Elk hunt in Montana

[Spartan]

I booked an Elk hunt North of Billings in the Bull mountains .... that is Elk and Mule deer.
was told I needed 300 win mag so I purchased a Sako A7 300 win mag.....

anybody done a similar guided trip ? This will be 2-3 hours by horseback into the mountain 5000-6000 ft. I hired a personal trainer to get my fat, old, sea level-living- ass into shape and I quit the 'heaters' 60 days ago ( zero backslides so far).

Anybody want share stories w/ me ? I'm chopping at the bit to go.

[Chevydude]

Good job on the heaters! I've done the Elk thing with Mule Deer on the side.
My best piece of gear were my Gators. When you think your training hard enough
......Your Not.

[goalie]

The quality of your experience will have a lot to do with how well you train. While round is a shape, it isn't one that helps you hike up and down at elevation.

If you quit smoking 6 months ago, the exercise part should be a piece of cake. Especially with a trainer.

Shoot your rifle a lot. Know your drops out to what your personal "too far" distance is. Figure out ahead of time whether you are going to hold-over, use a BDC type reticle, or spin turrets. Then practice with whatever choice you make and stick with it. Don't use "math" to figure out your drops. If you don't shoot the rifle at a distance, you do NOT know where the bullet is going to hit at that distance. I don't care what your app, chrono, or people here on MGT tell you. VERIFY and practice.

Practice off-hand and from positions. I never saw a bench in the mountains.

Exercise some more.

Have fun.

[crbutler]

I'm certainly not the poster child for physical fitness.

I have done a fair amount of overseas and traveling hunting.

Goalie is spot on as far as doing the exercise. You may have some issues with eating as part of stopping cigarettes, but its more important how in shape you are than what you weigh.

My Brown Bear hunt was probably the most miserable hunt I have ever been on due to the required exercise and hill climbing, and it convinced me that doing more than climbing the stairs at work was needed. Did like you with the personal trainer thing, and it really did make things much different. Not that the hunts became easier- they didn't- I was able to go into areas that I would not have even considered before, and I didn't ask for nearly as many rest stops. As such, my trophies were probably bigger, and I didn't have the feeling that I had missed game that was there because I couldn't get in range.

Good luck, and let us know how you do!

[goalie]

Not that the hunts became easier- they didn't-

There is a saying in cycling: "The pros don't hurt any less than you do, they just hurt while going a lot faster."



I broke my back rock-climbing in 1993. When I weighed 229 pounds I was miserable with knee, hip, back and neck pain all the time. Heffay was at my cabin and pointed out that I was a fat bastard, so I got in shape.

Life at 185 pounds (6-1) is all rainbows and unicorns compared to life at 229. Getting in shape won't just help your hunting, it will help you life in general.

[sochr000]

I did an elk hunt in North Dakota (Theodore Roosevelt Natl Park) when they did their "herd management" thing in 2011. It was great, but as has been said, it was very physically taxing. I was one of the most fit people of the group, and although I was not the one asking for breaks, I didn't argue against them...
My experience wasn't "guided" so I don't know what you'll experience as far as that. Also, when are you going? That will help people give you gear suggestions.

figure out what you plan to take to the field with you daily, and load it up in a pack a go on a couple mile hike with it. It'll help you figure out if the pack is too heavy. I know after the first day in the field I took a lot of crap out of my pack that I didn't need.


Gear suggestions:
-a good pack, Eberlestock are nice for the internal rifle scabbard
-a good pair (or two) of boots, break them in before you get there... (blisters suck)
-bring plenty of water. I drank something close to 3-4 quarts/liters a day. Water is heavy, but it's kinda important
-shooting sticks are pretty nice, make kneeling shots a whole lot easier
-If you'll be hauling your own meat out, get some "Alaska game bags." They're like cheesecloth bags, they keep the dust/flies/crap off the meat
-personal 1st aid kit. nothing huge, but some gauze, tape, band aids, tylenol, and moleskin
-good binoculars and/or a rangefinder. using your scope to identify targets is a bad idea.

