Montana non-resident questions

[Rem700Man]

 ii have been wanting to come to Mt for years to hunt mulies & i think i can swing it this year but i am having trouble with the application. I just wanna hunt mule deer so do i check the deer general box on the application or should i go for the combo? I know my chances are slim for getting drawn but by checking the combo box & paying the higher fees does that make my chances better. This will be my 1st away from home hunt so i have alot of work to do to get ready as the application has to be in by march 15th & im not exactly sure what area i even want to hunt in yet. My Dads friend has came out there 3 times in the past & has brought home some awesome camcorder shots of the land there & some pretty nice bucks. Im trying to talk him into going with me this year but his time is limited due to work,so if you have any areas that might be worth looking into i would appreciate it. He has always hunted public lands in the past,,should i stick to public lands or will i have enough time to maybe find some private land to hunt between notification of getting drawn & the season opener. THANX for any help you can provide

                               Mike

[tominboise]

You're odds of getting drawn increase if you buy a big game combo.  There are something like 12000 combos available, and only 2300 deer only available.  You might get lucky, but don't expect to get drawn the first year, combo or not.  MT has a preference point system which will increase your odds the more years you apply.

HTH

[taxmiser]

Greetings from Lewistown, MT.

Most folks get drawn the first year, then after they tend to rotate years.  I have friends who come out every year (archery hunters) and it seems to work out that one but not both of the brothers will get tags each year.  The unsuccessful brother will more than likely get the tag(s) the following year.

I wouldn't spend the extra money if I only wanted to hunt deer.

Good shooting!

Dale