Sooo, you east side MT guys

[drahthaar]

I hear you are getting utterly wizz-pounded by 7 and 56 plates? I know a guy over there at Malta, he said he has never seen it like this?

I can tell ya I ain't one of 'em. But I also will tell you, in 5 good trips out this rifle season, I have seen one buck, and I wouldn't even have classified him as a buck, more of a doe with two small pointy tumors. And have seen a total of 6 or 7 does. I have seen probably 20-25 elk on these trips. What gives? I have not complained about wolves, lions, bears, a whole lot, always felt I could just hunt harder, smarter than the next guy, I would be fine, always been in the past, but now I am starting to waiver a bit, losing faith that there is anything out here. Supposed to get some weather, maybe get some of these "freakshow-living-above-the-treeline whities pushed down. From veterans day to a week and half after, if I can't rattle in a mature buck, I will be scared.

This is the kind of stuff that drives people over there. I have never been, but everyone says how you see so much game, its so much more fun, etc, etc. So, next year, I would just get prepared, if we get this winter they are predicting come Dec, Jan, Feb, watch out, you ain't seen nothing yet.

 

[belly-deep]

It worries me when guys like you say those things.

I've seen this issue in the past much the way you have:

I have not complained about wolves, lions, bears, a whole lot, always felt I could just hunt harder, smarter than the next guy, I would be fine,.

But within the last two seasons, I've heard more and more guys who are very skilled hunters comment on the lack of game in NW MT.

 

[drahthaar]

I better start seeing some rubs and scrapes soon.

 

[Nemont]

I have, per usual, seen way more WA plates than 7 or 56 but I was up in a big piece of public lands that usually I have to myself and it looked like a pumpkin army had invaded it. Oh well moved on,

The one thing I never understood is why anyone would drive out here and shoot the first 2x3 they see? I have seen these in the back of pickups from all around. I understand the locals as alot want to drive the ridge tops and complain about all the NR hunters.

We will hopefully have all the tags filled for my kid over the next week as rut starts to kick in more. If not he has already taken 5 does.

Nemont

 

[drahthaar]

One of the checkstations here said 70% of the whitie bucks brought in are spikes. So they are probably excited to see a 3point.

 

[Horn Seeker]

Dang Draht.... that sucks. I've had days like that in the Bitterroot/Missoula area too... it'll pay off. Remember, there aren't many of those 200" bucks running around... gotta keep looking!

 

[drahthaar]

200! How about 100.LOL

 

[Deleted member 16864]

Very sad to hear, used to be some world class whiteys up there.

 

[Randy11]

My season's been much the same as Drahthaar's so far. Super frustrating.
I've always been able to find good bucks somewhat easily, but haven't been able to scratch out anything this rifle season. Got my fingers crossed it's just the weather. Here's to some snow.

 

[drahthaar]

Very sad to hear, used to be some world class whiteys up there.

Yep, if you wanted a true monter whitetail, this used to be the place. There are still some around, but nothing like there used to be. I guess there is a buck of the ages roaming the foothills a couple miles north of my house on a 80 acres chunk of private land. A guy I really trust to know what a truly big whitetail is saw him, tried to get a 12 yo kid on him but you know how that goes sometimes. Bet the rut pulls him off that! Someone will probably dump him right off their back stoop.

 

[twodot]

drahthaar, I am in the east end of 410 and in spite of what the locals say, it ain't crowded. If a few more of these guys would get out of their trucks they wouldn't feel crowded at all. We do see several deer over here and the biggest problem is trying to decide when you want to end your season. That said, I have only seen one whitetail that was a no brainer for shooting thus far. Lotsa 125ish bucks and then from there up is where the time spent comes in. Mule deer are all of a sudden popping up everywhere, and that is what I have been waiting for. After a lifetime of being fairly successful on whtails I got to have me one of them nice mule deer. I just wish I knew a bit more about them. I do however know where I have seen two big honkin studs during an archery elk hunt. If I wanted a big whitetail and lived over there, I would sure look into the area just north of Choteau along the Teton river.
Seeley Lake seemed to be crawling with whitetails last time I was over there too. I would take those two places over this for a whitetail. Just don't know enough about mule dr to make a call though.

 

[Randy11]

Seeley's been tough the last couple years as well. They've been staying away from the wolves alright, but the lions and over the counter doe tags have really been taking a toll.

There's still some awesome bucks killed out of there every year, but you don't see anywhere near the amount of deer you did five years ago.

There's still some awesome animals up here, there's just a lot less to go around, and they're a lot harder to find.

 

[Nemont]

The wife and I grabbed a bite to eat on a local restruant last night. There were 8 guys seated at two tables pulled together and we could over hear their conversation. All were from Missoula and they all bought the 7 doe tags plus their General Tag (the old A tag) and were game planning on how they were going to go about their hunt.

They had maps laid out and were discussing things and I leaned over and asked if any had been here before. One said he had hunted pheasants around Saco years ago but all the rest were first time coming east to hunt. I gave them a landowners name who want to reducedeer population around his place and wished them luck.

Nemont

 

[Horn Seeker]

7 Each? dang....that could be a load of critters on the ride home!

 

[sweetnectar]

I don't know about the western persuation. Seems the eastern persuation knows how to grow wildlife.

 

[belly-deep]

I don't know about the western persuation. Seems the eastern persuation knows how to grow wildlife.

Western Montana knows how to grow subdivisions, wolves and lions

Eastern Montana knows how to grow cows, wheat, and game

nuf said

 

[schmalts]

Well you guys got the outfitter tags removed, how about a point restriction next?

 

[Randy11]

Well you guys got the outfitter tags removed, how about a point restriction next?

Or a general lion and wolf quota.

 

[elk_hunter]

Crap Nemont...I shoulda called you for a landowner reference after my deer hunt in region 7. Sigh. I saw a TON of Washington plates, plus Arkansas, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Crazy pumpkin patch action with hardly any animals, even off the beaten trails..

 

[Randy11]

Now that the snow's piling up over here, and the big boys are out sniffing does, I'm sure glad all the serious hunters have already tagged out on trips back East.