My fiance and I are going to be moving to Missoula in late June. (we'll be married by then ) We plan on making Montana our home if you Montana fellas don't mind. I

I was just wondering how close I'll be to good hunting ground. Is it mostly private land in the immediate area, or is there a good amount of national forest? How is the elk hunting in the area? What is the average mule deer buck that comes out of that part of the state?

I grew up hunting and living in mountains, and this flat Kansas praire that I currently call home is about to drive me nuts!I can't wait to get onto my kind of ground again.

Thanks for any replies.

Gib

I live about 70 miles west of Missoula, and usually get into the "big city" once a week. The elk hunting around here is good, the mule deer hunting is so-so. If you work your butt off and really get away from roads and hunters you can still find a decent buck, but the whitetail hunting is much better IMO. The majority of land around here is Federal and State. Plum Creek (private timber company) also holds alot of land in Northwest MT. They do allow hunting and recreation. Lots of places to poke around in the woods, I think you'll enjoy it in this area.

What will you do for a job? Just wondering as our economy is NOT the brightest.

I'm about 130 miles east of Missoula. And SKelly is giving you some good info. In a nutshell I think the biggest contributor to finding decent game on public land is how far are you willing to walk or how high will you climb? We surely have lots of game but it seems we have lots of road hunters and few REAL hunters willing to get out and walk.

Missoula is one of my favorite MT towns. Quite proggressive, as its a college town. Yet enough yahoo cowboy "flavor" if thats what you like.

FN in MT

I'd like to move there, wife won't go. There is a good rifle shop in the mall, northern pike in the Clarks Fork River as long as your arm and hungry. Maybe one of these days...

Tom

Montana's now-second biggest city is a decidedly groovy, progressive college town but happily, it's surrounded by Montana! The legions of dreadlocked tree huggers rarely leave downtown (rusting Subaru's won't get far up the logging roads) but they are DAMNED annoying.

That and the pissy economy aside, moving here was the best thing I ever did in my life. Hunting locally involves much uphill walking for reasons others have described, but it's worth it. It's only been a year or two that you could take muley bucks more readily and where you hunt this October is usually determined by what burned last summer!

BTW, being a college town FULL of tall blonde ponytails, Missoula is not a good place to bring a new wife. Be forewarned!

Redial

Don't let these guys scare you about the Montana economy- I came here 13 years ago with nothing, and I have damn near all of it left.

Gib, looks like I'll be in about the same boat come next fall. More likely Bozeman, but Missoula is on the list. My wife will be opening up a Naturopathic clinic, but we're a wee apprehensive about the economy. People are always getting sick, though, so hopefully we'll fair ok.
Really looking forward to climbing some hills.
Between CO, OR and soon MT, I might just get spoilt!

[ 09-12-2003, 10:55: Message edited by: Bwana-be ]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The reason for choosing Missoula is based around the fact that it IS a college town. My fiance and I both need to finish up a little more school.

As far as work goes, its gonna be an "I'll take what I can get" situation.

I'll probably be up in Missoula some time this spring in order to scout out the apartment situation. Maybe drop off a few resumes and job apps., too.

Thanks again - Gib

Gib,

I moved out here 25 years ago from the east coast. The ONLY thing that allowed me to keep my head above water was I brought out a nice savings account with me. I would strongly advise you to bring out as much Kansas money as possible. I'm not trying to be negative but our economy IS terrible. You also need to understand that in Missoula you have tons of people also willing to "take what I can get".
Lots of minimum wage, zero benefits jobs.

Would you like me to forward a Missoulian newspaper?? A Sunday edition job and apartments section?? If so give me your address.

FN in MT
(actually Craig MT just north of Wolf Creek)

Frank-

I e-mailed you

Thanks- Gib

When you say the economy is in the tank out there, are you talking about the entire state in general or just specific areas? I've seen different parts of the state a would expect it to follow the same pattern as here in Iowa. I spent 3 days in Broadus and could understand why there wasn't much money there as there was little in the way of employment oppurtunity if you weren't a rancher but large cities like Billings looked to have everything going for them that we have in a large town here. If you have the people you are going to have the demand for the things they need to live. Granted, jobs like flipping burgers might have an excess of available potential employees, but more skilled jobs I would think would be available as they are here due to not just anyone being able to perform them. Am I off base here?

