To ensure survey quality, officials complete all hunting district surveys during “similar time periods to minimize any issues with elk movements between the hunting districts” and “both area biologists began simultaneously at the boundary between HD 622 and 631, Timber Creek, and continued their surveys west and east,” according to the Billings Gazette. We put the blackstraps in game bags and hung them to cool on a dead pine. I had drawn an either sex tag in the southeastern corner of the Missouri Breaks, east of the Musselshell River. “I’m going to shoot.” I warned Dick and as the bull turned broadside I squeezed the trigger and sent the 180 grain Accubond on its way. The Outlier is a public land, DIY elk hunting film produced by Montana Wild during the 2015 Montana archery elk season. Read More . After dinner we poured drinks and mulled it over. The Department of Transportation caution sign on U.S. Highway 191 seems wildly out of place. We headed out, leaving the bulls on fire. We will also have a self guided elk hunt for our clients that wish to hunt elk upon completion of ... for the unit numbers and details. The sun was dropping below the canyon rim when a shrill whistle broke from the shadows that were beginning to fall across the bottom of the coulee. I continued to watch them until they drifted out of sight. A large herd of elk was being seen feeding in the alfalfa fields on private land not far from where I had been scouting. We had two choices. I would be glad to share some info with you that might help you on your upcoming hunt. Maybe really good. A ram tag for the Breaks is possibly the most coveted big-game tag in the Lower 48. Apparently other hunters thought it was a good area though and camps began springing up along the forest service road that skirted the drainage. He was an old bull with heavy mass and long tines. Most opportunities will be shots at a mature 6 x 6 bull. Application deadline is May 1. Contributors to this thread: JMG 06-Mar-15. The Missouri Breaks is a stunningly beautiful and remote area that few people who visit Montana ever see - unless they are hunting trophy bull elk. As I mulled over my options the door to the Winnet Bar creaked open and a dust covered rancher strode in, spurs jangling across the old plank floor. Here’s some good news: elk populations are up – and over objective – in the Missouri River Breaks in Montana. Have a chance to win hunts and gear every month — over $100,000 per year, Access strategy & tips to help you apply & spend more time in the field, Statistics and historical data to find top producing trophy units, Detailed overview of how to apply and hunt in each state, Your quick dashboard for important dates, benefits, and the latest giveaways. Tomorrow was opening day and I wanted to get a look before heading in the next morning. So we hurried to set up our new camp then grabbed day packs and headed back towards a deep canyon I had found on my scouting trip in September. Bull elk emerge from the willows along the Missouri to compete for cows, often clashing in dramatic fashion. “I see two cows!”  Dick had spotted two elk feeding across the canyon in an old burn. It might become too sheer to descend but with the time we had it was our only choice. I never did get a chance to go back in 2015 because of other hunting commitments. He was heading toward an opening in the trees and I would have a clear shot if he turned broadside. The rugged terrain, extremely limited bull hunting and great elk habitat in those sparse Ponderosa Pines have combined to yield as high as 40% 6 plus point bulls in some of the 400 series units. The route was passable but it took us almost an hour to make it to the canyon floor. # Applicants: Total number of resident and nonresident 1st choice applicants. Colorado elk herds stable following Cameron Peak wildfire No either sex elk tag this year, but I drew an antelope and a cow elk tag for the same area’s I can hardly wait for October and the start of the elk hunting season. Brady Miller thinks so. It's not just mule deer and elk that occupy the Breaks. I spent the next two days scouting a different area in the unit with the same results; lots of old elk tracks but nothing fresh. Its tough country I warned him, and too rough for horses. Keeping out of sight so as not to spook the deer, I made my way back to the hilltop. We talked a bit and he entertained me with hunting and ranching stories from the early days in eastern Montana. “Those elk will move back into that rough country pretty quick.”