1st Elk Hunt; Montana; Toddb's packs; Gear, Analysis, Questions

Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
I just asked my wife to give me context if I was overblowing this at all, and she said no. This is the trip that changed my life.

The story for this trip starts about 18 months ago. I'd reached a point where I'd gone full-on dad mode and quit exercising (had two kids, gym was one of the first things to go). I woke up one day and decided that needed to change. I walked into the kitchen and told my wife I was going to get into the best shape of my life and that I was going on an elk hunt. She really wanted that first thing to happen, so she jumped on board with the 2nd.

I'll spare you the shirtless before and after pics, but I lost 52 lbs of garbage weight then put on 20 lbs of muscle. The last 6 months leading up to the trip I was lifting 6 days/week and running 20-25 miles/ week. If you've heard of duty/desire/delight, that was it. By the end of my training, exercise had gone from a painful duty to something that was a highlight of my day.

Every time I went to the gym I visualized climbing a mountain in Montana, that was the only trick I had up my sleeve.

I keyed in on the mountains surrounding the Big Hole Valley. Out here in Kansas I knock on doors a lot for permission to hunt. I meet a lot of great folks. One guy gave me permission to hunt, but he wanted to try an experiment first. He told me that I could sit next to his house and he would play Dave Mason records on vinyl out the window. If the turkeys came up to his house, I could shoot. Apparently this was a common occurrence.

Deal, I said.

The turkeys never came, but I made a new friend. This friend had a buddy who had worked in the Big Hole Valley area tracking elk migration patterns across the continental divide. He was in town one week and I sat down over beer and I got good, firsthand info on the area. It proved to be a great lead and I keyed in on that area for my research.

I'd convinced one of my best hunting buddies to go on this trip with me. He wouldn't get a tag, just go along for the adventure. Part of the deal was him getting his butt in shape, and he got in the best shape of the last ten years. I trusted him in the backcountry, we'd hunted together for years now, killed whitetail deer and turkeys in 4 different states, all DIY (SC, AL, KS, IL)...Lots of shared experience already, but none with elk and little with mountains.

A bunch of other small stories happened along the way, but an important one happened on this forum. I'd lurked here for months and boiled down all of my major questions into one thread. I'll post it here: http://www.rokslide.com/forums/elk/51484-backpack-plans-1st-elk-hunt-shoot-straight-3.html

Long story short, one of the members here decided to lend me a Kifaru Timberline and Kifaru Nomad, along with all of the miscellaneous elk gear that I couldn't afford. A common saying in my world is "a good man is hard to find" (Flannery O'Connor). I found one, on the internet of all places. Todd has been a huge blessing to me and my family and I feel confident we'll share a camp some day.

I kept detailed notes, nearly every night. Instead of turning them into a narrative, I thought I'd just transcribe them exactly as they were on the written page. My handwriting is illegible, so that was doing everyone a favor! I've added pics to go along with the story. At the end, I'll post my final thoughts, reflections, and QUESTIONS. Boy, do I have a bunch of questions.

I've got the notes already written up, but will post each new day or two as a new comment. I'll try to get the first couple going right now and then add the rest tonight or tomorrow.

Friday:

- Leave 4am, get to Broadus, MT plan to meet BK (3rd member for first few days of trip).
- BK Truck breaks down, fri night 6pm, small town, won’t be ready till Monday 5 pm, 130 mile tow to weekend place.
- Sit down, decision. BK stays Eastern MT, hunts different public ground, I head west to pick up AH in missoula.
Leave B at midnight, drive straight through.

IMG_3782.jpg


Saturday:

- Arrive @Pioneer MT via scenic byway, long dirt road to TH.
- Meet 2 horseback hunters, say they are jealous (I think of my naivety). Advice, bears/wolves, ______ creek, left for hike
- Met 2 hunters, motherlode of cows in 2nd meadow hike timber connect to B lake,
up Drainage, left drainage 3 mile loop, no sign, old camp, mulie and grouse.

IMG_3793.jpg IMG_3795.jpg

- Hike out, surprised at distance on gps, becomes theme. 10.6 miles.
- Talk to hunters on way out, all same report of no activity. Make internal decision to head across valley.
Talked to hunter coming out late, sounded just like Randy Newberg, too dark to tell.
- Spent night, cold, Mnt house + grouse, decide to invest in new bag when pick up AH in Missoula.
(20d synthetic upgraded to 20g down, made huge difference).

