Who has hunted montana public lands?

[kingranch]

I'm from Montana! Are there elk? You bet, lots! Are there deer? Yessir! Are there millions of acres of public land? Yep! Is it the best place to go for elk as a non resident *from Texas*? No, probably not... Montana is a LOOOONG way to drive, and very expensive to fly there. Which is true of other western states, but the license system in Montana kinda screws over non resident hunters, to be honest.

Idaho has a much better system for non residents at half the cost. I dunno about you, but I wouldn't want to pay over $1k for the tag to shoot an elk in Montana, then tack on the price of travel just to get there. At that price you can drive to Colorado or New Mexico, which have plenty of public land and elk to hunt, and still cover your licenses. Heck, you could drive to Idaho and buy their tags, and still save several hundred bucks to put into good boots!

All that said, I am partial to the land in Montana, so I wouldn't discourage you if money isn't a problem. The place is amazing.

Thx for the replies please keep em coming -
I have killed in colorado and new mexico so looking for something different /back up plan and always wanted to travel to Montana- maybe stay a few weeks and enjoy the state and get a week of hunting in while there-
Don't get me wrong I am still putting in for new mex honey hole but draw odds are way low for non residents and I believe the areas up in Montana are alot better success for archery draw.
May end up just buying otc in colorado if I don't draw in one of the preferred units in other states

[Beargrasstx]

It was like 1170 dollars for a mule deer and elk tag in Montana. Yes, an elk tag alone is like 800 plus dollars but Montana gives a nice incentive to buy a deer tag as well. Considering you will spend 1k for a combo license in Colorado.

Colorado is the cheapest way to go from Texas. New Mexico would be nice but has the draw system and seems harder to get a tag there so I haven't invested much time in that.

I know Montana cost more.....eh, Idaho is probably the way to go.

[gtsticker]

I hunted it 2 years ago and saw elk but never got a shot. The group I went with was 3-4 this year. Plan on going back in sept if I can.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BaseKAM36]

Shot my elk on Montana public land

[justletmein]

Sub'd, highly interested.

[drube75]

I just moved to North Dakota from New Mexico and plan on hunting Montana as well. One thing to keep in mind for us non-residents is that the tags are no longer a "guarantee." At least as of last year they weren't. There were roughly 500 non-residents who didn't draw the General elk/deer combo. It might be smart to keep a place like Colorado and Idaho in your back pocket, just in case you don't hit that lottery! Best of luck, to you Kingranch. I will be scouting some general units here in the spring and summer.

[txmuleyman]

I’ve hunted Montana for 2 seasons now. All public land. Shot a bear, 5x5and a 6x5 bull. Killed a nice Muley this past season also. Elk are there, it’s just how bad do you want them. Plan on hiking lots of miles in steep country. Most people walk the roads and complain they don’t see elk. Step out of your comfort zone and just go for it. Also start getting in the best shape of your life now.

[Gary Roberson]

I hunted lion just west of Kalispel a few years ago and I was shocked how little big game that we saw. The gentleman that I was hunting with was born and raised there and said the the Canadian Grey Wolf that was introduced there had killed 3/4 of the elk herd and about half of the deer herd. While this was some of the most beautiful country that I have seen, it is not where I would go to hunt big game. We did see a few whitetails in the farmland around town and one small herd of elk. My buddy said that they were the first elk that he had seen in over a year and this guy hunts several days a week.
Adios,
Gary