muzzyman88

Hello all. This coming fall, provided I draw a deer tag, I'm headed to western Montana to do a little hunting. My cousin just moved there this past fall. He and his wife moved an hour north of Missoula to a little town called Seeley Lake.

My plan is to go out in September. My question, and you natives might get a giggle out of this, is about the grizzlies in the area. I'm going out with a bow.Should I expect to see or have many bears around me? Is it legal to carry a pistol during bow season? Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but being from PA, we don't have to worry about such critters. Just black bears that are more afraid of us that we are of them.

On another note, how is the hunting in this area? I'm going more for the sake of going and experiencing the west for the first time so I"m not getting my hopes up.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Montana Bob

Seeley Lake used to be a good place to hunt some nice Whitetail. The secret is out of the bag now and everyone and thier brother hunts it.
Years ago I hunted it and it was a great place to get a nice Whitetail with plenty of Black Bears, but just like the rest of Montana's little nice spots this one has gone to crap. Have fun waving at the 20 or more people you will seeout in the same area hunting.
They have built the place up with cabins, mostly out of staters, but you may have some better luck if you get out of the vehicle and hunt far from the road as the place swarms with road hunters, then again this may be tough as they have put quite a few roads in.
NO grizz in the area but plenty of Yotes.

royaltine

Yes, there are Grizzlies around Seeley Lake. I wouldn't worry about them much though. Count yourself lucky if you get to see one. You can carry a pistol during archery season in Montana. As for the hunting, it is still good whitetail hunting, good Mule deer hunting also on the West side of the Bob Marshall.

Montana Bob

Run out and shoot me a picture of one as the 25 years I have hunted the place never seen one or any sign. The Bob sure but not aroundSeeley.

npaden

FYI, the last 2 years the out of state deer tag drawing odds for Montana are right around 20% for the non resident deer A tag.

muzzyman88

So you're saying its a pretty slim chance of getting a tag for that area? I was looking at the reg book and am really confused on what to even apply for anyway. My cousin is supposed to get info from the guys he works with there. I'll apply, what the heck. At the very least I'll start earning points I guess.

MTdrahthaar

I think your odds are better if you put in for an deer/elk combo. If you are coming in Sept then good gosh man,better have an elk tag in your hand, they'll be bugling.
You can carry a pistol while hunting. I carry pistol and bear spray. I wouldn't say there aren't griz and they are not to be thought about, as there was a man killed by one while he was gutting his elk on the Clearwater Game Range about 3 years ago.
I wouldn't let it freak you out, you probably won't see one, but you can't be stupid about food and camping and such.
The Swan Mountains are some of the most rugged and beautiful places you will find to hunt. If you are willing to walk at all you won't see people. Lots of big whities, Sept will be to early to catch them rutting. But that first week of archery is a good time to get one as they are still in their summer patterns of feeding in the same fields in bachelor groups of 5-10 deer. Get a treestand in a good spot next to a private hayfield and you stand a good chance. You don't stand a good chance stalking due to the brush and the randomness of the deer in the big woods here. My opinion of course. But seriously, put in for the elk tag and get into some of those basins in the Swan and you will have some fun. There is a good bull in every basin. But you better be prepared for some steep and deep and brushy hell holes, but that is nw MT. Some get in shape or you might drop a nut hunting this stuff, that's is you go after elk. The whitetails are in the rolling foothills and lowlands and creek bottoms.

muzzyman88

MT, thanks for the advice. I was debating on applying for the Elk/Deer combo.That would probably make me cry having only a deer tag with a bugling bull only 20 yds away. I've always been a work out freak so that shouldn't be a problem.

Now you got me thinkin.

One other question that comes to mind. The deadline is March 15. When do you get notified if you're successful or not?

royaltine

Drawing results are posted mid may.




.

I didn't say they were behind every tree. Just because you haven't seen one, doesn't mean they are not there. I have a friend in Condon that had one on his back porch.

MTdrahthaar

Good luck putting in muzzy, my friend from IA drew last year with no points. I think you have something like a 67% chance with no points, 80% with 1 point, something like that.
If you draw and have more questions, just speak up.