Eastern Montana Elk Hunting- Special Permit

I must admit I was quite surprised and confused when I received a letter from the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks in August.  It congratulated me for drawing an either sex elk permit for an area in Eastern Montana (an area I had forgot I even applied for) and then proceeded to give me the names and phone numbers of four land owners in the district who wanted hunters to come and shoot bulls specifically.  I had applied for the special tag because it looked close to the famous Missouri Breaks and the odds were not very good (which I interpreted to mean it was very desirable).    I wasn't even sure I wanted to head seven hours east to find a bull elk when that letter came.  But how often do you actually have ranchers wanting you to come hunt on their land?  In my experience, only when there are a lot of animals.

I eventually contacted all four ranchers/farmers and the biologist for the area and planned a trip for the fourth week of September, thinking that would be the best opportunity during bow season.    We (my wife and I) went to one ranch house to confirm property boundaries and I noticed a set of antlers in the mud room.  Its mass was impressive, but even more impressive was the fact that one side had nine legitimate tines. 

We saw elk every day. They were not extremely vocal however.  Probably because it was unseasonably hot during the day.  The last morning we were there, I got within 45 yards of a herd bull but couldn’t close the deal.  His G-3s (third tine up from the base of his antlers) looked to be about 20 inches long.  He had about 8 cows with him.  He was extremely unresponsive to bugles and cow calls even within 50 yards.  Surprisingly, this whole encounter was on public land.   

Although I originally thought I would only go that far to hunt once, I could not help myself and drove the distance the first week of November.  During rifle hunting, the cows herd up in large herds.  You can actually shoot a cow with a general A tag, but it is pretty hard to find one because the large herds typically on ranches that don’t allow hunting.  It is more common to find bulls as you wander through the breaks.  I saw one herd of cows, but it was on private land I was not allowed to hunt.  Someone hunting on the same ranch I was hunting on had shot a big 7x7, but by the end of my 2^nd full day of hunting I had only seen a small bull and had no opportunity for a shot.  I hiked a big loop and found 4 sheds.  There were so many rubs it looked like the elk had declared war on the trees.On a whim, I walked a ridge that enabled me to see the area where I had been so close to the herd bull a month and a half earlier. 

I immediately saw two smaller bulls fighting and after further observation noticed a slightly bigger bull below me.  To make a long story short, I missed-judged the range and missed several shots before hitting the biggest of the three bulls.  He was a modest 6x6 but I wasn’t about to travel all that way without getting something.  I found the bull less than 500 yards from where I had seen the big herd bull during archery.  To hike him out on public land would have been about a 2 mile hike, up and over several hills.  Alternatively, hiking up the breaks through private land was around 1 mile.  The next day the rancher, whose land I had hunted on, was nice enough to drive his gator down to my elk.  We threw my elk on and drove it directly to my truck.  I thanked him and he said he was glad to get rid of another elk.  As we drove he showed me elk trails through his wheat field that looked like cow trails.

Overall, hunting the breaks was one of the best elk hunting experiences I have had.  Access is tricky, but there are private land options and public land access.  Elk typically bed about mid-way between the river and the fields above.  I never saw elk on an alfalfa field but heard several stories about hunters getting them as they left or crossed wheat and alfalfa fields.  It’s not as steep as some areas in Montana, but you have to be in shape.  If you don’t want to camp, stay at the Winifred Apartments, it’s a good deal for your money.