I hunted the Misouri Breaks unit adjacent to 700 four years in a row from 02'-05'. Did not draw Montana in 06', however my buddy who lives near the breaks and has hunted it for years, in fact is 5 for 5 on mature bulls from this area, told me this was by far the worst year he had ever experienced. Saw very few good bulls and alot less elk in general, guess the increase in cow tags is having its affect. Also, he reported still alot of hunters, so lot less elk + lot of hunters, you can do the math on this one.
Secondly, the rain while hunting the breaks. For those who don't know it can be brutal. I was very lucky in 02', 03' and o4' weather wise, but got punked hard in 05'. Had to spend 3 nights in my truck, 7 miles from my camp, which was 25 - 27 miles from hard top...............Luckily I checked the weather forecast and the 50% chance of light showers predicted was enough for me to throw my sleeping bag, two gallons of water and a few snacks in my truck before heading out before dawn that Monday morning. Rained and snowed like crazy for three days and final dried enough to get back to camp Thursday afternoon.
My advice, there are better places to hunt in Montana as well as other states and this is based with my connections with the Montana boys in adition to my own experience on the breaks.
Good luck wherever you end up.
JL