Montana unit 315/580 Crazy Mountains
Elk
I'm headed to Montana on September 20th and am looking to spend 6 nights in the crazy mountains. I've heard all about the access issues, private checker boarded land and no general hunting below Sweet Grass Creek in 580. I've hunted the Lewis and Clark in 454, but I've never been down to the crazies and was struggling with a few things that I was hoping someone who had some experience might be able to point me in the right direction or provide some advice. A lot of the public land seems to be more mountain goat territory than elk, from the maps, but maybe I'm missing something.
Which unit is better to hunt? Where should I enter? How can I get away from the rest of the hunters/hikers? Is there BLM land or other locals that allow access across their property?
Appreciate any tips, advice or a PM.
-Dave
The elk hunting in the crazy mts is excellent.Did a diy hunt there a few years back and was in elk daily.Weather was terrible and messed up the hunt,but I will be back
Have a buddy that still hunts there and hasn't been that lucky. Infested with wolves.
Theres no wolves there.I know a father/son team that tag out each year in archery on nice bulls.Don't let people try and scare you away,its a great archery hunt
Bullshit there are no wolves there. There are wolves there and every mountain range in Montana. Hunt
infested with wolves is total BS.Love guys trying to make false claims to keep others out of "their" spot.OK, im sure theres a few in the Crazies,but I covered an awful lot of it and didn't see any sign of wolves there.No other hunters,which there are a lot of,didn't report any wolves either.How many wolves are in the entire state???And how many sq miles does Mt cover.Same old from mt hunters,"all our elk were eaten by wolves,hunt another state"Big bunch of Bs To the OP,I hope you can see your on to a GREAT spot or they wouldn't try and scare you off
Amen on the wolf bullcrap Mixed bag.
Yep you guys are right. The ones that spend a week or two a year in Montana know all about the wolves. Granted the elk are still here and always will be. But they have changed the way they live! Good luck.
Wolves or not, that doesn't really bother me. I thought you could buy a tag for them this year too. So I guess I'd be happy bringing both an elk and a wolf home! :-)
Anyways, I really appreciate any PM's or words of wisdom. I'm curious to know what advice people have for the area.
Thanks!
Huntman I shot my first bull elk in the Crazies 37 years ago with my trusty Wing Comp 2 bow so save the BS for someone else.
Sending you a pm.Your in for a GREAT TRIP!!!
Sending you a pm.Your in for a GREAT TRIP!!!
Grizzly behind every tree too so watch out when your cutting up your 350 bull
LOL! :)
Always amazes me the lengths some of the locals will go to try to scare away all the out of state guys! ;-)
Yep I love to scary people off. Just stating a Fact is all. Good luck with your 350 bull. Hunt
Well, I was out there(Crazies) in 2011 for over a week and didn't see any sign of wolves(or hear any). Talked to a lot of other hunters too. Guess all the wolves were away on vacation those 2 weeks! ;-)
Well then if you didn't see any sign in 2011 , then they must not be any wolves there. Did you or your partner get an elk? I bet I know the answer. Hunt
This reminds me of the whole wolf fiasco in the first place... Folks from out east dictating what is or is not happening in the mountain west like they actually have a clue. "There aren't any wolves in those mountains cause we said so!"
All the idiots that feel the Crazies are 'infested' with wolves can always stay down around Clyde Park/Wilsall etc n hunt 'spigot' elk in the irrigated fields.They should feel secure there.
LOL leftee! :)
Hunt man- if there are so many wolves in the Crazies they must be killing a lot of these cattle that were grazing at the lower elevations and on the surrounding ranches. We walked right past some of those cattle when hiking up the trail into the mountains. Also passed a lot grazing in the lowlands outside of Wilsall on the way in on the forest road.
Yes, if you see cattle grazing that is a great indicator that there are no wolves in the area!! especially if they are lying down......I would hunt close to the cattle and avoid the timber. If the cattle stand up or start acting nervous find a new area.
That's my point...............they were up in that timber where we were hunting! Of course they were not up at the elevations we were camped at, but they were up above the trailhead- well up into the timber. We bumped them hiking into our camp on the first day.
If these mountains are so overrun by wolves, wouldn't the local ranchers be losing lots of cattle???!!!
I don't think anyone suggested that these mountains (the Crazys) were "OVERRUN" with wolves. I believe it was pointed out that there are wolves in those mountains and every other mountain range in MT, which is true as far as I know.
If you want to hunt the Crazys get after it. But to suggest that there are no wolves in an area because you see cattle grazing is the dumbest thing I have heard in a long time.
Carry on...
You're right,no one said 'overrun'.The word choice was 'infested'. A total bunch of crap.
Did I say overran? No I didn't just that Wolves are in the crazy mnts and every other mnt range in Mt. That's all I said. But the cows grazing is a good point. Cows are very smart??
A photo of cows grazing sure drives your point home. Seriously? Mixed bag too, lets have a look at this picture here and reconsider our opinion huh? Wolves are in the crazys, and every mountain range in montana, as hunt stated. He's also right that elk change the way they live when they live around wolves. And not in a good way for a bow hunter. These, are all facts. Feel free to keep your emotional, fact free opinions to the side of the country you reside! Consider believing those who live here and are trying to help in providing information or setting some facts straight next time! Chasin
Whats that show one pack of say 6 wolves.Your graph actually shows the Crazies as having the LOWEST impact from wolves.Unless maybe your not sure where the Crazy Mts really are.But I guess since you live there your well aware huh.I talk to my friends I met out there each year who hunt the same spot I found.In fact that's how we met and became friends.I'm very safe in saying 350s aren't uncommon there and they do it most every year.Both of them have filled their archery tags there for a long time now.Not once have they seen or heard a wolf in there.Maybe all those wolves live in a different section there then I hunted and have local imfo for.I'd put those two hunters up against anyone out there,but they don't come on these sites Guess when I go back out next year, I'll bring my wolf traps,lmao.Again, how many sq miles do the Crazies cover for those 6 wolves
Huntman, you said INFESTED which to most people is the SAME as over run.What do you know about the Crazies when your old outfitter boss keeps asking for MY spot.Seems if your so up on them he should be asking YOU since your the local No, me and Rut didn't fill our tags but were in bulls each day.If you check back on the weather for the days we were camped up top there you'd see heavy rain and swirling winds daily.Its very thick cover there,and to get a good bull in close with swirling winds is an impossibility.Well maybe not for someone like yourself.
Thought there were a lot more wolves in 2011 anyway.That was the beginning of the wolf seasons.Seems to me the population would be lower with all the local wolf experts hunting them
Mixed, are you able to read? Where did Hunt say "infested"?
'Welka' said 'infested',not Hunt.
Mix bag. Joe asked me to guide for him. Came to me. I have shown him many spots. I know the Crazys very well. And Joe knows that. He was never my Boss just a friend helping a friend. good luck . Hunt
Guys do we need to take a time out! There are lots of elk in the crazys. Montana hunt and fish Co. does lots of elk hunts in the crazys.
From: Kat Daddy Date: 14-May-15
If you want to hunt the Crazys get after it. But to suggest that there are no wolves in an area because you see cattle grazing is the dumbest thing I have heard in a long time
You guys should re-read my posts. I did NOT say just because there are cows there grazing means there are no wolves. I said there were a lot of cattle grazing there and if there are many wolves in the area they should be killing a lot of those cattle.
But what do I know? I'm just a dumb greenhorn from PA! LOL! ;-)
mixed bag must be 10 ft tall and bulletproof. Good luck MP. Cattle aren't necessarily the prime target of wolves, especially mature cattle, when there are other options; for example sheep, deer, other game, etc.
"There are lots of elk in the crazys." Amen to that Bigdan.Also if anyone want facts,check out the 2014 wolf map(not the 2012),the stats/locations on livestock claims and the hunter kill units and stats.
I'll bow out by saying I hope wolves don't become a problem there.IMO they are not a problem now. Your Departments annual report(2014) hopefully is accurate when it states:
"Southeast end of the Crazy Mountains: FWP received reports in the area of the southeastern end of the Crazies, but was unable to verify any wolf sign after extensive searching."
I dont even know who it is that you're arguing with here.
Our only point was to refute the claim that there were no wolves in the crazys by providing verified pack information released by FWP.
Not once in this entire thread did anyone say there weren't elk in the crazys.
Good luck on your hunt. Chasin
Here are a couple elk that were killed by "predators" in the Crazies back in 2011. All that was left by the time I got there was the skulls/antlers! ;-)
So once again. I never said the Crazys didn't have elk. Just that there are wolves there. Plenty of elk in every mnt range in Mt alone with a few wolves.
Good luck I could care less where you hunt. I promise you that. Hunt
Actually, it came up as and infestation of wolves which is total BS.I thought Huntman quoted that but I was wrong.He stated there were packs in every range which I'm sure there may well be.Your odds of seeing one is VERY slim I'll be archery hunting the Crazies again next year.I'll be the one with the bumper sticker saying"If you paid $20 for your elk tag,THANK a NR"
Now before this turns into a resident vs non-resident whizzing contest, I would like to point out that we got a LOT of help in the form of PM's and e-mails from some very nice and helpful Montana Bowsiters!
