We have some good snow today and cold weather. Any suggestions on where to go for a good cow elk for winter meat? Looks like 393 in the Bangtails has a bunch of elk......but is also has mostly import landowners. I normally hunt in the E/W Pioneers, but hate to drive that far for a cow. Any suggestions? Thanks

I would try that series of draws between Wolf Point and Monida- I usually see elk there

There's thousands of cow elk over in the Madison Valley, & I'm involved with a pilot project to coordinate public access to private lands in order to see a few hundred of 'em wind up in people's freezers. Call the Madison Valley Ranchland Group in Ennis. They're in the phone book, I'm not posting the number here for the world and a host of crank callers to see. You'll just get an answering machine, but leave a message. A guy named Lane coordinates things, essentially steering people toward wherever the elk are on any given day, & will get back with you (depending on how many messages he has to deal with). If you tell him Bill referred you, it may be a help or hindrance, I'm not sure which. ;-)
As it stands, nothing is really formalized about this arrangement. I serve on the "hunting regulations subcommittee" and when we left off back in September the tentative arrangement was 2/3 of the participants would be chosen by the landowners (employees, friends, relatives, etc.) and 1/3 general public. I was lobbying for 50/50, but then fall and hunting season was upon us and everyone agreed we'd take it back up after this hunting season. We're hoping to have something more formal in place for the '06 season.
Also the Flying D Ranch is allowing public hunting for cow elk the last week of the season. They're having a 1-day signup (and blast it, but I forget what day). They're in the book, too.
And then there's some Block Management ranches over in the Shields , and yes, lots of cow elk in 393 and parts of 312, especially on Mystery Mountain.
Go get 'em!

I always see guys with 6 on your plates in 380 around Crow Creek. There is some block management areas in there and small herds on the move. Good place to spot some bighorn sheep also

Bill, I thought "The D" dropped their cow hunt?

They did drop the late cow hunt. FWP is on a mission to eliminate all the late hunts, and accomplish the harvest during the 5-week general season.
Does this plan seem potentially flawed to you?
The D has let people on the last few days of the general season for a few years now, and they're going to expand that somewhat.

I hear tell that the Mystery Ranch is gonna be the home of the new world record bulls. Lots of 400 plus bulls running around on it...

Mark D

Good to see that there's a few of us on here. My folks live in 393 near Kelly Canyon and they've had a big herd of elk move through their place multiple times this fall. They've also got something else moving around their place: wolves. They've seen them on several occasions and they're really pushing the elk (and deer) around. Like you mentioned a large portion of the private land in 393 is 'locked up' by import owners so as we all know the animals tend to sit out the hunting season on those places. But, the wolves don't have to ask permission to hunt so these safe havens aren't so safe anymore. The outcome may be that the elk spend more time in areas that hunters can actually access like Stone or Olsen Creek.