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bozemanprincipal

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Hello....I have recently moved from NW Montana to Bozeman in SW Montana. I am an elementary principal in Bozeman and love the area. This is recreation paradise and I'm having a hard time finding accessible country without a bunch of people. I am currently scouting around Jackson Creek, and Flathead Pass areas. I would love any advice, not your secret spots, but a general area where I can park my truck before daylight and get into the high country on foot. Not afraid to cover a bunch of miles to get away from people and into good elk/mule deer country. Thanks!
 
There is a place called the Gallatin Canyon.Plenty of National forest and wilderness.Start earlier,walk a little farther.
 
I killed an elk one year up in Jackson Creek , but the hunting pressure is fairly intense, season long. Don't overlook the RY Timber Co. sections. Walk-in only.
 
Jackson Creek is a hard nut to solve, as the elk usually end up on private. Permission makes that pretty easy, but is hard to acquire.

As some have said, Gallatin Canyon has many options and lots of public trail heads. The Gravellys get a plenty of pressure, but according to the very low elk population objectives, those units are all over objective. The Tobacco Roots are also considered at/over objective in every unit.

The Bridgers are way over objective, but you will find a lot of people close to the trail heads. Plenty of elk on the east side, near the ski hill. You can drive up behind the lodge and hike a trail that goes south, then west up the slopes. Always elk in there, just a question of how many people are after them.

I would avoid the Flathead Pass area. Now that they put in a motorized trail from the old Frazier Lake Trail almost to Flathead Pass, the elk are probably going to stay low, which is all private. That used to be some pretty good elk hunting, but the archery hunters claimed it was a disaster this year.

If you are very energetic, you can usually find some bulls on the west side of the Bridgers, way up high. It will occupy a good chunk of your week to extract one if you kill one, but they are there.

Paradise Valley units are not in as good of shape, unless you know it real well. And, a lot of non-resident pressure there.

Those should give you some starting points.
 
That guy in the link you posted is me......Those elk come out of the Lima/Dell country, and we take a yearly trek down there each year, usually very successful..... We are headed there again this year, but I am also trying to figure the local area around Bozeman where I now live and I appreciate all of the help and comments. Sounds like I will be head to the Bridgers up high as a starter.
 
bozemanprincipal said:
Those elk come out of the Lima/Dell country
Click to expand...
Do you have any recommendations of a general area around Lima/Dell? Not looking for your secret spot, but where should a guy start that's never hunted that area? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
 
bigskyblueman said:
I killed an elk one year up in Jackson Creek , but the hunting pressure is fairly intense, season long. Don't overlook the RY Timber Co. sections. Walk-in only.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately RY had been very active in there logging project by Jackson creek. Get up higher just to see more logging. If you don't have horses it will be hard to get back far enough to the elk. Too bad you can't camp up there... Hunters and pressured elk do wired things so you never know. Good luck! I prefer gallatin canyon over the Bridgers any day
 
WT_in_MT

No problem....Basically we hunt the area around the Lima Peaks. Great access through the Snowline Ranch Block Management to the back side of the peaks via Sawmill road. On the front side the Little Sheep road forks three ways and gives you unlimited "big country" to access. There are big herds that always hang down low on the private. You just have to forget about those and push the high timbered drainages on foot or horse. Area 300.
 
Rifle season is less than a week away and I was wondering what to expect on opening morning; will most of the trailhead parking lots along the Gallatin Canyon (Indian Ridge, Lava Lake, Asbestos Creek, Storm Castle and Swan Creek especially) be completely packed? This will be my first opener around Bozeman and I know it will be madness, just not sure HOW crazy it will be...
 
bozemanprincipal said:
There are big herds that always hang down low on the private. You just have to forget about those and push the high timbered drainages on foot or horse. Area 300.
Click to expand...

No offense, but you had 8 whole elk in your picture... are you sure you weren't on the pivot firing line?

Not saying it can't be done, but usually if I shoot an elk up on a high timbered ridge, I can't usually get it out whole.
 
And just a friendly reminder to anyone else new to hunting the Bozeman area: don't shoot a mule deer buck in the Bridgers (HD 312), it's a special permit only area. I'd hate to hear of someone getting in trouble for shooting a deer they thought was legal.
 
kad11 said:
And just a friendly reminder to anyone else new to hunting the Bozeman area: don't shoot a mule deer buck in the Bridgers (HD 312), it's a special permit only area. I'd hate to hear of someone getting in trouble for shooting a deer they thought was legal.
Click to expand...
Down Gallatin canyon has some areas you also can't hunt elk w/o special permits.
 
I think it's best up by Amnesia Lake! Kinda by those two big trees...
Just got back from a 31st Anniversary at Chico, about 27 of which have been celebrated there. I think we're going to start investigating new spots, though.
Went to Gardiner & up to Jardine. Other than a fair number of deer, only saw one bull buffalo, right on the landing strip at the Gardiner airport! Took a side trip up one of those west side canyons, that accesses stuff up on the Gallatin Divide that I used to hunt/explore. Missed two great bulls up there, years ago...
My son and I have been thinking about heading back up there sometime. We'll see how opening day goes here in the back yard, though.
 
No offense taken.....no, the pivot madness is not my scene. I watched that one year with locals and out of state hunters basically shooting at each other in the flat by the freeway. The shortest drag was about a 1/4 mile....good snow up high and they came out pretty easy on sleds. Most came out of the east fork up high, the rest on top of white pine.
 
bozemanprincipal said:
That guy in the link you posted is me......Those elk come out of the Lima/Dell country, and we take a yearly trek down there each year, usually very successful..... We are headed there again this year, but I am also trying to figure the local area around Bozeman where I now live and I appreciate all of the help and comments. Sounds like I will be head to the Bridgers up high as a starter.
Click to expand...

Well, you are likely headed to the last spot I would hunt elk in Montana, but heck while your up there, I have a moose tag there so shoot me a PM if you see a big one:) Your odds will be better seeing a moose or sasquatch than a nice elk up there:) ;)
 
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