[bucktail]

My elk hunts are in Wyoming at ~7k feet. I get around OK, but it doesn't take much for me to get winded. I generally have to slow down, especially when I'm climbing. You don't need a .300 magnum unless you want an excuse for a new rifle. The wife of the rancher where I hunt uses a 25-06 to good effect. Practice from field positions. This includes standing with a tight sling, as rocks, vegetation, may make it your only option. Prone may be the most accurate of the field positions, but it is also the one that you are least likely to be able to use. The state of Wyoming doesn't build shooting benches in their elk hunting areas (downright uncivilized of them), and I doubt that Montana does either.

[Spartan]

Thanks fellas ... I drew my Montana combo big game tag.... so its on ..... I guess the guides see a lot of poor marksmen and want poor hits to be kill shots .... I am liking the SAKO 300 win I bought.... nice gun and very light ..... I expect to pay for the shots I take at the range with this gun ........ I will be trying shooting sticks for the 1st time soon ... should be interesting

[Makarov]

Spartan,
You will have a great time. Take lots of photos and share them

For 3 years in the early 1990's, we bow hunted CO in the Flat Tops Wilderness, near Orno Peak.
We self guided and packed in ( on foot) and hunted out of a spike camp, to get away from the walk in day hunters.
Excellent, comfortable footwear was required. It seemed like we were always walking up or down, seldom any flat areas.

Packing in enough water was impossible, so we carried a high quality water filter and topped off our water bottles near every stream.
Drink more than you think you need as the altitude and dry mountain air will leave you dehydrated before you realize it.
We hunted around 10,000 ft and the thin air really taxed us.

I found doing leg squats (low weight, lots of reps) helped me get ready for hiking in the mountains.

Your guide should have a list of the things you will need to bring, and a list of what not to bring

Practice shooting while your heart is pounding, you are short of breath, stressed, and from odd positions.
That bull will appear when you least expect it. Murphy's law works overtime in the mountains
A poor hit is a poor hit, even with a .300 Win Mag.
Know your limitations.

Have fun and good luck!

[Payne]

If you have never ridden horse, taking a few lessons from a local stable will help ease any tension you may have around the animals. Wear your hunting pants while taking a few lessons, it might teach you where the saddle sores will crop up and how to avoid them. As unmanly as it may seem, panty hose might be something to pack along.

Get the rifle sighted in at the range from a bench, then spend a lot of time shooting from field positions. Even practicing this with a .22 rifle will help with shooting from unusual positions when the time comes to make your shot.

The rifle recoils far less when not shooting from a bench. Mounting a horse from the right wide will make it seem about 4" taller.

[yukonjasper]

based on a Colorado Elk hunt with my 89+ year old uncle a few years ago. What I took away from the experience is know the altitude you will be hunting and figure out whether you are prone to altitude sickness. The training part is spot on and use shooting sticks if you can. It was a good time until my uncle started to suffer from the altitude. I was OK where we were, but know that when I ski Vail and A-Basin, I need to take Altitude sickness meds or I'm miserable.

We did not use a guide but my uncle had been hunting that area for 30 years, so we didn't need a guide. Good luck, please share the pictures.

[mnmike59]

This is the way I roll...... 3rd Rifle season in Colorado.

[selurcspi]

Don't forget to put me in your will for your guns before you go and hike those mountains

[ex-LT]

Don't forget to put me in your will for your guns before you go and hike those mountains

Too late. I already talked to his wife. He doesn't know it yet, but as soon as he leaves for out west, she's going to sell all his guns to me for 10¢ on the dollar.

[LePetomane]

Spartan,

I would be in tip top physical shape for that trip and make sure that the guide is, too. If you get injured you need someone to drag your ass out. I have done a lot of backpacking in the Canadian Rockies and being well conditioned really pays off. I don't think that at 5000 feet you will experience altitude problems.