Montana C.M.R. Land

[Bigshooter]

Some of you will find this interesting.



http://www.fws.gov/cmr/documents/Final_09_hunting_regs.doc

[Pathfinder101]

Some of you will find this interesting.



http://www.fws.gov/cmr/documents/Final_09_hunting_regs.doc

Are you planning a hunt?

[Bigshooter]

yeah

[Pathfinder101]

I looked into the CM Russell area too for this fall.    Unfortunately, the season closes on the 15th, so you may miss the best part of the rut.  Looks like a great area to hunt, but looks like access could be a problem. the weather in that area can get wet pretty fast and from what I understand any road that isn't paved will turn to gumbo and be impassible.  The other access would be by boat on the reservoir, which sounds to me like it would be the best way to hunt, but you will need a pretty good sized boat and have to know what you are doing if the weather gets bad (wind, waves, ice, etc...).  Like I said, I looked into it a bit, but it sounded like a bit of a logistic hassle (since I don't own a large boat, don't know the area, etc...)
  I know there are a few guys on this site that have hunted it, and they came back with some nice bucks if I remember right.

[Bearhunter]

Most areas, large boats have been unlaunchable the last couple years, except last year, the water level in the lake has been to low.  Its a great place to go hunt and see dozens of bucks a day, just lots of smaller bucks.  Big ones are there you just have to weed through lots of little guys.  Good luck.

[bowhunterforever]

Most areas, large boats have been unlaunchable the last couple years, except last year, the water level in the lake has been to low.  Its a great place to go hunt and see dozens of bucks a day, just lots of smaller bucks.  Big ones are there you just have to weed through lots of little guys.  Good luck.

My buddie that lives buy the lake said it came up like 12 feet so far this spring and the melt off water hasnt even got there yet, so you should beable to launch at more boat ramps the fall i would think.

[Roger]

Have hunted the cmr several times and there are a lot of deer there and some really big bucks in there also. I have not been able to connect on one of the big ones. My method has been to hunt the cmr up until it closes and then go outside after it closes and take a decent deer.

[Pathfinder101]

Have hunted the cmr several times and there are a lot of deer there and some really big bucks in there also. I have not been able to connect on one of the big ones. My method has been to hunt the cmr up until it closes and then go outside after it closes and take a decent deer.

Roger,
When you go outside the CMR do you hunt private, BLM or Block Management? 

[Roger]

BLM and Block Mgt.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 The Primary Road going into CMR is a bitch. Steep, gumbo crap, all of it. If you want to lose a windshield, drive that road, then a gravel road right afterward

 It does look gamey, we hunted just outside of there and saw a lot of sign and does, lot's of pressure in some areas of BLM just outside of there. I have some small thumbnail photos of that road I'll try and throw up, I can't recall the name off the top of my head, but it's a USFS main line.

[Dmanmastertracker]

  Fairly crappy pictures, somehow I permanently shrank them, but these are all from CMR.

[Pathfinder101]

The Primary Road going into CMR is a bitch. Steep, gumbo crap, all of it. If you want to lose a windshield, drive that road, then a gravel road right afterward

 It does look gamey, we hunted just outside of there and saw a lot of sign and does, lot's of pressure in some areas of BLM just outside of there. I have some small thumbnail photos of that road I'll try and throw up, I can't recall the name off the top of my head, but it's a USFS main line.

Did you hunt the CMR Dman?  Or was it closed already when you were there?

[Dmanmastertracker]

 It had already closed, we hunted BLM and BMA's near there and drove through it to get from one to the next. Incredible veiws, good photo ops there.

[WAcoyotehunter]

The Primary Road going into CMR is a bitch. Steep, gumbo crap, all of it. If you want to lose a windshield, drive that road, then a gravel road right afterward

 

Many of the roads in that area are native material and like dman said, GUMBO.  if it starts to rain get to a hard surfaced road quickly- they turn nasty in a hurry!! 

[Pathfinder101]

appreciate the info guys.  I assume you were hunting after the 15th (the day that CMR closes) because of the rut.  Do you guys think the rut would start on CMR before the 15th, or would someone who hunted there miss it?  Was the BLM and Block Management land crowded?