Montana Upland Bird Hunting

Who has been and what did you think?

Looks like a wide variety of species available and some nice scenery to hunt in.

Quite a haul to get there from Texas though.

It is a long haul but I'm thinking of making the trip also. Eastern Wyoming and the NW corner of Nebraska also has good birds and closer.

I am going this year from new Orleans, I'll try and let you know. I was looking at nebraska as well, but their pheasant opener is much later.

NSTRA has their Endurance trial going on up there next week. I've been once, but did not hunt. We saw chickens on the side of the road to the trial grounds. Several people from Texas has stayed and hunted after the trial, with mixed results.

Hunted over in the eastern part of the state, get the map book before you go that shows all the WIH and PHA. We were hunting a WIH area and had a rancher stop and ask how we did. Our reply was didn't see anything. He said well just go to my place there's pheasants every where. He wasn't kidding either.
Reports are above the high line the birds are scarse, bad winter and cold spring.
Oh and take several kinds of clothing, we went the first week of Oct. and it was cold as a mother-in-laws heart

High line?

Hwy 2

It was a two day trip for my wife, and me to get to Lewiston. It's almost a full day to get out of Texas for people who live south of I-10. It's tough to fly dogs and equipment. It's worth the drive for a couple of once in a lifetime trips.

Since I'm going to Kansas this year, I may take the trip next season, it's a 30 hr drive from where I live. More like 35 with all the stops I'd probably make.

Maybe I'll take the Kansas route and let my dog chase some ditch chickens for a day just to shake the dust off.

Montana is not worth the drive please trust me on this. : )

eastern part of the state up and down the river systems and creeks you will find pheasants and sharptailed grouse.....in the higher ground (hills not mountains) we always found several covies of huns.....beautiful country and more importantly very cool weather at nt.....during midday it can get hot.....it should be on your bucket list!

Definatley worth going, I have been once, and am going back next year, my dad goes about every year.

been there and it was a good hunt, but I prefer North Dakota. Less pressure and phenomenal duck hunting.

That would be a pretty neat trip, hunt all the way up & back down.

The problem with that is that the season opens in Kansas a lot later than the prime season in Montana.

Bummer.

I noticed in the catalog I got from Montana that there is lots of private land. For those that have been, how difficult is it to locate the land owners to ask for permission?

Did any of you see American Gun Dog last week? It was with Ben O. Williams in Livingston, MT. They were training dogs on wild Huns! It looked like a blast!

We went 2 years ago and had the trip of a lifetime. We showed up for opening day to hunt Grouse and Huns. Where we found birds, there were lots of them. Where we didn't, there were lots of miles to cover. We got limits of Sharpies several different days. The Huns were a lot tougher. We got permission to hunt some private ground that was not in the Block Management Program. Everyone we met up there was super nice. Beautiful country. Definitely one of my trips of a lifetime.
Do your research before you go. Make lots of phone calls and try to locate the good areas before you leave Texas.

Not hard at all, just drive to the ranch house. Somebody will be there that what I was refering to as the public hunting areas, they will give you a permit for the day. Some you need to check with and will ask you to come back the next day or two because of other hunters or work.

Maggie from NSTRA and her husband met a rancher who drove them around and showed them where he had seen coveys of huns. The sharpies were everywhere.

I head to Montana every year to bird hunt, been going up there for about the last ten years. The hunting is good and the people are very warm and gracious.
Why is it in Texas landowners feel the need to charge 150-300 dollars per day to bird hunt or lease property for a season? I hunt some ranches up in Montana 30,000 plus acres and guess what no fee.
(I better get back on topic) Block Management areas are good but you are limited by the number of maps you can get on a daily basis. State land is also very accessible with it all being mostly WIA only.

A new member with a user name of Quailguy got run off of the froum, when he posted a thread called something like, "No more Texas leases for me...I'm through." Some lease managers, and land owners were even suggesting that hunters would pay, even if there were no birds left.

I think Quailguy now goes to Montana each year with RayB.

Don't look now Bill but quailguy is on a lease with me in Web Co
We are going to So.Dak. this year in Oct-Nov. for a couple weeks. He's a numbers guy, I don't understand it but to each his own. I like watching my rocky and zeke run, it's just fun being out with them. Birds are a bonus.

i remember that thread with quail guy. but dont know what he posted to get run off

Oxner is a close friend of hyperbole. Not sure anyone has been run off here. But the quailguy may get some questions about his current lease situation.

He was run by himself not wanting to put up with the grief he brought on himself blaming the land owner for the lack of quail. I tried to explain to him ranchers are in the cattle bussiness, hunting just helps pay the taxes.
The lease we have is really resonable so thought he would try again

Good luck, I think we are all hopeing for an upturn in the numbers soon. Even without birds I'd like to have a place to run the dogs with or without a gun, don't know what the case will be with the lease I'm in on.

One last Montana question, is first week in November going to be a weather problem. Cold or snow?

I am not be a smart [censored] snow in cold in November is a good possibility

Yep, just thinking my timing might not be great.

chet the really bad stuff is usually after thanksgiving or just before.

how late can you hunt sharptails before they quit holding for dogs

That's really a good question, and I'd like to see some replies. I only hunted them once, and that was opening weekend. We didn't get good dog work. The dogs would almost point, and the birds would fly. D Neyer from our NSTRA region has gone several times, and says that he gets great dog work every time.

Depends on your dog. If the dog crowds his birds at all or has less than an above average nose they will move mature chickens. If your dog has a good nose and gets pointed away from his birds you can point them all season long. There are many more of the former than the later. But even the best dogs will move mature chickens now and then.

Also depends on how hard those birds have been worked over. We got into birds after Thanksgiving one year that were clueless. Looking forward to my next trip up there. Next year maybe.

I have hunted late season and in various conditions. If the birds have been hunted hard, the closing of the car door will make them fly. I have found late season birds with very little pressure in other spots that hold really well. Last year we also hit North Dakota, another hidden gem.

We hunted South Dakota last year west of Pierre and shot several chickens and sharpies. We found some cover that was about 12 to 18" high that was holding birds and they held very well for the dogs. When we hunted cover shorter then that we got only a few to hold. This was all on the same ranch that had been hunted a handful of time before we got to town. On some of the short stuff we would see the birds pop their heads up and watch us coming before flying off.

I hunted in early November in S Dakota several years ago (2nd weekend of pheasant season) and we would get points on sharpies but I think every bird we killed was 40 to 45 yards because they were jumping 30 to 35 yards out. It was doable but they were super skiddish

I just got this from Doug N from NSTRA.

"I've read it. (quail forecast) Not good. North Dakota & South Dakota were a complete bust, no sharpies! 5 days, 6 guys 4 dogs & 5 birds"

Both of my dogs have been on Montana for the past month chasing Huns, Pheasant and Sharpies. I understand the numbers are good and huntable.

Will know more next weekend when I get to the dogs.

Chris