2022 elk unit options?

[Lee Deming]

I've hunted 560 in MT for 30 years. The MT FWP is proposing to split that area into two for next season. The southern part is the one in which I have hunted quite a bit, the northern will be almost all private land and I have no experience there. That southern portion has private land near the river and road that extends 26 miles almost straight South toward Yellowstone Park. Otherwise, it is National Forest or Wilderness. There are small resident herds of elk that hang in the main Boulder canyon but my feeling is that until the heavy snow begins the main herd will be at the head of the Boulder River beyond the end of the road. Never saw a grizzly, wolf, or cougar there.

 

[skipglo]

Thanks. I won't be using an outfitter. DYI is the way I go. Not sure if that reduces the odds of drawing. Go hunt shows many units in Montana will 60% odds for first choice and 0 points. Was wondering if that's an error?

DYI.....DO YOURSELF IN? Easy now, if you don't get drawn there is always next year!!!

 

[338weatherby]

DYI.....DO YOURSELF IN? Easy now, if you don't get drawn there is always next year!!!

LOL! Typing too fast. Although I've felt many times I've tried to "do myself in"!

 

[TOM H]

Man, I don't know why that guy told you unit 18, but I would seriously suggest looking elsewhere. I've hunted that area for 20 years and the past two have been the worst I've ever seen. We actually got extra tags this past November so we could basically hunt from Kremling to Wyoming. We spent weeks before season scouting and the whole 4th season with 3 sets of guys in different trucks covering different areas every day and never saw an elk on public land. The wardens said the fires pushed them back toward Denver but a lot of that is private land. I guess it will get better when the grass starts growing again but we walked about 6 miles into troublesome creek drainage the first week of October and never even saw a track. Good luck.
O, when you do pick a unit look at google maps if it burned or has a lot of dead trees steer clear, we've had terrible beetle kill all over and it makes hunting in those areas almost impossible. We've literally shot an elk and had to chain saw our way to him. And if the deadfall is bad enough the elk will quit using the area.

I spent from Aug 29 thru Sept 30,2021 at Red Mountain RV Park ,Kremmling Co. I started hunt Middle Park 1977 and I kill my first bull unit 28 with south border of 18. There is units that border 18 that have never burn like 181,17,171.

I'm surprised you didn't mention fire and cutting access to unit 18 off county rd 2. The Troublesome Creek runs along that country rd and far as I know there is no public access. West side Troublesome Creek is unit 181 that where scouted.

I do know units that border hwy 40,hwy14 and hwy 125 north to Wy so why don't you list those unit?

 

[Caveman0101]

I spent from Aug 29 thru Sept 30,2021 at Red Mountain RV Park ,Kremmling Co. I started hunt Middle Park 1977 and I kill my first bull unit 28 with south border of 18. There is units that border 18 that have never burn like 181,17,171.

I'm surprised you didn't mention fire and cutting access to unit 18 off county rd 2. The Troublesome Creek runs along that country rd and far as I know there is no public access. West side Troublesome Creek is unit 181 that where scouted.

I do know units that border hwy 40,hwy14 and hwy 125 north to Wy so why don't you list those unit?

I did mention the fire in the response before the one you quoted. Never had much luck in 181 until the snow comes. I did hunt 17 and 171 this year and am still looking for a new spot. And there were fires the summer before last south of hwy 40 about due south of Hot Sulfur Springs but they did not burn near as big of an area as the Troublesome Creek fire or the fire east of Walden. I believe those two fires combined burned near 400,000 acres.

 

[338weatherby]

Anybody put time in unit 24? Did this unit burn a bunch as well?

 

[TOM H]

I did mention the fire in the response before the one you quoted. Never had much luck in 181 until the snow comes. I did hunt 17 and 171 this year and am still looking for a new spot. And there were fires the summer before last south of hwy 40 about due south of Hot Sulfur Springs but they did not burn near as big of an area as the Troublesome Creek fire or the fire east of Walden. I believe those two fires combined burned near 400,000 acres.

I was up there in June and they had Stillwater Pass Rd opened from Hwy 125 to Hwy 34, all side rds closed. I'm going to be 80 next month and too old to look for some other place to hunt. Middle Park still has 37/371/27 and east side 18 that wasn't burn.