IMG_3803.jpg

Sunday:

- AH arrives. Drive Missoula to camp.
- Met 2 hunters @RM Creek (hunted there 21 years), hesitant but gives good advice on camp site.
- Set up basecamp (almost didn't bring family tent, glad I did. Didn't realize how much we'd need it for storage/drying)

IMG_3911.jpg

- Hiked back of meadow, split up to glass. AH comes running, located Bull + 7 cows, 2 miles on high meadow
descending, direction, size!!
Loaded arrow, excited. Skylined, massive frame visible with AH good glass. 2.9 mi as crow flies

- Much rejoicing; maps, gps, packing.
 
Last edited:
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
This is looking back down at the valley we spent most of the time hunting in. We covered, more or less, all of what is in this picture. If you look closely, you can see a meadow down in the valley - that was our basecamp, and that photo was about 4 miles as the crow flies. View attachment 41173
 
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
(Someone is going to have to help me format these pics!)

Monday:

- Plan: we told 2 hunters camped across road we would hunt a different mountain than where we saw the bull that night, so we wanted to
stick to our word. Hunt base CD in morning, regroup, move on bull in afternoon ready to spend 3 days.
- Hunted base of CD (continental divide)
- Found 1st elk sign, holy shit the deadfalls, bench and set up, huge trails, called.
20160926_185521.jpg

- Hike to crest; blue and Frank grouse, shot franklin, ______ mnt, hiked N, descend next ridge, base camp. 8.8 miles.View attachment 41174

- In camp old guide with friend on horse with scared dog gave advice, bears/gun/wolves, seemed excited about our plan to go after bull.

- Got back, got to b-day suit, cold creek, mnt house shit (shit), repacked for 1st backcountry venture & left, met 2 hunters on way out, good convo, told them rough plan. Cheered.

- Hiked up east main drainage of RM, holy shit the deadfalls. 1st bear sign; hunted way up slowly. Hard climb, heavy packs.View attachment 41175

- Set up camp on bench/knob, elk sign, hiked over to meadow to glass, no elk. 5+ mi, 14.8 day total

View attachment 41176
- Heard bugle at night, woke up with plan for morning.
 
Last edited:
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
Tuesday:
- Plan: sidehill mnt N, call down in to drainages (3) on way to meadow

- Beautiful country, opens up, fresh growth, willows visible @ top of drainage.

- Crosswind coming down mnt, setup to S of AH, 40 yds apart, no visible.
- AH cow calls. Waits 15. Cow calls (3 seq), quick bugle after.
- 30 secs, 150-200 yards diagonal, hear groan/growl. Not quite bugle, deep.

- Heartbeats.

- (I hear AH coming and wonder why)

- AH shrugs, asks what we do

- I say I was going to ask same thing

- I motion w arms, he sneaks off, waited 3 mins.

- AH Rakes tree, bugles again

- Bull cuts off w/ long groan/growl, same location

- And then second bull bugles down in valley (1/2 mile away), high whiney w/ chuckle

- More heartbeats.

- Both later recall hearing movement at this moment
- Think bull was working in and caught scent. Shooter should have been further away and down slope and caller further S.
- Wait 15 mns, no sound, regroup, decide the elk left
- Decide not to push, keep hiking around to next ridge, w open terrain and good wind
IMG_3845.jpg

- As soon as we departed, found incredible game trail on side hill and got excited again, always moving slowly and quiet.


- Arrive @ next ridge and find seep with incredible series of wallows. Bench/crease w/ 3 sep wallows. Top was biggest. Waypoint, 2/3 up mountain, no water anywhere else...
IMG_3842.jpg
- Hiked around ridge, next ridge; mnt house, great sit, sunshine, glassed meadow, shot TL, wonderful feeling aint it great. Happy.
IMG_3837.jpg
- Hawk looked for water, couldn’t find

- Hike back to wallow, filter water from elk wallow, sat till near dark, nothing but literal birds and bees, hiked back to camp. 6.1
IMG_3843.jpg
IMG_3844.jpg


- Hi-fives all around.

That's all till later tonight!
 
Last edited:
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
Wednesday:
- Plan: hunt 1st drainage slowly, wait till thermals shift up.

