Montana 312/Bridger West Slope

[Highground]

To the OP. You have been given stellar advice. Better than any I've seen in awhile. Consider yourself very fortunate.

 

[MTGomer]

I shot a cow in the bridgers in college and called a rag horn into my buddy that he killed. We followed that one up with going to Buffalo Wild Wings, a frat party, kegs and eggs the next morning, then packed the other half of the bull out, then caught the last half of my pal Cody Kirk running for a few hundred yards for the Cats that afternoon. That’s how close to town it is. And many other college kids try to do the same.
We got lucky and it certainly isn’t a destination hunting spot. Take Greenhorns advice.

We had a decent little honey hole, and your chances of finding one like ours, going in blinds into the bridgers is slim.

You will be glad you went elsewhere.

 

[belly-deep]

I shot a cow in the bridgers in college and called a rag horn into my buddy that he killed. We followed that one up with going to Buffalo Wild Wings, a frat party, kegs and eggs the next morning, then packed the other half of the bull out, then caught the last half of my pal Cody Kirk running for a few hundred yards for the Cats that afternoon. That’s how close to town it is. And many other college kids try to do the same.
We got lucky and it certainly isn’t a destination hunting spot. Take Greenhorns advice.

We had a decent little honey hole, and your chances of finding one like ours, going in blinds into the bridgers is slim.

You will be glad you went elsewhere.

I used to run out and bow hunt for elk before class in the mornings. You could make it when the days were long in early September.

I also shot a raghorn with my rifle one year. But I’ll be the first to admit it was mostly luck that I stumbled on to a bull there.

 

[EYJONAS!]

Northstar, I am gonna give you a play by play scenario of the West Bridger's on opening week. Let's say dead week, everyone thinks its a great idea to show up and sight-in their rifles during this episode they'll also shoot two boxes of clay pigeons and unload 2 maybe 3 bricks of 9mm ammo. Then a few days later lets say Wednesday, they'll all head back up to cut down approximately 2 years worth of firewood and "claim the old trusty spot." Around 24-36 hours before opener there will be about 30 to 200 pickups, cars, jeeps, Mini-vans you name it show-up. Drive all the county roads then head up to the hills to "scout." This will continue all day before opener, followed by a "rager" on the mountain that night. And yes, another box of clays will get shot and someone will unload their clip at 12 a.m. If you have the view I do the night before opener you'll look up on the west face and its littered with head lights and campfires one can hear the faint sound of music playing sometimes. Opening morning comes and approximately 100 more rigs will show up, some will hunt it out some will drive the same trail they've driven for 2 days praying for any kind of ungulate. Lots will sit on the fences of the private. Living on a prayer that maybe just maybe "they'll get bumped and come our way." Most will leave either that night or the next morning with no blood in the back of the rig. Then come to town and wonder, " Huh she sure aint much of a producer like she used to be." Wonder why, we don't tell you these things to ridicule you my bright little North Star we share these things because we "LOVE" you and want to see you and your dad have a great time. Seriously, take his advice. I'm not saying it can't be done, just doesn't have the best odds. Good luck, I hope you find a great little honey hole that you can enjoy for years to come! When you do please share, since we shared with you. Jonas out

 

[timmy]

A lot of good info in here good luck on your hunt.

 

[Strehb18]

As a NR planning a Montana elk, this thread has been extremely valuable. Thank you.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Greenhorn is just using computer jockey psychology to keep you out of his favorite hunting spot in the Bridgers. Follow his advice and you'll probably end up shooting a raghorn and have to take it back from a grizzly bear like I did in one of the areas he mentioned.



All jokes aside, grizzlies and elk hunting, danger and being alive are all ingredients in the stew of what makes for adventure. More hunters are killed from hypothermia and heart attacks in Montana each year than grizzlies. How many stories have we read in the past couple years of guys dying in the Crazies? No grizzlies there. Be aware, have a plan and enjoy your hunt.

 

[Dinkshooter]

After all this advice I'm applying for a combo tag and buying a map of SW MT!

 

[Highground]

In retrospect, maybe the Bridgers will be great this season. Might get a little crowded south of Bozeman this year! Haha

 

[kmf]

I’ve been stalking Greenhorn and Lawnboy for ten years and you got a better response than I ever have. Consider yourself lucky. I’m going double reverse psychology on this one. I declare “The Bridgers are the 2018 MT General Tag Sleeper”.

If there is one thing I’ve learned about Montana elk it’s that those beautiful huge national forests on the map look so promising and have no elk in probably 80% of the area. Find the 20% or less that holds elk. Also, don’t be a jack@&& from MN. Nobody likes MN license plates out there so you have to be twice as nice.

 

[Gerald Martin]

If there is one thing I’ve learned about Montana elk it’s that those beautiful huge national forests on the map look so promising and have no elk in probably 80% of the area. Find the 20% or less that holds elk. Also, don’t be a jack@&& from MN. Nobody likes MN license plates out there so you have to be twice as nice.

