Montana general elk

[Gmueller]

Hello everyone, I'm 21 and new to elk hunting with a failed 2017 firearm elk hunt in Montana. I'm returning this September for archery and iv listened to tons of podcast, spent hours on onX and gohunt. I'm from Illinois with limited time off work for scouting. I know this is probably a beat subject but I'm lacking confidence with every unit I look into having something to make me second guess it, may it be heavy with road systems or info of thin elk numbers etc. I'm not expecting anyone's favorite spots, but any info that may steer me in the right direction or tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[pabearhunter]

Welcome aboard. Search, look and read. Good luck.

 

[genesis273]

Do you know of anyone else, friends, acquaintances, who hunts Montana that you may be able to tag along with. Or maybe spend as much time on this trip as you can, 2-3 weeks, to give yourself time to hunt an area and move to another if you have too, and you should find the elk. Other than that, keep doing research. There's tons of info out there. Heck, there may be someone looking for someone to hunt with. That's how I got to go on my first MT elk hunt.

 

[Gmueller]

Not exactly, i only know 2 other guys that hunt out west and they are going on they’re first elk hunt in Wyoming this year. I mostly have the internet for information haha. Ill just have to keep going researching units, iv found promising areas i like in the south west region. Thanks for the input guys!

 

[Elkoholic]

Research, research, research, boots on the ground. Best advice is be realistic, you indicated a failed elk hunt because you didn't fill your tag? Did you gain any knowledge? Realize elk hunting out west is a whole other animal, yes sometimes it happens to others quicker than most, but realize there's a huge learning curve. Pick a spot best you can based off your research, go learn, get experience, talk to other hunters, make friends. Realize sometimes it takes consecutive years of multiple weeks archery hunting before it all comes together. Fact!
Other factors include your preparation, conditioning, game time split decisions, etc.
Best of luck, let us know how it goes!

 

[Gmueller]

Thanks elkoholic, yeah i actually talked to a few people in fly shops that were surprisingly helpful with areas to check out, you dont find helpful hunting advice here in Illinois much haha.

 

[Pondera]

The only failed elk hunt I've ever been on was when I didn't go...Enjoy the hunt, plus you archery guys always have the luck.

 

[406LIFE]

Perhaps what you are missing is simple experience. To have just started elk and think that you are going to come to unfamiliar land and easily harvest one is hubris. There is a learning curve, and the more time on the mountain the more confident you will become. I know that the tag is expensive, but if you also come into it thinking that without going home with an animal you have failed then you should maybe think of something that has a greater than 10% success rate. There is only so far a podcast, book, and article is going to take you. Boots on the ground will take you further than they ever will.

 

[Crumb]

Search the threads in this forum, you’ll be surprised on how much information you can gather.

 

[genesis273]

I'll add one more thing to reiterate what the guys above are saying. In this age of instant gratification, it's hard to grasp that an elk hunt without a dead elk is successful. But like I told my wife, "we go on vacations all the time, and only come home with pictures, great memories, and maybe a two week tan, that we wouldn't trade for anything. These hunting trips are no different". Once I explained it to her that way, she got it. If I get to leave NC for three weeks, take a nap under a tree on top of the mountain every afternoon, and spend it with a great hunting buddy, it was successful. If I kill an elk, that's just icing on the cake.
As mentioned, an archery elk hunt resulting in a dead bull is normally less than 10%. Just enjoy your time on the mountains of Montana!

 

[Gmueller]

Thanks everyone, i wanna just clarify something fast. When i say failed i just mean i didnt punch a tag just so its know (witch I expected to happen), i should have been more clear so sorry about that guys. Im with you 110% when it comes to the experience, being in the mountains, and learning how to hunt elk an adapt to this style of hunting, i just wanna make sure when i go into a unit i have the best chance to learn (witch also i know everything is a learning experience) with my very short time in the mountains. But again everything you guys have replied with is helping. Thank you, everyone!

 

[topdogjr2002]

All the help I can give you....

As far as deciding which general unit to hunt, I am trying to decide myself. I've never set foot in Montana except fishing the Madison river in 2003. There's at least 2 of us going. Possibly 4 depending on medical issues. It's heck getting old and my dad isn't a spring chicken. Here's my strategy so far. Take it. leave it. modify it. or just enjoy the laugh.

1. Print the grizzly bear range map and the elk range map.
2. Overlay the two maps and determine where the elk are located and grizzly bears ARE NOT. I hunted AK and tried to sleep with a .44 MAG under my pillow. It was nerve wracking, and the other guys would rather not worry with them either.
3. Review the statistics for the bow season for the units identified in step 2.
4. Pick a few units and start googling and looking at the maps of the units.
5. Narrow it down to 1 unit and move on to developing a hunt plan for that unit.

