First post on the board, and it's guaranteed to be a doozy, lol. I currently live in Kentucky and am searching for new employment outside of my state, for a variety of reasons. I'm retiring from one career and beginning a brand new one. That search has led me to a job in Billings, which brings me to this site for a quick question. One of the requirements for my new home is that waterfowling must be good in the area. In my particular spot in Kentucky, ducks are hit and miss. The good end of the state is three hours away. My son and I spend a lot of time scouting, hunting, and generally not having any luck. Basically,can someone tell me (seriously) the general status of waterfowling in and around Billings? Don't care about spots or any of that crap - if the birds aren't around, that makes a difference in me applying to this job...especially in a state as big as Montana.
The Yellowstone and Big Horn Rivers are within an hour. They stay pretty much open all year. Open water = birds. http://www.refugeforums.com/threads/duck-or-goose-hunting-near-billings.739018/ http://montanauntamed.com/hunting/article_a77013ac-33a9-50bd-b36f-ca7c4c55a2fc.html https://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=542226
My daughter grew up in California and North Idaho. Went to college in Billings and is based out of there now for her job. Owns a house. She loves MT and Billings. I went there many times per year for 18 years for business. I like the town also. Great town if you have kids / family.
Based purely on waterfowling and compared to what you described as your current situation.....you wouldn't be disappointed in Billings.
From a 30 year resident, We have birds here in MT. this year a lot of us had a hard time finding ducks. Usually the colder the better, ln 2017 I hunted the Bighorn River using my jet boat, many days, the best days were well below 0. Be prepared for cold. Our population of hunters has exponentially grown over the years and it’s not the good ol days here anymore.