. That was probably one of the young bulls we saw this morning”. We would be in a good position when the elk started moving that afternoon. Armells Creek Outfitters specializes in trophy elk and mule deer hunts in the coveted Missouri Breaks and Judith Mountains of Central Montana. Then it was back to planning for the opening day of gun season. Hey Martin, Missouri Breaks Tag. Missouri River Country in Montana offers the kind of hunting that other parts of the world only dream about. “Was that an elk?” he whispered. I am a Montana native out of Missoula. Tomorrow, we would take two more trips to take out the remaing meat, cape and skull. Without a word spoken the gal behind the bar poured him a drink. The elk harvest on the Monument almost matches its famous neighbor — the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge — in regards to hunter success. In 2015 I lucked out and drew another either sex elk tag for the same area. It was now almost three o’clock. Elk Hunting in Montana HD 410 - Missouri River Breaks Those portions of Fergus and Petroleum Counties lying within the followingdescribed boundary: Beginning at Winnett, then west on State Highway 200 to its junction with US Highway 87 and State Highway 19, approximately 1 … “There’s a mule deer buck!” he whispered. I planned on being up on that hilltop at first light tomorrow. For HD 622, biologists observed 1,215 elk, which is 7% higher than the 2018 survey, but still 2.5% under the average. Congrats on drawing a great tag ! Enjoy this video that shares Missouri river breaks history of Bob and his cousin Tim. “Well”, he said turning to look at me, “Who the hell are you?”, I told him my name and he asked me where was I hunting? I finally had enough with not able to draw a elk tag in Wyoming now have 10 points. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (Montana FWP) are reporting solid numbers after completing surveys last month in Hunting Districts (HD) 621, 622, 631 and 632 – districts located north of the river, the Billings Gazette reports. Daff 09-Mar-15. Montana closes the elk archery season a week before opening its firearms season. This was more like rock climbing than elk hunting. We ate the sandwiches in our packs and grabbed a quick nap before heading back along the canyon rim towards the patch of trees. From it we could see in all directions, including the big canyon where the bull was now feeding. After the some whooping and hugging we grabbed our packs and headed for the downed bull. It was good to finally be seeing elk. LPT: License/Permit Type. I watched as the bull entered the clearing and moved toward a smaller bull feeding to his right. After four slow days, the hot weather finally broke and bugles began ringing out from the forested draws next to camp. I looked just in time to catch the orange hind end of the last elk as it passed out of sight into the trees. Although his rack didn’t look very wide, the spread of the white tips gave me the impression that he had good length to his tines. There was another big drainage a few miles from the area I had scouted in September which had a reputation of being easier to get around in, more open country that was less broken up by canyons and coulees. He wasn’t a bull I was interested in taking, but it’s always thrilling to watch an undisturbed elk. It was hard to tell at this distance. Elk in the Missouri River Breaks and Larb Hills are exceeding state population objectives. It was well below us, over 800 yards, but even at that range I could make out his rack and it looked pretty good. I was disappointed but I didn’t think we had spooked him. That’s when we heard the small bull whistle and the big bull’s grunting reply. After hours of glassing you look one more time and suddenly there is an elk. I got up at 4 AM before the alarm went off, started the wood stove and began making coffee and breakfast. Then it happened. There were 116 bulls per 100 cows and 57 calves per 100 cows – both higher than the 2018 survey totals, according to the Billings Gazette. In 2013 I drew an either sex elk tag for area’s 620,621,and 622 which are north of the Missouri River and close to Zortman and Landusky, a couple of old historic mining towns bordering the breaks. If the bull would just stay bedded until we made it down, it would be  relatively easy to get to where I could make the shot. For clients that ... for elk, you can expect 350-400+ bulls). My son and his hunting buddy scouted and found the bull for me and they also helped pack him out, along with 3 hunters who happened to stumble upon us. sbschindler 06-Mar-15. Your email address will not be published. “You’ll find elk in there”, he told me, “and you probably won’t see another hunter, but its tough going”. Lying beside me on a grass covered ridge, Dick continued to stare through his binoculars scanning the patch of pines three hundred yards below