missouri river breaks MT.
09-03-2008, 11:07 AM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Posts: 1,401
RE: missouri river breaks MT.
I believe what Nemont is saying is that although some people have seen and taken some great bulls in the area, that is still the exception, not the norm.
I've seen a beautiful 7x7 bull that had to be pushing 400" in the breaks, of course that was when I was hunting with my dad andwe onlyhad a single cow tag between us. [&:]
I've also seen plenty of raghorns and several 5x5 and smaller 6x6 with thin narrow racks that wouldn't even go 250" and a few nice 6x6 with good mass and spread that would get in the 325" range. Other than that 1 huge bull I'm not sure that I've seen any over 325ish in many years of being out there during rifle season.
Elk aren't very predictable to begin with and throw in heavy hunting pressure and you just don't know from year to year. If you hunt hard and get off the beaten path there is a chance to see a 350" class bull. BUT, I wouldn't pass on him thinking there will surely be another 3 or 4 of them around the next corner to choose from. I would guess the average bull taken out there is still well under 300".
It is pretty rough country and although you are at a lower elevation there are still plenty of ups and downs to deal with and you can put some miles on your boots really quick. Horses seem like they would be good to have out there, but I've seen folks ride right by me at less than 100 yards when I was wearing flourescent orange and they never had a clue that I was even there. (and I was walking steady, not hiding in a patch of brush). Horses are good at getting you back in the rough spots and packing out the end result of your hunt, but you need to still put some shoe leather into it yourself IMO.
That's my 2 cents. Nathan
I've seen a beautiful 7x7 bull that had to be pushing 400" in the breaks, of course that was when I was hunting with my dad andwe onlyhad a single cow tag between us. [&:]
I've also seen plenty of raghorns and several 5x5 and smaller 6x6 with thin narrow racks that wouldn't even go 250" and a few nice 6x6 with good mass and spread that would get in the 325" range. Other than that 1 huge bull I'm not sure that I've seen any over 325ish in many years of being out there during rifle season.
Elk aren't very predictable to begin with and throw in heavy hunting pressure and you just don't know from year to year. If you hunt hard and get off the beaten path there is a chance to see a 350" class bull. BUT, I wouldn't pass on him thinking there will surely be another 3 or 4 of them around the next corner to choose from. I would guess the average bull taken out there is still well under 300".
It is pretty rough country and although you are at a lower elevation there are still plenty of ups and downs to deal with and you can put some miles on your boots really quick. Horses seem like they would be good to have out there, but I've seen folks ride right by me at less than 100 yards when I was wearing flourescent orange and they never had a clue that I was even there. (and I was walking steady, not hiding in a patch of brush). Horses are good at getting you back in the rough spots and packing out the end result of your hunt, but you need to still put some shoe leather into it yourself IMO.
That's my 2 cents. Nathan
09-03-2008, 05:41 PM
#14
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 15
RE: missouri river breaks MT.
hey npaden, where you were talking about, wasthat in unit 622, because thats what his tag is good for. the way i understand it is the breaks are a huge chunk of land, and some units might have more elk than others. As far as being in shape, we ussualy walk 6-10 miles a day for rifle hunting season in western MT. hopefully we should be fine.
121553 have you ever rifle hunted in unit 622. if ya what did you see andhow did you do
121553 have you ever rifle hunted in unit 622. if ya what did you see andhow did you do
09-03-2008, 08:32 PM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Posts: 1,401
RE: missouri river breaks MT.
Actually I saw the huge bull in unit 631 but there are plenty of elk in 622. That's the best district in my opinion but that's not worth much. Nemont really knows that area very well and is way more knowledgeable on the subject than I am. He isn't joking about the zoo that it will be out there on opening day of rifle season. Lot's of deer hunters and they issue a TON of cow elk tags each year so there will be lot's of folks out blasting away. Stopping and talking to folks can be a very valuable tool though as there will be lots of folks with deer tags or cow tags that may have seen a good bull and be willing to tell you where they saw them last although that doesn't mean they will still be anywhere close.
There is a patch of private land right in the middle of some of the prime hunting area that makes access a little tricky but they lost a battle with the county over closing the main road through there so you can at least make it through. It seems like the elk know that they can dodge some pressure on that patch of private land though and are often seen right on the perimeter.
You can stay in Hindsdale and run down through Frank Anderson's place or you can Stay in Glasgow and run the bone trail down, but I recommend planning on camping out there as it is 60 miles of gravel road either way you go. If it rains the roads getting into the breaks can be passable but anything with an up or down is going to be impossible after you get off an improved gravel road. The last few miles of the bone trail can get impassable as well. The gumbo sticks to your tires and makes them slicks in seconds. Usually you can wait until nightfall and let the mud freeze up and get out orif it is too warm you might be in for a few days wait to let it dry enough to get in or out. I've had to use a tire iron to clean the frozen mud out of my wheel wells to be able to steer because the mud built up and froze around the tires.
