Montana State University Hunting Oppurtunities

OR_Hunter

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Hi,
I'm from Oregon and I'm new here. I'm a high school senior and am considering enrolling at Montana State. I'm wondering if anyone knew anything about the hunting opportunities as a student there. I know that students can buy Montana licenses and tags at the resident rates and store their guns in gun lockers at Montana State, which is awesome! I'm just wondering if I'd be able to get to any hunting areas if I only had a bike, what I would do if I got something down, and if there would be buses or other means of transportation that could take me outside of Bozeman? I'd probably bring a bow and a rifle (possibly a shotgun too) and am open to any kind of hunting that's available to college students like myself. If you know anything please share! Thanks!
 
Hi,
I'm from Oregon and I'm new here. I'm a high school senior and am considering enrolling at Montana State. I'm wondering if anyone knew anything about the hunting opportunities as a student there. I know that students can buy Montana licenses and tags at the resident rates and store their guns in gun lockers at Montana State, which is awesome! I'm just wondering if I'd be able to get to any hunting areas if I only had a bike, what I would do if I got something down, and if there would be buses or other means of transportation that could take me outside of Bozeman? I'd probably bring a bow and a rifle (possibly a shotgun too) and am open to any kind of hunting that's available to college students like myself. If you know anything please share! Thanks!

There are questions that don't get asked much around Bozeman and that would be one of them :D. Before the snows start flying I suppose you could ride to a number of places close by, but the roads to the mountains aren't made for bikes at 5am. As a practical matter nearly everyone here has a car so you should be able to find someone to at least help bring it back. The bus service is mostly around town.

If you are living in the dorms I'm not sure where you would store the meat.
 
Hi,
I'm from Oregon and I'm new here.... am open to any kind of hunting that's available to college students like myself. If you know anything please share! Thanks!

OR_Hunter, there are a number of us on the forum that are from Bozeman, quite a few at the Public Lands Rally in Helena today that might contact you later. PM me with your contact information and will see what we can do.

There are questions that don't get asked much around Bozeman and that would be one of them .
Rob, I see we were posting at the same time. Dont scare the young man. ;) We're talking about future generations of hunting.
 
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Rob, I see we were posting at the same time. Dont scare the young man. ;) We're talking about future generations of hunting.

Wasn't trying to scare him... as you know, it is a great town for anything outdoors. Most everyone around here has a car though so he (she?) probably won't need to bike to the hills. The mountains right around town do hold deer and elk and grouse and having a bicycle can put you a little farther past the trailhead. Ducks and other birds are down low but I don't know how easy it would be to get on the private land. We even had some students arrow a black bear just off campus, although it turned out that it was illegal to hunt in town :D.
 
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Bring your hunting stuff. You'll end up meeting plenty of other student hunters and will be able to throw in with them. I do a lot of work around campus and see them heading out all the time. The same goes for skiing.
 
Hi,
I'm from Oregon and I'm new here. I'm a high school senior and am considering enrolling at Montana State. I'm wondering if anyone knew anything about the hunting opportunities as a student there. I know that students can buy Montana licenses and tags at the resident rates and store their guns in gun lockers at Montana State, which is awesome! I'm just wondering if I'd be able to get to any hunting areas if I only had a bike, what I would do if I got something down, and if there would be buses or other means of transportation that could take me outside of Bozeman? I'd probably bring a bow and a rifle (possibly a shotgun too) and am open to any kind of hunting that's available to college students like myself. If you know anything please share! Thanks!

A number of forum members are from Bozeman. One of them might be willing to help get you to/from places or take you out for a day hunt. I'm not aware of many places with hunting that you could realistically get to with a bike alone.

A good number of MSU students are locals with vehicles. Make lots of friends and I bet one of them would be happy to help you out, especially if you pitched in gas money or gave them some of the meat. One of your buddies might even be willing to share a hunting spot.
 
I've never been to Bozeman so I can't help much, but I can say that I am very jealous!! Study hard but get out and hunt/fish as much as you can! Once you graduate you'll find that the time you have for your hobbies diminishes really quick!