- Wake up listening early, all quiet, ate good bfast, game face.
- Move to back of draw and wait for thermals.

- Got ancy and left too early, justified with shadow line rising. Dumb, think this hurt us.

- Went to N side of draining and began to descend, quickly found tiny grassy bench, perfectly flat, willows on both sides, GIANT, single bed, must have been the big bull from yesterday. Perfect, flawless bedding spot. Sour smell. Place felt magic.
View attachment 41196
20160928_093609.jpg

- Descend ¼ way down, 2 muley does pile off north end and stop both chip shots, small buck chases off.

- Descend 1/3, find water, running sometimes under peat moss. Very cool. Hunting very slow, still struggling with swirling wind.
- Smelled elk strong for first time, unmistakable, noted musk and SOURNESS.
20160928_104626.jpg

- Feel like we hunt slowly, know in back of mind our wind blew these elk out.
- Descend all way, run into a wall of elk scent at bottom, knock arrow and creep. Probably too late for that.
Slowly hunted out, ran into the 3 blind grouse.
- Hilarity, sticks and stones and a dull broadhead later, we have grouse. AH wants slingshot.

- Tired but feel like we won.
- Celebrate, grouse.
IMG_3861.jpg
- Will hunts night at base of meadow, still hunts 2 miles around meadow. Beautiful, fun, solitary evening. Alone.
IMG_3888.jpg
- AH gets good info from local
- Campfire, food, beer, stories, stars, and sleep.
 
Last edited:
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
Thursday:
- Sleep in, drove to Big Hole Battlefield National Monument. Beautiful place, very good information. Drove to Wisdom, ate real food, drove 20 miles N and fished big hole river, AH 1st blue ribbon.

- AH caught 3 grayling while will looked for other holes.
- AH has river runs through it moment.

View attachment 41201View attachment 41202View attachment 41202View attachment 41203View attachment 41204

- "Worked up, caught 47 browns, rainbows, grayling, whitefish". Can’t believe it, too perfect.
- Will took photos, cooked fish, poured drinks, caught 1 fish to maintain dignity.
View attachment 41205
- Heard elk bugling nuts off, got interested, excited, started knocking on doors. Very friendly and good advice, but no go. Drove into area near pintlers and saw tons of hunters, too many. Moose, talked to husband wife. Nice.

- Drove to Wisdom, ate huge ribeye, met locals that worked for _____ ranch. Good guys. Me, “How do you go outside when it is 40 below? I mean…what do you even wear?” Shrugs. “I dunno, under armour and carharts I guess?” Pause, looks at AH, “I think that just means he’s made of more man than us.”

Cheers.

- Went to bed fat and happy
 

hobbes

WKR
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
2,409
Like the field notes, but I'm not able to see the photos after the "shot franklin". Maybe it's just my phone.
 

realunlucky

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Messages
12,629
Location
Eastern Utah
Photos not working for me either but enjoying the write up

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
Photos should be more or less fixed! Will finish story tonight...off to the pumpkin patch with the kids.
 
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
Friday:
- Plan: hunt dope mountain (funny story there, AH meets old guy riding around on ATV with a bb gun and a bong. Offers hit. Decline, hilarity. He hunted grouse “well there’s the blue ones, the small ones, and the dumb as shit ones”)…

- Change: AH goes 4 morning shit, while in position, hears elk bugle.
- chaos, bull keeps bugling, twice within ½ mile, same meadow we are camping in. hurries to camp, opens door, baby wipes. We both hear him start bugling again.
- Get in hurry real fast. Forget things, W has to run back for binos 1/2 mile loop (literally runs). Stop twice to take off layers, feeling pressure/hastiness. Steaming.

- Calm down, slow down.

- Start slow hunt up mountain, decide to veer in South drainage instead of up ridge.

View attachment 41230

- Ascend through ridiculous deadfalls, worst of trip. Would try different sides of drainage because some were impenetrable and then go back to the bad ones. Thick.