The first part of this is certainly true. I wouldn't stress over the second part. Seeing out of state plates is par for the course of hunting and living in MT. The reality is that as a rule if you take the time to engage other hunters and locals in conversation you'll find most of them helpful. You'll also find that most of them are looking for the same thing you are and if they actually knew exactly where the elk is that you are asking about they would already be trying to get it instead of telling you.

Like kmf said, the elk are in 20% (probably a lot less) of the forest at any given time. However, they do use 80% of the woods so where they are at any given moment is dependent upon a wide range of variables. Most specifically, their needs at any given time of the year. Big Fin does a great job explaining this in his elk hunting videos.

I might ruffle some feathers with this statement, but elk are actually pretty easy to kill. Finding a legal bull and getting to where he is is what is hard.


Most hunters don't have the mental capacity to embrace the day after day physicality that it requires to get to areas that bulls frequent. Most hunters don't give themselves enough hunting days to take some rest time and recharge when they get worn out. Most hunters take a mental shotgun approach as they anticipate their elk hunt. They want to kill a big bull, and sit around camp and drink and they want to sleep in and they want to kill a deer and they want a hot shower at night and they want a medium rare T-bone for dinner and they want to socialize with their friends and they don't want to be uncomfortable. After a couple of tough days on the mountain as the realization that monster 6x6's are not thick as fleas on the open meadows within a mile of the truck, they abandon their initial goal of shooting a big bull in favor of all the other things they "want". They have convinced themselves a bull is unattainable and will either consciously or subconsciously come up with some excuse to quit.

To add to the individual mental challenge an elk hunter faces is the dynamic of your hunting partner(s) mentality. Every elk hunt I've been on has had times where it wasn't a lot of fun. Sometimes, I was the one who was thinking it wasn't worth getting out of bed and climb the ridge, sometimes it was a partner. The difference between a partner who is an asset and one who is a liability is whether they can be positive and goad each other into embracing the suck that morning and hit the mountain or whether they are the one who wants to wig out and cut the hunt short.

As I think about the times I've been on hunts where we've killed bulls, it has usually happened in close proximity to a mental or physical limit where "This is fun/This is not much fun/Are we nuts?" was all present. That limit might have been number of days afield without success, navigating public/private boundaries/ hunting in proximity to grizzlies/ limited game sightings or how difficult it was to make it up the mountain each morning.

I read a quote attributed to Jim Zumbo that said, "It's not elk hunting unless it hurts." I don't know whether he said it or not, but we've used it a time or two in our camps. Good luck with your hunt!

 

[Pdoyle899]

Forget all of the advice you have read so far. Apparently none of them know what they are talking about since they didn't tell you to go to the Breaks. There are no people and 360" bulls are the standard. Closer to MN too..

 

[kmf]

Custer Forest is the new Breaks.

 

[JLS]

I hunted the Bridgers for elk, 20 years ago. I did a ton of homework, researched my ass off (pre-Google Earth), found my access points, and hunted.

I haven't hunted it since. There are elk, and they can be accessible, but there are much better places to hunt IMO.

Just because there's a lot of elk in a unit doesn't make it a good place to hunt if you're a public land guy.

 

[ndhunterman]

I don't mind being the ass end of every joke in this thread, deserved or not, as long as there's something to be gained along with that.

I've been killing whitetails out treestands on flat ground for 27 years. It's easy and that's the extent of my big game hunting knowledge and I realize the scope of unknown unknowns about elk and mule deer and all other mountain hunting is vast, but I'm determined to figure it out because the pull I feel to go hunt the mountains is great. I check my ego at the door, but I don't understand the snickering, "get a load of this jackass" tone.

If you really want to help, help this jackass understand why Greenhorn's drainages are good spots and why my initial ideas are horseshit. And please don't be mistaken, Greenhorn, I certainly appreciate you steering me in the right direction, but I joined this board not hoping to be handed a fish and be fed for a day, but to learn how to fish for myself.

Phill

You need a thicker skin. If thats all it takes to get you rattled is a little internet banter...good luck getting an elk.

From a guy who has elk hunted MT a few times, take the veteran advice. It'll save you a lot of anguish. Send em a bottle of something good at Christmas, call it good.

 

[Scrappy]

Ok mods y'all need to lock and delete this thread. I've got all the good Intel downloaded thanks.

 

[Highlands Hunter]

Custer Forest is the new Breaks.

With all due respect, this is not true.

 

[kmf]

With all due respect, this is not true.

That was sarcastic but also kind of true based on attention given lately.

 

[MT Bound]

Hunt places year after year and get them figured out, then you will kill elk. If all you want to do is One trip to MT to hunt and experience it then there’s your goal, if you want to kill elk you’ve got to learn places well, just like hunting whitetails out of a tree stand.

 

[Josiah Bower]

I know this is an old thread, but Greenhorn, that was the best information I have found in a long, long time. I hunted the private land boundaries in the northeast Bridgers in archery season and saw (and almost tagged) exactly one legal elk. With two more weeks to hunt, this is a lifesaver. I'm going to go find a nasty area south of Bozeman and hit it hard, maybe take a wolf if I run across one too! Keep the wind in your face!