Right now elk numbers in Montana are very high..almost at all time record highs with the exception of wolf areas where they are at an almost all time low... the area I hunt has 2 shoulder seasons in an attempt to get the elk numbers down..normal season was over the last weekend in November..another season carries on until mid-February..which I don't agree with ..think it is way to hard on the herd as a whole..cows are pregnant so there are a lot of aborted fetuses and a lot of wounded game..hunting is getting more and more difficult this time of year as the snow keeps coming and the temps are low..people start pushing their shooting ranges, etc..so not a fan of the late shoulder season...

There is also an earlier shoulder season that started in mid August..which messes up archery season a bit as it opens 2 weeks later..elk are a bit wound up by then with all the shooting going on..but at least the cows haven't been bred yet..and the temps are not -10 to -20F for the game to scratch out a living in...

Yes if you ever were to go to Yellowstone National Park it would be similar..you can drive right by bison, elk and mule deer without them giving you much of a notice...

I will keep them coming as they become available to me..

Ripp