Montana elk

[Robhood23]

Hey Guys,
    I should get drawn for Montana elk and deer this year with 3 points. I am taking my father in law who has not hunted elk in 25 years. I have hunted 410 in the past and am thinking this would be a fairly easy hunt for him. He is pushing 70 and doesn't think he could handle the big mountains with his knees. I guess I am looking for any info that would up the chances of him getting a shot at an elk. I have been reading about how bad the breaks have gotten and am any help would be much appreciated.
     THanks!!

[Doug Campbell]

That's a pretty tough order, MT is a big rugged place and the elk like it that way. Unless there's a bunch of early snow during archery season for the most part the elk are in the higher country. I expect there are a few outfits around that might be able to provide some tree stand hunting that might help. Later during the general season a bunch of elk come down into lower country river bottoms and hay fields but this is pretty much going to be all private ground... Unless you know somebody your most likely going to have to go thru an Outfitter. I've got a buddy, (if he's not all filled out already), that might be able to help out if you decide to go that route. You can PM me if you want.

Good Luck

[elknut1]

Treestand or groundblind at water, an active wallow, natural mineral licks, heavily used trails from feeding to bedding, escape routes & the such. These may be his best bet considering his age. Calling at these spots sparingly can be rewarding!

  ElkNut1

[Robhood23]

He is actually in outstanding shape and I am confident he can do the breaks just not the the big mountains farther west. Hey Doug I am interested in what you have to offer just give me a pm. We would really want to do a DIY hunt but if the prices are reasonable I would consider tresspass fees if they offered an outstanding opportunity for him.
  Thanks again guys and keep em coming!!

[Whip]

If I remember right, 410 is somewhere north of Winnett?  I hunted that area for antelope a few years ago and there were people hunting elk there.  Not real rugged country, and might work well for him that way.  Since I wasn't elk hunting I didn't pay too much attention, but from the way it sounded the elk tended to hang out in the middle of some huge wide open country that made it very difficult to approach them and tough hunting.  But they were there!

[PV]

If you can draw it is still a good place to hunt.A bit crowed but the elk are there.
I hunted north of the river in 620 units until the draw was changed to limited entry. This puts a 10% cap on NR's and no party draw.Good place for someone with bad knees though.....

[LKH]

Not sure what you're asking.  Looking for a different hunt or help in 410/417????

[LKH]

If it's 410/17, then contact the BLM Office in Lewistown and ask for the location on their resevoirs.  They can be okay for elk, but in all the times I've sat water in the pm, I've only had 3 shots.  

I'm probably going to try for those units again, but they really have gone downhill.

[Robhood23]

Thanks for all the input. To clarify I am looking for any help on 410. Can you apply as a party of 2 for the special draw?

[LKH]

Yes, you can party apply.  There's a lot of question how the draw will go.  This is the second year in some changes they have made limiting NR access.

[PV]

When did they change that LKH? In the past you could only apply as a party for the license.Special draw was individual.

[Robhood23]

Is it only limited tags for nr's or for everyone for the breaks? I guess alot has changed in 3 years!

[PV]

From what I remember the limited draw was for roughly the same amount of total permits that had been issued in the previous years when the draw was unlimited for both R and NR.NR has a 10% cap in all limited draws. We stopped applying last year due to the fact that we couldn't apply as a party in the limited draw. From what LKH is saying this has changed.I'll check on this tomorro. Deadlines coming fast

[PV]

Just checked the 2008 reg's. I cannot figure out if you can apply as a party for the special draw in 410. It wasn't listed in the special drawing  section regs. The final regs for 2009 approx posting date is 3/16 The same day as the deadline for the lic draw. Gotta love the government!

[LKH]

I think I goofed.  An advisory committee in Dec 2008 recomended party apps be approved for the district, but it was not unanimous so I don't think it will happen for 2009.

[Olin Rindal]

I just moved from Montana. Actually the area that you are looking at really hits home to me because my grandpa homesteaded there. Actually the homestead many know it by " Turkey Joe's". I stopped hunting this area a few  years ago because I didn't like what it was turning into. Yes the regs have changed. I don't know about the NR and how the draw works. What I do know is that there was too many people in that area and yes majority of them were NR. Then there is the outfitter issue. They have totally taken advantage of the unlimited elk and antelope tags. That is the reason for the limited tags. The way the Montana law reads is that NR get 10% of the tags, well 10% of unlimited is unlimited. So the fish and game a put a limit on the residents. They said that the limits would be high enough that virtual all the residents that apply would get a tag and also limit the NR to 10%. Most of the residents opposed this plan because it put too many restrictions on residents. Along with this limited tag thing they made residents pick one area to hunt elk in. A lot of locals live next to several good elk units that they hunted. Hunt one unit one weekend and another unit the next weekend. Well this is no longer in Eastern Montana. The fish and game received tons of negative comments on the issue but turned a deaf ear. Many people say the number of elk are down. My opinion is that the water level of fort peck, and the Missouri river has been so low for so long that the willows have grown up and created thousands of acres of new habitat. That and the added pressure of so many people that the elk herds are really spread out. My experience is you will find more elk next to the river and head east. maybe get a little boat and hunt the islands. But remember where ever you find elk you will find people hunting them.

[Robhood23]

I noticed the boats the last time I was out there! I am debating on the boat thing! How was your experience calling? Would a 14" jon boat with a 9.9 be enough for the river?

[Olin Rindal]

If your hunting on the islands the only call I would even consider is a diaphragm mouth call to use as a cow call to stop a bull. I think your boat set up will work It will be slow when you go up river but I used a 10HP on a 12' boat and it worked. Don't expect to go any where fast. I know a few people that have luck on the islands and all they do is sit still and let other hunters push the elk to them. You will know when the elk are in the area because with all the willows it sounds like a freight train coming.

[Kevin Bahr]

Not to hijack the original thread, but do I need to put in for the big game combo tag or the archery tag, if I want to hunt elk this fall?  My friend who I'm hunting with is out of town for a few days and I got online to apply for the tag and when I saw all the options, I got confused on exactly which I should apply for. But then, I'm a little slow on the uptake...

[PV]

We used a 9.9 and a 12' v hull for the first couple of years before we switched to rafts.Worked fine for the main river.There are limited entry points to the river you can get a boat to and the few access points have a lot of traffic.

Kodiak is spot on.Some of the coulee mouths that were prairie when we started hunting them are now BIG willow patches.
Kodiak was your grandpa's name Joe Cook?