Montana or Idaho for Birds

[BucksnDucks]

Thinking about an out of state trip for upland birds this fall. Waterfowl would be a bonus, but I live in a great area for ducks and geese right now with a long season. I've been to South Dakota and imagine that is hard to beat, but want to see Idaho or Montana
I have family in the Bitterroot Valley and a nephew at school in Bozeman who is always down to hunt. Also a friend west of Boise who is strictly big game.
Hunts will be two three guys with two GSPs.
Any suggestions for regions to consider?
Variety would be awesome-Huns, Sharp tail, pheasant, quail or chukar
Would prefer public land, but would consider trespass fee for wild birds. We Chukar hunt several times a year, so we don't mind putting on the miles.

 

[1_pointer]

I've little/no experience in MT for upland birds and know that some folks here do awesome on them, so I'll leave the suggestions of MT to them. I have a pard in ID that shoots a lot of birds and a variety of them. Lots of species overlap, but many don't. I'd love to get me and my dog to ID some January for chasing chukars in the rocks. IIRC sharptail season in ID is quite short and so is sage grouse season, so if those are on the 'must-do' list you'll have to plan the trip according to those dates.

 

[406LIFE]

Plenty of opportunity for upland in MT. We have pheasant and quail in bitterroot as well as mountain grouse. A few hours south and you're into safe grouse. Go east and you can put in for a swan at Freezeout Lake. Shpartail out that way as well. I'm a 2aterfowl guy myself, but I'm not afraid of upland.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I wouldn't recommend the area around Bozeman for what you want to do as that is going to be primarily ruffed and dusky grouse on public lands... but I have hunted public lands in a couple of places in eastern Montana that are great for sharptail and pheasant with some huns occasionally.

If you are willing to figure out getting on private around Bozeman or you have a boat and do some research you can definitely hunt pheasant, sharptail, ruffed, dusky, huns, and waterfowl.

I don't think there is a huntable population of quail in MT bitterroots maybe?

 

[Eric.MN]

May want to look into western ND. Lots of federal grassland you could walk. I worked out there during the oil madness and while just walking a couple farmers land without dogs we had luck. Always saw plenty of birds.

 

[BucksnDucks]

Go east and you can put in for a swan at Freezeout Lake-
That sounds fun, tons of them out here. We just watch em fly by at 15 yards.

 

[mdunc8]

Lots of mountain grouse around Bozeman and a few huns on public in the surrounding valleys. I got a few but the sharpie hunting wasn’t great for me in eastern Montana last year. Duck hunting around here was good last year but sucked out east since all my spots had dried up during the drought. However, Im guessing more experienced guys out east who were familiar with the conditions did just fine.

 

[Irrelevant]

NE montana. The best I've seen for a combo

 

[CampRipleyLF]

NE Montana. Good numbers, great habitat, mixture of species to go after, and plenty of public land. Might as well pick up a big game tag too!!!

 

[huntin24/7]

Our birds are way below normal in far NE montana. Grouse are still decent as you go further west. Pheasant and huns are in tuff shape after last summers drought. They made it through the winter ok, so hopefully we get some decent conditions this summer for the hatch. Dry up here so far.

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

Idaho sucks go to montana

 

[brymoore]

Idaho sucks go to montana

+1 Rampant blue tongue.