Montana elk B unit suggestions

[Antler Dad]

Looking for a reasonable chance to see a couple cow elk on public ground for myself and my son. Planning on rifle hunting for 7 to 10 days if necessary. We hunted for cows in Wyoming last year and I did struggle with the elevations of 8500 and above. So with that being said, we would prefer something that is more manageable for my old ass! I’ve started researching draw odds and units for elk B tags and it’s a bit overwhelming with don’t go here and don’t go there for whatever reasons. So I’ll take a chance on here and see if I can get some help.

 

[WanderWoman]

In my opinion it’s hard to go wrong with HD 410. Lots of elk and lots of elk on public land. You do need to hike but generally not far. It is a highly-sought after district but I’d recommend the 410-02 license for drawing odds. There will be 1,000 this year which seems like a lot but it’s the same net number of hunters across all tags (the 410-00 decreased to 100).

 

[Antler Dad]

Thank you MsMuley. Looking at that area on onX it definitely fits my lung capacity as far as elevation goes. My assumption is this is more of a late season area due to its lower elevations?? We can come anytime to hunt, just wanted to get a feel for timing it right to have the elk there. I had also looked at 417 as a possibility. As always the trick is to find public that is not land locked by private. Thanks again for input!

 

[Elk247]

If your a nonresident 410 b tag will more than likely take a couple preference points.

 

[Schaaf]

If your a nonresident 410 b tag will more than likely take a couple preference points.

Lol.

Give it another 2 years and it will be general because 3 landowners submitted public comment after the meeting.

 

[MTGomer]

it will be general because 3 landowners submitted public comment after the meeting.

Was it that many?

 

[Addicting]

Which direction are you coming from? Driving past elk to chase elk isn’t always worth it.

 

[Hem]

Which direction are you coming from? Driving past elk to chase elk isn’t always worth it.

Speaking about driving past elk. Coming North on 287 a couple days ago after fishing Raynolds there was a shit ton of elk right off the road. 1000 maybe more.
Amazing.

 

[Antler Dad]

Preference points for cow tags?? That’s a new one. Montana must different than Wyoming then. The cow tag draw is separate from the other draw pool. It’s a true random drawing. I searched the site today and couldn’t find anything on preference points for cows. Anyone else have any info on this?

 

[golfer]

Yep, you can buy bonus points for cows. Can pretty much get bonus points for any drawing in Montana. As a resident it seems this permit takes 3-4 years to draw, its popular. You sure could draw it more frequently with luck on your side.

 

[8andcounting]

Yep, you can buy preferance points for cows. Can pretty much get preference points for any drawing in Montana. As a resident it seems this permit takes 3-4 years to draw, its popular. You sure could draw it more frequently with luck on your side.

Um . No . You mean bonus points

 

[8andcounting]

Only pref points are for NR combination License’s .

 

[golfer]

Um . No . You mean bonus points

That is what I meant, thanks for catching that. I changed it.

 

[LCH]

So are there just elk bonus points, or are there separate A tag and B tag bonus points? Do you forfeit all of your elk bonus points if you apply for and draw a limited elk B tag?

 

[LCH]

They're separate.

You can get bonus points for-
Elk permit
Elk B tag
Deer permit
Deer B tag
Pronghorn license
Pronghorn B tag
Moose
Sheep
Goat
Mountain lion

Thanks!

 

[802flyfish]

I'll be applying for 410-02 this year. Hoping to scout the area doing archery season.

 

[406/307]

Hi, This link should help with the bonus/preference point question. https://help.gohunt.com/hc/en-us/ar...e-between-preference-points-and-bonus-points-

The 410 B-tag can be a great hunt but seems to have changed a bit from my experience and the group of people I hunt with. It is no longer an easy draw for residents and no longer an easy cow in the freezer hunt, at least for my group. In 7 years I have drawn the tag twice as a resident. Another resident friend has put in over 10 years and only drawn once. His wife on the other hand seems to draw it every year or every other year. As a non-resident it doesn't cost much to apply for a B-tag so throw your hat in the pot.

In regards to the terrain, it is low elevation, and easy to moderate hiking. You can put in long hikes with plenty of steep up and down in the actual breaks or you can road hunt the sage flats with plenty of other heater hunters. There are elk in flat wheat fields as well as hidden away in steep, deep, dark coulee's. This is not a mountain hunt however. There are plenty of posts describing how the roads become impassable when wet, so keep that in mind. While this is a limited draw area for elk, you will still see a ton of people. Between the bull and cow tags there are plenty of hunters and then throw in all the general area deer hunters and the area gets crowded quick. Hike a mile and you will lose most of them.

I passed shooting a cow my first time drawn as I realized I wasn't going to be able to pack her 2 miles to my "car" and get out of the gumbo and make it to work on time with a big rain storm rolling in. Hunting the breaks in a Subi has it's limits. When I went back to hunt again all I saw were bulls. The second year I drew I put off going till later as I was trying to finish up my seasonal work. Well being the klutz that I am I cut a tendon in a finger while butchering a deer and had to cancel my breaks cow hunt that year. My friends wife always has had good luck finding and killing cows up til the past two seasons. This year they hunted 10 days and never saw a cow on public land or block management. They even hunted several reservation only block management areas with no luck. While roughly 50% of the unit is public or block, there is still a substantial amount of private land and ag. fields were herds of several hundred cows go and hang out. They stopped counting the number of bulls they could have killed at 87. This year was a bit harder as there was enough moisture to keep people out of many areas due to the roads being "impassable when wet!"My friends are actually looking for cow hunts in other units after the past 2 seasons being a bust for them. I personally deer and bird hunted this unit for a week while my friends elk hunted. I saw bulls on public but never saw a cow on public ground. I also saw very few cows in the back of trucks.

I will still put in for this unit because I enjoy the country and camps with friends. But I too am looking for other good spots to cow hunt!

 

[802flyfish]

When I click unit 410 it states,

Oct 24 – Feb 15

Antlerless Elk. General Season

I thought you had to apply to hunt 410 during the shoulder season ?

 

[golfer]

When I click unit 410 it states,

Oct 24 – Feb 15

Antlerless Elk. General Season

I thought you had to apply to hunt 410 during the shoulder season ?

What platform are you using to "click"?
You do have to apply for any of the three cow tags offered in this distict. One archery permit for a cow. One is for district wide and last is for the southern portion of the district.

 

[802flyfish]

Ok thanks. Using OnX.