Non resident Montana Deer/elk hunt

[TSLPE]

Trying to read through the montana hunt regs. Looks like they sell 17000 NR elk licenses and 4600 NR deer licenses. My question is do you have to be drawn to even purchase a license? Also do you think it wise to try for a combo elk/deer or maybe it would be better to focus on just one or the other. Would like to hunt the Missouri river breaks area. Region 6. Thoughts? Opinions? Have never hunted out of Washington before so I feel a little out of my element.   

[mburrows]

Any of the true breaks tag will be draw only for elk.  Can take a few years for the archery tag and even more for the rifle tag but they are worth saving up the points for.  All non-resident tags are issued via draw.  You've probably got a better chance of drawing the big game combo license than just the deer tag but both odds are still pretty high.  Several folks on this forum didnt draw last year though.

[bearpaw]

Deer Combo is the toughest to draw.
Elk/Deer Combo or Elk Combo are both easier to draw.

With the economy booming the odds are expected to get tougher this year in most all states for drawing tags.

[Stein]

If you are looking for a rifle hunt, breaks tags are going to take a decade of points collecting before you have much of a chance of drawing.  Archery are better, but they put out a ton of tags for that season.

MT is a good general season state, most tags just aren't worth collecting all the points for a slim chance when you have so many good options on the general tag.  It's my fallback state, if I don't have an awesome tag somewhere I'll pick up a general elk and deer tag later in the year.

[mburrows]

The 900-20 tag (archery only) opens up a lot of ground too for elk especially in the eastern part of the state.

[Stein]

The 900-20 tag (archery only) opens up a lot of ground too for elk especially in the eastern part of the state.

That one is even getting hard these days, it took 5 points last year for 100% odds and they give out 350 of them.  It used to be an every other year hunt.

[TSLPE]

Can't I hunt the Missouri river breaks with a general deer tag?

[dvolmer]

If you are middle aged, the chance of drawing a rifle elk Missouri breaks tag are slim in your lifetime.  The deer hunting on the breaks went from really good to fair at best the last 5 to 10 years.  Montana is getting tougher and tougher every year and will continue so.  Look for a price increase in the near future as the draw odds get harder for the general combo tags.  When 25,000 people are putting in for 17,000 licenses the state will increase the costs until they have 18,000 people putting in for 17,000 licenses.  Its just plain business. 

[dvolmer]

10 years ago, a rifle deer hunt on the breaks was a real fun trip with abundant nice 4x4 mulies in the 20 to 24 inch range with bigger to be had on occasion.  Now its hard to find a quality buck on the breaks with more and more people hunting.

[ASHQUACK]

Missouri breaks buck from 2018. Biggest one we saw.