How to figure out hunting regs in Montana

peterk123

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I am looking for some guidance. By August of next year, my wife and I will be residents of Montana. The first year there will be spent hiking, scouting and learning the land since I would be considered a non-resident. Plus I think it will be time well spent.

I started to poke around on the State's website about hunting for elk and deer. Good lord, I'm just a simple guy from Massachusetts. I buy a license, a few stamps and I can hunt anywhere where I know some anti will not walk by and slice my tires. Restricted zones, lotteries, etc., are a whole new world to me. Is there a place on the web I can go to or a book I can buy that would at least get me going in the right direction? I bowhunt, shoot muzzleloader and plan to hunt with a rifle (can't hunt with a rifle in Mass for things like deer).

Thanks Pete
 

Geewhiz

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Get yourself a copy of the regs and start reading. That would be my best advice. Its not as confusing as it may initially seam.

But I know the feeling. I have myself been poking around the regulations for other states and it sure comes across confusing.
 

bsnedeker

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I wouldn't worry about lotteries and draws and whatnot, you'll figure that stuff out over time. Just get yourself some OTC general tags for deer and elk to start and learn the lay of the land. You can hunt almost the entire state on the general tags. The best resource in my opinion are the regulation books. While the draw system might be complicated, the overall hunting regulations are pretty clear and they are all outlined in the handbooks.
 
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MT is kind of a mess, especially for NR applications. That said, there is no easy button to understanding their mess that is better than taking the time and reading the regs.
 
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peterk123

peterk123

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I wouldn't worry about lotteries and draws and whatnot, you'll figure that stuff out over time. Just get yourself some OTC general tags for deer and elk to start and learn the lay of the land. You can hunt almost the entire state on the general tags. The best resource in my opinion are the regulation books. While the draw system might be complicated, the overall hunting regulations are pretty clear and they are all outlined in the handbooks.
Thank you. I have started to plow through the regs and I was hoping that this was the case. The lottery, draws and restricted zones are what seem to confuse me the most. Also, the way they breakdown the fees is a bit weird. I think to keep it simple, get a Sportsman's license and I think, I need a permit for each species I want to hunt... but I'm still not sure.
 

bsnedeker

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Thank you. I have started to plow through the regs and I was hoping that this was the case. The lottery, draws and restricted zones are what seem to confuse me the most. Also, the way they breakdown the fees is a bit weird. I think to keep it simple, get a Sportsman's license and I think, I need a permit for each species I want to hunt... but I'm still not sure.
Yeah, Sportsman's license gets you a lot and you can get it with a bear tag so that would get you out hunting bear, deer, and elk as well as small game, upland bird, and fishing. I'd recommend throwing a wolf and mountain lion tag in there just in case. The only species you may want to think about applying for is Antelope as that is draw only and it can get you out with a rifle a couple of weeks early.

That would keep you plenty busy, then you can start figuring out the points system if you want to try drawing some permits down the road as well as applying for moose, goat, sheep, and bison.

As far as access, restricted areas are something I don't run into very often but they are pretty clearly marked on ONX. There is SO much public land out here it's ridiculous, I wouldn't be too worried about it.
 

Axlrod

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It does look more complicated than it is. As stated study the regs. A few of the high points: Resident Sportsman w/bear $77 you can hunt general Elk/Deer/Bear, also upland birds and fish. Bow and Arrow is $10 extra. Wolf tags are $10 for the first one and $12 ea. for #'s 2-5. There is no Muzzleloader season, but you can use one during the rifle season. The lottery draws are called "B" tags Antlerless deer and elk. The limited antlered deer and elk are called permits as are Antelope/Moose/Goat/Sheep/Bison. There is also a "hunt roster' for game damage hunts, primarily on private land for antlerless deer/elk/antelope.
What part of the state are you moving to? There are regional FWP throughout the state, they are a pretty good place to ask questions. Also feel free to PM me if you need to.
 

Doc Holliday

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The good news is, once you get MT figured out, all the other states should be easy to understand.
 
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