Superior MT hunting

[meanbuggie]

My previous thread said superior UT which I messed up obviously. should have been MT. My wife and I are looking to buy some property/house there. We are looking in multiple states. Not sure what the hunting is like in this area and would be using this property for a base camp type set up and vacation destination. anyone know if the hunting here or nearby is any good? Any info would be helpful.

 

[----]

My previous thread said superior UT which I messed up obviously. should have been MT. My wife and I are looking to buy some property/house there. We are looking in multiple states. Not sure what the hunting is like in this area and would be using this property for a base camp type set up and vacation destination. anyone know if the hunting here or nearby is any good? Any info would be helpful.

I know that country very well. What species of game are you asking about?

 

[meanbuggie]

I was looking mostly big game such as deer elk. but if it ends up being a retirement property for me maybe turkey or duck

 

[thecrittergitter]

Well, I grew up there and know Mineral county very well. Turns out I have some properties for sale too. One spot right on the river, hunting is incredible. You should buy it

Actually, the hunting there used to be awesome. Now, I'd say marginal. If a person lives there and has the time to figure out the critters, you will do well. For a guy coming in with 1 week to hunt, I'd strongly recommend somewhere else.....like anywhere else

There are big bulls and big bucks getting killed there every year but they are not easy to come by. One huge advantage to that country is that there are MUCH fewer people hunting there. Therefore, a person can find some country that you would have to yourself.

We do honestly have some properties that we are considering selling there too if you get interested, let me know. Have a few smaller parcels and one on the river that is 17 acres......

Good luck in your decisions. The wolves have hammered the superior area but thankfully some of those have disappeared so some of the game is rebounding. Again, the guys that hunt hard and live there, have no trouble killing an elk and deer every year.

Matt

 

[meanbuggie]

Thanks for the info Matt. We are still a ways away from actually being able to purchase I would say at least 3-5 yrs but trying to do my homework now so when I am ready I'm not on a wild goose chase and can spend more time in the areas I want looking for land/home. I will be on this forum more and more now that I am getting back into the sport so hopefully you will be here too when I'm ready and I can check back with you on land. If I were to buy something I would most likely be there for a week or so at a time to start but as I get older and more free time more time would be spent there but for now would mostly be for vaca and the yearly hunt. Thanks again for the info every little bit helps.

 

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Yeah, Matt's post rings true. I would be surprised if there's a forested area of Montana with a lower elk density than that stretch of the Clark Fork. It's depressing. There's no reason FWP should be allowing general elk hunting in there, but the locals have spoken and said they'd rather keep hunting them then give them a break. The feeling is that hunter mortality on bulls is so low that it doesn't effect the population.

I haven't been able to figure out why the decline of elk in the upper Bitterroot has gotten so much attention the last ~10 years, but you never hear a peep about the lower Clark Fork. It's a MUCH more dire situation. The Lower Clark Fork just didn't have he spokesperson it needed I guess.

Anyways, whitetail hunting is still pretty good, mule deer numbers are down but once you figure out the pockets they're in you can find some decent bucks.

Bear, lion and Wolf hunting are all very good.

It's beautiful country and there's more public land then a guy could explore in a lifetime, and a guy could hunt for days without seeing another hunter (or elk).

 

[meanbuggie]

Thanks Randy11. Like I said in previous post any and all info is helpful.

 

[Nameless Range]

I have nowhere near the knowledge that Randy11 and Crittergitter have, but I'll throw my two cents in.

I hunted that area quite a bit when I was a student at UM(2005ish). My success wasn't so great, but then again it has never been that great. I shot some does, and did see some nice whitetails. That said, the opportunity for all sorts of outdoor recreation is fantastic(fishing, grouse, bear, etc). The largest Elk shed I have ever found was in that area.

I think that part of Montana is special. As has been said above, you can get away and have ridges and even mountains all to yourself, which to me is arguably as good as seeing a crapload of game. I could live there happily. Good luck in your planning.