Plan on making my annual camping/hiking/hunting trip to MT in mid May. I'll have a bear tag in my pocket and a rifle on my back. Generally stick around SW Montana and work the National Forest/BLM land. Wondering if any locals would give me a heads up on the winter conditions this year. I have been there roughly the same time of year for the past four springs and have experienced years with a lot of snow and then not so much. Just wondering what the winter has been like this year compared to the last few years. Just to give me an idea on what areas I will be able to access and whether or not I will be packing snow shoes on a daily basis. I keep an eye on the snow cover maps online, but it would help to know how things have been this year. Any info is appreciated!
Winter Conditions in MT
- Thread starter smw110136
- Start date
MToutdoorsman
New member
The only insight I can give you right now is theres a lot more snow in the mountains this yr then last. All depends on how the temps turn out in late april and may. Might be a lot of snow around still.
mdunc8
Well-known member
dihardhunter
Well-known member
It's looking like a late spring for the bears...at least in the high country. If you look at the historical snow depth reports from '11 and '08 - the last 2 reasonably heavy snowpacks, anything remotely remote and high was still buried by June 1. There is AT LEAST that much snow right now in '14. I'm tracking snow conditions closely myself, but my hopes for a true backcountry hunt are looking a bit sketchy right now.
Frequently Banned Troll
Well-known member
Very deep snow now, as deep as I've seen. Things can change with warm weather though. My guess is it will be better late season. Planning one for Memorial Day weekend now and it's looking sketchy with accessibility. Bears might be in weird places early.
