Multiple years of drought have taken a toll on bird numbers. You must log in or register to reply here. There were elk in that area, but the archery hunters would push them down to the river into the breaks by the time antelope rolled around. Elk Hunting in Montana HD 700 - Missouri Breaks-Prairie . Starting with Elk Hunting in Montana: Know Before You Go, Prime Elk Hunting Unit 1: Snowy Mountains District 411, Prime Elk Hunting Unit 2: East Bridger District 393, Prime Elk Hunting Unit 3: South Little Belt Mountains District 540, Start Now for Your Montana Elk Hunt of a Lifetime, Busy Farm Finds Support in LandTrust Partnership. Mule deer numbers in HD 329 appear to be holding steady, with some growth over the past 10 years. Most elk hunting opportunities are allocated through limited permit or B License drawing in the region, except for HD 690, where general licenses are valid for antlerless elk during the general season. In HD 318, there are pronghorn does that are collared as part of an FWP study. HD 700 was surveyed in late December 2021, with excellent survey conditions and exceptional observability of the elk. Non-resident hunters must draw a general license in order to be entered into the special drawing. Joined. Hunters in HDs 515, 535, and 540 can expect similar opportunities to last year in this area. Toggle between terrain, satellite, and topographic views, The ability to filter OTC units by residency and manner/sex, 1st choice license applications and licenses drawn, Draw odds for resident and nonresident applicants, Harvest stats by hunt_code, manner, season, sex, type, Average # of days between precip or snow event, Probability of other weather events (thunder, hail, etc) by by month. The Missouri Breaks (HD 700) and Custer Forest Elk Management Unit (HDs 702, 704, 705) remain the two "core" elk populations in southeast Montana. Drawing Statistics. Resident or non-resident hunters longing for a special permit, on that allows you to shoot a bull elk in a unit that otherwise is antlerless only, the time to start looking is also before April 1st. However, the majority of elk occur on private lands were hunting access is typically quite restricted. The tooth will be sent to a laboratory where the age of the bear will be determined. Bull on Monday 7x8, 389 yards, 300 WM 215gr Berger. So far, the moose study has revealed that the Cabinet-Salish moose population is relatively stable although perhaps at lower overall numbers than historic highs. Id love to talk to your son about his experience in unit 700. This year will be very similar to 2018. This fall, FWP wants to be sure that bird hunters are aware that thanks to recent efforts to restore native sharp-tailed grouse to western Montana, it is possible you could encounter a sharp-tail grouse in western Montana and hunting is closed for this species west of the Continental Divide. Non-resident hunters must apply for their general tags before the April 1st deadline. This license will be sold over the counter on a first-come, first-served basis, one per hunter, and is only available to those who hold a valid 007-20 and/or 007-30 pronghorn license. Elk should be in good weight and condition going into the fall after a wet spring and early summer. Total number of 1st choice applicants that were successful. Many of them also allow you to harvest a cow; it just depends on what your end goal is with your Montana adventure: meat, trophy, or both. I'm going to archery hunt Unit 700 for elk & deer this year, draw results should come out this week to confirm, but I have enough points to pull it. Toggle navigation DRAW ODDS ALASKA BISON BLACK BEAR BROWN BEAR CARIBOU DALL SHEEP ELK MOOSE MOUNTAIN GOAT MUSK OX ARIZONA ELK MULE DEER ANTELOPE COUES DEER DESERT SHEEP CALIFORNIA ELK DEER ANTELOPE Results are available 9 to 12 months after the seasons close. Mule deerpopulations are above average across much of the region but vary depending on the hunting district. #19. Do you have landowner tags, lease land, or have an lodge? And that 20% species distribution may lie 100% within private lands. Elk numbers in most parts of the Townsend area are generally good. lands in HD 260 as listed. Elk numbers remain robust throughout hunting districts in the Livingston area, though elk distribution may be challenging for hunters. While providing additional opportunity on a general elk license, spike bull harvest remains a small portion of the overall bull harvest and has not shown to have a measurable impact on the ratio of bulls to cows. When a healthy bull can tip the scales at over 1,000 pounds, it means your harvest will be a bit more than what you would get from a deer hunt. been up there on 3 elk hunts. Create a free account to read the rest of this terrain note! Montana unit 300. Pronghorn numbers are down across most districts in the Livingston area, and license allocations were reduced across HDs 338, 339 and 317. OtoPro SoundGear Hearing Protection Review, By Torin Miller, OtoPro SoundGear Phantom and Impulse Review, Vortex Razor HD 4000 GB Rangefinder Review, Toric UHD 2.5-15x44mm FFP Hunt Series Riflescope Review, Hunting Big Mule Deer after Mid-October with Cliff Gray. Took 3 weeks off work for it. backyardsniper; Jun . TRUMP DID WIN!!! They may see