Early Rifle Elk Hunt in MT

[RoaminPublic]

Hey All,

This is my first post on the site, I've been a lurker for many years now and figure its time to contribute.

My question is centered around the HD's where you can rifle hunt during the Elk Rut. I am a bowhunter through and through, but hunting rutting bulls with a rifle caught my eye. A couple HD's that I have looked into are 316 and 150. I have read a lot about how 150 is now a Elk wasteland. But my buddies and I love to get way back in the most remote areas we can think of generally. 316 looks to have very restricted access to most of the unit.

On to the questions:

1. Why do they allow rifle hunts during the rut? Is it because these places are so rugged/remote they want to give the hunter every advantage they can?
2. Have any of you had success on these early rifle hunts? (doesn't need to be 316 or 150 specifically)
3. Any other info people are willing to share around these hunts?

My group of buddies and I have been hunting ID the past 5 years with decent success, just looking for a new opportunity. Even if we hunt a general unit with the bows in MT, that chance to come back with the gun is mighty appetizing.

 

[MTGomer]

Do you have horses?

 

[ida homer]

I think you nailed it.

I hunted 20A and 26 with a rifle in Idaho 10 years ago. With dreams of big ass rutting bulls with a rifle.

We got into 1 small herd of cows in 6 days of hunting, no bulls. We hunted 9/18 - 9/24, if I remember right.
I think its the remoteness, the terrain difficulty, the poor antler genetics and the very low elk densities, in the Middle Fork zone at least.

They have a difficult time killing enough predators in those units due to the remoteness, especially with deep winter snows.

The country was so big that we couldn't cover the ground we needed to like we can in the front country units. I'd like to give it
a shot again some day, ideally with stock and more knowledge.

 

[RoaminPublic]

We do not. We usually walked in spike camps 3-6 miles in ID. That is probably the range we will target here as well, because if you are lucky enough to get one you still have to pack it out on your back. We have thought about renting lamas, but you still have to walk, even witht hem.

 

[MThuntr]

3-6 miles might barely get you off the pass after a potentially +5 mile hike from the trailhead (in a different unit).

You might want to take another look

 

[MTGomer]

316 is generally a horse unit for elk.
I’m not saying 5 guys couldn’t team up on one bull and backpack it out, but it will be much further than 6 miles.

 

[Gerald Martin]

316 is a great place to take your rifle camping and enjoy some awesome scenery. Get a black bear tag, so you can shoot something on your trip.

It’s beautiful country that looks like it should have elk everywhere. It doesn’t.
If it did, it would be one of the best hunts in MT.

If you still want to do it, I would highly recommend doing a backpack scouting trip in July to confirm what I just said.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

If it looks too good to be true...

 

[BigHornRam]

The early rifle units used to be premier outfitted elk units years ago. Not so much anymore. Early winters in those areas make access difficult even with horses compared to most other general units. That's the reason for having an early rifle season there, and even though those areas are a shell of what they used to be in terms of elk hunting, Montana has a hard time changing our way of doing things.

 

[MTGomer]

Between wolves, bears, regen from the 88 fire growing up, over harvest, climate change and the corona virus, 316 has about 85% less elk than it used to.

 

[brownbear932008]

Even most of the outfitters have low success on those hunts with all their stock. That should tell you something.

 

[BigHornRam]

Between wolves, bears, regen from the 88 fire growing up, over harvest, climate change and the corona virus, 316 has about 85% less elk than it used to.

When I come across remnants of old outfitter trails in burned up, blowdown infested areas in there, I think to myself, this must have been a sweet place to elk hunt 40 years ago. If I had horses.

 

[RidgeRoamingRichard]

I am new to backpack hunting so take this with a grain of salt (or like a pebble). I packed into 150 last september for the rifle rut. We hiked in 5 miles, just over the border of the BMW and camped at a high mountain lake. We struck out during the day, hiking the ridges and glassing down into the valleys. It was one of the most memorable trips I've ever been on. As a hunting trip though...

We were socked in with rain and fog from the minute we got there until the we dropped below the cloudline on the way out. Sometimes the fog was so thick, we wouldn't have been able to find an elk in camp, muchless the miles of wilderness we needed to search. We cut wolf, bear, and elk tracks on the way in and out (and had beautiful clear weather), but nothing much in the way of sign or luck once in the Bob's.

Due to the poor weather and physical conditioning of some of my jollier family members, we didn't really get that deep in. I didn't get to explore all the spots I wanted to and we didn't hunt hard enough to say my experience was representative.

For a group of family and friends doing something new, it was perfect though. I wouldn't have traded it for any other hunt.

It was beautiful, I can't wait to go back, but I am doubtful I'll ever pack out of 150 with elk meat on my back. But I believe deer, grouse, turkey, black bear, and wolf are open around that time, so you may find some non-elk related fun.

