Montana GMU 360

[Dquigley]

Hi all- I'm heading to MT tomorrow to do a four day hunt in unit 360, I spent the opening 9 days of the season in the little belts and was utterly shocked at how few elk we saw. We heard a few shots on the 24th, but that was it......very frustrating. And yes, we hunted. Usually hiked between 4-10 miles a day, hunted 452 and 416. Saw a great bull out of 452 but that was the day we were in 416... go figure.
Has anyone ever hunted unit 360? I think it's N Madison. Does anyone have any other suggestions on where to hunt? Living in Western Washington and making the drive at night is a long one, tired of working hard without any payback is the pitts. We have deer tags as well.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Regards-
DQ

 

[Dquigley]

Wtf?

I take it by the number of people that have viewed this thread without any comment either are sick of NR hunters or it's a bad unit? Not sure which it is, but I must say it was worth a try. We will enjoy the hunt and hope it's not just camping like the opening week.

Good luck to all that still have a tag to fill- This is a great site.

 

[Mudranger1]

Good luck DQ!

 

[Bambistew]

Uh... It's one of the most popular units in the state. Expect to see more hunters than elk. The wolves and ranchers have managed to get the population down to about half of what it was 7-10 years ago, maybe less. Expect a long hike and a lot of vertical between the truck and where you might find a lonley elk.

Good luck.

 

[kmf]

I agree. No one is going to give you any info. Best thing is to identify an area that has elk and then try to break it down from there. Use the MT unit statistics and go from there. I like to stick to one unit I know has elk and just find them and find good areas. Also call the MT G&F and get a starting point. The other problem is wolves have messed up some traditional areas so bad everyone is scrambling for places to hunt. I live in MN and have friends from MT asking me where they should hunt elk in MT. That's when you know it's getting tough. Remember, you can't hunt them till you find them. Biggest thing is get out there and hunt. Good luck!

 

[exponentialpi]

It is a very popular unit, especially with the over the counter second tag. Expect even more crowds with the recent snowfall this week.

 

[belly-deep]

tired of working hard without any payback is the pitts.

Welcome to elk hunting.

You're probably not going to happen upon some hot elk spot bouncing around the state like that.

The Belts hold elk, and no less of them than the Madison. You'd have just as good of luck moving your camp 20 miles in the Belts and trying a little bit different area (or even going back to the same spot--elk have no particular attachment to any one piece of real estate and could be in your previous hunting grounds right now) than you would going into an area you've never been to blind.

Good luck.

 

[shoots-straight]

That really is Elk hunting 101. There's no instant gratification coming out of it. You find an area you like, scout it, learn it. Figure the movements of the game, and keep your mouth shut. You can give general information, but if you intend to keep learning and hunting a good area, you need to be on the quite side. I had a guy run over to me when I was unloading a cow elk I harvested. He said "OK now where can I go to kill a elk"? I said, the same thing to him I just said to you. If it doesn't mean enough to you to spend the time scouting and learning, and failing, then maybe bowling is your sport.

 

[The Hedgehog]

+1 on the above post.

I'll tell you about 360. If you hang out close to the trailhead with the crowds, you might see some cows, a lot of hunters, and get an opportunity to dodge bullets. If you put your boots on, walk a long ways in the dark, and hunt elk, you could find a big muther. It's like anywhere else in the Madison range.

 

[drahthaar]

I sense your frustration with the second post. But like the guys have said, traditional areas have changed quite a bit in the past few years, guys that know something about a district and know where elk are aren't going to say a thing, and I don't think it has anything to do with a NR hunter asking, at least for me. Or, like me, those reading the question don't have the first flipping idea about that HD, I don't leave region 1, you know, because I love the steep, deep, brushy, aldery, yewbrush and devils club crapholes, filled with grizzlies, wolves, lions, and where a large herd of elk is 7-10 animals.

For what its worth, I think you would be better off doing what bellydeep said, maybe just move around a little you might get into them. Elk can move a looooong way in hurry, maybe they have come back into the area you were hunting with pressure. Probably better not jumping all over, get in an area and learn it.

 

[Horn Seeker]

Well DQ, I guess you are well on your way by now....and good luck! You've gotten genuine, good advice above..probably some of the best was just to keep hunting the Lil Belts and learning the area a bit, reading the sign a bit....getting to know whats going on up there.

With that said, i've spent a couple seasons up there now and have now spent 6 full days putting on a bunch of miles and have not seen a bull yet. I'm leaving tommorrow to spend 4 more days up there.....I have high hopes, but it is not easy.... Just keep hunting, try not to get discouraged.

There are elk in 360 and in the Lil's.... neither is easier than the other....

 

[The Hedgehog]

A few years back I hunted more than 14 days, not seeing a single elk, and that's in places I knew like the back of my hand. Then sometimes you go one good day and have great luck. Just the way it goes.

 

[mdunc8]

Myself, like most others on here, have spent a lot of time learning the areas we hunt and you're gonna be hard pressed to find someone willing to give up any of their honey holes especially for a section you can hunt with a general tag. I've seen plenty of elk in all the spots you've mentioned. I hunted my rear off in spots that usually produce plenty of elk, but without any luck this year. Then I checked out a new area and found a bull next to the road. Just takes a little luck even with all the hard work. Fortunately, you may have just received said luck in the form of 10" of fresh snow.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Today's the day somebody should be looking for elk in SW MT. Weather is perfect.

 

[Horn Seeker]

Yeah, I"m dying here at work.... Is tommorrow too late?? I"ll be there.....

 

[awapiti]

I understand your frustration. When I first moved to Montana, I had a lot of trouble finding elk. I too spent a lot of time in the little belts and if I remember right saw only a few cow elk. I don't have the patience to keep doing the same thing over and over and getting the same result (nothing). So, I moved on and tried something different. I still have yet to harvest a bull, but I do get into the bulls each year now, it just hasn't all come together for me. Who knows had I stuck it out in the same area, maybe I would have a bull on my wall or maybe not. I think I received similar advice when I was asking about areas, which was stick to one area and learn it. I chose to move around until I found an area where I was seeing elk and then I applied that advice and learned the area. my 2 cents

 

[The Hedgehog]

Here. why is this so funny?

 

[Dquigley]

Hey all- Thank you for the replies..... I was out hunting and am back now, empty handed. I realize that is how hunting goes. It's a game of patience and hard work, sometimes you get into them, sometimes you don't. I got into a small bunch of cows but was not able to shoot because we changed units and hunted down on the west fork of the madison area unit 323. There were animals in there, but it was a brow tine area only. I would have to say it's like a little honey hole for opening week, will have to try again next year.

Good luck to all.

DQ

 

[Dinkshooter]

A good man in good country like area 360 should pull out a bull a day.

 

[noharleyyet]

I good man in good country like area 360 should pull out a bull a day.

...at least a piddlin' 300?