1st Montana Antelope Hunt

So I just finished up my first antelope hunt in the 705 unit which is far SE Montana. My basic plan and techniques closely followed a video recently released by Onx hunt. I hunted block management properties and had a great time and met some extremely nice land owners who made their properties available to hunt. I was able to successfully harvest a decent meat buck on the second day of the season. My out of state hunting buddy, who didn't have a tag, managed to pull a limit of sharptail two days in a row. Overall, it was a great trip that we both completely enjoyed.

Now for the downside. Every single day in the field, I encountered issues with other hunters. (3 days total because I also had a doe tag.) My first day, myself and another hunter both spotted a lone buck on the block property I was hunting and he appeared to act first so I gave it a pass. On day 2, my buddy and I set up over a group of 20-30 antelope before dawn. We watched the group for over an hour as they edged closer from 700-800 yds to just over 600 yds. I was planning to shoot at about 500yds but a pickup pulled up on the road 800 yds away and unloaded 8-10 rounds on the group while still inside the truck. A lucky break had the group circle the hill I was on and I shot the best buck in the group from about 225 yds. The next day we went to another block management property that provides access to a single lane track out to BLM land. We showed up just after first light and headed out stopping to glass at each rise. After about 30 minutes another truck with hunters shows up behind us and procedes to motored on past to get ahead of us, effectively ruining any hunting opportunities ahead.

My question is directed to people with more MT block management hunting experience than I have. Are these kind of issues with other hunters to be expected? I'm a resident and retired so if it takes me a week to fill a tag that I should be able to get every 2-3 years it's not ideal but not insurmountable. However, for my hunting buddy whose draw chances are low and for who time and travel constraints are more severe, it might be enough to suggest abandoning DIY so I'd like some input from others.

BMAs are public land hunting…kinda. Every antelope hunt I've done on public land in MT is basically combat hunting.

I agree with FireFlyFishing, block management is just like public land. You have no control over it and unfortunately there are a lot of idiots out there with guns, no common sense and no regard for other hunters. Yes, expect it, as they have no concern for you or anyone else, they want to kill and that's all that matters to them. It happens all over the state, probably all over the country, and its not just with Antelope. I would make sure that you let the landowner know or contact fish and game if you see guys shooting from the Pick-up, its illegal and they know its illegal and if we don't turn them in then we are part of the problem, not the solution. That is exactly why we pay a guy every year to let us onto his property to Antelope hunt, we don't have to deal with all of the issues that come with hunting on public land.

We did let the landowner know about the idiot shooting from the pickup and was angry. Saw him the next night in a local restaurant and he asked if we'd seen the vehicle again so if it had been possible to find them he would not let it go. We were over a 1000 yards away so make and color was not much to go on.

That's public land hunting in general in the west I've found. I hunt eastern Montana for deer and always joke that if the locals can't use the door as a rest they pass it. All jokes aside the nonresident contingent isn't better. As far as the shooting from the truck… illegal and shouldn't be tolerated. As far as the passing you. It used to bother me but now I figure if they're in that big of a hurry they can go. Once you're used to it you'll find where the animals go to get away from those types and you'll have them to yourself because what's aggravating you and many of us about those hunters is also their weakness. They stick to the roads and leave the rest of the country for us! Glad you got one and don't let it discourage you. I hunt an open block of block management and have many areas where I'm all alone.

Okanogan said:

shot the best buck in the group from about 225 yds. The

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Congratulations on getting the best buck. I am sorry to hear about the knuckleheads shooting from trucks.