Moving to SE Montana on May 10th. What's available in that part of the state?

Where at in S.E. Montana? I am in Miles City.
Good mule deer hunting, lots of antelope, some whitetail on the river. More elk moving into the area and tags getting a bit easier to draw. Access is getting to be more of a problem. The State's Block Management plan is not adequate for the need, but decent guys can get access on private land especially if they're not merely trophy hunters. Landowers, like myself, are overrun with doe mule deer but everyone just wants to chase horns and that's left a sour taste with many ranchers.
Many people who come here from places like Alaska assume it is all federal land here but that's not the case. BLM here is checkerboarded into private land.
We have a lot of problems with people from forested areas. They are used to Forest Service land and think everything is public. Take your time and get to know people. They are good people in these parts.

If you enjoy bird hunting, you should be able to find sharptail and sage grouse. Pheasants are available too. Also turkey hunting is worth a try. You can always head up to my old stomping grounds around Fort Peck reservoir where there is a lot of BLM land in large blocks. Get some good maps and you can find plenty of places where you won't need to ask for permission 'cuz YOU OWN IT! C.M. Russel game range has good mule deer and some whitetail, antelope and elk...most of these require special permits, however. Hope you have a good 4 wheel drive...you'll need it! Hope you love Montana as much as I do, just don't invite your California friends!

Don't have any California friends that I know of. :D I'm looking at the Hardin area for housing. I am taking over the Postmaster position at Lodge Grass. Short term career move is what it is supposed to be, but who knows I might like it there. I have a friend that lives in Missoula. Yes I am a bird hunting fanactic when it comes to waterfowl but could very easily learn to like pheasant and what not. Definately not a head hunter.

I haven't been in that country much other than drive thru it. Should be some good coyote and PD hunting around there if your into varmint hunting. There should be some good fishing around there also.

If you ever get over to the Western side of the state I can point you to some excellent fishing.

You'll find great waterfowl hunting along the Yellowstone river. If you are willing to travel to North Dakota you'll find some of the most incredible waterfowl and pheasant hunting you can imagine.

p.s. My mom was the Postmaster in Fort Peck, MT for about 20 years...until 2002 actually.

I hope you bring a wife with you. SE Montana is genuine frontier country. Demonstrative shortage of pretty ladies and good paying jobs.

Don't pay up gas stations - keep 'er full as possible.
TR

I hope you bring a wife with you. SE Montana is genuine frontier country. Demonstrative shortage of pretty ladies and good paying jobs.

Don't pay up gas stations - keep 'er full as possible.
TR


The wife is staying in Alaska to finish up her last couple of years at the college so she can get her retirement. She'll be coming down to vist with me for 2 weeks in June and I'll be going back to Alaska for a couple of weeks at Christmas.

That leaves you nothing better to do than hunt Allen. Spring PD's and rock chucks should be out, hope you got a good varmint rifle. I don't hunt coyotes much in the spring, their pupping and a lot harder to call than in the fall and winter, but it's a blast doing that.

Have a couple of 204 Rugers, a 6.8 SPC and couple of 223's that have already been shipped to myself.

Coyote calling isn't the best this time of year, but the rock chucks and PD's should be popping up now in that area. I shoot a 204 and love it. Got to put the 8 by 32 on it this weekend and sight it in along with my old shooting partners. We've still got lots of snow up in the high country so our ground squirrels are all going to be later.

It takes a year of residency in MT before you can purchase tags as a resident. It's frustrating because non-resident tags for big game aren't cheap but if you love to hunt they are still worth it. There are certainly plenty of varmints that can be taken if you decide to wait until you get your residency status.

Sorry...I was wrong about the residency status issue. I just reviewed the regulations and you have to live in the state for 180 days to achieve residency.

Well I'm in Kirkland, WA. visiting a friend at the moment. Will be headed up I-90 tomorrow to complete my journey.

Don't forget paddle fishing at Intake east of Miles City. Those are some ugly fish now. EEEWW! But oh so tasty!! Nice muley hunting in the Custer National Forest, prairie dogs and bird hunting just about eerywhere else.

RJ

The State's Block Management plan is not adequate for the need, but decent guys can get access on private land especially if they're not merely trophy hunters. Landowers, like myself, are overrun with doe mule deer but everyone just wants to chase horns and that's left a sour taste with many ranchers.

Sunday Creek

When are they going to realize, that they can't eat the horns, venison is venison as far as I'm concerned. Maybe that is why I have never gotten a big racked buck like you see in the Trophy Rooms. I'm one of those guy's that see's the buck to doe ratio, and know we need to take more does. I think we ought to have "Earn a Buck" program where there are high doe to buck ratio's. There are areas where there are to many doe here in Montana and need thinning out.

"Earn a Buck" works like this. You have to shoot and tag two doe, to earn a buck

Over here in NW Montana now, I have never gotten a mulie... but we have gotten plenty of whitetail, bear and elk.

I've hunted ranches in Texas where they were striving to balance the buck/doe ratio. You were encouraged to shoot a doe by having a contest for the biggest doe of the week. Winner got a 4X Stetson hat. If you took a buck, you were obligated to shoot a doe.

TPV (fellow member) runs a lease in North Texas where doe cropping is encouraged. Many of the old time lease holders will take pictures of the bucks on their portion of the lease and take a doe home for venison. The bucks taken must be at least 10 pointers. There are some quality bucks developing on that low fenced lease.

Well I'm finally back online. Renting a small 2 bedroom house on a working ranch here. Have 3 miles of Little Bighorn River running through the property and only 30 yards from the back door. Caught one nice Channel Cat on Tuesday. Have access too 2 ranches for Pheasant and Prairrie Dogs.

Sond like you made it home Allen. Good luck.

RJ