Just wanted to post a follow-up report.
First, I appreciate all the Montana hunting info people provided. It was all really helpful and put things into perspective for someone like me who has never bird hunted in Montana.
Most of the experienced Montana hunters strongly suggested I avoid a late season trip to Montana. The hunting would not be all that good for sharptails since they have started to form up into big coveys in the late season, making them very hard to approach, plus Montana had received alot of percipitation in the late season making most of the dirt roads impassable due to mud thereby limiting access.
I decided it wouldn't be worth the 10 hour drive from Denver for marginal hunting conditions, so I passed on Montana this year. I will plan an early season hunt for next year, though. The info people provided will still be useful to me.
Instead of Montana, I went sharptail hunting in the Nebraska Sandhills, which is a much closer drive for me. It took awhile, but I finally got into sharptails, but they were indeed coveyed up into big groups which were impossible to approach to within shooting range. I had a good time hiking around the Sandhills, but I didn't bag any birds. It was a fun trip, and I learned a lot, so I consider it successful, though.
Thanks again to all who helped me out!
I am looking forward to an early season Montana hunt next year!
Now, to settle into the off season:
