In Montana, elk hunting is a way of life.
LandTrust employee and Montana elk hunter, Colton Dombroski, after a successful 2021 hunt.
These enormous animals provide sport, food, and enjoyment for thousands of hunters from Montana and beyond the state’s borders. Despite these ungulates being driven to near extinction 100 years ago, they have recovered. And are now roaming in record numbers; some estimates put the total elk population in Montana as high as 175,000.
The problem is: where are they?
Hunting on Montana Public Lands?
Montana has a lot of public land. There are also a lot of hunters here.
When elk hunting season opens up, hunters flood to the areas that are open to the public; lands that are easily accessible.
This can tend to drive the elk off the public lands, and out of the reach of hunters who focus on hunting just on the areas where they have easy access.
Spotted from an elk game cam on private land at Beartooth Mountain Ranch outside Nye, MT.
Hunt Elk on Montana Private Lands
The alternative is to find lands where there aren’t crowds. When it comes to elk hunting in Montana, you can often find the herds on private property.
The elk become aware of what’s going on. And they know that to avoid danger, they just mosey on over to the ranches where the hunters don’t have access. There, they can graze, nap, and overall avoid the pressure that hunters put on them.
A herd grazing on private elk hunting land in Montana at LO Cattle Ranch outside Jordan.
Finding the Right Property on LandTrust.com
But when you’re on your Montana elk hunt, you don’t have to track down landowners, develop that relationship, or hope to find a generous land owner to grant you access. Instead, you can rely on LandTrust.com.
From the peaks in the west, to the rolling mountains of the east, LandTrust has partnerships with 21 properties around the state. Depending on where you want to hunt, one of those partnerships is sure to be a match with you, and your hunting style.
Whether you’re looking for a few hundred acres for Crazy Mountains elk hunting, or a few thousand acres in the south east corner of Montana near Ekalaka like the F&R Ranches; LandTrust gets you access to private hunting land that holds some of the best big game hunting the state has to offer.
A herd below the Crazy Mountains at Muddy Creek Ranch.
Finding the Right Property for Your Montana Elk Hunt
Elk roam throughout Montana. Planning a Montana Elk hunt starts with finding the right area, and the right private property where you can hunt.
There’s no reason to fight through crowds of other hunters who are all in pursuit of the same herd. The state is big with private properties from the east to the west, waiting for your hunt and LandTrust offers a strong sampling of the state. Each one of them is known to have some of the biggest bull elk you have ever seen. Discover a Montana ranch to hunt on, some even include elk sightings right from the cabin window such as Tobin Creek Ranch in Clyde Park, MT (above).
You just have to choose the one best for you. Browse Montana farms to hunt on Montana Elk hunting properties!
Discover private elk hunting land at Sheehy Ranch in Big Sandy, MT.
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