On the off chance there is someone who may have some knowledge...

Headed to WY to turkey hunt (again) this spring. I've never actually BEEN to Montana, and kicked myself last time we were in WY I didn't just drive the 5 miles and cross over to say I had been, so planning to do that this time. Then got to thinking... maybe we should give it a go in MT to see if we can harvest a bird there.

Generally we are hunting Sheridan, Johnson and Campbell Counties in WY. Anyone have any tips or thoughts on hunting the Biddle > Decker > Asheland kind of triangle of MT?

Well, Cristina, Laura and I hunted Crook County WY a few years ago (it is just over the SD line) and intended to hunt Southeastern Montana, but I was sick as a dog the whole time we were there. So, after it took me 3 days to get a bird, I decided to call off the hunt in Montana and drove over to Little Bighorn Battlefield and some other places as we headed home. Never did get back out there for that Montana bird.

Hunted that area several times. The closer to Wyoming border the more birds we seen and killed.

Calling after the fly down had little effect if they are headed somewhere else, Birds are much quieter than I expected on the ground. It was all about getting ahead of where they are headed,

Very different than eastern birds around here.

I was on the Western side, but managed to find a few…
https://youtube.com/shorts/sL2HV3eBvj4

I never have hunted turkey in those areas but I can tell you there are birds in that whole area. Long Pines and Ashland areas of Custer National Forest in the southeastern part of the state. A lot of public land and block management places to harvest a bird. Get in touch with the Montana Wildfife and Parks and get all the info you will need to harvest a bird. Ask for Block Mangement area and all public lands in the area you would like to hunt.

OnX can assist you with everything you need and you can do it from your couch. I picked all my spots a year in advance and even contacted the owners of the BLM land. Found turkeys on every spot I checked. All my out of state hunting is “scouted” with OnX prior to ever leaving Georgia.

Head to the Blackhills in around Sundance Wy easy to hunt Wy. Mt. and SD trifecta.

I hunted Custer National Forest. It was ate up with hunters. Got away from there and found way less pressure on other public lands.

Thanks all for the info - greatly appreciated. I've already got about 25 spots marked in OnX to check out in MT. Sounds like it will be worth grabbing a tag and checking it out.

We'll be staying in Clearmont, WY this time around - haven't had any issues getting into birds in WY in the past, so hopefully we can get some tags filled and head north.

Planning a trip to Wyoming or South Dakota for my son and I. Just started I need to get with it
Hope you get into the birds.

I am in need of a Merriam yet and my slam will be completed. I am leaning towards South Dakota. My nonhunting wife would like to come along so I am debating whether to find a guide to hopefully fill my tag early and site see with my wife or just try it myself . I am following this post for info.

Good luck - we hunted out in the Gillette area in 2021 - totally DIY. 3 people, 2 tags each and filled them in 3 days. If you have any questions - feel free to reach out.



If you need any tips for north east Wyoming, reach out. We were able to fill 6 tags in 3 days back in 2021 totally DIY.


In 2021 we hunted the first 3 days the early season opened, arrived 3 days earlier put 5K miles on the truck scouting. Woke up the first morning to 70MPH winds, and a blizzard. The 3 days we hunted it was 70 degrees and sunny. Hit Mt. Rushmore on the way home - 80 degrees - 3 days later they got snow. Weather that early is the biggest issue. I researched and marked a LOT of spots on OnX. Birds were still in winter flocks, so made it a little easier.

There’s too much public access in the Western States to hire a guide. If you can kill an Eastern and can walk, you’ll kill a Merriam. If you’re into decoys it’s almost a guarantee.