Missouri River Breaks

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alans49
Posts: 140
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: Portage, WI

Missouri River Breaks

Post by alans49 »

Hi Guys,
I drew an archery bull elk tag for the Missouri River Breaks this year and I could really use some help. I drew 620 which also includes 621 and 622. I have never hunted this area and need some advice from some of you that have. I have read online that I will encounter a lot of other hunters but also a lot of elk. So if you could please help me with a good place to start and any other advice will really be appreciated.

Thanks,

Alan
Alan in WI
alans49
Posts: 140
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: Portage, WI

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by alans49 »

Thanks John,
I have been searching the internet since I found out I drew the tag but I hadn't seen that one. I made a couple of posts on different archery sites and it seems as if it's a big secret and nobody wants to share any information. The way I look at it is if I hunted an area in the past I will share what I know with others because it maybe another 10 years before I draw another tag for that unit. Besides, I am 64 now and in another 10 years I may have to hang it up.

Alan
Alan in WI
Dan O
Posts: 737
Joined: Sun May 01, 2005 3:05 pm
Location: Great Falls Montana

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by Dan O »

alans49 congratulations on your tag. I have only hunted Antelope on the north side. The area has a lot of BLM land for decent access to the CMR land. I hunted Elk on the south side and in 2007 shot a 5x5 Bull over a water hole. That resulted in an all night back packing job getting him to the truck. Get maps from the BLM and CMR refuge and look for water. There are many small dams in that area that attract Deer and Elk. Find several if you can with in the distance you can 1/4 and pack a Elk out on your own. I only hunted the evening due to the hot weather and the time needed to get one out. Bring good flashlights and head lamps, also a battery pack sawzall makes 1/4ing fast and is worth the weight of packing it in. The breaks are known as an area that when it rains or snows the roads become impassable. I have run my atv on some of the roads after a heavy rain and you can get around on the more level roads but the steep hills can be real ugly. Anything over 8 mph would throw huge chunks of mud and behind you it would be dust in your tracks because you have all the mud stuck to your rig. :roll: You will encounter a number of other bowhunters as this area and the south side have heavy pressure. Off road vehicle travel is heavily monitored and citations issued for those who ignore the rules. If you hunt from a tent you can camp closer to the breaks, if you have a trailer expect to travel some to get to the hunting areas. Bring extra water as it is scarce in most areas. Hope some of this info helps. Good Luck :D
Dan
alans49
Posts: 140
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: Portage, WI

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by alans49 »

Thanks Dan,
I really appreciate the help. I just ordered the BLM maps. Thanks for the info on the ATV information. I've packed a couple of bulls out for another guy and it sure would be tempting to drive in and load it up. We will be out there the last week in September so I hope the weather is cool enough. I read it can be quite hot the first part of the month. Thanks again.

Alan
Alan in WI
Dan O
Posts: 737
Joined: Sun May 01, 2005 3:05 pm
Location: Great Falls Montana

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by Dan O »

Hi Alan,
The last part of September can be a mix of both hot and cold like in snow up to your knee's. This area will drift a lot due to the ever present breeze or at least the potential :? You can get supplies in Malta to the north or some of the basics such as fuel etc. in Zortman. Take a good set of tire chains just in case. Some folks think this is an easy hunt when in fact it's just as hard as hunting up in the mountains, here the mountains are just upside down :lol: and if you get something it will be uphill all the way to a road.
Take lots of arrows and practice with judo points AND a good rangefinder. Range estimation can be deceptive across coulee's and over sage brush. Camo netting can be handy for quick portable ground blinds over water holes. Use tan or straw colors not the green you see back east this time of year everything is pretty dried out. One other important thing is not to walk around a water hole spreading your scent. The 5x5 bull I got in 2007 caught my scent 2 times where I walked earlier in the day and he backed out. He made a 3rd try and circled around and studied the area for about 10 minutes then slowly came in. When he finished drinking he turned broadside and I made a 30 yard shot X ing his heart with a 4 blade broadhead. He made a dead run up the coulee toward the truck but still died along ways from the top :roll:
The Mt FW&P just posted the Elk cow tag and Antelope drawing yesterday and I got skunked :evil: :evil: :evil: same with Moose and Sheep. The Bison drawing are still pending but I'm seeing a pattern here :lol:
Good luck on your hunt you should have a great time and see some pretty amazing country.
Dan
alans49
Posts: 140
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: Portage, WI

