Montana elk hunting

Just a little southeast of Sheridan, Montana the Ruby River comes out of the Tobacco Root Mountains and some of the finest elk hunting in the western states can be had in these mountains.  Not many guides hunt this range and the trophies abound if you are willing to hunt in the steep slopes covered in black conifer forests.  There are a few parks and a few aspen groves but most of the cover is evergreen.

 The first time I hunted the upper Ruby was in the fall of 1979 and I just got back from a Roosevelt Elk hunt on Afognak Island in Alaska and was in great physical shape.  I could cover 10 to 12 miles per day in these 6,000 foot elevation with ease and by pushing it 20 miles was within my range. So, I felt very optimistic about the hunt and after the first three days of scouting I was really looking forward to the opening day of elk season.

My hunting partner, Moses Lake, was born in Twin Bridges, Montana sells Montana land for sale, Montana real estate and had hunted this area since he was a kid.  Moses must have been around 45 years old back then and was as hard as a hickory stump.  We setup camp three days before the opening day to get a feel for the elf and to see if we could find any trophy bulls.  The current number three Boone and Crocket Rocky Mountain Elk  had been taken just a few miles west of where we were camped four years before.  So, we knew there was a gene pool for a real trophy animal in this basin. 

Trophy Montana elk hunting

During the night it started snowing heavily and by daybreak of opening day there was 14 inches of powder in camp.  We were camped in a little valley that is right at 5,000 feet and had planned to hunt a ridge to the west where we had seen lots of elk and a couple of bulls that would qualify to join the beauties in my trophy room.  The rest of this story may be found at Montana Elk Hunting Outfitters web site. Just click on the link.

Hunting elk in Montana

Trophy elk hunting in Montana