E.Montana question.

[7Remmy]

Howdy all. Does anyone here have experience with the country between Miles City and the Charles M. Russell refuge? How diverse is the herd? Many whitetails about the region? I was wondering what kind of access a fella can expect to the public ground. I understand there are some block management areas in region 7 as well. How does that work? Thanks!

 

[BlakeA]

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/

 

[mdunc8]

Cool country with some decent deer hunting. Most whitetails don't venture too far from the larger rivers up that way. Plenty of public land and BMAs; some are sign-in when you get there whereas others require that you reserve a spot prior to showing up.

 

[mixedbag]

I saw plenty of mule deer in that area but not many whitetail.I wasn't looking for a whitetail though so I was in more mule deer country.The area is nice and so were the people.I'll be making a return trip in a year or two

 

[Mthuntinfool]

good country, lots of glassing areas. a good topo map will be your best friend, as well as FWP's block management maps. there are whiteys in the river bottoms, but that is mostly private. the CMR often has slightly different rules and regulations, so be sure to check on that. I haven't hunted the area in a few years, so im not sure how the numbers are now.

 

[EasternMTHunter]

You are asking about a very large portion of country. Whitetails will be along the rivers and creeks. Even in the CMR the only place I’ve seen them is in the river bottoms. Blue tongue and EHD have been hard on them the last several years but they are starting to build up again. I moved out of town and live about a mile from the Yellowstone now and I have muleys in my pasture but no whitetails. The only whitetails I see are when crossing the river going to town. The mule deer aren’t what they were 9 years ago when I first moved here either, but they are slowly coming back. There are a ton of them down near Broadus but most are on private and very difficult to access. We see more deer in the Breaks but they are hard to find when it is rifle season.

 

[7Remmy]

Thanks for all the good input fellas. I appreciate it. It's all kinda complicated. I want to take my daughter hunting this fall before she starts all that college processes. I've been hunting down in the Gunny the last 4 or 5 years for elk,and building deer points as well. She has like 5 points for each elk and deer herself. I want to get her out west as she is pretty pumped about it. We're best buddies. On the other hand,I want to keep building her Colorado points for a decent limited draw hunt when she graduates college. I'm not in the "system" in any other states, so I need to find license available without p-points. Decent access,or reasonable trespass fees. And preferably motel living. I was pointed in the direction of the CMR and Miles City by another individual as a potential for an enjoyable outing for the two of us.

 

[Mthuntinfool]

Often you can get a NR deer tag as surplus. if you are planning on heading out for sure, I would recommend applying for a antelope tag as well, and turning it into a combo hunt. and if you don't draw a lope tag you should still be able to pick up deer tags. PM me if you have questions on a particular area, chances are I have hunted it or at least been there when I was riding the rodeo circuit. good luck and have fun!

 

[8andcounting]

Often you can get a NR deer tag as surplus. if you are planning on heading out for sure, I would recommend applying for a antelope tag as well, and turning it into a combo hunt. and if you don't draw a lope tag you should still be able to pick up deer tags. PM me if you have questions on a particular area, chances are I have hunted it or at least been there when I was riding the rodeo circuit. good luck and have fun!

Driving that far I wouldn't do a combined hunt . Reason being is the antelope season is over before the muley rut . Why travel that far for deer if your not hunting the best part of the deer season . Bring a shotgun tho for pheasants and grouse . To each their own but that's my thought process .