Cowboy Heaven Consulting, LLC
6116 Walker Road
Bozeman, MT 59715
406-587-9563
1-877-613-0404
info@cowboyhvn.com

As I type these words on April 19, 2004, thousands of hunters are anxiously awaiting the results of the non-resident big game drawings. So anxiously, in fact, that they've once again brought Fish, Wildlife, and Park's internet licensing result system to its knees! Hopefully by later today, though, they'll know whether they've been successful, and congrats to the fortunate. However, as it's turned out, the less fortunate are still not without options.

As many of you know, Montana has a two-tiered non-resident licensing system. If you want to be assured of a license, you can go with the "Outfitter Sponsored" license, which is guaranteed. Otherwise, you take your chances (historically about 50/50) on the general draw, which is what we're awaiting results on right now. The guaranteed license costs more, of course, but the price is adjusted yearly based on demand. For several years after this program's inception in the mid-90's, the guaranteed licenses sold out every year, and so the price kept going up until the Big Game Combo (which includes elk, deer, fishing, and upland birds) was nearly $1200, versus the general draw version at just over half that amount. 2002 was the first year the guaranteed tags didn't sell out, with just a handful left, which FWP decided to offer for sale, first come-first served. For 2003 the price went down a hundred bucks, but there were still some 200 unsold licenses. For '04 the price went down again, and this time there's about 700 leftover guaranteed licenses. Those are available for sale, through the end of August, so if you've struck out in Montana's general draw, or otherwise are still in the market for a big game hunt; you are in luck! Not only do we have some exceptional big game hunts available, some of our outfitters are cutting their price to essentially eliminate the difference between the guaranteed and general draw license (roughly $300-$450 savings, depending on elk, deer, or combo license). What a deal! Most of the outfitters we recommend book up largely with repeat business, which is obviously the sort of operation you want to be going with, but we still have some openings for exceptional hunts. Once the drawing results come out, I expect them to fill up fast, though, so don't delay. Pick up the phone (1-877-613-0404) or e-mail, and get ready to go hunting!

Of course, you'd like to come home from that hunt with a trophy-class animal. With many of our hunts, there isn't just potential for that; they get 'em with regularity. Even our lower-priced hunts are not dependant on migrations, have excellent populations of resident animals, and consequently boast very high success rates over a long period of time. These are all fair-chase hunts for free-ranging native wildlife, though. I really like one of our top outfitters' take on this trophy potential matter. A few excerpts from their newsletter; "Every year some real trophies are seen, some are shot, and some live to see another year. Our largest bull taken scored a whopping 409 7/8 gross B&C (392 2/8 net), and ranks #13 ever taken in MT. Not everyone will kill or even see a 350 or better bull, but they are there. There are 40 square miles of canyons and timber with lots of hiding places. Big bulls do just that; hide until found or they make a mistake. In order to get a big bull you need to be in an area that has big bulls. Weather, hunter's abilities, and luck all play a part in hunting, but our experienced guides and knowledge of the area is where our consistent high success rate comes from. Four of the past eight years have brought 100% opportunity at 5-point or better bulls. Other years' success has been from 75-90%, except one year. For the '03 season, we had 100% opportunity. All but one bull were 6 points, with one 7X7. One hunter didn't kill a bull, but shot at two. There were some tremendous bulls seen and shot at. Three bulls that were attempted to be taken were of a 350 class or better. We saw 30 to 70 bulls per hunt."

I should point out that the bull they took that wasn't a 6X6 or bigger was taken by a 78 year old gentleman suffering from cancer on a "make a wish" hunt. Not only that, he'd broken an arm two months before the hunt and didn't have full use of it yet. And he still got a good bull, plus a nice mulie! That hunt was video'd, and aired on the Bass Pro Shop television series. If you'd like a copy, let us know.... Like many of our hunts, it's well-suited to differing physical abilities. You can access much of the ranch by 4X4, but if you're young (at heart) and fit, you can head on foot into some of the hellhole canyons for a physical challenge that'll peg your adventure meter.

That hunt is one of our highest trophy potential elk hunts (and arguably the highest potential one with openings for '04). It's not cheap at $6000, but just for perspective the Bar None Ranch just across the creek costs twice that! You may have seen the Primos' video of a near-400 bull archery kill there, and they've taken several other 390+ bulls off the place. If you'd like, we can get you on the waiting list for the Bar None (3 years, minimum), or you can go this year for half the money.... If you're after a truly giant elk, it's a no-brainer.

Of course, that's just one example. We also have openings for pack-in or ranch hunts in areas boasting some of the highest elk concentrations in Montana, like the Madison Range. Those run $4000-$5000. Further down the price scale; how about historically 100% opportunity archery hunts, either pack-in wilderness or private ranch hunts for $2800? Still a couple of openings for rifle hunters on that same ranch for $2800 also (and they went 16 for 16 on elk for '03, and have very good muley hunting also). We also have some openings for early (starting September 15) and general-season hunts in the Bob Marshall and Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness starting at $2900.

If your interest runs more toward deer, we have some exceptional central and eastern Montana deer hunts. These are with very highly-regarded outfitters that you've likely seen featured in magazine articles. To everyone's surprise, they still have some openings pretty much throughout the season, including the prime rut period. Some dandy bucks came out of the Missouri Breaks last season, and 5-day archery hunts there start at $2250, with the rifle version at $2500. Some very high trophy potential southeast MT mule deer hunts are available for $3000, with a handful of exceptional whitetail hunts for $3500. A screaming bargain are 5-day rifle deer hunts on 24,000 acres of top-notch private land, off the north slope of the Snowy Mountains in central MT, for $2300. All of these hunts have run at or within spitting distance of 100% success for many years. The archery versions offer numerous possibilities for elk and/or antelope combos. Rifle tags for elk are only available on a drawing basis in those districts (an exceedingly tough draw), but archery elk and antelope are offered on an unlimited basis. Non-resident rifle antelope drawing odds range from about one in four, to 90+% (for the central MT one), and antelope can be added as a combo the first week or two of the general rifle season for an extra $500.

For further details, be sure & check our elk, deer, and antelope hunt pages, not to mention our other hunts from bison to bighorn, and don't let this bonus chance to go big game hunting in Montana slip by.