I really wish I would have went to school out west, but the out-of-state tuition was a deal breaker for me.

Good luck, you'll love it!! And, I'm sure you'll meet a ton of great people with the same interests as you. The friends you make in college are the ones you'll have for life (at least in my case.)
 
Maybe volunteer for the RMEF committee there, meet some new friends with resources and similar interests, do some good and have a good time.
 
If you have average to above average social skills then you should be able to find a hunting buddy or two for some weekend and school break adventures chasing critters and fishing. Great advice about picking up your fair share or even being a bit more generous to anyone who is playing chauffeur to you or allowing you to tag along to their hunting and fishing spots. Be sure to never return to those spots without them. That will get you black-listed for valid reasons.

Where you store your gun and gear and what you do with the meat will be a challenge to overcome since dorm rooms are typically small and lack security to protect items of value or room for a freezer. If you find a local buddy you trust with your gear at their home then that is an option.

Good luck in the classrooms and the woods!
 
As an MSU alum who ate alot of venison and trout during college days and having lived near Bozeman most of my life, I can assure you that you will find like-minded hunters in some of your classes. Many will likely have a vehicle and some even may drive four-wheel-drive pickups. Just express your interest and you will probably become acquainted with some hunter friends in no time.
Enjoy your time in southwest Montana. With the Gallatin, Madison, and Yellowstone Rivers full of trout and the nearby mountains teeming with deer, I still can't believe I actually graduated. 'Don't remember the studies nearly as vividly as I recall trout rising out of Madison River Beartrap pools and bucks running around in the Bridger Mtns.
 
As an MSU alum who ate alot of venison and trout during college days and having lived near Bozeman most of my life, I can assure you that you will find like-minded hunters in some of your classes. Many will likely have a vehicle and some even may drive four-wheel-drive pickups. Just express your interest and you will probably become acquainted with some hunter friends in no time.
Enjoy your time in southwest Montana. With the Gallatin, Madison, and Yellowstone Rivers full of trout and the nearby mountains teeming with deer, I still can't believe I actually graduated. 'Don't remember the studies nearly as vividly as I recall trout rising out of Madison River Beartrap pools and bucks running around in the Bridger Mtns.

This! I graduated from MSU as well and hunting/fishing was always the topic of conversation! I had a 4 wheel drive and took a few out who only had cars... good luck!
 
Wow, thanks for everything. I wasn't expecting this many responses, so this really helped! Keep adding to this if you'd like. I sent you a PM katqanna. Thanks
 
Wow, thanks for everything. I wasn't expecting this many responses, so this really helped! Keep adding to this if you'd like. I sent you a PM katqanna. Thanks

The town is good for bikes when the snow is off the ground... I took this last spring... you can ride to the bottom of the canyon and catch the bus or hitch a ride up. Nothing similar for hunters though.
 

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Glad to see you getting some help. I bet with a little work, and some HT locals you'll be hunting. We have a better football team further West though. mtmuley
 
Just a reminder, if MT licenses/tags are resident tags you'll need NR license/tags in your home state. It might be different if they are NR license/tags at R rates. Just be sure to be sure before trying to get R license/tags in two separate states. It can end one up in quite the pickle...
 
For sure there are plenty of opportunities in Bozeman! I am a Junior there now and have had no trouble getting into the hills for lots of different game. Hyalite canyon is literally at the end of 19th street and has many many miles of roads and trails to check out. We hunt a lot of grouse up there, as well as deer if you are willing to walk. Tough elk hunting but I do know where there are a few wallows that have elk regularly. Heck it is even a part of an Unlimited sheep hunting district, with rams to be found up there. Also, there are a few public land areas in Belgrade as well (different town but basically connected to Bman) with antlerless whitetail tags available. Most of the valley is weapons restricted (shotgun, bow, muzzleloader, etc...) but that isn't a big deal. I certainly feel it is a hunter and fisherman's paradise especially if you can travel just a little bit! If you ever need help we are always willing to help incoming MSU students however we can.
 

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