I'm not sure what Montana they were in but from my point of view this was the worst season since 1971. I hunted 28 days on horseback, heard two shots, and saw three elk. The weather was horrible with preseason snow that froze. The south sides thawed and were bare. I figured I covered 280 miles, wore out horses, and only saw a single muley doe.

Prior to season after two hard winters the elk herds were down to a third. The calf crop was down by 70% and the predator population is the highest I have seen ( wolves and mtn. lions). I live here on a ranch. If you are looking for an elk hunt I wouldn't touch Montana for the next 5 years.