622 Road Conditions
- Thread starter Dieseldog
- Start date
double_a85
Member
I was up there opening week and the roads I drove were all in good shape. Good luck!
Elkhunter24
Well-known member
Good luck!
Roads are good. Hunting is tough. Elk are all holed up on a chunk of private. 1000 head up there but nothing a guy can do about it. Not even a track or anything on the refuge or block management that I have run across yet. Doesn't matter how many tags fwp sells the elk aren't gonna get killed. But the fwp bank account will grow. Oh well better than working.
double_a85
Member
Elk always hole up an that ranch. Try the BLM between the cmr and private. Saw lots of small groups there opening week.
elkslayer100
Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2009
- Messages
- 48
just got back from there last night. roads were dry and good. no elk for me. saw 25 bucks but none were very good. shot the biggest 4x4 i saw. i was in armstrong coulee and saw some bulls, no cows. good luck
No elk or deer for me this trip. I had a couple cows that came within 100 yards of leaving some private but never crossed the property line. So they lived another day. I am bound and determined now to get this tag again and fill it next year. After learning a bunch and getting a decent idea what these elk are doing I am wanna prove myself I can get one down there. Especially late season after they have grouped up. No deer either this time. That country must be the 2point dink capital of the nation. Wow. I think it's time to put some deer restrictions in place. Or is everyone just happy to shoot a deer. It was a fun week.
double_a85
Member
Diesel-- I 2nd the deer restriction sentiment, at least for unit 622. When I started hunting that district, I always saw multiple mature mule deer bucks. I would say the last 4-5 years I have maybe seen 1. I think a permit system would be the way to go. It has worked in other areas across Montana.
As for elk, if ya want more guidance than ya already learned shoot me a PM.
As for elk, if ya want more guidance than ya already learned shoot me a PM.
It seems like most people that draw elk permits in the Breaks bring friends, and those friends think they need to kill something. The deer take a major hit as a result. I don't think there are many bucks that live to reach a mature age in the Breaks anymore.
I would like to see the Breaks and the Custer Forest become limited quota areas for deer. Those areas are major money-makers for FWP though so I can't see it ever happening.
belly-deep
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2009
- Messages
- 3,459
Wasn't there recently a thread on here about 652 and how it is up for debate as to whether the draw actually improves the unit?
Bulldog0156
Well-known member
I would actually disagree with most of you guys. The deer in the breaks see a ton of archery hunters and the older deer quickly leave the heavily hunted areas. By the time rifle season kicks in, they've gone elsewhere.
double_a85
Member
While I agree the deer see a ton of archery hunters, do you think more people are archery hunting the Breaks, than, say 10 years ago? I haven't been up there during archery season for a few years so can't really say one way or the other... I do see a lot of small bucks being shot opening week of rifle season every year and the bad winter a few years ago I am sure had a negative impact as well.
Some areas I used to see these mature bucks are deep in the breaks, and I still hunt those areas without seeing them. Unless bow hunters have seriously changed where they hunt, mature deer should still be holding in these areas.
