Our hunting area north of Yellowstone National Park has one of the best elk populations in the state, largely due to the fact that private ranches provide year-round food and secure habitat. In addition, when inclement weather arrives between mid-October and Thanksgiving, the hunting is often considered the finest in the world!
For an area that has such good elk hunting, the deer hunting isn't too bad either! Montana state regulations do not allow us to hunt mule deer during the last two weeks of our rifle season. Therefore, while our first few hunts are elk/mule deer combination hunts, the last two hunts are elk/whitetail combination hunts or elk only hunts. Since mule deer hunting is not allowed during the peak of the rut when they are most vulnerable, we shoot some dandies during the early stages of the rut during our first three weeks of hunting season. Average mature bucks would be 20 to 24 inches wide, although we have taken several in the 30 inch class.
In addition, we have taken voluntary steps in the past 10 years to manage our deer and elk herds for larger animals