Elkhorn 380-20 tag

I agree with the 10,000 strokes and low success rate for hard hunting Mt residents. Unfortunately it will probably be close to double that number by the time I hand my rifle down. Would be interesting to know how many of those are out of state.

Montana May have to take a hard look at the point system currently in place before good, ethical law abiding Montana sportsmen and women are in the old folks home before they get that tag .. I’ve definitely put my time in the elk woods.
 
Moosecreek said:
I agree with the 10,000 strokes and low success rate for hard hunting Mt residents. Unfortunately it will probably be close to double that number by the time I hand my rifle down. Would be interesting to know how many of those are out of state.

Montana May have to take a hard look at the point system currently in place before good, ethical law abiding Montana sportsmen and women are in the old folks home before they get that tag .. I’ve definitely put my time in the elk woods.
Click to expand...
It is what it is.
Whoever gets a tag needs to make the most of it.
As it stands, tag holder gets a good chance at a quality bull with less hunting pressure.. The SUPER quality bulls are just not there in #'s anymore. THAT is what has changed with a unit considered top tier in the country...still.
Good luck.
Don't overlook the juniper country.
 
Hem said:
It is what it is.
Whoever gets a tag needs to make the most of it.
As it stands, tag holder gets a good chance at a quality bull with less hunting pressure.. The SUPER quality bulls are just not there in #'s anymore. THAT is what has changed with a unit considered top tier in the country...still.
Good luck.
Don't overlook the
Click to expand...

Having the tag in 2021, I found the amount of people and pressure to be worse than any general unit I've ever hunted. Simply couldn't get away from people in archery or rifle. For the last 4 years or so, cows could be killed on a general tag, except on national forest land. In addition to that I believe 750 cow tags issued on various portions of the unit. Truly sad what this unit has become, in my opinion.
 
I had no trouble finding buttloads of elk actually acting like elk in the rut. The bulls came in and bugled back when we were seeing no rut activity it seemed, in other units. Of course I could only try for the spike bulls but I was chasing 5 bulls around a mountain for a whole weekend last year. The people I’d see would drive right past them. They’d ask if we’d seen any, when there is elk scattered across a whole mountainside in plain view right in front of us on public. Don’t be like them.

There’s a lot of room to roam, and some cool campsites hidden in there. Both the Boulder side and Townsend sides have quality habitat, in my opinion, I’m no biologist. You might knock on doors on the Boulder side, that’s the only thing encouraging me to hunt more on the lake-side is the public land opportunity. The Boulder side of 380 is beautiful, but I mostly see the elk on private. It’s a hard tag to draw, I’d think landowners know this and if they don’t they’d be interested to hear how long you’ve waited for the opportunity. Worst they can say is no!

They say envy is a sin, so I’ll just say, Good Luck, Turd. 😉😅
 
Hey thanks sir ! Very interesting and I also agree that it is a lot of excellent big country out there .. good points and also on the private land possibilities. I’m just going to have fun with it and hopefully see some nice bulls. Take it easy 😀
 
FoodIsMemories said:
I had no trouble finding buttloads of elk actually acting like elk in the rut. The bulls came in and bugled back when we were seeing no rut activity it seemed, in other units. Of course I could only try for the spike bulls but I was chasing 5 bulls around a mountain for a whole weekend last year. The people I’d see would drive right past them. They’d ask if we’d seen any, when there is elk scattered across a whole mountainside in plain view right in front of us on public. Don’t be like them.

There’s a lot of room to roam, and some cool campsites hidden in there. Both the Boulder side and Townsend sides have quality habitat, in my opinion, I’m no biologist. You might knock on doors on the Boulder side, that’s the only thing encouraging me to hunt more on the lake-side is the public land opportunity. The Boulder side of 380 is beautiful, but I mostly see the elk on private. It’s a hard tag to draw, I’d think landowners know this and if they don’t they’d be interested to hear how long you’ve waited for the opportunity. Worst they can say is no!

