Sharp tails and Huns

Hey guys I'm looking for advise. I have been invited to hunt southern Mt. for sharpies and pheasant on a friends property. This will be my bucket list trip i have dreamed about all my life. While I'm there I Would like to hunt Huns but they are not in the area around Colstrip where my friend lives. The DEPT of Wildlife told me to hunt up around Hwy 2 which is the northern 1/4 of the state. has anyone out there been to this area does any one know any upland outfitters that could help me find huns? It's a 1600 mile drive for this old Ga boy and I SURE WANT TO GIVE IT MY BEST SHOT!!! Any advise or do's and don'ts would be much appreciated. THANKS FOR YOUR ADVISE, Ga DOG

I go there quite a bit. Last year I didn’t cause if the drought . In the area of MT I hunt pheasants are released birds. So I don’t bother with them. To take advantage of sharpies you need to hunt early season meaning sept. By pheasant season sharpies are harder to get close to. Huns like to be in ankle deep cover and next to abandoned homestead. I prefer sharptails and Huns are a bonus bird
Watch for prairie rattlers in southern part of state early season. Watch for porcupines all over

PM me your e mail address and I will forward the e mail I received from the MT fish and game. You can order a guide to public land and get your license. Mine is on order and they will mail it out in late August.

Huns are problematic. They are more localized, use the same cover year after year and folks who hunt them will not give up a spot. Best you can do is talk to people about likely hun habitat. Because of their habitat preferences they are more likely to be on private property. You are more likely to encounter them north of the highline (the northern railroad line)
It is just south of the canada border. If you are in the southwest part of the state you might look into chukar -- there is a spot there with a hunt able population.

GA DOG, For Huns, start at the highline and north. Hunt low cover, ideally with scattered brush. Being close to harvested grain will not hurt your chances either. After that it's a matter of putting the dog down and covering ground. The Huns are very sporty gamebirds. Hunting them is very similar to bobwhite hunting. You will see sharpies in harvested grain but they will be more approachable in native prairie grass and low brush. If they have been pressured they will be spooky. As long as it's not too dry, dogs smell and point them well. The other side of that is once they wise up, they will take a dog to school in regard to steadiness and honoring their nose. A wiley veteran sharp tail will not tolerate the dog taking an extra step closer into the scent cone. Late season Sharpies have taught my dogs more about handling birds and me more about reading my dogs points than any other upland bird I've hunted. If you are pursuing late season sharp tails, chokes in the range of modified to full are advantageous on birds flushing at 35-40 yards. Sharpies are my favorite upland game bird on the prairie.
It's big country and your dog will need to be in shape. Good luck, hope your dog finds em, and you shoot straight. The northern prairie is a glorious place to be in the fall.

THANKS FOR THE INFO, I HAVE ALSO ORDERED THE GUIDES FROM THE DEPT. OF WILDLIFE FOR UPLAND AND THE BLM LAND. Will pm my e-mail. THANKS AGAIN!! GA DOG

Is the highline above Hwy #2? I was told by the upland bird manager with the department of wildlife to go north of this highway for Huns. Thanks for your info and reply. GA DOG

Porcupines?!

I've always wanted to hunt huns up north too. Have fun and post pics.

Yes there are porkies! Carry a Leatherman for quill removal if you dog ties up with one. I learned about them first hand....

GA. The highline is a region of Montana. It is the northern 100-150 miles that stretches from North Dakota to the eastern Rockies. It's big country and there is a general disdain for guides by the locals. You just need to take your dog and go exploring and see what you come up with to get a taste of what bird hunting on the prairie is about.

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