Brian

One thing that amazes me, now that I've been up here in Alberta since February, is the ease with which people seem to pack up and move. I sense that a little bit in your message. In Europe people seem to stick much more to what they know and what they have. My neighbour just lost his job, and within a week and a half they have their house for sale and they are off. Another fellow I knew just packed up and left all behind and moved to Edmonton, after his restaurant gig went bad. I would never get my family to go along with that kind of mobility. On the other hand, they followed me to Alberta, they might surprise me. Anyhow, if the US would have offered better conditions of getting in, we might have gambled too and moved to the Missoula area. As an alternative, Alberta ain't half bad! Good luck with the move.

Frans

Have fun at "Malfunction Junction"!!!

I'm about 60 miles NE of Missoula but that's where I have to go to shop, see a movie, register my rusty Subaru (c'mon Redial, if I took the truck to town all the time I'd be in worse financial straits than I am already!) etc. Its a nice town for what it is but like has been said, there are a ton of people willing to work for peanuts and, without specific marketable skills, you may have some trouble supporting yourselves. Things get worse as you look to the smaller towns. Rents are very high as are property values anywhere withing commuting distance to town. I've killed elk within 30 min. of town and the white tail hunting can be very good locally. The more you walk the better both get. Fishing's good but can get crowded. Good school for many things, I went there myself. If I can give you specific assistance drop me a line.
Jay Kolbe

Digital Dan--
I have alot of fun at Malfunction Junction...its where the best used gun shop in town is located!!!!!

With my family being from southern West Virginia, maybe my prospective is different. Being employed 6 months out of the year and you are in the upper Income brackets in the local economy there. However, if there are people, there are jobs. Maybe nothing high quality, but depends on how much you want to sacrafice, to be able to go out and hunt etc.

Wages are low in Montana. I have a few friends that are natives of Montana, and live there and have to find jobs. They could live higher on the hog financially elsewhere, but they also have kids to raise and in today's world there are a lot of other places with crime etc, ( worse than Montana) so they stay there and earn $20,000 a year instead of $50,000 or $60,000 in Denver, or Salt Lake, etc.

I moved to Southern Oregon, in 1985 from 18 Yrs in Minnesota. I considered Montana, but my wife had had enough of snow and cold for one lifetime ( although she is a Minnesota native). JJobs are not any better in Southern Oregon. Most of our transplants are Retirees from Calif, who have more money than most of the local workers.
Welfare abuse by the Hippies is a major financial industry here also, as is growing Marijuana and illegal drugs for the California markets.

However not " involved" in the local Cash cow economy, and laid off for the first time since I got out of the Army in 1978, I can move or start a business. Too many people always overlook self employment.

Since about 65 % of everyone in Montana, works for government in some way shape or form, just apply until you get a government job if you have to work for someone else.

Good or bad, life is what we make it.
Not what it gives us.

[ 09-14-2003, 21:17: Message edited by: seafire/ B17G ]

You could always join the National Guard...

Seriously, 4 days pay a month, 2 weeks sometime in the summer. GI Bill. Yep, you might get mobilized.

[ 09-14-2003, 22:50: Message edited by: Hobie ]

Hey guys-

It looks like I opened a small can o' worms by saying that I would "take what I can get" in the way of employment. I do not intend to do just that. I already have one possible employer, and if that doesn't work out, I do have a good resume and certain skills involving sales, customer service, management, etc. This may sound overly optomistic, but I have no reservations about my ability to find employment when I arrive.

thanks for the thoughts and helpful input- Gib

hey Gib with all of your sales experience you eill be anle to get one of the many jobs here in the great city of Missoula for minuman wage period.the econmey just sucks here this is a collage town many people working for almost nothing our law office put out a job as a basic typist we had 43 apps. 12 with B.A.s 4 with masters just letting you know what its really like here it snowes all winter long freerzes solid in Sept hotter than HELL in the summer and this year here in Missoula we were all smoked for 45 straight days other than that it a real nice place to live no sales tax just very hight personal proptery tax and 2nd highest gas tax