The archery hunt for Montana Elk and Deer is a 6 day hunt out of the lodge. The primary objective is to harvest an Elk, with Mule Deer or Whitetail as secondary. Archery hunting means "rutting bulls" as far as elk go. It is no doubt the best time to harvest the trophy bull of a lifetime!

Our elk herds are estimated to be 25 to 30 percent bulls by the Montana Department of Fish & Wildlife. This makes for some pretty stiff competition for the herd bulls to keep their cows. It is common to hear 4 or 5 bulls bugle in a small area competing for cows.

We pride ourselves in being able to "call" and "work" a bull in close for our clients; sometimes closer than the hunter would like!

There are two hunters per guide. The hunt is by 4x4 and horseback. The elevation we hunt is between 3000 and 6000 feet and our area is accessed by logging roads and trails. All meals are included. This is a very exciting hunt! We took some heavy 6x6 bulls this past season. If you want fast action and excitement, this hunt is for you!

Our Montana rifle hunts start the last week of October and run through the month of November. The mule deer are rutting the first half of the season and Whitetails are rutting the last half. When late October arrives and the Elk are in the late stages of their rut, we start rifle hunting. We have a long rifle season in Montana, lasting over 5 weeks. The season closes the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

In 1996 the hunters in the Northwest part of Montana asked the Fish & Game Dept. to stop the killing of cow Elk (open for anybody) the first 8 days of the season, and go to "permits only" for cows and to stop shooting the spike bulls. After many meetings with the sportsmen around the County, they stopped the open season on cows and killing spike bulls. We already had a good population of Elk, but the sportsmen wanted a better chance to take a trophy bull.
The results have been excellent! Now the bull numbers are very good with a lot of nice 5x5's and 6x6's taken. There is no doubt the archery success has jumped way up, and the rifle hunters are seeing better success. When you are hunting Elk in our area you are also hunting in some of the finest Whitetail country there is, with a good herd of Mule Deer mixed in. Both species of Montana deer are in the rut most of November, so you have an excellent chance of taking both elk and deer on the same hunt.

When you are hunting elk, you do not have to worry about the game having to migrate up or down as you'll be hunting from 3000 to 6000 feet. The elk are from the bottom valley floor to the very top. This is true for the Whitetail and Mule Deer as well.

Our Rifle hunts last 6 days. The hunts are by 4x4 or horseback, and all meals are included. As on all our hunts, we are up early and into hunting areas before daylight, and plan on hunting all day.