Hunting trip

[mrklean]

After reading the Elk hunt story it has really made me think about doing some type of out of state hunt. I was thinking about a antelope in North Dakota or Montana something like that, some type of hunt that isnt all across country, but is a decent price. Any ideas?

[DonBo]

Antelope tags in Montana are easy to get. They are cheap. There is tons of public land. I have done two different DIY hunts in the Milles City area with much luck.

[sticknstring]

If it's goats you're after, you may want to consider the Dakotas as well. Lots of public land or walk-in and archery tags are OTC in SD. We were out at the end of August. I know DonBo has experience with deer in the black hills as well...

[Cheetah]

Montana can get pricey for elk due to license cost. Colorado has over the counter elk (cow or either-sex) license which are cheaper. They also probably have more accessible land to hunt and a very large amount of information available via the internet. I have not gone there yet though since we hunt Montana most years when we are drawn.

You could also chase mule deer in the Roosevelt Natl Park in ND. Pretty country up there when we drive by on our way to MT. I don't know much about the hunting regulations though, but I have read stories and such from guys that bow hunt it.

http://www.nps.gov/thro/

[mrklean]

Thanks guys, so i was looking at the ND DNR, nonresidents cant hunt state land there?

[Cheetah]

The Roosevelt thing might be tough to do, I'm having trouble finding info online about it. The ND DNR has a lot of info though for finding places to hunt.

http://gf.nd.gov/maps/

http://gf.nd.gov/regulations/deer/index.html

[Cheetah]

Thanks guys, so i was looking at the ND DNR, nonresidents cant hunt state land there?

[mrklean]

This is what i saw

http://gf.nd.gov/regulations/pronghorn/index.html

Nonresidents Please Note:

Note: Nonresidents may not hunt on lands owned or leased by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department,Nonresidents may not hunt on lands owned or leased by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, including State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and Private Lands Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS), for the first week of pheasant season (October 11-17). This restriction applies to all types of hunting, not just pheasants. This restriction does not apply to lands owned or managed by other state agencies that may be open to hunting, such as state school lands, federal lands that may be open to hunting, such as US Fish and Wildlife Service Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs), or to private lands not enrolled in the G&F PLOTS program.

[Scoot]

I'm not positive, but I don't believe the no non-res. deal applies to the Grasslands, of which there is a ton of land. I'm pretty sure there are thousands upon thousands of acres for non-residents to hunt in the Western part of the state for both mulies and goats. There's some great hunting to be had. Call the NDG&F if you have questions.

Cheetah, I'm not disagreeing with anything you said, but it's important for people to know that because of exactly what you said, there's a boatload of hunters in many, many areas of CO. Some areas literally have more hunters than elk! I'd strongly suggest doing your homework before you plan a hunt in CO if you don't want to run into hunter after hunter. This suggestion isn't specific to CO though- doing tons of Internet homework as well as calling G & F folks will save you a lot of wasted effort and time. Not all states are known for the helpfulness of their G & F staff, but I can tell you that everyone I talked to in the WY offices were wonderful- I can't say a bad thing about any of them.

Regarding hunts to go on in general, I've had two dream bowhunts my entire adult life: brown bear in Alaska and elk hunting in a good area. I've come to realize I'll probably never be able to go on a brown bear hunt, but I've been so lucky to go on not one, but two wonderful elk hunts. Other hunting, besides whitetails, I've done has been for goats and mulies in ND. I have a hoot every time I chase goats and mulies! I'd recommend it to anyone. Lots of good states with tons of options for goats and mulies...

[mrklean]

How easy is a hunt for Mules in ND or SD?

[Cheetah]

100% agree Scoot. Kinda why we didn't hunt CO the last two years we didn't get drawn for MT. We didn't do enough homework and didn't want to deal with tons of other hunters in CO. Considering the cost, it was kind of a waste trying to make the hunts happen with the amount of planning we put into it.

Oh well, next year MT will draw us, right? I sure hope so, getting restless again.

[Cheetah]

How easy is a hunt for Mules in ND or SD?

Couldn't say for sure. The Black Hills in SD has a fair amount of public land that I've chased turkeys on and seen plenty of mule deer. Never hunted ND personally, just one of those hunts in the back of my mind these days that I'd like to do one of these years.

[Scoot]

Cheetah- good luck! I hope you do get drawn!!!

mrklean, what do you mean by "how easy?" Are you talking how physically demanding is it? How easy is it to tag out? How easy is it to draw a tag? How many deer are there? I'm not trying to be nitpicky, just wondering what you're asking...

[mrklean]

how easy is it to set up a hunt and get tags and find areas to hunt? Also wondering a litle about ease to tag out with a bow

[Stratosman]

There will be nothing easy about it...especially with the bow. As far as drawing, you throw your name in the hat. Lots of public and BLM lands in Montana and Wyoming. There is like 30mil acres of blm in wyoming. We have hunted Wyoming two times for elk and have tagged 7 out of 8 on public land. So it can be good, but do your homework....

[crazyice]

So it can be good, but do your homework....

I've already started. I was supposed to go on an elk hunt this year, in fact I was supposed to be there right now if memory serves me right, but finding out this spring that I was going to have to have shoulder surgery, that got put on hold. Now I am starting over again planning on hoping to make it out west next fall.

[Stratosman]

Wow that's a big bummer! I need to make it out there again real soon myself. Next time will be mulies though, either bow or rifle....

[Scoot]

mrklean,

As I understand it (and I'm not exactly the foremost expert on the matter), non-residents apply for an archery tag. However, I think there are extra tags after the draw, so most years you're basically asured of a tag. Harvey Lee can probably chime in on that.

As far as ease of filling the tag, well, that's a tough answer. I'd say I could have shot multiple mulies per year the past half dozen years. However, I have let most of them walk, so I've only shot two. If you're not trophy hunting, your odds of getting a good crack at one are pretty darn good. If you're trophy hunting, obviously, it'll be tougher. If you set your sights on an ear-wide 4x4, you've got a pretty reasonable chance of getting a chance at a buck like that or higher (keep in mind a mulies ears are a lot wider than a whitetails, so that's a pretty nice buck to a whitetail hunter, IMO). If you get serious about it, give me a hollar- I've got a few tips and suggestions that might be of help to you.

[bigbucks]

Leaving for WY to hunt mules in a few days, first trip. We're doing the rifle thing, not bow.

[mrklean]

well dont forget to take tons of pics and right daily stories, its a popular thing on here

[Stratosman]

Hey big bucks, you going with an outfitter or a do it yourself style adventure? Good luck brother!

[bigbucks]

DIY, one of the guys has been where we're going a few times & done it himself. 2 of the other 3 of us have done other out of state big game hunts, so we're not totally foreign to the drill. Never used an outfitter for hunting, too tight I guess.

[mrklean]

are you guys tenting it or what?

[bigbucks]

We're actually staying in a goose neck moving trailer, not setup as a camper or anything, combo trip. We're taking a generator & a freezer. Right now it's snowing forecasting for 8-16" by tomorrow night. Glad we aren't there now, probaly going to melt & be a muddy mess.

[Jim Uran]

This is a great topic. I have always wanted to hunt goats or mulies. Extreme western North Dakota is some beautiful country and I seen a ton of both the above mentioned animals.