Hello all,

There is a group of us looking at a guided combination hunt in the Bob Marshall wilderness and the Flathead. It would be with Swan Mountain Outfitters during the rut using either archery or rifle, depending on whether or not we are in wilderness area or national forest. We were pretty much ready to put a deposit on the hunt until we started reading some less than optimal outlooks for this area online. A lot of what we read made it sound like we'd be lucky to see anything. Other comments made it seem like we would be fine. So, I figured I'd ask around here. Does anyone have any comments or suggestions on hunting in this area? (I think it would be unit 150) Is anyone familiar with this outfitter?

P.S. this would be our first hunt out west so we are pretty clueless haha

Thanks!

I work for a packer who services an outfitter in the Bob Marshall.

Some of my work I am using to fund a pack trip.

It sounds like a fishing trip would be more fun as the game is scarce.

There are more elk outside the Bob than in it. That is not to say that you wouldn't see game, but people often get the misconception that because it is a "wilderness" hunt,that elk are in abundance. That is not the case. I know an outfitter on the southern end that has trouble finding elk because they are scarce.

I could be wrong but I was thinking there was a hunt report on here from a Bob Marshall guided hunt a year or two ago. Seemed like they may have shot a deer and didn’t even see an elk. I tried searching for it but I guess my search skills aren’t that great or I’m totally wrong.

I wouldnt pay for a hunt in the Bob. Way better places to go on a guided hunt.

Depends what you want. If you're after a horseback "wilderness" elk hunt it's a great place. If you're after a big bull, absolutely there are better places.

I think it would be great to go on a guided hunt in the Bob Marshal. It would be a great experience in a neat place. I would leave my rifle home and take my camera. I live in Montana and I think almost anywhere else in the state would be a better place to get an Elk.
But, I think a guided hunt would be an experience to remember---anywhere, whether you get an Elk or not.


----------------------------------------------Ken

The Bob is awesome but to me the main reason to hunt there is the combo of early rifle season and the wildness of the place.

Thebigcheese109: Buy a Wolf tag!
Thanks for nothing rmWf!
Best of luck to you and your crew if you get after'em.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I hike in there every summer and fly fish. Fishing is great for cuts and lots of griz in there.

Beautiful country . There are some deer and elk in there but not the numbers they used to be

There's some beautiful country in the Bob and for many years I've wanted to go in there, but never made it. In one of the last years that Montana sold Grizzly tags I did pack a camp back into the Scapegoat Wilderness, which is on the south side of the Bob. My hopes were to kill an elk, then watch the gut pile for a Griz. We spent a week in there and didn't see any elk, let alone any bears.

Made one trip into the Bob out of Choteau, Mt. A friend and I were in a drop camp and shared out tent with a couple of kangaroo rats. The setting was gorgeous, but no elk; one young deer. We did see three bear including a color phase in the seven days.

The main camp a mile away had a grizz come in one day and attack the some stock supplements. This camp took one younger bull.

I won’t make it again, but If I were, it’d be to fish.
.