us. The elk rut was winding down so when antelope season opened I hung up my bow and took a break. The wind was in our face and the chute had hidden us from the bull. We stumbled into camp that night sore and tired. As if on cue, a series of deep grunts and chuckles drifted up from the pines. Or, we could head down the canyon rim for a half mile or so, climb down, cross it and climb up the other side. Heavy spring rains had gouged huge mudslides from the steep walls and where they dammed the ravines, ponds had formed preventing passage through the bottoms. RE: missouri breaks, montana archery elk The breaks are way overhunted in my opinion there are some quality animals around but not as many big bulls as there used to be although you can still find some big bulls the trick is to find that ten other hunters arent hunting if you get the tag email me and I will try to help Craig Over the last three years I had spent several weeks in the area hunting mule deer and had come to love the country. Montana Archery Elk unit 410 by: elkslayerdan Hi elk hunters. I looked around. Then next morning we tried unsuccessfully to find an easier route in at the canyon’s head. “Yes”, I replied without lifting my eyes from my binoculars. Email me back at n4thehunt@gmail.com .. Best ! goHUNT is a registered trademark of goHUNT, LLC. I was tempted to head back in the next week alone, but I knew I needed to do some scouting in my special draw unit. The problem was getting down to him. Now if the bull would just follow them out. My son and I saw 12 to 15 shootable bulls the first couple of days hunting, but none bigger than the bull I harvested in 2013. As the sun rose and illuminated the canyons surrounding us, another single bull, smaller than the first, followed the herd into the trees. I think I know the area you are talking about, they will be on my scouting trips. 5% of the film proceeds will be donated back to RMEF. Zach Kenner's dad Bob, draws an elk tag in Montana! We hunt in Montana Bighorn sheep hunting districts 680 and 620, Very limited nonresident Montana bighorn sheep licenses are available in the lottery. All week it was hot, in the 90’s. Also at this time, if you receive a combination elk tag you will be able to chase trophy mule deer. The entire Upper Missouri Breaks area is world famous for its big game herds; the elk, sheep, and deer herds there are consequently highly valued by hunters. Dan and I hunted the Bridger Mountains near Bozeman opening weekend but the hot weather slowed the elk activity. It was 9 PM before we had the bull quartered. Perhaps that was just as well. Hunting could be tough on public land and the elk stayed far from the heavily hunted roads. “Just wait till the shooting starts”, she encouraged me. I have archery hunted elk for the past 15 years. The Missouri River Breaks, while probably most famous for its mule deer hunting, produces some fantastic elk hunting. During the late Cretaceous Period, the Bearpaw inland sea covered most of the area. Two hours later I was still questioning our decision to leave the big mulie behind as we climbed over the top of the far canyon wall. Over a cup of coffee I got a clue from the local livestock veterinarian. I had hiked in over six miles from the nearest navigable two track and was discouraged by the lack of elk sign I had found. APPLICATION STRATEGY 2021: Oregon and New Mexico spring black bear overview. We clambered down the narrow rock chute that descended the canyon wall, lowering ourselves over ledges and dropping down cracks in the cliff face. “However, there has been a consistent downward trend in harvest in these districts, which is likely due to seasonal distribution shifts.”. Dick confirmed my thoughts. Our fully guided Missouri Breaks archery elk hunt is the stuff dreams are made of, and the excitement of our rifle mule deer hunt and rifle whitetail hunt will create memories to last a lifetime. The bull moved into a ravine and dropped out of sight. The bull was bedded at the edge of the trees on the top of a small bluff that rose from the creek bed on the canyon’s floor. Here’s some good news: elk populations are up – and over objective – in the Missouri River Breaks in Montana. It took me thirty minutes to cover the distance and when I finally crawled out on the outcrop the big buck had bedded down in the thick scrub on the canyon floor below me. Montana. Any recommendations would be appreciated. As it drained it formed the Missouri River channel, cutting deep gorges in the seabed and exposing sandstone and clay deposits representing millions of years of geological formations. The Breaks are a broken tangle of canyons, coulees and rock hoodoos. After Dick arrived we loaded the