Montana rookie

B

blackdog

New member
Hello all. I will be heading to Central Montana for the first time in the middle of October for some bird hunting. I ABSOLUTELY am not asking for anyone's prime info. Doing all the leg work is half of the fun for me. (The other half is watching great dog work.) But I am asking for any help someone might have in regards to all these rules and regs on public land. Having hunted all over the mid west and S.D. it seems a bit overwhelming compared to the walk in hunting I am used to. I have been doing my homework and recieved my access guide, but I am still a little confused on gaining the proper permission. Do I need to schedule a time to hunt prior to arriving, or can it be done on the fly while I am out looking for a place to hunt? Since I have never even seen Montana, I sure hope I can drive and scout before making a reservation sight unseen? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
 
Public lands are going to be walk-in whether it be state or federal unless it's posted otherwise. The Block Management program is designed to allow the public access to private land. Type I bma's are walk-in areas but you have to sign in @ a sign in box and leave the stub in your windshield. Also in the box is a map and any other further instructions for that particular property. Type II bma's require landowners permission by calling and setting up a reservation with the landowner. My suggestion would be to make your reservations for type II bma's before you come up as some of them fill up pretty quick.
 
I have only tried once to get permission for a Type II BMA that said it could be done by email. I never heard back after I sent the request. I've heard that people who call the phone numbers often get answering machines with no call back. Maybe just horror stories with no basis but if I were going to use the Type II units, I'd call before the trip as MT tailchaser suggested and check with all of the BMAs you plan to hunt if only to find out if you can get in touch with someone.
 
jsdriggs said:
Oh,... , be the hunter they want to have on their property.
Click to expand...
Excellent point. I'm surprised at how much crap gets left on the BMAs. Spent shell casings and cleaning your birds where the access point is and leaving feathers and carcasses where the owner is sure to see them. That's the main reason I hunt Type I BMAs. I don't have to bother anyone and unless you can read sign well enough to interpret broken grass stems, nobody would know I'd been there.
 
Last edited:
I am also a Montana Rookie looking at a trip to Eastern Montana. I have never been east of Great Falls in Montana. It is not very practical to try to book a type II area I have not seen.
I am mostly interested in pheasants, but also would like to shoot a few sharptails. I have almost unlimited time. I will hunt alone. I am older so will have some limits on how long will hunt in a day, but I can have a lot of days.
My plan is to arrive a day or two after opening weekend of pheasant season. Does this sound like a good idea? Will type I block management areas be available? Will deer season be an issue when it opens? I imagine that it will book up most areas with deer hunters for the first week of the season
I see three basic areas that are likely to be available. State and federal land, block management land, and a few of the new walk in areas intended for bird hunters. If Eastern Montana is like most of the rest of the West, the states and federal government got the poorest land, and it is not likely to hold pheasants. Are there exceptions like the area around Fort Peck reservoir or other similar areas? The block management areas sound promising because if the area is large and if there are a few areas with pheasants perhaps I can find some smaller areas that hold a bird or two. I suppose the walk in areas will be hit hard but since the program is new, no one really knows for sure.
Anyway, I would appreciate any thoughts you may have.
 
Thanks everyone. I appreciate your responses. I will be in the Lewistown area 10/18 thru 10/25. I can't wait to get that adventure underway! Good luck to you, and thanks again for your time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top