Quick Tips
- Watch for sudden storms early and late fall
- GPS maps recommended
- Be prepared to quarter a 800 lb. bull
- Be bear aware around camp and kill site
On The Ground
Whitetail- Bull Mountains unit lies south of Boulder within portions of Silver Bow and Jefferson Counties. Thousands of acres of public lands are available on the Deerlodge National Forest. Interstate 90 establishes the southern boundary and 15 sets the western edge. Moose are likely to be found west of Montana Route 339. Draw only for antlered bull limited tags for resident and nonresidents.
Just because there are limited tags available through the draw might not mean that you should put in. Couple of reasons for this statement; the foremost being that predation over the past ten years or more has had an impact on the number of mature bulls. Secondly, while it’s great to have a good system of Forest Service roads access helps to push bulls into thick cover on north facing slopes. Expectations should be a 125” Boone and Crockett class bull. If you see a larger one you may want to pull the trigger.
Terrain
Haystack Mountain rises to 8,800 feet above Little Boulder Creek, area’s largest drainage system, flows towards the northeast and the community of Boulder. Little Whitetail Creek flows southeast out of Whitetail Reservoir towards the Whitehall. Delmoe Lake is another large reservoir that helps feed a number of other creeks that flow eastward towards Whitetail Creek and the Jefferson River. These creeks create a large network of favorable moose forage and cover. Mount Pisgah, Whitetail Peak and McClusky Mountain all reach elevations above 8,000 feet. Open parks, long draws and rounded ridges make this unit a moderate physical challenge for any tag holder.
Roughly 360 square miles
66.9% public land
Elevation from 4,300-8,800 feet
Vegetation
West of Whitetail Creek is stands of fir, spruce ponderosa and lodgepole pine, groves of aspen, with cottonwoods and willows lining many creek bottoms. Meadows have lush grasses during the spring and early summer and longer if rains continue into early September. Ridges have stands of timber along with large clusters of mountain shrubs; mountain mahogany and bitterbrush. The eastern portion of the unit has open range with short grasses like blue gramma, areas of sagebrush, pinyon/juniper, willows and cottonwood and irrigated crops in Whitetail Basin. Further east pinyon/juniper stands can be found in the foothills with thick timbered slopes on Bull Mountain.
Access
Deerlodge National Forest provides a system of good Forest service roads that are joined by county and state highways. The two reservoirs have excellent access as well as along Little Boulder Creek. None of the peaks are far from a Forest service road. Heavy snows or rains can make some of the secondary roads difficult to travel so be prepared with chains and a four wheel drive vehicle.
Interstate 90 and 15, Montana Routes 339 and 69 are the major highways
Camping and Lodging
Boulder and Whitehall are smaller communists with motels, café and restaurants, limited medical facilities and gas and diesel. Butte is along both Interstates has a wide variety of lodging choices, cage and restaurants, regional medical hospital and airport. 24/7 fuel is available.
Boulder: O-Z Motel, Boulder Hot Springs, Elkhorn Café, Mountain Good, Joe’s Pizza
Whitehall: Rodeway Inn, Fish Creek B&B, Two Bit Saloon, Karina’s
Butte: National Chain Motels; Holiday Inn, Hampton, Best Western, and the Finlen Hotel, Up Town Café, Park & Main Café, Gamer’s Café, Chicken Shack
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