 

[GrayCreed]

Let me put this out there (I'll try not to rant)

Units 18 and 24

So 24 is part of the flat tops which where the largest elk herd in Noth America roams. Apparently there are so many elk there that CPW is failing to reduce the elk over the last couple of years to their goal point. Problem is with all the outfitters and people with ATVs allowed up there it's very difficult to find elk because they all go to the next county as soon as the first shots fired on opening day.
I'm not an expert by any means on this elk thing but I'm the kinda guy that when everyone runs north I go south. Don't know why.... I just think that going to a unit no one else wants to that before the fires was a top unit in Colorado for hunter success (of the units that can be had with 1 or less points) would be a great idea. If I was going to to hunt Colorado next year that's what I'd do. Plus, there was a video that came out that CPW shot from a helicopter that showed huge herds of elk were right back in the burnt areas this past fall. 18 is a decent sized unit so you'd need to be able to do some serious scouting to locate where they are before setting up camp. Another good point is you could possibly still buy the 18/181 tag on the leftover list if next year everyone still thinks that it's no good.

 

[cornshank]

Let me put this out there (I'll try not to rant)

Units 18 and 24

So 24 is part of the flat tops which where the largest elk herd in Noth America roams. Apparently there are so many elk there that CPW is failing to reduce the elk over the last couple of years to their goal point. Problem is with all the outfitters and people with ATVs allowed up there it's very difficult to find elk because they all go to the next county as soon as the first shots fired on opening day.
I'm not an expert by any means on this elk thing but I'm the kinda guy that when everyone runs north I go south. Don't know why.... I just think that going to a unit no one else wants to that before the fires was a top unit in Colorado for hunter success (of the units that can be had with 1 or less points) would be a great idea. If I was going to to hunt Colorado next year that's what I'd do. Plus, there was a video that came out that CPW shot from a helicopter that showed huge herds of elk were right back in the burnt areas this past fall. 18 is a decent sized unit so you'd need to be able to do some serious scouting to locate where they are before setting up camp. Another good point is you could possibly still buy the 18/181 tag on the leftover list if next year everyone still thinks that it's no good.

I like the part where ,when everyone else one way you go the other , sometimes I do the same thing.

 

[TOM H]

Let me put this out there (I'll try not to rant)

Units 18 and 24

So 24 is part of the flat tops which where the largest elk herd in Noth America roams. Apparently there are so many elk there that CPW is failing to reduce the elk over the last couple of years to their goal point. Problem is with all the outfitters and people with ATVs allowed up there it's very difficult to find elk because they all go to the next county as soon as the first shots fired on opening day.
I'm not an expert by any means on this elk thing but I'm the kinda guy that when everyone runs north I go south. Don't know why.... I just think that going to a unit no one else wants to that before the fires was a top unit in Colorado for hunter success (of the units that can be had with 1 or less points) would be a great idea. If I was going to to hunt Colorado next year that's what I'd do. Plus, there was a video that came out that CPW shot from a helicopter that showed huge herds of elk were right back in the burnt areas this past fall. 18 is a decent sized unit so you'd need to be able to do some serious scouting to locate where they are before setting up camp. Another good point is you could possibly still buy the 18/181 tag on the leftover list if next year everyone still thinks that it's no good.

Let's put this out there. Unit 18 goes east from Troublesome creek to hwy 125. Next is from Hwy 125 to Hwy 34 and that road is also entrance RMNP. The far east section 18 you can access off Hwy 40 @Tabernash. My other post I mentioned Stillwater Pass Rd and that rd is also used for tourist that want to rent SXS Grand Lake and have some fun and locals that just want to ride around. The fire move so fast none of the trees stand fully burn and you still have down timber.

181/18 only have two hunt dates on draw tags Oct 12/20 and Nov 24/28.
Unit 18 has 4 hunt dates on draw tags, Oct 30/Nov 7, Nov 13/19, Nov 24/28, Dec 4/12th Late.

You can buy otc bull tags both unit.,

 

[GrayCreed]

Anybody put time in unit 24? Did this unit burn a bunch as well?

There are no super recent fires in 24, however cows tend to like the new shoots of grass that come with areas recently burned

 

[TOM H]

There are no super recent fires in 24, however cows tend to like the new shoots of grass that come with areas recently burned.

There is a history on unit 18 before fire on hunting stats 2015/2019 for elk taken, you have 6k+ hunters taking 600 bulls,cows,calves on average. You had one good year 2018 they took 855 for 6,486 hunters and low was 2019 460 taken for 5925 hunters.

It be interesting to see 2021 stats.

 

[Monster Toms]

18 also has a Late cow season, coupled with a five-month, PLO tag. That harvest tends to load the numbers. Most of the time that success rate is about 80%

 

[Caveman0101]

18 also has a Late cow season, coupled with a five-month, PLO tag. That harvest tends to load the numbers. Most of the time that success rate is about 80%

This, and private landowners kill a lot of elk, I know of one ranch that killed 32 two years ago.