Montana mule 652

[Slipknot153110]

I drew the 652 muley tag. I have hunted around this unit but never in it. If any past tag holders are willing to chat please dm me or post here with any advise. I’m hoping to make the drive over from western MT in October to poke around and get boots on the ground. Thanks!


Here is last years buck

 

[Schaaf]

LOTS OF BUCKS UP ROCK CREEK

 

[DFS]

What are the tag numbers up to in 652? I hit eject on that area several years ago. It’s a very small area with a lot of tags. Some good bucks were shot years ago. We don’t get to have nice things here.

 

[EYJONAS!]

Shouldn't be a downer but man when i told my buddy that place had gone way down hill in recent history. He looked sick after burning 15 or so points on it. Not that they really matter though.

Good luck have fun and keep us posted!

As @Schaaf Said there's some Goliath bucks in da rock creek.

 

[Slipknot153110]

What are the tag numbers up to in 652? I hit eject on that area several years ago. It’s a very small area with a lot of tags. Some good bucks were shot years ago. We don’t get to have nice things here.

I only burned 4 points. I have always hunted the east side of the highway and curiosity has gotten the best of me. I’m not sure what they are up to but I know it keeps going up.

 

[Schaaf]

I’m all seriousness, I spend a lot of time in the unit but not because the hunting is good. Feel free to PM me.

 

[DFS]

125 tags. I would suspect similar hunting pressure and similar buck size to the the buck you shot last year.

 

[cgasner1]

I had the tag when it was only like 50 I went up the last week of season and hunted pretty hard. Turns out some guys out of Washington had just been busted killing an absurd amount of deer out of the unit. I think I burned like 4 points on it when I drew I’d like my points back

 

[Slipknot153110]

I’m all seriousness, I spend a lot of time in the unit but not because the hunting is good. Feel free to PM me.

I pm’d you

 

[Trucker]

My unit 652 buck. Back when there were only 50 tags. Message me if you have any questions.

 

[300stw]

had the tag few years ago, spent over 90 days in the unit that year, because i seen a hell of a buck the winter before standing in the hwy,

7.5 yrs old, 150in 4 points was about all i could turn up, and a extremely wide 2x3 that was pencil thin,, id take my points back if i could,,,

 

[brockel]

Why does fwp make this area a limited entry?

 

[cgasner1]

Because we need 3 in the state

 

[brockel]

Because we need 3 in the state

I mean don’t get me wrong I wish the whole state was. Just curious on why this little area was selected. Drove by it but never spent any time in it. It’s not like it can be managed for much quality being the size it is. Buck could be off it in a night into a general area

 

[Beignet]

Just curious on why this little area was selected.

That is an odd little unit. I’m curious as to why it didn’t get combined into a larger unit when they “simplified” things recently.

 

[MT_Chad]

View attachment 276176had the tag few years ago, spent over 90 days in the unit that year, because i seen a hell of a buck the winter before standing in the hwy,

7.5 yrs old, 150in 4 points was about all i could turn up, and a extremely wide 2x3 that was pencil thin,, id take my points back if i could,,,

Looks similar to the buck I shot in there a few years back. I chalked it up to the extreme drought, but who knows.
OP, you can dm me as well if you like. Schaff helped me out, so he will be more help than me, but I can fill you in if you like.

 

[Straight Arrow]

The big ones are elusive and know where to run off to.

 

[Hunt'nFish]

Hey all! Wondering if anyone can share insights on accessibility in this unit (652). My brother and I drew the muley tag this year. Had a few questions and was hoping someone could weigh in.
1. From what I can tell Van Norman Rd., Nelson Creek Rd., McGuire Creek Rd., South Rock Creek Rd. and North Rock Creek Rd are the main roads into this area outside of Hwy 200 on the south end of the unit and Hwy 24 on the east side. Is this correct? Looking at On X I see several other roads, but it appears they are private.
2. My brother and I have talked about trailering our boat to i.e. Rock Creek / McGuire Creek, but wondering if that really gives us much of an advantage (hunting out of the boat vs. putting miles on by foot). Any thoughts on this?
3. Many of the times we have fished out of Rock Creek, we don't see any deer (from the road), and not a ton when out on the lake. If you were to divide the unit into a North Unit (north of South Rock Creek) and South Unit (south of South Rock Creek), are there higher concentrations of deer north or south?
4. We plan to put on a lot of miles on by foot (hunting from the truck or boat). Is it safe to say there are high densities of deer anywhere in the unit or are they mor concentrated north / south? My brothers 8 year old son is going to be with us, and while he's a strong hiker, we are trying to determine where to start (we don't need landmarks / anything like that....just generalities about densities of deer in certain areas of the unit).
5. Do these deer tend to relate to main drainages, near the reservoir, near vegetation, or are they again just spread out?
6. I've read a lot about the winter kill in this unit during 2009 - 2011. Have the populations rebounded? I would like to hold out for a bigger buck so what would be a good target as a "don't pass" buck? 150"? 160"? I'm fine eating my tag but also don't want to be unrealistic.

Thanks again for any thoughts on the above. We appreciate it!

Paul

 

[The Hedgehog]

Reason 946 why this unit sucks total moose c0ck.

 

[cgasner1]

Just go find a whitetail somewhere