Randy did a podcast on scouting and developing a plan for a 5 day hunt. It's worth listening to every minute of it. I love stumbling around in the woods with a stick and string chasing a bugling bull, but this will help develop your plan instead of just shooting in the dark. I live in south MS and have been on 5 elk hunts in 3 states over the past 8 years. Even after planning those 5 hunts and shooting 2 and passing and missing more, his strategy on developing the plan is very enlightening!

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your days in the mountains. Enjoy the adventure in the mountains and consider a harvest as icing on the cake. Take a day off to fish, and it'll put everything in perspective if you've gotten obsessed with solely harvesting an elk.

 

[publichunter1]

Welcome from MS and good luck this fall!

 

[robloft]

As far as deciding which general unit to hunt, I am trying to decide myself. I've never set foot in Montana except fishing the Madison river in 2003. There's at least 2 of us going. Possibly 4 depending on medical issues. It's heck getting old and my dad isn't a spring chicken. Here's my strategy so far. Take it. leave it. modify it. or just enjoy the laugh.

1. Print the grizzly bear range map and the elk range map.
2. Overlay the two maps and determine where the elk are located and grizzly bears ARE NOT. I hunted AK and tried to sleep with a .44 MAG under my pillow. It was nerve wracking, and the other guys would rather not worry with them either.
3. Review the statistics for the bow season for the units identified in step 2.
4. Pick a few units and start googling and looking at the maps of the units.
5. Narrow it down to 1 unit and move on to developing a hunt plan for that unit.

Randy did a podcast on scouting and developing a plan for a 5 day hunt. It's worth listening to every minute of it. I love stumbling around in the woods with a stick and string chasing a bugling bull, but this will help develop your plan instead of just shooting in the dark. I live in south MS and have been on 5 elk hunts in 3 states over the past 8 years. Even after planning those 5 hunts and shooting 2 and passing and missing more, his strategy on developing the plan is very enlightening!

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your days in the mountains. Enjoy the adventure in the mountains and consider a harvest as icing on the cake. Take a day off to fish, and it'll put everything in perspective if you've gotten obsessed with solely harvesting an elk.

I'm from north MS and am going to Montana this fall as well. Do you drive or do you fly? Any tips for a fellow Mississippian on his first elk hunt?

 

[onelionhunter]

One more thing to toss out there that an old hunting buddy used to tell me as he got longer in the tooth. "son, the best way to ruin a perfectly enjoyable elk hunt is to kill one" lol, still makes me smile. Once they are on the ground, the real work begins in all honesty.

 

[genesis273]

One more thing to toss out there that an old hunting buddy used to tell me as he got longer in the tooth. "son, the best way to ruin a perfectly enjoyable elk hunt is to kill one" lol, still makes me smile. Once they are on the ground, the real work begins in all honesty.

^^^Truth^^^

 

[Reeltime]

One more thing to toss out there that an old hunting buddy used to tell me as he got longer in the tooth. "son, the best way to ruin a perfectly enjoyable elk hunt is to kill one" lol, still makes me smile. Once they are on the ground, the real work begins in all honesty.

Especially solo!

Although when that last load hits the tailgate, the success is oh so sweet!!

 

[topdogjr2002]

Just enjoy the view....

I drive b/c I couldn't afford the baggage fees for 300 pounds of elk meat and 200 pounds of gear.

1. Enjoy your time in the mountains and consider a kill to be icing on the cake.
2. If you've never been to the higher altitudes, plan on getting your tail whipped by the altitude for at least 2-3 days maybe longer. Take some altitude sickness medicine with you in case you get sick. Do your research on preventing this, b/c it will ruin your trip if you get it.
3. Stay in the woods ALL DAY. Pack a lunch, snacks and 48-60 oz of water. Take a nap during the day with your boots off. I've had bulls what up on me 3 times while I was doing this. Don't know what it is, but they're some of the best naps you'll ever take. 3 years ago I was napping, and 2 bulls woke me up bugling and then fighting at 1 pm! IMHO, they will move off and on all day, especially during the rut. Just like a whitetail buck walks the land after his morning nap. Ever heard of rut hunting from 10-2? Same with elk...IMHO.
4. If you're hunting off the road, try riding the roads at night. Stop in every valley or every mile or 2 and listen for 5-10 minutes. You might hear a lot of elk.
4. Check out Randy Newberg's bag dump videos. They'll help you determine what gear you need to take. If it's 30-40 degrees, you'll wear 2 LS tshirts at most while hiking. Pack light but warm-when-wet clothes, not your 10 lb heavy winter duck jacket. You'll wear that at camp around the fire but never hiking.
5. Don't get lost. ;-) Consider a spot or other emergency device b/c unlike MS, cell phone reception is typically zero unless you're on top of a mtn with line of sight to a city.

I'm from north MS and am going to Montana this fall as well. Do you drive or do you fly? Any tips for a fellow Mississippian on his first elk hunt?