Success!!!! After 8 years of applying I finally drew an Elk Tag in Montana's Area 417. 380+ class bull here I come, now only 6 m

[tneal1987]

Success!!!! After 8 years of applying I finally drew an Elk Tag in Montana's Area 417. 380+ class bull here I come, now only 6 more months before hunting season. I am so excited. Did anyone else get lucky that they know of yet?

[buckhunter]

Congrats! Gun or bow?

[jay]

Thats awesome. Will you be hunting public land?

[jay]

Ahhh, looks like missouri breaks region. No wonder you were excited!

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

Tneal, you better make it bow hunting or forget it. By the time rifle season opens those elk in there move out of the public land and onto the Eastern game-hog properties. I'm sure you know the score up there. I have a very close friend who is an optometrist in Lewistown and in the past he has had no trouble getting his bull in that area with a bow, and a couple of nice ones but not 380+! It's going to be tough to find one that will score that high. The one in my profile probably looks about that range but he's actually only 354. Wait ... you're saying you EXPECT to kill one that big, not that the tag requires them to be that big, right? Congrats.

[WA Mtnhunter]

Just hope it doesn't rain up there in the Breaks! Congrats! Best of luck to ya'

[tneal1987]

Hunting all private land with a rifle.

[WA Mtnhunter]

Good for you, tneal. That is the dream hunt of a lifetime. RMEF 'Bugle' ran a story on the Breaks that drew fire from some members for exposing the honey hole it is. I may hunt MT next year if my health holds up.

[DakotaMan]

Congrats tneal, that will be a great hunt for sure. I just got my notification too. After dreaming for a lifetime, I finally got a tag for area 318 in south western Montana. For me, it is worth the price of the tag just to dream about hunting that beautiful country. A nice bull would just be an unexpected bonus. I'll hunt hard though and hope to get helpful suggestions from this wonderful group as the time approaches. Best of luck to you tneal!

[jay]

montana's nonresident tag system sucks. You first must draw a general tag prior to putting in for a limited entry tag. I'd just about give anything to have a sheep tag for the breaks.

[fliphuntr14]

Nice Tneal looking forward to some pics maybe in person at that time. thanks for the info on deer by the way forgot to get back to you on that one. im counting down the days until im wondering that state.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

Jay, Montana's non-resident system is no worse than the other ones ... the other ones that have decent game left.

Put in for a ewe tag in the Breaks. They're not nearly as hard to draw, very easy to shoot one, and they are EXCELLENT eating.

[Gary Devine]

tneal, do you want to sell the tag?

Only kidding, and Congrats to you.

[WA Mtnhunter]

We are hunting Unit 30/31 in Colorado this year. Bull tag is over the counter, but the mule deer license is strictly draw everywhere in Colorado with various success rates in the draw unit to unit. I put in for a cow tag as well. Just have to wait and see how the draw goes. Best of luck to you guys on the Montana hunts!

[DakotaMan]

Thanks WAM... I didn't think the tag process was bad for non-residents other than that the licenses are pricey. Over $1000 for elk/deer tag but since it is a trip of a lifetime for me, I'll do it. I even came out of retirement to earn the money for the trip. I've got to buy a couple of horses and pay for enough certified weed free hay and diesel fuel to get them to the happy hunting grounds for my bucket list trip. Since it is about 4000 miles round trip, I might need to buy a few hot dogs along the way too. What we do for FUN, eh?