Elkhorn Mountains Montana

[Hem]

Ratfink, Ha,sorry I'm not one of those lucky sorts with family land, ....I have spent some time snooping around unorthodox places for elk.My attitude is generally like yours,I try not to mess with elk during archery opting more for ambush.Rifle season i use as a fall back for a spike if I'm feeling desperate, but have not killed one yet in that unit.Did fill a cow B tag last year,my first cow.Mostly i'm not interested in spikes or cows.

 

[Rat Fink]

Ratfink, Ha,sorry I'm not one of those lucky sorts with family land, ....I have spent some time snooping around unorthodox places for elk.My attitude is generally like yours,I try not to mess with elk during archery opting more for ambush.Rifle season i use as a fall back for a spike if I'm feeling desperate, but have not killed one yet in that unit.Did fill a cow B tag last year,my first cow.Mostly i'm not interested in spikes or cows.

I know there's someone that posts on a few sites that has a family ranch near Radersburg or the Boulder Valley, must have got him confused with you. I'm interested in the first legal elk that comes by me. I just don't go into 380 unless I'm helping a friend, even though I can see 380 elk out my back door. I know of one guy in particular that purposely hunts 380 just to call in a bunch of bulls but likes to kill spikes and cows. We hunted an area and it was good for a few days with receptive bulls. Then we found out this other guy was in there every morning and we were hunting the evenings. After 5 days he had educated the bulls so bad and run them out of their bedding areas it was a lost cause. The sad thing is we know the guy personally and he knew my buddy had a bull tag and we were hunting the area. His way of "helping" was to go and call in big bulls in the morning and tell us about it so we knew where to go that evening. You just can't fix stupid!

 

[Hem]

Yeah,thats a bummer your friend screwing around with the elk.I suspect that neighbor of mine behaves in a similar fashion.When he gets his bull tag i'm pretty certain he hunts virtually every day of archery and rifle seeking a bigger bull than his last.I think he also videos them.Ah whatever,....I basically feel elk hunting has changed in the last twenty years,the bulls anywhere are more call sensitive.
Nice pic on your avatar,might that be a between the lakes rainbow? Don't get up there enough to fish.Good luck this fall,i might try a tree stand for a cow in 380,but still plenty of meat from last year so i might focus on other local units for a bull.

 

[BRI]

I had a tag in 2005 and in 7 days archery hunting I saw one other person and he was just pulling up on the road where I was parked. Never did see anyone out while hunting.

Most people need to be realistic with their expectations in this unit. Take a look at the Montana record books. In the last 30+ years, there are few B&C recorded elk with the largest elk recorded being 380 6/8. The largest P&Y recorded elk is 362 4/8.

Sounds like you are going into this with the right attitude. Enjoy your hunt.

 

[----]

I had a tag in 2005 and in 7 days archery hunting I saw one other person and he was just pulling up on the road where I was parked. Never did see anyone out while hunting.

Most people need to be realistic with their expectations in this unit. Take a look at the Montana record books. In the last 30+ years, there are few B&C recorded elk with the largest elk recorded being 380 6/8. The largest P&Y recorded elk is 362 4/8.

Sounds like you are going into this with the right attitude. Enjoy your hunt.

That's one of the most unique ways of bragging I've ever seen.

Nice bull.

 

[Mato]

Heres the way I look at high quality tags...it gives you an opportunity to hunt areas with a lot of elk, high bull-to-cow ratios, etc.

All that equals having a fun hunt, with an outside chance at a truly nice animal. The nice thing about any good permit is the fact that you KNOW there are good animals to be had if you put in a solid effort and catch a break.

The couple good elk permits I've drawn my goal was to try for a mature animal. I found that after scouting and hunting my areas I got a feel for what the potential was and what I was willing to "settle" for. I would caution anyone to listen to what those without the tag in hand have to say about the unit you drew. Look for yourself and make a decision based on what your goals are and whats available to you. Also take into consideration how much effort, time, etc. you plan on spending on your hunt. Many people simply dont have 11 weeks to spend to find the best couple animals in the unit. If you have limited time, make realistic expectations of what you will be able to do with the time you do have.