some groups of does without any fawnsa continuing short-term impact of drought. FWP began collaringmoosein HDs 105 and 106 (and in two other study areas) in 2013. The center of the region, Phillips and Valley counties, saw marginally improved conditions this hatching season and were briefly out of drought status in July. Elk counts are within objective in HD 304, and counts are strong in HDs 311 and 361. Hunters will be unable to purchase additional antlerless mule deer licenses during the general rifle season this fall. May 11, 2021. Montana has always been a good place to hunt elk, especially if you are a bowhunter as the season runs into the middle of October. Whitetail harvests were below average in the Madison area in 2021 and within average for the Bozeman area. This helps biologists monitor juvenile recruitment among game bird populations. I have hunted the. Then, searching LandTrust, discover the private land that allows you to hunt the species of your choice. Observed Elk Objective o Objective for observed elk by survey unit Objective Status o Below, Within, or Above the objective range Objective Status (Percent) o Within objective range . Permit holders should expect to see good buck numbers but finding a trophy buck may take considerable effort. Pronghorn numbers in the greater Augusta area and locations near the Birdtail Hills continue to show stability in numbers, although slightly below long-term average observations. Contact the applicable land management agency (i.e. Key portions of elk summer and winter ranges are located on privately owned lands. With room to spread out, it's important to know how the elk tend to migrate around through the area. I thought I would add,if you hunt from the water be prepared to be stranded by waves. As a result, bird populations are expected to be stable in this area and similar to last year, around average or slightly above average. Remember that these general units are all over-the-counter licenses for residents and can receive a fair amount of hunting pressure. One change of note is that Rock Creek replaced Big Creek as the dividing line in HD 314. The southern Rocky Mountain Front shows overall stability in elk numbers compared to recent years, according to area biologist Brent Lonner. Conditions in the center of the region may be more favorable and sage grouse numbers are likely to be similar to last year this fall. In 2022, all of the non-resident deer permits drawn in units 261-50 and 270-50 were drawn by non-resident landowners. Pheasants will generally be found closer to riparian areas and grain sources. Forest grouse populations are considered to be stable in the region. There are still some early and late shoulder season opportunities but note that late season rifle opportunities end Jan. 8 this season. I would suggest that you make sure you are prepared to walk long distances in a pair of quality boots. Create a free account to read the rest of this access note! For that reason, among others, pronghorn licenses were reduced in HD 444 for the 2022 season. Thank you in Advance Art A man's Gotta Do What a Man's Gotta Do! As snow covers the ground up high, the elk migrate lower to ensure they still have ample feed to continue packing on the pounds for what can end up being a long Montana winter. Residents of Montana can purchase general tags at any time, even after the season has started. Elk hunting in Montana isnt the same throughout the entire state. After that date, the application period is over and youre stuck with a general tag. The eastern portions of the region all received better precipitation this year and habitat conditions steadily improved from early May through July. You cannot hunt a general elk unit. Archery: Sept. 2 - Oct. 15 Youth, deer only: Oct. 19 - Oct. 20 General: Oct. 21 - Nov. 26 Shoulder seasons: Aug. 15 - Feb. 15, varying dates before and/or after the archery and general seasons Muzzleloader: Dec. 9 - 17 However, these grasshoppers also provide a valuable food source for game bird chicks, so the overall impact to upland bird populations depends on the local area. Similar trends in moose populations are likely in most of Region 1. Theres a lot of cut up private/public boundaries in the unit, but your access to the private through the outfitter will increase your odds. Contributors to this thread: Titan_Bow 07-Nov-15. Public land and private land percentages can sometime be misleading. HD 331 is no longer open for harvesting antlerless elk on the general license on public land. Due to the drought conditions, juvenile numbers will be down in the western areas and subsequently decrease overall numbers and harvest. FWP biologists will be collecting wings from hunter-harvested sage-grouse, mountain grouse and gray partridge, also known as Hungarian partridge, in several areas of southwest Montana. Mule deernumbers observed this year on the 14 spring trend areas were 36 percent below 2021 and 47 percent below the long-term average. Taking weather and habitat conditions into consideration, overall hunting success for upland birds is predicted to be below average, although still very dependent on hunter effort. Send us an email at [emailprotected] to learn more. Grouse hunters headed to Region 6 will likely