 

[buffybr]

When I come across remnants of old outfitter trails in burned up, blowdown infested areas in there, I think to myself, this must have been a sweet place to elk hunt 40 years ago. If I had horses.

It was and I did...

 

[buffybr]

The eastern part of 316 has some roads, but I don't know how many elk are in there, and I wouldn't want to pack an elk on my back very far there.

Before the '88 fires I hunted the western portion of 316 several times, and I worked on several Forest Service projects in there. Warren Johnson and Bill Hoppe out of Gardner used to guide hunters in the Hellroaring drainage, but the last that I heard was that the elk were scarce and I don't know if they still have camps in there.

The elk unit 316 is also divided into several of the Unlimited bighorn sheep units. The first time that I hunted there I had a Unit 303 sheep tag and I backpacked in from Jardine. I camped just inside the Hellroaring drainage, and by the third morning I hadn't seen a ram but shortly after I left my camp I heard an elk bugling close to me. I closed the distance to the bull and when I saw his ivory tipped, dark, heavy 6x6 antlers my sheep hunting ended.

He stopped broadside about 75 yards from me to bugle, and I put a 117 grain Sierra GameKing bullet just behind his shoulder and he just collapsed dead where he was standing. I quartered him and hung the quarters in a tree and went home to get my horses. Back then I didn't have a horse trailer so the next day I borrowed my neighbor's trailer, but one of my horses wouldn't load in it. I then called one of the guys that I worked with in Gardiner and I was able to rent a horse from his mother. I have saddle panniers so it was fairly easy to ride the horses in, put a quarter in each pannier and walk them out.

I specifically hunted elk in there another year with two of my friends and we used my horses to pack our camp in. Luckily I was the only one to shoot a bull so we only had one elk to pack out. I was able to pack the elk out on one trip and the camp on another, but it was a long day to make both trips.

I wouldn't hunt elk anywhere in 316 without horses.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I’ve hunted the Bob. We killed elk. It would be really tough without horses.

 

[406dn]

Between wolves, bears, regen from the 88 fire growing up, over harvest, climate change and the corona virus, 316 has about 85% less elk than it used to.

So it's rebounding now???

 

[Sytes]

Two years ago (or three?), my partner and I dragged sleds into the Bob. Keep 'em light and it's a cake walk compared to multi trip backpacking elk - not something I would ever do, at least not to reach 150 areas.
We threw our packs in and had additional items such as rifle cases, tarp(s), 12 lb tent w/ titanium stove, etc... Items we would not have packed if just boots only packing.

For sake of packing an elk out a minimum of 5 miles (exceptions apply) two good hard sided sleds is doable... if you're dead set for the Bob. You'll get some peculiar looks from the horse pack trains though give space, pull sleds into the downhill side of the trail. It's your trail as much as it's theirs if you get lip though respect goes a mutual distance.

It's almost always steep switchback or hard packing uphill to enter the Bob.

It's a hike... Both of us with sleds worked... Until he injured his leg after his sleeping bag bounced out for a downhill tumble. As he climbed downhill, he (64-5 y/o) did the splits as one leg planted and the other slipped downhill. Thankfully we had the sleds and made his weight minimal as he winced back.

Still nice to toss the back pack into the sled and still a light load to pull out, especially downhill.

Ideal? No. Don't take no for an answer if you want to get into the Bob.

 

[buffybr]

@Sytes Now that I no longer have horses, I've often thought one of those heavy sided sleds would be good for packing an animal out. A friend and I once killed two 5x5 bulls in the North Bridgers, about a mile from our vehicle. There was some snow on the ground and I just cut my bull in half and drug him out in two trips. My friend also cut his in half and drug each half out on one of his kid's plastic toboggans. The toboggan didn't fare too well.

I also have three various wheeled carriers that I've used to pack deer and antelope out. I bought the 2-wheel carrier from Cabela's and I made the other two. They work with varying success. No wheeled carriers are allowed in Forest Service Wilderness Areas. I've also slid deer and elk halves out on thick plastic sheets that Cabela's used to sell.

In my previous post on my 316 bulls, I didn't have a camera with me on either hunt, but here's my Trophy Room pic of the bull that I shot in there when I was sheep hunting...

 

[RoaminPublic]

Thanks guys for all of the anecdotal advice here. I figured it was a place that you would want stock. We could rent a handful of those llamas everyone is raving about too! we have seen a couple groups in ID with them, they usually give us weird looks as we go hiking past.

If a guy on foot with 5 days of food and a shelter were to go in there, sounds like 5 miles is just scratching the surface. Also sounds like the Elk numbers are low. And the country doesn't lend itself to putting on 10 miles a day in search of elk.

I think we are going to apply for the general tag then here by 4/1, and keep doing research on these rifle hunts.

Being 30 right now seems like the time to do one of these back-breaker hunts if you were to ever do one!