And a lot of encouragement that went something like: Don't let anybody scare you away from Montana because of the wolves or grizzlies, especially the "island" ranges like the Crazies and such. It's no where near as bad as they are making it out to be. THey just don't want competition from out of staters.
But then there are a lot of guys like Big Dan that are willing to help us Easterners. To them I say THANK YOU!
Lol. I got 3 pms from PA bowsiters saying please don't think we are all this way. That what makes this site the best. Each to there own. Hunt
Only one comment was made in this entire thread that had any content that might dissuade elk hunting in the crazys. And it was made by welka. Who is a NONresident. Once again, I have no idea where you're coming up with all of this stuff. Any relation to the namesake of your favorite mountain range fellas? Chasin
And what is it with you guys? I hear dueling banjos from deliverance everytime you get on a roll.
Well Hunt Man, we got a lot more than 3 PM's saying the same thing about the Montana guys "crying wolf"! ;-) Saying don't think we're all trying to scare you guys away.
Montana is a great state, and we had a great time out there in the Crazies. I guess I just got tired of seeing all the posts over the years about Montana being "infested" with wolves. I never commented until now because my experience was limited. But when I saw someone commenting about the Crazies, I chimed in- because I have been there.
I'm sorry if I ruffled a few feathers, but sometimes I just can't help but tell it like it is. And I hate to see guys steered away from such a great opportunity.
I made my point, so I will move on. Carry on and have a good day.
Rut nut you just don't get it. I can't figure out how I became the wolf bad guy here. I have helped plenty of bowsiters get MT elk. Took them in my house to my spots and Killed bull elk. I dont get why you guys think I am the one crying wolf. Cracks me up.Hunt
You're right, I don't get it. I never mentioned anyone by name in any of my above posts. So I don't see how I am "making you the wolf bad guy here" or "attacking" you as you said in your PM. I just stated what my experience was in the Crazies. And called BS on the comment that they were "infested" with wolves. Take it for what it's worth.
I'm gonna take the high road here from now on and focus on the positive.
I responded and told you I mistakenly thought it was you.But you chimed in right after and I wasn't really paying attention.You could have called BS when the guy said it was infested with wolves and I said he was full of it.Instead you had to go with the wolf talk by adding there are a pack of wolves on the range.Never thought you were a bad guy but that really misrepresents the hunting in Montana,and ALOT of you guys do it.If I lived there I'd be thankful for the NR keeping my license costs down and paying for the Block management to keep some ranches from being leased to outfitters.We can't be much competition anyway apparently.My archery elk success is 40% with 2 years of passing on a 12 yd shot and another year a 25 yard shot or my success would be 80%.all bulls,all public ground and all either general tags or otc.To me,archery elk hunting is fairly easy but super exciting.We're all hunters so it makes no sense to try and scare others off and I'm talking in general not to you huntman.I openly give my spots away to guys looking for a place to hunt.The Crazy Mts is one of my favorite places but I've been caught up in Alaska the past few years to make it back.I think other guys interested in a good hunt shouldn't be told lies about some wolf investation and that's how it all started.It goes on a little with other states as well but not as much as Mt with giving false imfo;again not directed to huntman.I will say it does get some pretty heavy pressure.And, Montana is the only state where I've ever run into archery hunters back in a few miles.So if you hunt there expect company and it gets worse as the season moves along.I'd recommend going in around the 10-12th.When me and Rut went in there was 2 cars in the parking area,ours and the father/son team.When we came out it was full with over 15 cars/trucks/campers.I'm planning to go back next year if I don't draw a Snowy Mt tag;411-15.Being the jerk I am,I was able to get access thru a ranch into the range if I ever draw it.
Wow. Glad I only check this site every couple of weeks or this thread could have been a lot longer. I could have chosen my words better and said that "where I hunted in the Crazy's it was infested". Had 3 years chasing elk (and yes there were some elk) with packs roaming, in the area, howling, chasing, who knows, but it definitely shut the elk down ALL 3 years and it wasn't the same spot all 3 years. Being a non-resident with a short period of time to hunt, decided to try different areas and states as I fully know the impact wolves can have as I hunted in northern WI for years and witnessed the decline and near wipeout of the whitetails in the county we hunted. Also know a couple of the ranchers near the Crazy's who will show you pictures of puppies that won't be bothering their livestock. For those of you who still hunt their or plan to, good to hear from several of the above posts that what we experienced didn't turn into a bigger issue - yet. Good luck and Happy howling.
