Montana/Wyoming or Midwest Hunting

We upland hunted with Milk River Outfitters in NE Montana this year, they do a lot of whitetail and mule deer hunts. No huntable elk in that part of the state. It is my understanding that you need to be drawn for tags in Montana then you can book a hunt. When we were leaving, the deer hunters were coming in an all of them had their tags reviewed before hunting.

The biggest outfitter in Wyoming is SnS. They run a good outfit with easy to draw or over the counter tags. They have far and away the most acreage of any outfitter in the State.

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It’s important to understand; in general; when you hunt out West the OTC or tags you can draw with nearly 100% success on the first try are in areas that have abundant game and aren’t necessarily managed for quality. This isn’t to say you can’t kill a giant; it’s just not what those areas are being managed for. So those giants are few and far between.

I got a solid antelope 70” and decent 140” mule deer on a combo hunt with SnS 4 years ago.

Bull elk tags in quality units can take years if not decades to draw. You up your odds significantly in some States by choosing archery or muzzleloader permit drawings. In some States, a certain percentage of the permits are allocated to hunters who will use a licensed outfitter. In some States you will be required to use an Outfitter.

For big elk, look at AZ, NM, CO, UT, WY and NV. Idaho and Montana turn out some good ones too.

For big mule deer look at the same and throw Nebraska into the mix. You might get lucky and get drawn for a quality mule deer in Western Nebraska on your first try.

I’ve gone with Montana Whitetails in Livingston. They set up well for archery Whitetails.