Montana High Country Tours Inc
Montana High Country Tours, Inc.
Rated 1 out of 5.0 based on 5 Outfitter reviews.
Contact: Russ Kipp
Location: Polaris, Montana
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Pronghorn Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat, Shiras Moose, Pheasant, Ducks, Geese, Coyote
State(s) Hunted: MT
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Submitted by: Al Iftiger
Review Submitted: Nov 8, 2013
Hunt Date: Nov 2, 2013
Species Hunted: Elk, Mule Deer
Days Hunted: 7
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Mountain
Method: Rifle
Price Range: 4000-4999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Poor service, over-pressured heards and mediocre h
Hunted the first week of November with Russ Kipp and his Montana High Country Tours. Russ is an anti-social person that for some reason decided to open a hunting lodge. He assigns your guide each day through a round robin and your guide changes everyday day. If you don't like your guide...too bad. I attempted to express to him that I didn't want to hunt with certain guides and he wouldn't even let me finish the sentence before cutting me off and walking away. The guides and Russ sit separate from the hunters and don't socialize with them during meals...supposedly they are talking strategy (which they aren't). The lodge facility is simple with motel quality amenities and has potential should someone else buy it. The food was average and he booked too many hunters (nine) during the week I was there. The only positive thing about this place is it's cheap...about $4300 for a guided hunt and Montana has plenty (too many) of tags available. What I found out though is you get what you pay for. I recommend spending a few extra bucks and going someplace with better hunting and better service. I just can't figure out the attitude of the owner, you'd think he'd want to impress his guests like other lodges and hope for repeat business instead of upsetting them. In speaking with the other guests at the lodge, the nicest description any of them could come up with is the owner was "prickly." The actual hunting was mediocre at best. The few bull elk we saw were small, most barely legal. The one good animal I found, Russ made sure I couldn't go after it, instead sending me to another area where the animals were heading back into the timber well before daylight...and Russ won't allow his guides to pursue them once in the timber. I ended up leaving early. Got tired of the owner's bad attitude. He really didn't seem to care about what the guests thought or were interested in.
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Submitted by: Larry McNeal
Review Submitted: Feb 28, 2011
Hunt Date: Feb 28, 2011
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer, Elk, Mule Deer
Days Hunted: 5
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Any
Method: Rifle
Price Range: Any
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Montana High Country Tours
First class accomodations and meals. Guides were also very good and hard working. However the quality of animals seen was average at best. I was told that there was a good possiblity of filling deer and elk tags. Saw only a few deer and was told not to shoot less than fork horn deer and this was public land. Elk hunting was not much better we hunted the same herd in the same area daily and the better bulls were already shot off by the hunters earlier in the season. The herd was limited to spikes and rag horns. This lodge pretty much makes its living hunting one herd of elk that are located on public land, once the bigger bulls are gone the hunters are limited to next to nothing. Only edge MHCT has is their ability to access the public land through private property. Saw lots of elk but no bulls of any size. Other hunters in camp had the same experience. Expectations were set very high by Russ as to what to expect in deer and elk hunting, I was left unsatisfied in both areas. Nice hunt for someone who wants to relax and doesn't care about killing or seeing anything but who wants to pay that much for meals and a room???
note: The following reviews predate the numeric rating system and are not included in this outfitter's overall rating.
outfitter review submitted by: Rusty Carhoff on Jan 3 2008
Species Hunted: Elk
Game Quality: Very Good
Accommodation Quality: 5 star - the best
Camp Condition: Excellent
Food Quality: Fantastic
Guide Experience: Very Good
Other Personal Experience: Great
Overall Impression: Exceptional Hunt
Recommend: YES
Reviewer Comments: Hunted with Russ in 2007, had a wonderful hunt. We hunted from his lodge that simply is the finest you will find anywhere! He runs a year round outfitting business so it is not just a hunting lodge. The meals, accomodations, equipment and guides were exceptional. These guys really know the elk and the country. I passed on several smaller bull in an effort to take one of the bigger bulls we were seeing most every day. As is turned out I took a smaller 5 x 6 on the second to last day of the hunt. Great hunt, great people, every thing Russ had advertised. Hope to be back with him in 2009!
outfitter review submitted by: Clark Linn on Dec 30 2004
Species Hunted: ELK - Bow
Game Quality: Very Good
Accommodation Quality: Outstanding
Camp Condition: Excellent
Food Quality: Fantastic
Guide Experience: Excellent
Other Personal Experience: Excellent
Overall Impression: Great Hunt
Recommend: Yes
Reviewer Comments: I hunted with Russ in 2004. I use a recurve so I needed to be close. 25 yds max. We got close to some nice bulls but just out of range. This is a lodge hunt and has all the comforts of a 5 star resort. The hunting is good. I saw bulls everyday. Russ has several ranches leased plus access to public land that allowed for lots of hunting area and no pressure from other hunters. I did not kill an elk on this trip but that really didn't matter. I had a great time. My wife went along and relaxed and toured the country while we hunted. If you are looking for a tough back country hunt then this is not it. If you want a good hunt with a good chance at a good bull and outstanding accomidations and food then give them a try.
outfitter review submitted by: Paul Snyder on Jun 7 2003
Species Hunted: Elk
Game Quality: Excellant
Accommodation Quality: The best
Camp Condition: Great
Food Quality: Great
Guide Experience: Top Notch
Other Personal Experience: Great
Overall Impression: Very good hunt
Recommend: YES
Reviewer Comments: The hunt was everything advertised....rare in my experience for a guided elk hunt. You can't beat the accomidations, food, guides, and the hard work they went through. I got a 5x5 the last day...all 6 hunters in the camp had an opportunity of a 5x5 or better during the week...a few nice 6x6's were taken. Russ is a full time local guy that knows his herd and how to hunt it. In my opinion, if you doin't get a chance at a decent bull, it will be due to the weather or the hunter being out of shape....things out of MHCT control.
Contact: David Stanley
Location: Ocate, New Mexico
Species Hunted: Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Turkey, Mountain Lion
State(s) Hunted: NM
Wyoming Hunting Information
Wyoming is a great state for hunters! It offers a wide variety of good big game, turkey, small game, upland and predator hunting.
Oregon Hunting Information
Oregon is not known to be a trophy big game producing state. That said they do have good quantities of animals such as Elk.
Iowa Hunting Information
Iowa is one of the best Midwestern states for monster whitetail bucks. Non-residents must apply for a tag in their annual drawing. Archery tags are the most sought after and depending on what units you apply for generally take 2-4 years to draw.