encountersharptailpopulations similar to the fall of 2021. Nutritionally stressed does dont produce as much milk for growing fawns, and many fawns didnt gain enough weight their first summer to make it through the winter months. Mule deer populations in HDs 319, 340, 350 and 370 appear to be on a downward trend. Create a free account to read the rest of this terrain note! Took 3 weeks off work for it. Check the regulations to see what license opportunities are valid north or south of Rock Creek. Grizzly bears have the potential to be found anywhere in the western two-thirds of Montana (west of Billings), and their distribution is denser and more widespread than in previous years. Scattered pockets of EHD were also observed along the Milk River from Glasgow to Malta and out on the prairie habitats in the eastern portion of the region, added Williamson. There was a record high elk count this year, including bulls, across HDs 445 and 455 this past March. Create a free account to read the rest of this access note! Keep us posted of how it goes as I hope to draw this someday. The first option is that hunters may turn their general license back into the state for an 80% refund, if done so by August 1st, or a 50% refund before the general season starts. Out of those 700, half of them were bull elk. As part of the regulation simplification effort during the 2022-2023 biennial season setting, the portion of HD 393 which allowed either-sex harvest with a general license was eliminated. Upland game bird populations are highly dependent upon weather, and the past year has provided both good and bad weather conditions for pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge in Region 4. White-tailed deerspring surveys in HDs 502, 525, 555 and 575 showed a modest uptick in over-winter fawn survival in 2022, which should result in some improvement of whitetail numbers for the upcoming hunting season. See all stats but the last 2 years with a free account! the Elk populations are being reduced in the breaks to comply with an outdated elk management plan that was based on landowner tolerance, there is about 1/2 of the elk in the breaks we use to have . CWD continues to be present across the Ruby watershed. The area is coming out of a tough drought and has received moisture this year. Pheasanthunting on the Ninepipe Wildlife Management Area near Ronan and surrounding area could be challenging this year. Hunters need to be aware of some regulation changes passed by the Fish and Wildlife Commission this winter. Sep 14, 2021. Hunters in other regions are required to submit the hide and skull to an FWP official within 10 days of harvest so FWP can collect a tooth for aging. Habitat conditions, spring adult populations and recent brood observations start out slightly above average in the eastern third of the region but decline to the west. With room to spread out, its important to know how the elk tend to migrate around through the area. Even if youre not after that trophy bull, youre likely to find a legal elk since this area allows you to harvest brow-tined bulls or antlerless with your general tag. The light rain Stopped, and the High temp went from 90 degrees to 70. Full on rain gear isn't really necessary, if it's raining that hard you won't be getting around in the gumbo anyways. i hope to be up there with a elk b tag. I'm a Montana resident and I just learned I drew a bull elk tag for HD 631 during the rifle season this year. Guided for an Outfitter there. Hunters should seek areas with a variety of other abundant food sources like serviceberries, chokecherries and mountain ash. Posts: 1,663. In the eastern portions of the region, sharptail numbers are expected to be fair to good. Drew this tag last year. Additionally, EHD impacted whitetails along the Powder River. Montana Unit 700-20 Bull Elk. The proportion of pronghorn that have reestablished their use of this district is uncertain. Thank you. In 1990 the Department purchased a conservation easement in HD 631 on 19,189 acres belonging to the Page-Whitham Ranch. In most cases, elk populations throughout the Little Belt, Castle and eastern Big Belt Mountains area are at the high end of the range observed in recent times. For HD 580, spring surveys and 2021 harvest data indicate average whitetail numbers. This was the first time a year-over-year increase was seen for sage-grouse here in five years. Montana. Expect poorer than average pheasant hunting. Note: hunters may possess a total of seven Deer B Licenses in any combination. While precipitation has improved vegetation conditions in the eastern two-thirds of the region, grasshopper damage has impacted the quality of the cover again in many areas. Thanks in Advance. FWP staffs ability to collect samples at game check stations will be limited and will occur only if it can be done safely and check stations are not busy. Good luck. Conditions in much of southeast Montana are considerably better than last year at this time, when the landscape was ravaged by drought. If you can find some block management close to those areas is where Id spend most of my time. Mountain grousenumbers might be up a bit this year as a result of favorable spring moisture. Apr 13, 2016. 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