They say envy is a sin, so I’ll just say, Good Luck, Turd. 😉😅
Click to expand...

In my opinion, that's part of the problem out there. I believe there are far too many people without one of the highly coveted tags chasing and calling to bulls they can't even shoot. I get it, it's cool to see elk in the rut. Imagine you had one of the bull tags and were closing the distance on a nice bull, only to have a spike hunter come up and mess up your chance. It happens a lot more than many may realize. All that has an effect and those bulls get call shy and educated quickly.

I sure wish they'd reward the tag holders with some time afield without the masses to make it more of a quality experience.
 
BRI said:
In my opinion, that's part of the problem out there. I believe there are far too many people without one of the highly coveted tags chasing and calling to bulls they can't even shoot. I get it, it's cool to see elk in the rut. Imagine you had one of the bull tags and were closing the distance on a nice bull, only to have a spike hunter come up and mess up your chance. It happens a lot more than many may realize. All that has an effect and those bulls get call shy and educated quickly.

I sure wish they'd reward the tag holders with some time afield without the masses to make it more of a quality experience.
Click to expand...
You telling folks they can’t chase legal quarry in their home mountains because some other shmuck has one tag I don’t? Maybe we should just implement high fence game farms so you have your place to go chase “your own” animals. 🤣😂
Pay for a guide on a private land hunt if you want your own space.
Every single year you applied, you knew you weren’t gonna be alone in the great big wilderness the year that you finally drew. Even if they made it LE bull only, no spikes no cows, i can chase bears and cats and deer and everything else and still mess up your coveted bull hunt. Therefore, to ask them to close down that mountain entirely for the lucky few with bull tags, is awful self centered, in my opinion.
 
BRI said:
In my opinion, that's part of the problem out there. I believe there are far too many people without one of the highly coveted tags chasing and calling to bulls they can't even shoot. I get it, it's cool to see elk in the rut. Imagine you had one of the bull tags and were closing the distance on a nice bull, only to have a spike hunter come up and mess up your chance. It happens a lot more than many may realize. All that has an effect and those bulls get call shy and educated quickly.

I sure wish they'd reward the tag holders with some time afield without the masses to make it more of a quality experience.
Click to expand...
Aren’t some of the coveted utah tags going at the same time as a spike season? Seems like I have heard some of the same complaints on those tags. I really think for a truly good elk hunt experience 380 should be x number of tags for archery and rifle. Cow hunts either different dates/late season or something. Otherwise the unit is busy making the limited entry feel not so limited.
 
I should also add I wasn’t calling. Don’t need to when They were calling and acting as they should when nowhere else they do. For the reasons you mentioned. I do understand where you’re coming from.
 
Yearling bull counts are way down, and in some parts of the range the pressure is silly. I think it may be time to reconsider the wide open spike season in the Elkhorns. Yes, it will be unpopular, and any time this idea is brought up the retort will inevitably be, "But all that pressure will then just shift to somewhere else." I don't think it is an easy fix
 
FoodIsMemories said:
You telling folks they can’t chase legal quarry in their home mountains because some other shmuck has one tag I don’t? Maybe we should just implement high fence game farms so you have your place to go chase “your own” animals. 🤣😂
Pay for a guide on a private land hunt if you want your own space.
Every single year you applied, you knew you weren’t gonna be alone in the great big wilderness the year that you finally drew. Even if they made it LE bull only, no spikes no cows, i can chase bears and cats and deer and everything else and still mess up your coveted bull hunt. Therefore, to ask them to close down that mountain entirely for the lucky few with bull tags, is awful self centered, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

You completely missed the point. Just what I think makes the permit not that awesome. Good thing opinions are like assholes!
 
BRI said:
You completely missed the point. Just what I think makes the permit not that awesome. Good thing opinions are like assholes!
Click to expand...
Can you please share a pic of the bull you took the 1st time you drew the Elkhorns? :)

I've never applied there, usually flush my elk points every other year or so.
 
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