Eastern MT Deer

Now that tags are drawn it is time to start planning my first trip west of the Mississippi to hunt deer (most likely whitetail, unless I run into a nice mule deer... baby steps I figure). I have a pretty good understanding of the different types of public land in MT thanks to the forum, Randy, and my personal research and also know a few ranchers spread across the state through work that I may be willing to provide me with a place to hunt, but I am more than fine with public.

I was planning to come Sept 15th and hunt for 8-10 days. I know this time of year may not be as hot of hunting as the rut but I am just wanting to try something different and have spots in the Midwest that provide good rut hunting.

I have had success on public land DIY hunts here in the Midwest and excited to make the next step! I am comfortable with my ability to find a place to hunt and handle all the logistics etc. Simply looking for general advice and expectations as I am not remotely familiar with the area and how the deer live. (I have been to central MT one other time for a fishing trip.)

My questions are:

Am I making a mistake by planning Sept because this part of the season be extremely difficult to locate deer? I envision I will need to find good habitat/cover and a food source and hunt in between the two assuming the deer will still be on a similar summer feeding pattern compared to the MW. Does this food source need to be an ag field like alfalfa or will there still be large concentrations of deer in the more wilderness areas?

What type of terrain should I be looking for? I know areas near rivers provide good habitat, is a larger river an absolute must?

Should I plan on strictly tree stand/blind hunting or spot and stalk? Coming from the MW I am obviously more experienced as a tree stand hunter but wanting and willing to start hunting from the ground.

Any advice is appreciated and am truly honored to have the opportunity to hunt MT as a NR.

I take it you're going to be hunting with a bow?

MTHunter1321 said:

I take it you're going to be hunting with a bow?

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Yes

Might be hard for you. I've killed whitetails in Montana in September, but it was from a tree stand, private land, and I had been scouting locations all summer.

If you are sneaky, I know friends who have killed them from the ground with a bow. Just have to spot them before they spot you. Dan Pickar from eastmans' has a YouTube video where he does just that.

https://youtu.be/7H3Oo0LqaFk

It appears he was hunting the rut however. I assume coming from the Midwest you are well accustomed to how mature whitetail deer act in mid September

Watt21 said:

I assume coming from the Midwest you are well accustomed to how mature whitetail deer act in mid September

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Here in the MW, mid to late Sept can be about the best time to kill mature deer (assuming season is open) as they haven't transitioned out of their summer patterns and typically aren't quite as nocturnal yet. Granted, time is spent summer scouting and I am able to pattern the deer, which I obviously won't have the opportunity to do.

As long as I can put my self in an area that holds deer and I am not too limited by property boundaries, I feel comfortable with my knowledge of the animal itself. Which is the primary reason I chose to hunt whitetails as my first western hunt.

When looking at maps for places I have never been in the MW I can still get a pretty good idea as to what the property actually looks like and whether or not it will hold deer. But for some reason, my cyber scouting for MT up to this point is giving me the sensation that I am traveling to hunt another planet. (Probably over thinking things)

Thanks for the link!

What part of Montana are you planning to hunt?

if Montana is anything like Wyo. you should no have a problem. When i was out in WYO. during Sep. i saw so many deer i thought they should have a bounty on them.LOL.

Honestly, I would say forget whitetail and do a spot-and-stalk hunt for mule deer in open country. You'd be amazed at the deer you will see.

You don't need to head for the big river bottoms to find good WT hunting.
Look for the mixture of woody cover such as coulees. Crops, like alfalfa and mixed hay, grain stubble. WT's love the waste grain and green sprouts.
Sept is the best for bow hunting, either WT of muleys you'll see plenty of deer.