Folks,

Going to be huting for Mule deer in the Montana Badlands area the week of Thanksgiving.

My buddies Eric (parapliegic) and Shawn (needs some kind of handicap to slow him down) are going with. Eric hunts off a Quad and usually sees and shoots bigger deer than the rest of us. We hate him for this...

Shawn is a real go getter and one of my rafting buddies as well. He's a better rafter than I and I hate him for this.

They hate me just because...

Having never hunted (nor even been to) that area, any thoughts, ideas, concerns that we should be aware of? Clothing, weather, that kind'a stuff. I'm aware of the blaze orange requirement, BTW.


Thanks!!

-Steve

So you have a particular district? What are you defining as the "Badlands"

Tnomen

Depending on the weather the whole state can be "badlands". If your friend is hunting off an ATV you might be able to get permission on Block Management for him. There were several land owners that welcomed handicaped hunters last year check the Block Man. books for the 600 and 700 districts.

The weather can be anything from 20 below to 50 above. The weather has been either warm and dry or cold and dry with a sometimes serious storms over the past few years. There is no telling exactly what you might get, that just Montana. Generally you won't get any rain in late Nov., however, if you do the roads could become impassable overnight in some areas, especially the Breaks.

What unit, units, are you planning to hunt?

Badlands might not be the correct reference. It's what the outfitter referred to it as. It's in region 700, Miles City area.

-Steve

Steve your buddy that is limited mobility can get a permit to hunt from his quad at the Region 7 office in Miles City. Just call them and they will tell you what he needs.

The week of Thanksgiving the weather can range from comfotable to miserable. Snow on the ground is a real possibility so be prepared for that.

Be aware that most landowners have either leased to outfitters or charge daily or weekly access fees. There is alot of public land out there but anything that is accessible was been hammered for the previous 2 months. You will still find critters. Your time frame is after the peak of the rut and those big mule deer are all spent and resting.

Tnomen

Tnomen,

Thanks! I'll pass the info about the permit on to Eric. We're hunting with an outfitter who has exclusive access to several ranches. With hope they won't be too shot out by the time we get there.

-Steve

If you are going with an outfitter on private leases you don't need anything. Check the packing list your outfitter gave you and listen to his advice.

Awwww... What's the fun in that...

Seriously I'm just looking for more opinions and an excuse to vent a bit of anticipation.

Thanks!

-Steve