Welka- just curious- what part of the crazies did you hunt? And what years?
Dave- I got your PM. I will post a couple pics here. Yeah, beautiful country and a lot of it did look more suitable to mountain goats (than ELk! ;-)
In fact, we traversed this scree slope several times where there was a game trail going right across the rocks(you can just make it out in this pic). Doesn't look real steep in the pic, but believe me if you fell here, you would roll all the way down several hundred feet. We picked our way across very slowly and carefully until we got to better footing!
Wow this thread is a good one for laugh. Just read it now. I'm pretty sure HUNT could give a flying rip about where other guys hunt he's going to kill big elk regardless of what others do. If you've followed along here for any amount of time you'll see how he helps others out.
You'll also notice another trend: Guys who know what they are doing don't worry about what other people do. People that kill consistently do so because they have the knowledge, work ethic, and methodology down pat to do so not because they have a certain one spot "honey hole."
Lived near the Crazies for a few years. The upper reaches are rocky and steep - looking like good goat country as previously noted. Never got up there to hunt. Just about everywhere in western MT has woofs.
Rut - '07, '09, 10 One year was actually in 449 which is north of Crazy's, but well within a pack's radius. Other two times were in north half of 580 (Lebo Peak and north). Also hunted in 540 prior to that and they were just making the rounds, but plenty of elk in the area back then. Good luck.
Welka- sounds like we were in different parts of the Crazies. But where we were, the elk were very vocal. I remember one night in particular we heard about 5 different bulls bugling from 3 different directions and different distances. We were "serenaded" by bugling for over 30 min that night. Was hard to get to sleep after that! ;-)
This was our view from camp
As steep and nasty as I remember it. Your really have to be in top shape to hunt the Crazy's - especially in deep and up high. Glad to hear the elk are still plentiful.
That's right! Steeper and much thicker than I imagined Montana to be.
One day we had a bull bugling for almost an hr. Mixed bag hung back calling and gettin' him all worked up, and I tried to sneak in as he was bugling. I kept thinking this bull would come charging in at any minute the way he was carrying on. But he just stood his ground. I thought that was odd until I came to a very steep draw(slide actually). The bull was on the far side. No way to get to him. We must have been only 100 or 150y apart. Would have had to climb back up hundreds of feet to go up and around to get on his side. As I was contemplating how to get over to him, just then I heard another bull straight up the mountain from me. I tried to get on that bull, but by the time I got up there, the wind had shifted and we figure mixed bag's scent had drifted over to him and he disappeared. Yeah, plenty steep and sometimes the hardest part was trying to get to where the bulls were.
mixedbag: "What do you know about the Crazies when your old outfitter boss keeps asking for MY spot."
Since my name came up I'll guess I'll add my 2 cents. Mixed I'd say "keeps asking" was a bit of an overstatement. I asked once. The reason is because where I hunt a permit is required and so even though they still sell licenses the permit deadline is long gone. With our moose hunt taking priority I just wasn't sure back in mid March whether or not I could make it to Montana this year so I couldn't commit to buying a license and a perit. BTW I've asked Hunter plenty of times about his area and he has helped me out as well. But the fact is I didn't make any notes and can't remember any details of what either of you told me.
As far as wolves go... I managed to punch 12 elk tags in a row in the midst of some of the highest wolf densities in Montana. So they never really eat "all" of the elk. They eat some.... and I eat the rest. haha
That map that shows dot for wolf packs is the biggest load of crap this side of Washington DC. First of all a dot represents a documented pack which contains collared wolves. For every dot on there you can add 5 more. I remember back in about 2008 when they said Montana was home to 96 wolves. My comment was well.... I guess I saw them all then!
There are wolves across northern Montana and obviously across the Canada border. There are wolves in western Montana and Idaho. There are wolves south of the Crazies in Wyoming and now from what I hear Colorado. So it wouldn't be very realistic to think there were no wolves in central Montana and the Crazies.
There are wolves where there are no dots at all!
Does that mean the elk are in bad shape? Not necessarily. But it does mean they will act different as they adapt to the wolves that are there regardless of how many there are.
My last comment would be that wolves have huge home ranges and so they can be here today and gone tomorrow... and for your entire hunt. I've been in areas where I knew for sure wolves spent some time and never saw or heard a sign of them. So maybe you can't believe everything you see, such as the map. But don't count something out just because you haven't seen it either.
Over and out. :-)
