Birthday Present! Montana here we come.

[Biggamefish]

 So my wife got me a tag to hunt elk in western Montana. I am greenhorn when it comes to hunting the western states. I am looking forward to getting out there but have a lot of things to get in place. I thought I would come to cyber camp to get some do's and don'ts. Any and all recommendations are fully appreciated.
 A buddy and I will be hunting together and we have a place to stay near Missoula but are planning on hiking in and staying overnight in areas if needed. I hope to make this an ongoing topic all the way to the end so stay tuned.

[Pine]

Wow, what a neat birthday present.
Hope you connect.    🎂

[huntmaster70]

Matt, You have a great wife- good luck!!

[Wudstix]

WOW!!!!  Check the stickies at the top of PowWow - Hunting Essentials, for lists of equipment to take along.  I'm sure there will be ample advice forth coming.
            

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good stuff Matt.  Nice to see you posting again.  Have a great trip. My only advice is to spend more time looking than hunting unless of course you find elk right away

[Deno]

X2 what Huntmaster said.            Lucky guy and have a great hunt.

Deno

[Gator1]

Congratulations that should be a good time.  I used to live in Missoula.   Great area.

[glenbo]

That is quite the gift Matt. Best of luck.

[Handforged]

I live in the mountains of Montana. First piece of advice buy a pair of Kennetrex boots and get them broken in and comfortable. Go find elevation and hike there in preparation. Nothing will prepare you for the elevation and issues associated with it but experiencing it. I am in pretty decent shape and when I first moved here to my mountain I had about 20 minute of hiking and I needed a break. I guided here for years and saw it time and time again. Get used to walking on the sides of your boots, uphill and scrambling down hill. Whatever pack you are planning to use, get it on your back NOW, with everything you intend to take. Hike, walk, run in it with your kennetrex and get it all nice and broken in, sweaty and dirty now. We (a buddy and myself) were lucky enough to draw a big horn tag this season. We are hiking 5 miles a day here in the hills and we live here. Don't be surprised when you get here and feel like the life has been sucked out of you for a few days. Plan accordingly. All these things I have mentioned will help. Drink massive amounts of water. It will help with acclimation. If I can help, let me know.

[Biggamefish]

Handforged
 Thanks for the advice I will take all advice I can so if you think of more please share.  I have already started hiking with a pack. I have 2 packs and I am still deciding which one to use. One is a military pack and weighs in at 9-10 pound empty!! Bonus of that pack it will carry anything I need (and pack out if we get lucky). But it is on the heavy side. I already am hiking with weight in it. The other pack is also a frame pack but i don't think it has as much room. I will decide in the next week and then that is the one I will stick with.

 Question for all Elk hunters what are your thought on bow draw weights?

[Handforged]

Handforged
 Thanks for the advice I will take all advice I can so if you think of more please share.  I have already started hiking with a pack. I have 2 packs and I am still deciding which one to use. One is a military pack and weighs in at 9-10 pound empty!! Bonus of that pack it will carry anything I need (and pack out if we get lucky). But it is on the heavy side. I already am hiking with weight in it. The other pack is also a frame pack but i don't think it has as much room. I will decide in the next week and then that is the one I will stick with.

 Question for all Elk hunters what are your thought on bow draw weights?

I have a few packs, If you need a great one PM me and we can discuss it.  I traditional archery hunt every season here for Muleys, elk and bear. I can tell you that 45# will do everything you need to do although I do consider it the minimum. So if you are drawing more than that you're good to go. 30 yards or less is the rule and if you're public land hunting elk you'll learn some patience for sure. There will be a good amount of pressure on them. You'll want to be as mobile and self sufficient as possible. Get in the trees and hills, stay there and glass the large expanses then set yourself up for success, not failure. Elk aren't like mule deer or white tails. You want to get into a position that they can come to you. Try to plan ahead and hike to get in front of them, don't follow them. Be proactive and look for the places that will give you cover, even if it's just a pile of scrub.

I have them in my yard and on my property all season. Mule deer like rats, elk most of the time and black bears in passage from one place to the other. I get to spend a good amount of time observing them. If you've never been to Montana elk hunting, especially in that area you will want a few things for certain. Bear spray and a side arm. DO NOT go up there without one or both. Tent, cover or weather protection of some kind. Insulating layers and a rapid heat source, GPS as well as a topo map of the area with compass. The weather here can change in a matter of minutes. You will also see temperature swings of 50 degrees in the higher elevations. Don't expect sunny pretty weather.  It could be pretty and sunny then in a matter of an hour snowing with the temperatures dropping. We have snow here possible every month with the exception of August and I have seen 3 ft of snow the first of September. The biggest thing to remember is that in most of these places you'll need to really get in the out of the way places to find the big boys. This will lead you into country that isn't easily accessible by people or services. So in essence, you're on your own. The likelihood of seeing another person is small. If something happens, you're on your own. It will likely be miles of hiking to be able to get a cell phone signal, if that close.

[Biggamefish]

 So I started hiking around. My daughter thinks I need more weight for practice! So this is how I look walking through the woods!!

[durp]

thats a small elk quarter but a good start dad 

[twitchstick]

 

[stocker56]

Actually Matt, I think Brian has given you some very good advise, I will only add one thing and that is to set up a main resupply camp and then be prepared to follow the elk or get in front of them by being able to spike camp for a few or several days. It is hard to keep pushing but they are game that can travel crazy distances between feeding and bedding sites. Good luck and I do love how you are prepping for your hunt.

[Biggamefish]

Question,

  How do you guys get your stuff out to your destination if you are flying? Also if you are planning on spike camping do you ship your fuel canisters out or buy when you get there. I am nervous about not being able to find some when I arrive.

[fisherick]

Matt, your wife is a peach to allow two weeks to hunt. You will lose 3-4 days traveling.
My buddy and I have made several trips by flying, renting a SUV, and setting up a forest camp. We each carried a 15"x15"x32" duffle bag for personal gear, a bow case for my buddy's compound, and a 60qt rolling cooler to carry our tents (5man base & 3 man spike tent), tarp, one burner gas stove, gas lantern, pots & pans, plates, bowls, utensils, cordage, game bags, etc. Make sure to keep weight under 50#. We flew SWA and where able to each have 2 -50# checked baggage and our carry on backpacks for free. When you harvest an elk, have it butchered & frozen and packed in waxed cardboard boxes for the trip home on the plane. Keep boxes under 50#. Ship your gear home 5-day ground UPS for cheaper shipping.
Keep up with the work outs, you will need it. Sleep you first/last night at lower elevation and get a scrip for Diamox from your Doc to help with altitude sickness.
Good luck and shoot straight. 

[fisherick]

See my Elk Hunt Pack List, in Hunting Essentials at top of opening page.

[Jon Stewart]

Handforge about said it all and did an outstanding job doing it. One thing to remember is if you and or your buddy shoot one. You have to haul them out. You need to be prepare for that as well. 

I went twice to Colorado to hunt elk and mule deer. It was a great time.

[kat]

Congratulations Matt. That will be a good hunt for sure. Try dropping ron w a PM. He did something similar a while back.