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by alans49 »

Thanks again Dan!
Any information is helpful as I no squat about the area. My wife and I were out to Glacier about 3 weeks ago and I thought about taking a drive over there until I found out it was a 6 hour ride. Any thoughts on where to camp when we get out there? I'm not even sure which unit to hunt. Which unit would you recommend 620, 621, or 622? Good luck on the Bison draw. That's what I would like to do next, take a nice buffalo with one of my Sharps rifles.

Alan
Alan in WI
Dan O
Posts: 737
Joined: Sun May 01, 2005 3:05 pm
Location: Great Falls Montana

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by Dan O »

Alan I have only hunted Antelope on the north side so with that in mind I would contact the CMR headquarters and talk to the biologist that works that area. I think the local game wardens would be a good source for info also. If you can get on google maps that might give you a good overview of the area and water holes in relation to the road system. Get a good gps and the land owner chip if you can. They are amazing with the info of land ownership and fence lines. Much cheaper than a ticket a buddy of mine found out the hard way :lol: Also the BLM maps show all the man made ponds. Spend some time on the phone with these people and I think they will give you current info to get you in the right areas.
Dan
alans49
Posts: 140
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: Portage, WI

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by alans49 »

Hi Dan,
That last bit of information you gave me led to an online map purchase that looks great. It gives me topographical maps for the whole state and it also shows private land ownership and who owns the land. It works with Garmin Basecamp so you can use it on the computer and it works with Google Earth so you can select an area and pop up the aerial imagery. I can copy the maps to my Garmin GPS and use it while we are out there. Dan that was a very good piece of information. Thanks much, I appreciate all the help I can get. I am hoping to shoot a nice bull this trip.

Alan
Alan in WI
trapper
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:58 pm
Location: Lavina, MT

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by trapper »

Hi Alans49,
I have hunted HD621 a few times over the years. We have taken a couple elk up there. There is a grazing district at the DY junction (where route 66 takes off from hwy 191) that is in block management (30 or 40 sections). We hunted that quite e bit. There is pretty good access you can drive all the roads weather permitting. The country is nothing but gumbo so if it rains it gets ugly. There is no camping on the district but there is a state section down by the Siparyann drainage that we camped on. That is the drainage we took our elk out of down close to the CMR boundary. I haven't been up there for several years, so things might have changed a little. Hope this helps a little.
Trapper
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
alans49
Posts: 140
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:50 pm
Location: Portage, WI

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by alans49 »

Thanks for the info Trapper,
It's raining here today so I am sitting down with my maps and pin pointing the areas you mentioned. We will be taking a pickup with camper on it and pulling a trailer with a freezer and 4 wheeler. I have heard that 4 wheelers are not allowed off road but we can use it on the road to get to where we are going.
Thanks for your help!

Alan
Alan in WI
User avatar
Up In Smoke
Posts: 128
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Central Montana

Re: Missouri River Breaks

Post by Up In Smoke »

Alan,
I can't tell you anything about the north side, as I hunt the south side of the river. However one thing that I have discovered on the south side that probably also holds true on the north side is that I have good success locating elk at the heads of the drainages. The terrain at the heads of the drainages generally are more open and tend to be not as steep which the elk find favorable for feeding. They also like using large open ridges for grazing and traveling. It generally becomes a matter of getting the wind in your favor if you are stalking and using the available terrain features and cover to get an angle on them. Unless you are planning to primarily hunt water holes or hunt from tree stands, best to get on high ground where you can glass as much country as possible. Other than that, 2X what the other guys have already mentioned about attempting to travel when the country gets wet. In fact, you will learn quite promptly how miserable travel on foot can become when the ground turns to gumbo. Imagine what walking with 5lb dumbells attached to the bottom of your boots will be like. Anyhow, good luck with your hunt.
"There are no great men. Just great challenges which ordinary men, out of necessity, are forced by circumstances to meet."
Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey
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