After seeing many, many elk this season I haven't seen a single elk on my last four hunts. There are only two days left of the Montana general season. This morning I awoke and packed my back pack only to find the zipper was open and my license, tags, and other hunting papers were long gone. After a frutile search I concluded that the mountain had taken them, I got replacement tags today but missed this mornings hunt. I am at near panic stage on the elk this year. I had chances earlier and passed waiting for the big boy, now I will shoot a cow and be damn lucky to get even that. I need all your wishes, so rub those good luck charms fror me, unless of coarse your good luck charm happens to be your wife, then you probably don't want to rub her for me.

good luck--we're all counting on you--no pressure--but, we're all counting on you (grin). I went back out yesterday morning--not to my permit area--but down around boulder--jumped three cows (brow tine only area)--did I mention we're all counting on you (grin)
HB

Good luck. Remember your success stands between your family and starvation. No pressure here either

It's 3:00am here, last day of season. Yesterday I focused on the hell holes, nasty stuff were elk go under pressure, hiked 7 miles through this crap, saw nothing. Fell asleep as soon as I returned home and woke up this morn at 1 am. Preparing my gear now for the last hunt of the year. I have no idea where the elk have gone, I have no idea where to hunt today. I am completely dependant upon luck at this point. No more hell holes for me, can't take them anymore this year.

If you get somethng this morning it won't be luck--it will be the laws of probability (the more you're out there the better your chances)--I know you have put in a lot of time, hopefully you will be rewarded with an opportunity.
good luck
hb

Season is over[&o]. Hiked to the top of a ridge saw several fresh tracks this morning. They moved through too early, I was on the ridge at 6:45am. Trailed them for a couple of miles and the legs cramped up. Return to truck, season over, legs are shot from yesterdays hunt. Gonna watch the sun go down from my house. Depression emmense. Passed a fella yesterday who shot a cow 100 feet off the road, drive by and saw her, ahhhhhh. I have learned a valuable lession this year, never again will I put all my eggs in one basket. It's time for me to seek out that special place nobody knows about. That magical place where you can hunt and not worry about the crowds changing the elk habits. I need a horse.

muley 69, man I feel for ya, been there and done that. In 1997 there were elk everywhere I hunted the entire month of Sept for archery and half of Oct for my friends and wife's elk draw hunt. To make a long story short I wanted a big bull, but I could only shoot a spike or cow during archey season. My wife drew out on a any bull hunt that opened Sept 25 through Oct 14. Oct 15 was opening day of general rifle season spike bull only. Sept was a hot month and I spent the entire archery season calling in big bulls trying to find a big one for my wife. I was seeing 200 plus elk a day and almost every day during the archery hunt I could have filled my tag for a spike or cow. But I was haveing to much fun with the big boys and I thought that shooting a spike with a rifle was guaranteed. Anyway, we killed two bulls during my wife's hunt. One was a really nice one that scored 371. We saw alot of elk during that hunt. There was a big storm that came in somewhere around the 12th, if I remember right. When I came back for the last week of October, to fill my spike tag (for meat), there was not an elk to be found. I searched high and low, in the thickest, nastiest stuff you could find. But it seemed like the elk had just vanished. And I kick myself for passing up all those cows and spikes during archery season. But that's the way it sometimes goes. Hope on your last day, you'll have more success than I did.

Passed on a 5 x 5 opening day in hopes of seeing something better. Went out a few day's ago after the big snow and again saw nothing as well has having my butt pinched tighter that it ever has as nothing but ice coming off Sula Peak and almost lost the Jeep over the edge a few times. I hadn't seen anything till today the last day.
I got into a herd of about 50 and dropped the smallest calf I have ever seen. Of course after the shot the forest opened up with Elk and watched a nice 5 x 5 run on by.
I have seen deer almost as big as this calf, but I will have some good eating for a month or so. Theres always next year

Muley 69,
I was raised in a poor family and wild game is just what we ate all 7 of us.
When my daddy said to me when I fisrt started to hunt"Never pass on a good elk,you will not get the chance again"well that we almost 20 years ago,elk are more abundat(unless you are tring to find them).
I trophy hunt deer,but my elk are my beef,if I find on it's a dead elk.My brother in law pass on cows all season long,now he is saying I should of, I should of.
But hey they extended the season over at Agusta till the 12th of Dec. for cows area 442.
So the season ain't quite over,let me know if intrested.
BBJ

Holy crap I just found out today that rifle season has been extended! I can't believe it! I'm currently looking at the extended districts and I believe one is right over the pass here! Man this is nuts, this never happens. Bareback, let me get back to you, I think I have an extended district right here in my area. This is great!