6 - 10 miles walking would be a light day in the breaks based on my experience. I usually put in 10 to 15 but I usually keep walking all day long and don't spend much time hanging around at the truck or camp eating lunch. They are very strict about staying on marked roads (trails would be a much better description) and they are pretty few and far between. To really get into the elk you need to walk a couple miles off the trail but sometimes you can see them from the trail. Seeing them is usually easier than getting close enough to get a shot at them though. With a good spotting scope it isn't unusual to spot them a mile or two away.
Not sure if that is too much information to post on a public forum or not. Those are coveted tags and I doubt that I will ever get a chance to hunt a bull out there. I'll be in Wyoming in a few weeks trying my luck there though.
Good Luck.
There is a patch of private land right in the middle of some of the prime hunting area that makes access a little tricky but they lost a battle with the county over closing the main road through there so you can at least make it through. It seems like the elk know that they can dodge some pressure on that patch of private land though and are often seen right on the perimeter.
You can stay in Hindsdale and run down through Frank Anderson's place or you can Stay in Glasgow and run the bone trail down, but I recommend planning on camping out there as it is 60 miles of gravel road either way you go. If it rains the roads getting into the breaks can be passable but anything with an up or down is going to be impossible after you get off an improved gravel road. The last few miles of the bone trail can get impassable as well. The gumbo sticks to your tires and makes them slicks in seconds. Usually you can wait until nightfall and let the mud freeze up and get out orif it is too warm you might be in for a few days wait to let it dry enough to get in or out. I've had to use a tire iron to clean the frozen mud out of my wheel wells to be able to steer because the mud built up and froze around the tires.
6 - 10 miles walking would be a light day in the breaks based on my experience. I usually put in 10 to 15 but I usually keep walking all day long and don't spend much time hanging around at the truck or camp eating lunch. They are very strict about staying on marked roads (trails would be a much better description) and they are pretty few and far between. To really get into the elk you need to walk a couple miles off the trail but sometimes you can see them from the trail. Seeing them is usually easier than getting close enough to get a shot at them though. With a good spotting scope it isn't unusual to spot them a mile or two away.
Not sure if that is too much information to post on a public forum or not. Those are coveted tags and I doubt that I will ever get a chance to hunt a bull out there. I'll be in Wyoming in a few weeks trying my luck there though.
Good Luck.
09-03-2008, 09:09 PM
#16
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 15
RE: missouri river breaks MT.
npaden,
Man that helps alot at least we've got an idea of what we're going to expect, your awesome thanks. good luck in wyoming.
nemont,
npaden says you know about that area. you got any pointers. is it unreasonable for my dad to hold outfor a bull over 300.we plan on spending about 12 days there.
I can't wait to go and i'm not even hunting, can't fathom seeing that many elk, where we huntyou shoot the first bull you see, we usually get our elk but nothing real big.
Man that helps alot at least we've got an idea of what we're going to expect, your awesome thanks. good luck in wyoming.
nemont,
npaden says you know about that area. you got any pointers. is it unreasonable for my dad to hold outfor a bull over 300.we plan on spending about 12 days there.
I can't wait to go and i'm not even hunting, can't fathom seeing that many elk, where we huntyou shoot the first bull you see, we usually get our elk but nothing real big.
09-03-2008, 09:50 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NW Montana / SW Alberta Rockies
Posts: 3,258
RE: missouri river breaks MT.
ORIGINAL: hank375
121553 have you ever rifle hunted in unit 622. if ya what did you see andhow did you do
121553 have you ever rifle hunted in unit 622. if ya what did you see andhow did you do
Hank, I've hunted both sides of the river for 5 or 6 years but only from early sept to oct. bowhunting. The nights I freeze my arse off and during the day your sweating like a stuck pig. I averaged 12 miles a day going up and down coulees. I've never gun hunted it so I can't tell you what its like during the gun season but I recommend getting in deep away from most pressure. The winds will be one of your biggest enemies out there too.
Nemont lives out there so he may be able to give you the statis on what its like in nov.
Good luck.
Bobby
09-04-2008, 08:28 PM
#18
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 6,471
RE: missouri river breaks MT.
Listen to Oldelkhunter he knows more then the locals ever will. Sorry to take up anyones time. Arguing on the internet isn't worth it.
09-04-2008, 09:47 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NW Montana / SW Alberta Rockies
Posts: 3,258
RE: missouri river breaks MT.
That's the way it goes sometimes. You go hunting with a friend and he has game all over him and you don't see anything and then the next day I see game all over and he don't see crapola. Its called hunting. It happens, sometimes your in em and sometimes you ain't. Been their and done it.
Oldelk, just because he didn't agree with you doesn't mean he called you a liar. I been on both sides of the coin out there when I've been in them and there were times I wasn't. It can be a crap shoot.
Bobby
09-05-2008, 06:54 AM
#20
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 6,471
RE: missouri river breaks MT.
Do not believe the guys who tell you there are big bulls behind every tree as that simply is not true. There are bulls and big bulls to be sure but they are the exception and not the norm. I have talked guys every year who have eaten that tag rather then not shoot a raghorn.
As far as the hunting area goes yes there are a lot of places there that hold no ELk but our hunt was a little unusual and we used a device that a lot of Elk hunters don't use to get to the Elk. Suffice to say it was the strangest Elk hunt I have been on..knowing what I know now I would have done a lot of things different.