a 180, just a respectable mature deer. Have pack and boots, avoid crowds at any cost. I'm thinking the Custer Forest west of Broadus may be a good option to wear out some boots. Any info is appreciated. Thanks

I really like the Terry Badlands and surrounding country

Are there any decent areas for deer in the south western part of the state to check out while after elk?

yes. I like the Ruby River country, the Boulder River country and some of the stuff around Dillon

Which Boulder are you talking about? I likey them both, good country.

Dober

South of Big Timber. Where's the other Boulder River?

N end of the Roots

Dober

Ahhhh yes... I see. Just didn't ring a bell

T-Roots to be exact.

Thx Sammers!

Missing you at Logan this year, just aint the same without you here.

Dober

At first I thought he meant the Bitterroots...I thought he may be getting senile.

The Tobacco Roots make more sense.

Ok ok from now I'll say T-Roots or B-Roots don't wanna be called senile..grin

Dober

The Ruby and Gravelly does have some nice bucks, but it's permit only.

I found a very respectable buck in region 3 at work today, in a mountain range I've never even considered for deer. He's on public land and will almost certainly get killed opening weekend. Every range has some nice ones, just some a lot fewer than others.

Something to consider if you tag out early on elk, is to head to the river bottoms and hunt block management or BLM. SW Montana doesn't have a ton of whitetail, but they're congested where they are, and there's trophy potential there.

The Ruby River near Alder, 330 is one of the general units. Did a lot of hunting there when I was in college.

Thanks for the info guys, I'll have to get my maps out! I'm so jacked to be back in the mountains....pray for snow!

ndhunterman just passing some information along that may or may not affect you.

The ranch I am hunting this year (just w. of Miles city) called and said with all the flooding that the deer are not on the river bottoms this year. They told me with all the flooding that the deer have moved onto ranches that have grain and have not returned to river bottoms.

They also said that the deer have not returned to the alfalfa fields after the flood. I guess is has not rained there all summer but with the flooding everything is still muddy and they can not irrigate the fields. Fields that used to have a 100+ deer on them now only have four or five deer on them.

They also told me that several ranches had dead deer on them that they believed to be from EHD.

They told us that it will not be a good mule deer year and not to come but we are going anyway.

Take it for what its worth. Have no idea bad it really is.

Dink

DINK, many thanks. We have EHD going through western ND right now, heard reports of loooots of dead deer. I also heard that the eastern side of MT had a bad winter kill, as did our western side...makes sense. I may have to go farther west than I planned this year. The terry area intrigues me as does west of broadus.

Ndhunterman: Even with the "blue tongue" and the bad winter last year and the bad winter before that and the bad spring storms the year before that I would stick to the SE quadrant of Montana for your 3 day end of the season Mule Deer Hunt.
There are so many predators in SW Montana nowadays that the Mule Deer have been literally decimated over the last 43 years that I have Hunted Montana.
For instance one SW Montana area I used to Hunt Mule Deer in a Hunter could count on seeing a minimum of 150 Mule Deer in a long mornings Hunt!
The last time I Hunted that public land area 3 of us saw a total of 11 Mule Deer in a full days Hunt!
Best of luck on both of your Hunts.
By the way I have taken several nice Mule Deer Bucks in the Custer Forests.
The good thing about your late Hunt is that the Mulies will be in full rut when you get there.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks VarmintGuy. I really want to go at the end of the season. It seems like the biggest muleys that get taken in ND, hit the dirt that last weekend. Plus, given my love for late season muleys and time constraints, thats probably my best bet. If you see a brown 4 door f150 and a davis tent, swing in for a cold one.

Maybe I'll see some of you fellas around. We will be between ah......missoula'ish and the breaks from nov 7th to the 13th....grin. Plan is to whack a elk then head east?......maybe wishful thinkin but I betcha we have fun!....lol. Good luck men.

I didnt read the rest of the thread but look hard at Block Management areas in the Broadus/Baker country....F&G can help line you out with those....just get a mile or so away from any road, and you'll be golden...

Ok, beings elk hunting was a bust, I am absolutely going back Thanksgiving weekend. I got the BMA book for region 7 and found some large chunks around broadus to stretch my legs. Between the Custer forest to the west of broadus and the areas to the east, are there any advantages to either ? What can I expect for deer numbers? They are down significantly in western ND. I'm really hoping to at least find a few in the 160's to chase.

Thanks

pm sent


ddj

have taken some decent muleys around Turner 165 to 180 . Not monsters but just nice deer.

I'm having a heck of a time deciding what to do here.....Terry area or Broadus area....thoughts?