Characteristics

• Elk have either a brown or pale yellow coat with darker legs, neck and head. Mature male elk can weigh 1,000 pounds or more and have antlers with six points. Females weigh between 500 and 600 pounds. Elk live in forests and feed on grasses, deciduous shrubs, flowering plants called forbs and young trees. Some hunting districts are regulated by the type of elk that may be legally hunted. Types include antlered bulls, antlerless elk (females and juveniles), brow-tined (the lower half of the antlers are 4 inches or more) elk and spike bulls (the antlers do not branch). Specific district regulations are available from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
  
  

Access

• Hunters who want to hunt on federal land (U.S. Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service) should contact the local federal office for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Forest Service. Most Montana State Wildlife Management Areas are typically open for hunting during the general hunting season. State School Trust Lands are accessible for an additional $2 fee, which can be purchased with a license. Hunters must stop at all check stations going to and from hunting areas, even if there is no game to be checked.
  
  

Method

• There are no firearm restrictions for hunting during Montana's general hunting season, with the exception of silencers. Rifles, muzzle loaders, handguns, shotguns, archery equipment and crossbows are all permitted. During archery season, only hand-held archery equipment and crossbows are permitted in designated areas. Chemical and explosive devices are illegal.
  
  

Licenses and Permits

• Hunters must have licenses and/or permits in their possession at all times while hunting. After killing an animal, it must be tagged securely with the day and month of the kill. This tag must stay with the carcass until it is consumed. Only one hunting license or permit may be purchased in any year and is good for one elk. General elk licenses range from $8 to $20 in 2010. Combination licenses, which cover deer, elk and antelope, cost between $600 and $1,000. Separate special permits or licenses for hunting antlerless elk in designated areas and other such permits and licenses are awarded through drawings. Participants pay an additional fee to be included in these drawings.
  
  

Hunting Clothes

• Firearm hunters are required to wear a minimum of 400 square inches of fluorescent orange material. It must be above the waist and visible at all times. Bow hunters hunting during the general season must also meet this requirement. Bow hunters are exempt from wearing "hunter orange" during the archery season only.
  
  

Prohibitions

• Certain hunting methods are prohibited in Montana, such as airplane spotting, baiting, game calling and motion tracking. Hunting with the use of camera devices and night vision equipment is also prohibited in Montana. In addition, it is illegal to hunt using public roadways or motorized vehicles. The use of artificial light, two-way radios and dogs are also not permitted.