SouthEastern Montana

I am still planning a father son DIY trip, was looking at wyoming or nebraska but have settled on eastern montana. with nebraska being a plan B if we dont draw tags.

Looking at the broadus and custer national forest areas (i know so is everyone else)

There are alot of BMA around and was wondering if someone could tell me or help me sort through what i need to look for on these BMA areas to choose which ones to hit. water? cover? size? away from roads?

I am assuming that you are looking for whitetail/mulies? Everybody and their brother will be down there during rifle season...BUT that is not to say the nice ones aren't around because they are, and it's proven every year. I would make sure first and foremost that when you go, you go all out and you make sure you are willing to hike past where everyone else wants to go. As far as water, cover, etc., I would recommend focusing on getting far from roads mainly. It has always seemed to me that the animals are sporadic that you never really know where you are going to run into them. Of course, looking for small creek bottoms and streams will help you locate more whitetails, but for mulies, it almost seems like you could throw darts at the map and be just as successful or unsuccessful as you'd be if you chose a good looking spot and went for it...as long as it's away from roads. Best of luck, it's a beautiful area.

Get away from roads, .5- 1 mile, glass+ patience. I've had good luck hunting within a mile or so of irrigated alfalfa fields in dry years. Wet years, deer seem to be a lot more scattered. Don't over think it. Just get the tag and go. Broadus is very hospitable to hunters.

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yep more looking at mulies than whitetails, not that i would pass up a huge whittaile but he would have to be pretty special to drive all the way out there for lol

Make sure you have a GPS chip. Lots of private lands with undefined borders...