We are heading to Plentywood MT for a week of hunting with a relative’s cousin from Helena. We are arriving September 24th and leaving the 30th. Appreciate past experiences. Staying at the Sherwood Inn.

For sharptails, if you're hunting the buffaloberry/chokecherry/buckbrush thickets on the side of a coulee, I use a very open choke early in season, when young birds in family groups flush in 2s and 3s right under my feet. By September 24, I usually have my light modified or modified choke as the birds are not as young and dumb anymore. Later, after mid October or so shots get longer and I'll consider a 12 with tighter choke. By far the most common load used around Glendive, where I hunt, is 12 gauge 1.25 oz of 6 shot, though I use a 20 with 6 shot with good luck, 3" premium loads in later season.

Look for little bluestem grass, rust red in color, on gently sloping hillsides along brushy coulees that are close to either crp or grain fields and you should find birds. Avoid areas that got a heavy hailstorm for best luck.

Also, sling swivel studs on your shotgun are welcome. Leave the light carry strap off when hunting, attach it for the walk back to the pickup. Carry water as its often hot in late September, though not a surity. Landowners appreciate it if you pick up the majority of your empties. Sharptail meat is good if you take care of it. Draw them soon after you get them, then soak the meat in cool salt water for 24 hours or so after skinning to lighten it up a bit.

I soak my Sharptails (and waterfowl) in milk in a plastic container in the fridge for 12-24 hours before cooking. The milk changes the protein in the meat to remove the gamey taste.

Sharptail is a favorite!

I prefer Huns, but they are not as common in my country. That said, sharptail ain't bad. I've always done the refrigerator soak with salt water, will try milk this year. Nothing nicer than a walk through the sharptail country with a good shotgun!

All good info. We fly into Bismark ND, pickup supplies and head to the Sherwood Inn, meet up with Pat and plan out the week. I was going to drive with my camper but that wasn’t going to work.

I hope you have a great week, and get lots of birds!

Full choke and #5’s.

Stop advertising where you hunt.

I have been beyond drunk at the Sherwood Inn.

Lots of WPAs that hold pheasants and sharptails in that area, but a fait number of landowners will also let you hunt if you ask and they're not leased out to outfitters.

you run into a lot of snakes in September. Make sure you have contact for emergency vet in area. Also a lot of badgers and porcupines up there.

Used to be great hunting up in the plentywood area until about 10 years ago then got blown up on the internet

no schitt....mod choke......bob

Paul_M #16757402 12/24/21
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abbydog
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Connecticut
Corny message but the facts of the matter are the unvaccinated run to the hospitals to get treatment. It’s like jumping off a bridge and on the way down saying i shouldn’t have done that.


so you can't get Covid if vaxed ? you should stay in your phugged up state of Connecticut and look for birds

its a shame left wing idiots come out west with their crazy anti freedom, anti science politics

Your dogs might go crazy chasing all the pheasants around PW. Might have more focused hunting west at Scobey where sharptails are more commonly encountered without a buncha' ditch parrots.

ribka,

Not everyone in CT is a democrat. You should be more concerned about the wealthy buying up prime ranches with No Trespassing signs.

Make sure to discuss your voting tendencies with the Montana locals, never trumpers are super welcomed!
lol

Over my dogs I always did well with IC&IM with an ounce of 6's, sharptails and pheasant around there and huns a little farther west.

Nont my experience but 4 freinds went to the Plentywood area to hunt small game. They licked up on Huns and ringnecks. Very big fields compared to the east, measured in sections not acres so the more hunters the better. A section is a mile by a mile.

Hoping your hunt goes well! Let us know

We had to return two days early due to my father in law taking ill.

We had a pretty sold 4 days hunting various tracts within 30 miles or so of Plentywood.
All of us had shots, took a few for dinner and a meal home. The dogs moved a few Julie’s out of the coulees later in the morning. Quite a site.
Had breakfast at Courtneys and the Golden Nugget and outstanding rib eye steak at the Robin Hool Lounge.
Blue Moon serviced up a good burger the first night.
One of the guys dogs got tangled up in a porcupine and we spent 20 minutes pulling quills.

Glad you had a good hunt, and hope your FIL is doing well.

Thanks 300 savage. He’s on borrowed time, 94 years old with non small cell lung cancer. In rehab now, expects to come home in 2 weeks, 24 hour care. Make his last days comfortable at home.

I asked my FIL if he ever met anyone famous at his work. He was a mechanical engineer at Hamilton Standard United Technologies now Raytheon. In the early fifties, he meets a man that he wasn’t introduced to and the guy asks him how the fuel control system works at different altitudes up to 80,000 feet. Of course nothing flew that high. Guy told him answer the question. Anywho, a week later he asks his boss who the dude was. It was none other than Kelly Johnson from Lockheed Skunkworks!!! System went on the SR 71!

Cool story. Sounds like a long life, well lived.