If you could live anywhere in Montana or Wyoming.

[wswat]

If you could own a cabin/hunting lodge in a area with elk where would it be?
My wife and I spent the last 4 days going from Lewistown to Eureka to Missoula to Sheridan looking at the country side a we saw some great country,
But how do you narrow your search?

Things we are looking for.
1. Elk
2. Mountains
3. Mule deer if possible
4. Public land
5. Tag status general area Special Units if not a 10 year wait

Looking at quanity of game over trophy quality. It would be nice but understand they normally don't mix.

Not looking for pin point spots just town names to help.

Areas we like. Helena, Eureka, Big horn's in Wy.

Any info would help a ton!
Thanks

 

[worm]

If I was going to live in Wyoming it would be the Pinedale area. Don't know anything about Montana but absolutely love Northeastern NV!!

 

[the nikster]

Salmon, Idaho. West Yellowstone, Montana. Flagstaff, Arizona. In that order.

 

[wyoming556]

Laramie and if you like small towns Saratoga is nice. Lots of public land and mountains. Some great mule deer hunting as well as Elk. Still close to Cheyenne and Ft. Collins.

 

[track1]

Based on your criteria i'd say Eureka. Tons of public land, OK elk hunting and mule deer hunting, also very good whitetail hunting. Plus if you tag out Idaho is only a short drive away and has OTC tags.

 

[kansasdad]

Second the Saratoga WY option. Love that area. Big game, fishing, small game and a big summer tourist spot, set up to cater to out of town visitors. (Used to have, hope its still true, a local area that has more cash flow due to tourism and the Old Baldy Club and Golf course).

It used to be you could tell if the fish were biting or it was deer/elk/antelope seasons by counting the number of jets/airplanes parked at the airport.

 

[drahthaar]

Grew up in Eureka. Tons more elk there now than EVER, but most reside on private land. Most are "transnational" elk due to the Canadians growing so many elk. Almost 30,000 head in the east kootenai alone. Mulies have taken a crap, they have shut down muley hunting Nov 11 now in 109. No logging anymore, predators, and too many elk and whities are just too hard on them. Some of the biggest mule deer in the state used to come out of the Gibralters.

The weather is pretty good there too. More wind than I remember back in the day, and winters are as easy as it gets in this state.

Canadians have certainly taken over the place, but there is lots of land for sale if you look.

And as was said before, more public land than you can hunt in years.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

I would have too give a huge thumbs up too SW Idaho, around Nampa or Emmett too be exact, you can't beat the weather unless your in Hawaii, tons of public land, over the counter tags, awesome place too live, you got great fishing, great hunting for elk/mule deer, some whitey's up north... you can boat fish, ice fish, early hunt, late hunt, rifle hunt, bow hunt, we got antelope.... all kinds of bird hunting.... this place is almost as good as Montana as far as hunting, not quality, and way better weather than wyoming or Montana... wyoming might have better opportunities as far as killing numbers.... we got salmon/steelhead if your into that... bears too.... the list is so long..... not enough time or money too hunt it all here.....
Matt

 

[wswat]

Wow!
Lots of good info so far.
Keep it coming everything helps.

 

[SWMontana1]

Since elk is #1 on your list.... you should probably invest where you can hunt them for 3 months of the year!

 

[wswat]

Since elk is #1 on your list.... you should probably invest where you can hunt them for 3 months of the year!

And where is that?

 

[SWMontana1]

And where is that?

Montana!!

 

[wswat]

Guess I knew that just thought you had a more indepth answer dealing with migration or such.

What is the deal with all the Whitetail deer in the mountians?
Are they taking over for Muledeer?
Seemed like most of the muledeer were West of the Mountians

 

[Straight Arrow]

"What is the deal with all the Whitetail deer in the mountians?" Whas you talkin bout, wswat?

"Are they taking over for Muledeer?" What?!

"Seemed like most of the muledeer were West of the Mountians" Which "mountians" you talkin bout? There are many, many mountain ranges with mulies east, west, north, south, in the timber, in the foothills, in the grasslands, prairies, badlands, everywhere. Where do you get your information?

 

[wswat]

West of the continental divide in the rockys

 

[Straight Arrow]

"West of the continental divide in the rockys" Nope, certainly not true in Montana. 'Don't have the numbers, but suspect there are more mule deer east of the Continental Divide in Montana.

And the whitetail do reside in mountain valleys and in mountain timber as well, just not in the numbers that live along the waterways and flatlands.

 

[DWarcher]

If I was going to live in Wyoming it would be the Pinedale area.

Not a bad choice there...

 

[drahthaar]

IMHO whitetails have outcompeted, pushed, fought, bred, mulies out of the mountains. They are far more aggressive and it is showing. In Lincoln and Flathead counties you will see whitetails heavily at all elevations. Our valley floor is at 3000 feet here. You will see them bedded above the timberline during the summer. I have them on trail cameras at elk wallows at 6000 feet elev. in the Great Bear Wilderness. Its crazy. The mulies are tanking around here big time. We will be transplanting them from the east side in 10 years.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I absolutely love the Saratoga valley in SE Wyoming. The only thing its missing is upland birds, but I see that isn't on your hit list. I can't imagine you'd have a hard time finding elk and deer in the Snowies and Sierra Madres. I didn't even as a dumb college kid. Fishing is fantastic.

Sheridan is good. Dillon is good. Bozeman, Livingston. Never been to Eureka, although that will change next summer.

Is a job an important consideration?

 

[----]

IMHO whitetails have outcompeted, pushed, fought, bred, mulies out of the mountains. They are far more aggressive and it is showing. In Lincoln and Flathead counties you will see whitetails heavily at all elevations. Our valley floor is at 3000 feet here. You will see them bedded above the timberline during the summer. I have them on trail cameras at elk wallows at 6000 feet elev. in the Great Bear Wilderness. Its crazy. The mulies are tanking around here big time. We will be transplanting them from the east side in 10 years.

Pretty much the exact same thing in the Northern sections of region 2. I've picked up whitetail horns at 5000 feet elevation in rocky cliffs multiple times, and that's where they're wintering.

Anywhere in the Dillon/Lima/Ennis triangle would fit the bill for lots of good elk hunting, although not a lot of good mule deer hunting that I know of. Drummond/Phillipsburg/Deer Lodge area would work too, with a little better deer hunting.