I also think people tend to put way too much pressure on themselves with higher quality tags, maybe even expecting more than the area is capable of producing.

Dont forget to have fun, and make sure if you choose to shoot an animal its one you'll be happy with...be it a spike, raghorn, 300, 320, 350, etc. Theres only one person who has to be happy with the hunt and animal.

Very well said Buzz!

 

[Mato]

What are your thoughts on something like this, it's this one mans opinion that....preme tags in Montana (sheep, moose, goat, and the likes of Breaks elk Elkhorns etc) should be once in a life time for all if they kill.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Nothing personal, but I can't support that position.

 

[Mato]

That's cool, nothing personal taken at all. Idaho does it, and they have you choose which critter you wish to apply for (or something close to that) and it appears that the drawing odds over there are considerably better than ours.

Thought being, better odds to draw and spread the wealth around a bit.

Just the way I see it is all.

 

[Rancho Loco]

The odds will always be high, too high for my luck most likely..

But I don't think being lucky enough to have sex with an Italian supermodel should in itself disqualify one from getting another crack at one.

But again, the odds of that are too high for my drawing luck, and paycheck for that matter.


One week to go..

 

[Mato]

I hear you on the odds always being tough, but IMO it would help out and make a diff for a few.

 

[1_pointer]

ID only does it for sheep, moose, and goat; not the limited entry deer/elk/pronghorn tags. I would be against it and I don't live in MT, but if I ever do draw a good I'd like to know that it may not be a one shot deal. Same reason I don't like pref./bonus points as much as a purely random draw. I look at those like I used to think of Santa Claus and Xmas.

 

[BuzzH]

I think bull moose, sheep, and goat tags should be once-in-a-lifetime in Montana, which it pretty much what it is right now anyway.

Deer, elk, and antelope NO.

I'd also cut the landowner tags in all trophy units like the elkhorns, breaks, etc. for bull permits...landowner cow permits would be OK.

 

[Freedom]

What are your thoughts on something like this, it's this one mans opinion that....preme tags in Montana (sheep, moose, goat, and the likes of Breaks elk Elkhorns etc) should be once in a life time for all if they kill.

Absolutely NOT... I Love to hunt as much as anyone and to limit my lottery applications after I have drawn a tag is just NON-American.... We need to better manage resources and predators to Increase game populations,... NOT decrease hunting/hunters. As an example, when there was a Govt. Bounty on the Golden Eagle, you could buy a Goat tag over the counter. Once in a lifetime is just not right.

 

[BuzzH]

When you could buy goat tags over the counter, there were damn few people in Montana that even bothered to hunt them.

Its not 1960 anymore....

 

[Rat Fink]

Yeah,thats a bummer your friend screwing around with the elk.I suspect that neighbor of mine behaves in a similar fashion.When he gets his bull tag i'm pretty certain he hunts virtually every day of archery and rifle seeking a bigger bull than his last.I think he also videos them.Ah whatever,....I basically feel elk hunting has changed in the last twenty years,the bulls anywhere are more call sensitive.
Nice pic on your avatar,might that be a between the lakes rainbow? Don't get up there enough to fish.Good luck this fall,i might try a tree stand for a cow in 380,but still plenty of meat from last year so i might focus on other local units for a bull.

Naw, that's a Steelhead from ID. 2 things in life get my heart pumping, hunting, and steelhead fishing. Everything else is a byproduct of life. Good luck this season Hem. I'm trying to help my pregnant wife kill another bull with her bow. I could use lot's of prayers and luck. LOL

 

[andymissoula]

Thanks for the encouragement and advice. I havent been this excited about opening day in a few years. Good luck to everyone.

 

[andymissoula]

First Rocky Mountain Bull Elk, First Archery Kill

The results of my hunt in the Elkhorns. I had an amazing time in there.

 

[THWAK1]

Congrats on your Elkhorns bull elk! I hope you enjoyed your time hunting in there. It's a great little mountain range!

 

[BiggWimm]

Way to go! Nice bull.