We have talked about Kansas so now let’s talk about Montana. Who has hunted whitetail and mule deer in this state. What are the first steps if non-resident wants to hunt

I looked into it, and plan to start putting in myself for points towards an elk and mule deer hunt.

I think tags for white tails aren’t hard to come by. From my understanding, they are almost seen as a nuisance by most of the locals there. Hardest part of hunting that far is just going to be the logistics of it.

Yes I have done Whiretail hunting on two different trips in Montana. I can tell you a lot. If your bow hunting, it is extremely hard to get close. Also some of the outfitters that claim to be bowhunting are really only set up for gun hunting so you’ll see a lot but will not get close. This past season I went with an outfit called Montana whitetails. Whatever you do do not use these people. P.m. me if you want more info. Need to get your tag by April.

I have a plot we call Montana
Ju no wat i mean mang!!!

Does Montana make you take the bowhunter education certificate?

This stuff we're getting today would be a heat wave for Montana.

My cousin lives in Montana and told me to come visit and I can hunt from his back porch, if i get a tag. He has MS and is not capable of much.

Been there prairie dog hunting. Beautiful country...

. Now I don't doubt for one minute it is beautiful country.

I have spent time in Montana. General deer tag is good for mule deer or whitetail and you will see both living side by side in the river bottoms. Not an easy hunt with a bow in hand. Rifle its a slam dunk. I hunt with an outfitter and friend named Mike Zmek at Blue Rock. He works hard for his client and has some real nice whitetails for Montana. Most are tall and tight with 10 and 12 points on their rack. A solid 150’s whitetail in Montana is top end but i did see a couple that would have hit 160” with him this past fall.

Getting the tag is the key. I have hunted Montana and it is an absolute PIA to get a tag. You put in for the draw and don't get picked, then they have secondary draw and a last chance draw. It is costing the outfitters money. I was supposed to go last year, but out of the 4 of us going, I was the only one that didn't get a tag.

4 years ago when I went, I got my elk tag, but didn't get drawn for a deer (mule or whitetail, your choice). I was glad I didn't because the mule deer population in that area sucked and all the whitetails I saw were nothing to write home about.

It is great experience and would recommend it for anyone that can go, but jumping through the hoops to get the tag is a lot of trouble. I think my next elk trip will be to New Mexico. Outfitters still get the tags there. If you got the money, you get the trip.

The draw odds are posted on the states web site and like most western states the draw system can be a pain and very confusing. There are units that you can draw fairly easily and others that will take a long time depending on what you are looking for in a hunt and how much money you are willing to throw at building points in one state vs looking at another state that would offer equal experience with less time money and difficulty.

If your goal is to hunt public then pick a couple of states to build points and once you commit stick with the plan. Montana is covered in public land and the animals that live there are quality. For me seeing what montana has to offer i prefer to build my points for antelope and elk in montana. The deer unit i frequent has been available to draw with no points in years past.

If i cross the line just south into Wyoming I can easily draw a deer tag year after year buy applying and buying the states “special deer” tag which costs an extra $350 more than the general draw tag that i may or may not be luck enough to draw. The deer are the same quality on either side of the state line but public land is harder to find with access in that area of wyoming.

when you look at the time and money spent on a diy western hunt sometimes it ends up costing more than going with an outfitter. Ouffitters will help you with the draw entry, have access to the dirt(even if its public that can only be accessed through private)have the lodging which is scarce and could be hours away from your hunting unit, provide transportation (fuel availabilty can be an issue once you get away from a major town, feed you(there aint no fastfood joints to drive through) and one of the biggest issues is game processing. Even a deer is a chore to pack out if you are 5,6,7 miles deep on some of these parcels with no motorized vehicle access. If your talking elk... forget it. Pack horses cost $

All said and done at 44 I would rather save my $ and go with a reputable outfitter and enjoy the hunt instead of hassle when im that far from home. If i lived a couple states over then I would consider going the public route.

You said a mouth full, but spot on!! Several years back 3 of my buddies and I planned a trip to Colorado for a DIY public land elk hunt. Spent a year prepping and researching. We saw one elk all week.
You need to be able to scout an area in late summer, to have an idea where you want to hunt in early fall. If you can't go and scout, then you really are taking a stab in the dark. If you have hunted an area several times and know where the animals frequent, then you are good. Otherwise to just go and bust off on a hunt is very expensive and time consuming. I agree with yelkca280. For elk hunting and get an animal that large off the mountain. Save your money and get an outfitter.

I've hunted Elk and deer there on a combo tag. I didn't score but we saw some beautiful land and plenty of animals on property we couldn't hunt. I had no desire to kill a bear so I didn't buy a tag. Too cheap for the extra $250. Then after arrival we went in a bar/store and they had a bear rug on a wall. I knew then I would see a beautiful bear since I didn't have a tag and I loved the bear rug. I saw several including a nice Cinnamon colored. We were given access to hunt a big ski resort since this was before ski season but we ended up hunting a lot of public land also. All of the elk I saw were on The Yellowstone Ski resort which is very private and only for really high rollers. We were on Big Sky ski resort.

The people out there where we were complain that the elk numbers are down. They blame the introduction of wolves in Yellowstone and curse the gov't that did this.

As I recall, at that time they just had a generic deer tag for Mule deer or Whitetail. It was $500 as was an elk tag but a combo deer and elk tag was $700.

The guys out there are serious about Grizzly bears too. I didn't really take them seriously until one of the guys I was with killed a nice bull elk and the guy that we were hunting with Insisted that a couple of us stand sentry while it was being field dressed.

I’m there a few times a year P.M me if you want what I know. Love this state. Lived there for a while. Buying a cabin there soon.

Those Milk River hunts looked fun on all those real tree videos back in the day.