Help a dumb Midwest to Montana transplant

[Remington92]

Hi all I'm new to the forum and was looking for some guidance. I'm from Illinois but will be moving to north central Montana in a few weeks and want to get a jump start on preparing for hunting season!! It looks like I won't be able to qualify for resident tags this year so I'll have to bite the bullet and pay for out of state tags I guess. I have 2 7mm rem mag rifles and a 45-70 Marlin all of which sound like they should be adequate for most anything in MT? Can anyone recommend any areas to check out or what ducks i need to get in a row first?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Hi all I'm new to the forum and was looking for some guidance. I'm from Illinois but will be moving to north central Montana in a few weeks and want to get a jump start on preparing for hunting season!! It looks like I won't be able to qualify for resident tags this year so I'll have to bite the bullet and pay for out of state tags I guess. I have 2 7mm rem mag rifles and a 45-70 Marlin all of which sound like they should be adequate for most anything in MT? Can anyone recommend any areas to check out or what ducks i need to get in a row first?

Thanks in advance!!

Welcome to the site and MT. Get a copy of the regulations and good maps of the area you are interested in. Get out and cover ground looking for sign and animals. Lots of public land to work with.

Steve

 

[Remington92]

Ok I'm going to be near the great falls/Fairfield area. When I came in for a visit my bosses took me up to Gibson reservoir and it sounds like that's where a lot of the locals go. From what they made it sound it like a fella almost had to have horses in order to do very well. Is this the case or could I get by on foot or with a Polaris ranger till then? Sorry if these are stupid questions it's just a whole different world from small fields and patches of timber chasing whitetail in the Midwest

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Ok I'm going to be near the great falls/Fairfield area. When I came in for a visit my bosses took me up to Gibson reservoir and it sounds like that's where a lot of the locals go. From what they made it sound it like a fella almost had to have horses in order to do very well. Is this the case or could I get by on foot or with a Polaris ranger till then? Sorry if these are stupid questions it's just a whole different world from small fields and patches of timber chasing whitetail in the Midwest

I have always hunted on foot. You'll be fine. There are just miles to cover. Talk with the biologist at the fish and game for direction. Some of them are helpful.

Steve

 

[FEENIX]

Ok I'm going to be near the great falls/Fairfield area. When I came in for a visit my bosses took me up to Gibson reservoir and it sounds like that's where a lot of the locals go. From what they made it sound it like a fella almost had to have horses in order to do very well. Is this the case or could I get by on foot or with a Polaris ranger till then? Sorry if these are stupid questions it's just a whole different world from small fields and patches of timber chasing whitetail in the Midwest

Welcome to LRH/MT and enjoy!

Most guys hunt the Rocky Mountain Front on horses. No motor vehicles are allowed. You can do it on foot but be prepared and get into shape.

My buddy and I have elk hunted Home and Norwegian Gulches; last 2 gulches that elk herd migrate to on their way to wintering range (Sun River WMA). Last year, it took us 3.5 hours to get to the top of Norweigian Gulch and 2 hours for our descent.

For deer, esp. muleys, are mostly out in the open and there are a few block management areas around Fairfield. You can as permission from the local ranchers nearby.

Good luck!

Ed

 

[Remington92]

Welcome to LRH/MT and enjoy!

Most guys hunt the Rocky Mountain Front on horses. No motor vehicles are allowed. You can do it on foot but be prepared and get into shape.

My buddy and I have elk hunted Home and Norwegian Gulches; last 2 gulches that elk herd migrate to on their way to wintering range (Sun River WMA). Last year, it took us 3.5 hours to get to the top of Norweigian Gulch and 2 hours for our descent.

For deer, esp. muleys, are mostly out in the open and there are a few block management areas around Fairfield. You can as permission from the local ranchers nearby.

Good luck!

Ed

Ok thanks! I'm going out that way to be an agronomy rep for barley farmers so hopefully one of them can help me get started. Sounds like they've already got me setup for pheasant hunting!

 

[Remington92]

On a semi unrelated note does anyone know of any good ranges near great falls? In Illinois we hunt with shotguns so 200yds is really stretching it out. I know my bar and rem 700 7mm mag are both capable of much longer shots I just need to get some trigger time in behind them.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Any where that you can get alone.

Steve

 

[FEENIX]

On a semi unrelated note does anyone know of any good ranges near great falls? In Illinois we hunt with shotguns so 200yds is really stretching it out. I know my bar and rem 700 7mm mag are both capable of much longer shots I just need to get some trigger time in behind them.

Yes, there's Great Falls Shooting Sports Complex , a little over 5 miles north of Great Falls, on Old Havre HWY towards Fort Benton. It has a pistol range, 200 , 300, and 1000 yard (open only on Wednesday evenings).

Nowhere near the size of GFSSC but GF Trap Club is on the frontage road towards Ulm.

There's another one towards Highwoods but I've never used it.

Ed

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I am jealous of you guys over there. There so much area to stretch out and shoot. Here we have too many trees and people. Hard to find a place to shoot long.

Steve

 

[FEENIX]

I am jealous of you guys over there. There so much area to stretch out and shoot. Here we have too many trees and people. Hard to find a place to shoot long.

Steve

We have them here too, ~30-45 mins drive! There's a couple of areas my buddy and I used to hunt in the early 2000s with easy 400-600+ yard clearings, now you're lucky if you can get a 150 yard shot.