collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Swan Valley MT elk?  (Read 4307 times)

Offline acorn

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Sep 2011
  • Posts: 46
  • Location: East Wenatchee
Swan Valley MT elk?
« on: November 04, 2013, 11:23:05 AM »
Anyone hunt elk down the Swan Valley east of Flathead lake in Montana recently? I've got some friends that live back there that swear the hunting is awesome (though they don't actually elk hunt themselves). But the harvest stats seem to indicate otherwise, 2-7% success are poor for Washington let alone MT. It's a ton of money to drop on a tag for an area that based on the hard numbers looks like *censored*. We would have some local knowledge on our part but I'm not sure how much to weigh that into my cost benefit analysis in my head.

I've been trying to convince them to head farther south, the Centennial mountains are the area I've focused on.

Any info advice?

Offline Moosebobb

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Pilgrim
  • *
  • Join Date: Jun 2012
  • Posts: 11
  • Location: Blaine, WA
Re: Swan Valley MT elk?
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2013, 04:34:08 PM »
Do they have property you can hunt on? Let me know if you have any luck i'm trying to find a good elk spot also

Offline acorn

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Sep 2011
  • Posts: 46
  • Location: East Wenatchee
Re: Swan Valley MT elk?
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2013, 08:03:04 PM »
No, no sweet property hookups (I wish). They just swear everyone they know always gets an elk down there, but that sounds pretty unrealistic. More like exaggerations from some Ole Timers

I may elect to stick with my substantially cheaper Deer B tag and just go along and see what it looks like... sort of a waste of a bunch of vacation days, but I suppose I could always grouse hunt while everyone else is elk hunting.

Offline nw_bowhunter

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2007
  • Posts: 1608
  • Location: Renton, WA
Re: Swan Valley MT elk?
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2013, 08:03:43 PM »
I vacation in the area every year and I know there are lots of whitetails. When I called the local wildlife office I was advised most head other areas to hunt elk. Not say there aren't there but I was having a difficult time getting any great info. When I spoke with the local archery shop I got some details but not enough to really commit to hunting the area.

Offline NumaJohn

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Scout
  • ****
  • Join Date: Sep 2010
  • Posts: 323
  • Location: Spokane, WA
Re: Swan Valley MT elk?
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2013, 08:45:56 PM »
I just sent a PM to you, acorn.

John
"When we go afield to hunt wild game produced by the good earth, we search among the absolute truths held by the land, and the land, responding only to the law of nature, cannot be deceived."    

Jim Posewitz, Inherit the Hunt

Offline alecvg

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Feb 2008
  • Posts: 1832
  • Location: Whatcom County/Helena MT
Re: Swan Valley MT elk?
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2013, 07:51:09 AM »
Lived there for a little while.  There are some elk that are residents in the valley year round, but they are hard to find.  Most the elk summer in the Bob, or the Great Bear, and come down into the foothills in november.  If it were me... I would look elsewhere, there are better spots in Montana to hunt.
I would rather be a conservative nut job, than a liberal with no nuts, and no job!

Offline acorn

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Sep 2011
  • Posts: 46
  • Location: East Wenatchee
Re: Swan Valley MT elk?
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2013, 05:56:19 PM »
Thank ya much John!

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Colorado Results by vandeman17
[Today at 08:30:01 AM]


Idaho General Season Going to Draw for Nonresidents by pickardjw
[Today at 08:25:01 AM]


DIY Ucluelet trip by WAcoueshunter
[Today at 07:46:51 AM]


Wyoming elk who's in? by link
[Today at 07:00:33 AM]


Resetting dash warning lights by Woodchuck
[Today at 06:42:55 AM]


Please Report Problems & Bugs Here by Rainier10
[Today at 06:30:45 AM]


CVA Optima V2 durasight rail mod by craigapphunt
[Today at 05:56:00 AM]


Last year putting in… by wa.hunter
[Yesterday at 11:02:00 PM]


HUNTNNW 2025 trail cam thread and photos by huntnnw
[Yesterday at 10:34:36 PM]


alkali elk special hunt by Rainier10
[Yesterday at 09:17:12 PM]


Oregon Seed #'s by Brute
[Yesterday at 08:54:20 PM]


What's flatbed pickup life like? by Happy Gilmore
[Yesterday at 08:38:50 PM]


The time clock has started.....and go. by KNOPHISH
[Yesterday at 07:31:05 PM]


Burrowing Animal by b0bbyg
[Yesterday at 12:43:47 PM]


Cold bore or fouled barrel. by hunter399
[Yesterday at 12:36:22 PM]


Oregon spring bear by time2hunt
[May 27, 2025, 08:03:28 PM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2025, SimplePortal