First Steps

[gdgwp]

Curious as to what your guys' first steps are when trying to figure out regulations/hunting for a new state?

I'm specifically asking about Montana. But also eventually putting in for AZ and NV...so I'll need to figure those out as well.

I watched Randy's YouTube video on how the draw works. Got it. Ok...now I'm interested in a General MT Tag...deer/elk combo. Next I go to Montana's GFP website and download the regulations. INFORMATION OVERLOAD.

My question is this. If you don't know a state...what's your process of going about figuring out a unit to hunt...based on land access and draw odds.

Maybe I just talked myself into GoHunt.

Any help, guidance, criticism is welcome. I'm willing to put in the work, but don't want to read 98 pages of regulations if you guys say "hey - this worked way better for me".

Thanks - you guys are great.

 

[Mthuntinfool]

Depending on your questions I could probably answer most of them, or call the licensing department @ 406-444-2535, they are very helpful

 

[406LIFE]

Questions I ask myself:

I think a service like Gohunt or Eastmans would be beneficial for the odds and other demographics about a unit or species. For here in MT, I don't use them, but then again I am in my units year after year and am not overly concerned with draw odds. After that:

1. Is it California? If yes, quit now. If no, I go to #2.
2. I find the biologist for the areas I am going to hunt and put them through the Spanish Inquisition.
3. I try to make some local contacts via online forums, church, or any connection I can.
4. I go boots on the ground or google earth.

As for the blessed and glorious state of Montana, I would do the same above AND I would read the regs a few times. I don't know of anything too crazy there.

 

[Epfd217]

A - if you're serious about the state, read the regs. its 100 pages of government BS that in the end, you're responsible for knowing and could mean the difference between not only losing your animal, but also losing your hunt privileges in several states as well as your gun/bow, truck etc. It sucks, but part of the game. Some states are better than others at keeping it simple. Montana, is not the easiest. Wyoming has a complicated draw, but their regs are very clear and simple.
B - Determine you gameplan. Do you want to hunt this year or are you planning on playing points for a few years. The more time you have the less you need to learn quickly.
C - If you want to hunt this coming season, learn the section on applying for tags and what are the types of tags. Next hit the interwebs and learn the draw stats for the state and any places you're interested in. Since you mentioned the general combo tag, look up how many tags were available after the draw. The MT elk/deer combo has been available OTC for several years, but the number is dwindling as goals are being met and more people are learning how easy it is to get.
D - As far as dialing in a unit from the list of general units, that requires real research, phone calls, data mining etc. Anything that is found on gohunt or eastmans or the rest can be found online. Those sites just put the info in more useful format as well as adding their own opinion to the matter based on prior research. That being said, none of those websites typically have info that isn't already available to you.

Personally, my first year, I did it all myself and found some interesting stuff. Second year, I signed up for gohunt because I'm a data-whore and I wanted more opinions. I like go-hunt for its unit by unit data, but again, I've found some other more useful data that doesn't cost any money to access. So, it all depends on your level of interest. Lots of different ways to find public land. AGain, it depends on the format you prefer to read and use. MOst of the public data is already available. It just requires you to do your own homework.

I will probably keep gohunt because I'm just starting out, but the gohunt data is still somewhat limited. Its one tool in the process.

 

[cpoplayer]

I used goHunt for general info. But, once I decided on a state (Wyoming) I went to the Game and Fish website and really read all the regulations....several times. I keep a note book with me and make sure to write down the important stuff in layman's terms.

 

[amoor983]

I agree with EPFD. For the best and most satisfying results, you gotta do the work. I never had a mentor for western hunting, so I just dug in. For MT, WY, and CO where I have elk hunted, they have good data on their websites, you just have to go get it. Here are some tips I would recommend. 1. Get organized. start spreadsheets or word documents for each state and species, and when you get some new gem of info, write it down. Read stats; start with hunter success and total harvest (although this may not help with trophy hunting). Next, look at maps of public land and the animals habitat and reference it with the timing of the planned hunt. IE, if you are hunting late season, is there winter habitat available on public land? If it is early season, is there summer range on public land? what are the migration routes? This is super easy in CO, because they have it all superimposed on their hunt atlas (http://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/index.html?app=HuntingAtlas). Otherwise you need good maps. Google earth is a great place to start, but most states have another web based mapping system that will show publicly accessible land (or a print atlas). Onxmaps has been a good resource for me. BLM or usgs topo maps are also good, but you usually have to pay. Local biologists may be a good resource. Here in Nebraska, we spend lots of time on the phone with hunters. Other states the secretary will just give you season generalities and it may be hard to reach a biologist (ask for the biologist by name). In WY, a biologist gave me the landowner names of where the late season elk were hanging out (it didn't help because I could not get access). You are right, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Research and digest what you can, write it down, and then give it a rest and come back to it another time. One last thing- learn about the species preferred habitats and food sources. You can use state web sites, non profit web pages, or habitat suitability indexes. Once you learn this, every time you are driving down the road, see a picture of a place, taking a hike, or hunting other species, you are essentially scouting, as you can assess it for hunting potential. Colorado has a great example for elk- elk hunting university.

 

[hank4elk]

#1-get some aspirin.....