backyardsniper
Well-Known Member
Has anyone on here got any experience hunting elk in montana. Just looking for some info on reliable guides and areas that I should look into. planning a trip for 2013
Elk hunting in Montana?
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rooster740
Well-Known Member
Look at my Facebook link! Montana in the area where I live and used to guide is the land of used to be! 10 years ago I could have set you up with the hunt of a life time. If you want a big (over 330) bull I would say do not be fooled by any outfitter in Park County MT.
Dr. Vette
Well-Known Member
Fixed it for you.
Having hunted in the Paradise Valley in 2007 and 2009 and then visited in 2010 I'll say this -
the elk herd truly is 1/4 of what it was not many years ago, and yes it's due to the wolves. We had a great outfitter whose hunting business has been decimated by the wolf reintroduction and I feel truly sorry for him. I would not pick anything in any wolf area if you want to find an elk. This includes Montana, Idaho or Wyoming. It's easy enough to Google a map of the current wolf habitat area and see what you should avoid. Most outfitters will be honest with you as well.
I hope that someday the elk numbers will bounce back to the level of 15 years ago but I'm not holding my breath on that one...
HARPERC
Well-Known Member
Montana FWP is making public statements that some herds are on the edge of becoming extinct. They'll probably sell you a unicorn tag as well.
HARPERC
Well-Known Member
Montana FWP is making public statements that some herds are on the edge of becoming extinct. They'll probably sell you a unicorn tag as well. The wolf fraud continues.
mightyman
Well-Known Member
Hello,
Yes, I hunted with Black Mountain Outfitters a couple years ago based out of Bozeman.
Outstanding outfit, quality equipped, true wilderness hunt, on horseback, tents, great food, stories, hot remote equipped shower, and we saw grizzlies, wolves, elk, much more.
4 hunters on this hunt, and 2 killed, 1 missed, and the other could not get a shot. You drive through Yellowstone (north entrance) ride an hour to the horses, then ride the horses 4 hours to their remote camp just outside of Yellowstone.
A guide brings the rifles, 9 hour horseback ride over the mountain into camp from another directionas no guns are allowed to travel in Yellowstone.
The owners, Scott and Sandy Sallee are great people, member of the Montana Guides association and are true outfitters.
Yes, I hunted with Black Mountain Outfitters a couple years ago based out of Bozeman.
Outstanding outfit, quality equipped, true wilderness hunt, on horseback, tents, great food, stories, hot remote equipped shower, and we saw grizzlies, wolves, elk, much more.
4 hunters on this hunt, and 2 killed, 1 missed, and the other could not get a shot. You drive through Yellowstone (north entrance) ride an hour to the horses, then ride the horses 4 hours to their remote camp just outside of Yellowstone.
A guide brings the rifles, 9 hour horseback ride over the mountain into camp from another directionas no guns are allowed to travel in Yellowstone.
The owners, Scott and Sandy Sallee are great people, member of the Montana Guides association and are true outfitters.
rooster740
Well-Known Member
I have to apologize because I forgot about These guys. I personally know Scott and Sandy Sallee and they have a first class operation. I would say that your chances of killing a hell of a bull with Scott are better then anybody around. They have an absolutely amazing back country camp! That is as plush of an operation for wall tent camping as it gets. From the solar lighting along the walk ways going from tent to tent, to the amazing fishing in the area.
There big benefit is that they also have some very exellent hunting during regular season that is in an area with very few wolves.
Scott and Sandy are honest great people.
Dr. Vette
Well-Known Member
Not a problem at this time. I would recommend having them cased and in the trunk, which is the law in most states as well. In reality, as all 3 states of Yellowstone allow open carry of a rifle you could, technically, do that in the Park as well.
New Federal Firearms Law Takes Effect Monday - Yellowstone National Park
Not sure I'd do that, though.
Silverdoctor
Active Member
I hunted elk in Montana last year in the mountains northeast of Bozeman. My partner and I hunted every day for a week and I never saw an elk... lots of sign, but that was it. My partner saw one small herd at daybreak one morning but couldn't get a good shot and he saw one cow one evening and passed on it. We didn't have a guide, but paid for permission to hunt some land adjacent to Ted Turner's huge ranch. Nice country, but not a great place to hunt elk. I have had my best elk hunting in Colorado, Idaho and New Mexico... I have tags for Wyoming this year and have a guide this time! Good luck...
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
Don't bother to come to Dillon MT, the elk are already coming down into the hay fields, that's over a month early and the Blacktail will be empty by rifle season. The area I hunt usually has a couple camps of hunters, last season there were 8 horse camps and dozens of trucks. Worst hunting ever, every where we went guys would drive around us cause they knew we were locals and we knew where to find elk. Several of the best ranches that were block land did not re up this year because there was so much traffic, accidents and rude people on the roads they were ****ed so they locked it down!!!! The one guy was moving his cows and a group of out of state hunters drove into the cows honking their horns and blew them out and then chewed out the rancher for moving his cows on their land while he was hunting
The MT FWP website Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks :: Hunting has lots of great info on where to hunt. I will second that lots of great elk hunting in MT has been ruined by wolves. Central montana does not yet have a large wolf population yet and has good numbers. The Elkhorn mountains south of Helena averages lots of big bulls. Montana has a big elk herd but access is difficult and hunter success rate hovers around 15%. Your chance of a trohy dramatically increases on private land versus public and national forest.
Don't bother to come to Dillon MT, the elk are already coming down into the hay fields,thats over a month early and the Blacktail will be empty by rifle season. The area I hunt usually has a couple camps of hunters, last season there were 8 horse camps and dozens of trucks. Worstot want anybody hunting ever, every where we went guys would drive around us cause they knew we were locals and we knew where tofind elk. Several of the best ranches that were block land did not re up this year because there was so much traffic, accidents and rude people on the roads they were ****ed so they locked it down!!!! The one guy was moving his cows and a group of out of state hunters drove into the cows honking their horns and blew them out and then chewed out the rancher for moving his cows on their land while he was hunting
what made the ELK come down so early ? Fire ,weather or what.
can't say that i blame the rancher's ,but i hate it.others told us the MATADOR RANCH did not want anybody on their land
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
Don't bother to come to Dillon MT, the elk are already coming down into the hay fields,thats over a month early and the Blacktail will be empty by rifle season. The area I hunt usually has a couple camps of hunters, last season there were 8 horse camps and dozens of trucks. Worstot want anybody hunting ever, every where we went guys would drive around us cause they knew we were locals and we knew where tofind elk. Several of the best ranches that were block land did not re up this year because there was so much traffic, accidents and rude people on the roads they were ****ed so they locked it down!!!! The one guy was moving his cows and a group of out of state hunters drove into the cows honking their horns and blew them out and then chewed out the rancher for moving his cows on their land while he was hunting
what made the ELK come down so early ? Fire ,weather or what.
can't say that i blame the rancher's ,but i hate it.others told us the MATADOR RANCH did not want anybody on their land
The area is really dry except for real high and the bottoms, the middle ground where they would be hanging out hardly grew any grass. All the roads getting closed makes corridors for the elk to move down and you really can't cut them of so at the signs of any pressure they move down. The bow hunters have started running up into the mountains and that is all it takes, it used to be we could bow hunt our area and maybe see one other hunter but most of the time it was just us but last year it was a parking lot out there and on top of that guys started running around 2 weeks early "scouting" for rifle season.
