DIY Montana Elk Hunt

hammer91

FNG
Joined
May 15, 2017
Messages
2
Location
Albuquerque, NM
I live in NM and drew a MT general elk tag. Never hunted in MT before.

Any ideas on where to start? I would like to hunt the areas SW of Butte, MT. Will be in that area in late Nov
with the girlfriend.

Not looking for a trophy or anyone's honey hole, just some general suggestions on where to start.

Will be able to do one scouting trip in Jul, then next time I'm in MT will be to hunt.

Appreciate any info.
 
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Messages
1,163
Location
North Dakota
I would start by utilizing the online resources that are available to you. Montana's "hunt planner" would be a good place to start to get an idea of the unit boundaries, restrictions, etc. There is a lot of good information available on their site, including population objective maps, and harvest statistics.

From there, you can jump into google earth, Hillmap - Backcountry Maps for the Obsessed, or any other online mapping tool. Use those tools to find potential hunting areas. Look for areas with difficult access, either away from trails/roads, or steep/rugged areas off roads or trails. Spend some time reviewing the areas of interest to locate suitable water sources, feeding, and bedding areas.Once you've narrowed down some specific areas, you can contact the area biologist to get more specific information. Asking generic questions will get you a generic response, so be specific.

I haven't hunted that area, but make sure you bring your bear spray ;)
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
1,209
Location
Missoula, MT
The general area is a good place to start, many districts in that area allow a cow elk to be taken with a general tag. If your coming in late November road travel could be extremely tough depending on snow pack so chains and 4wd are an absolute must


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Agla06

FNG
Joined
May 14, 2017
Messages
23
I would start by utilizing the online resources that are available to you. Montana's "hunt planner" would be a good place to start to get an idea of the unit boundaries, restrictions, etc. There is a lot of good information available on their site, including population objective maps, and harvest statistics.

From there, you can jump into google earth, Hillmap - Backcountry Maps for the Obsessed, or any other online mapping tool. Use those tools to find potential hunting areas. Look for areas with difficult access, either away from trails/roads, or steep/rugged areas off roads or trails. Spend some time reviewing the areas of interest to locate suitable water sources, feeding, and bedding areas.Once you've narrowed down some specific areas, you can contact the area biologist to get more specific information. Asking generic questions will get you a generic response, so be specific.

I haven't hunted that area, but make sure you bring your bear spray ;)

This is awesome information. I didn't know about Hillmap. Looks like I have something else to pass some of the off season.
 

Hiwallman

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 6, 2017
Messages
134
Location
Montana
Excellent information as well. Never heard of Hilltop. I may look into this myself as I will also be hunting a new district north of Butte.
 
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