truck with gear and headed north. The Breaks are known as one of the premier elk habitats in Montana and the western U.S. Elk and mule deer inhabit much of the same areas. Between 2004 and 2013, the three counties that unit 680 resides in accounted for 81 record book rams. The surveys are completed during alternating years with bighorn sheep surveys. Four days later I was sitting on a barstool in Winnet, MT, population 185, trying to dull the pain from humping a pack in some of the toughest country I had ever chased an elk in. When we finally crawled over the top of the grassy ridge, the bull was gone. Drawing a Missouri River Breaks Elk tag is one of Montana’s most valued tags. “The last one was a bull,” he said, “but they are so far away, I couldn’t really tell how big he was.”. Staring straight ahead he drained the Jack and Coke. He was a huge bull and it took both Dick and I to lift the rear quarters and set them on crossed logs to cool. I had just settled in when Dick spotted several elk dropping off the far canyon rim. Wyoming elk application due January 31st ! “In total, 1,991 elk were observed during this survey, which is a minimum count for elk within these districts,” said biologist Brett Dorak. Missouri River Breaks - Best Advice ? ... Our Montana Elk hunts are conducted on private ranches in West Central Montana near Bozeman, Anaconda, Philpsburg and Deer Lodge, Montana. This year I drew a upper Missouri Breaks elk tag, unit 621 either sex. Mule deer are widely distributed throughout the region but most heavily concentrated in the Missouri Breaks … Elk and Deer: $5,500.00; If you want to add a Rifle Elk Hunt to one of the other hunting packages, add $2,000 for bull elk and $1,000 for cow elk. I drew for the same area for 2013 (798-20) and hope to have an equally good time. When I showed his skull to a biologist in Bozeman she estimated he was at least 10 or 11 years old and possible much older. Elk Combination License: This refers to a general elk tag. If I killed a bull in here it would have to be carried out in pieces. Read about his epic adventure below: I floated the Missouri breaks for several days, hitting the cotton woods and willows along the way. As we relaxed in the tent that evening, trucks, campers and horse trailers rumbled by, each one adding to my mounting concern over my selection of hunting area. I didn’t sleep well that night. In this case combination refers to the fact that the license comes with a upland bird and fishing license. 60% of all nonresident Montana combination licenses would go to licensed outfitters. “I know it well. If we get a bull down we will be carrying it out in pieces. We finally gave up and clinbed down the wall directly above the bull. Then the rains came and we had to tear down camp and get the heck out of there because of the rain on the gumbo roads, which were made impassable after the first couple of hours. As I was watching the bull disappear, Dick was glassing another canyon behind usl. If he kept moving toward the cows, I would see nothing but elk rear end until he was back in the safety of the dead pines. “I thought we were here to hunt elk?” he replied. That country will set a man on his heels.”. My hunting camp will be set up somewhere bordering the Missouri River Breaks…. So a couple of days before the start of the 2015 elk hunting season off my son and I went to set up hunting camp west of Zortman approximately 8 miles. One in particular intrigued me. “Well, you got your work cut out for you if you kill an elk in there. The canyon was almost 500 feet deep at this point and the walls were sheer. He and I had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro that spring and I hoped he was up for another workout. Great story and great country to hunt deer antelope and elk. The removal of the 620-00 antlerless elk archery B license. A two-year study by Fish, ... only 15 percent of Montana elk hunters filled their tags. We would start there. Both the 621-01 and 622-00 elk B licenses will be valid during the archery only and general seasons. I asked Dick to let me know if the range changed. Butch Manasse Outdoor Adventure Consultants. Receive updates and goHUNT's most popular content. He was definitely worth a closer look. To make a long story short after hunting for 6 days I shot the biggest bull (341) of my elk hunting career . Fellow hunters, I understand that this post is a little last minute but I recently found this forum. Natalie Krebs. Although it wasn’t one of the coveted and hard to draw Missouri Breaks units known for great odds on huge elk, the unit still had the potential to produce a good bull. “He’s at 330 yards” Dick said as he checked the distance with the rangefinder.