Spike Camp in Montana Little Belts

[Summa724]

I hunted the little belts last year and stayed at a hotel .
Between driving and hiking to the area miles deep and hiking back out I was kinda brutal.i did get on some elk but couldn't close the deal. Basically my question was has anyone set up a small spike camp in the little belts and how was the experience and do you have any pointers,do's and don't's? Oh it was rifle season when I went.

 

[ChewMT]

I've never hunted the Little Belts but most likely will at some point this year since I moved to Helena. But I do almost always camp near where I'm hunting. The main reason being that the last hour of daylight is your best time to glass and spot elk for the next day. If you aren't glassing till the very end of the day you're doing yourself a disservice.

With that being said I'm not a fan of spike camps, it keeps you limited to one area generally. If I spend a day in an area and don't see anything I pack up that evening and try somewhere else. Last year it took me 20 days of hunting to get my bull. I hunted all around Dillon to the southern edge on the Idaho border and over towards Big Sky.

Not sure if that helps but hunting public land even in Montana can be quite a chore some years.

 

[Summa724]

Ok. Thanks for the info.
The area of the belts I was at was very thick. I found some open areas on the maps. They were very small though. But definitely cool.