- Called once at trail on lower 1/3.
- We kept saying “very elky” (as if we knew what that meant).
- When level w bench on ridge, drainage made slight split, main to the east. Followed main drainage, found another very good wallow. fresh tracks but not muddy water

View attachment 41230View attachment 41231
- Very excited to keep hunting up, didn’t even have to ask.
- Drainage narrows, we have to criss cross, but begin seeing fresh elk rubs/shit
- Eat snack right next to rub. Ascend 1/10th mile to top of drainage, ran into wall of elk scent.
View attachment 41232
- Counted 9 shitpiles within site, willow tops had been eaten (I tried one), think we pushed them from their bed.
View attachment 41233
- Above that, found very secluded wallow.
View attachment 41234
- Couldn’t cross, had to go up to CD again, steepest climb all week. Sidehill ridiculously hands and knees. Not pleasant.

- Ate lunch at saddle, hunt down to major saddle, expect sign, but absolutely none.
- Only time we got turned around all week after lunch, bailed off wrong side of mountain after it split, turned 7 mile loop into 11. Never found sign until bottom 1/3.

- Got to camp 4pm, hawk drove to valley to fish, tough conditions
- Will had time to think, decided to got to backcountry,
- Maps, gps, note time. Began packing and planning.

- Long conversation with self about hunting hunted elk.
- The right decision
- Hawk returns, pack for early departure.
 
Last edited:
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
Saturday:
- Wake up early to bad storm, quickly drive 30 mile round trip to check weather forecast…not keen on being up on mountain if conditions would be terrible, not enough experience.
- Forecast looks bearable, wetness, light showers, decided to go for it. have to be careful about wetness.

- Start in, still early, on RM trail. 42-45 lbs pack
- Hike up RM creek slowlyt but deliberate. 4ish miles on trail.
- Arrive ¾ way up mountain, meadow steeper than anticipated!
View attachment 41347
- Look for place to camp, find terrible but only option
- Begin to unpack and set up tent, storm blows in super quick and dumps buckets of pea size hail.
- Temp plummets, tent is wet, clothes are damp. Immediate concern of hypothermia.
- Hawk sits and cooks hot meal on jet boil, we warm up slightly.
- W begins wiping out tent, cleaning, stay active. H hangs up line. Decided we could wait two hours to see if sun came out but would have to head down if not.
- GOT SUN.
20161001_123733 (1).jpg
- 1.5 hours, everything dries and warms, including us. Remember thinking I wonder how many people have sat on this hillside and quietly prayed for sunshine and not got it.
- Find 12 gauge log of grizzly shit, make mental note.

- We hike up to top of meadow, still hunt ridge,
- Find trail, set up. Tough climb up there but best view of week.
View attachment 41348View attachment 41349
- Windy, quiet except mulie sightings.
- Quiet, down to tent, listen intently. No bugles all night.
- Hawk forearm shiver to head at night, sleep on side of hill, put smaller guy uphill. 7.7 miles
View attachment 41350
 
Last edited:
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
Sunday:
- Woke up to complete silence. Hike up to meadow and listen. Not a peep. Call (TB's bugle he lent, used all week). Discouraging. Sit and think, discuss.

View attachment 41417
- Decide that elk aren’t high based on week's experience, instead of going off backside, hunt down huge valley with trail and check out drainages. running both sides.

View attachment 41418
- Fresh rain, uneventful hunt, no fresh tracks or bugles.
- Rain
View attachment 41419 View attachment 41420
- Drove to _____, change gears, discuss again.

- Decide with 1.5 days left to knock on doors on way down valley. Ask for cow permission, meat.
- Drive to ___, blown away by animals, like a safari.
- 100s of elk and all animals, no permission, everyone friendly and loved our stories. Close call with one lady. Was good for me to quickly assume that every man or woman you met could talk elk, because they all could.

- Still trying ranches, bingo!

- One older couple, owned 19k acres, gave us number of man who hunted it. Invited me in, sat down, told stories. Lovely people, humble, kind.
- Drive 16 miles, meet hunter, give note from owners, tell story. Nice man, young, very experienced. Agreed he’d try to help us get a cow. Set up our small tent in yard, drove into _____ and had real food.

- Day start: 5 miles into national forest
Day end: backyard of a trailer, access to private, last day ahead.
 
OP
F
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Kansas
I was gone a long time and that meant I have a lot of life and work to catch up on! Sorry for the delay, if any of you were reading along.

Monday:
- Woke up next morning, drove 1 hour. Set up on fence crossing between hay and willows.
- M that morning: “here’s some scent spray. Cover yourself, smear it everywhere, spray it until you are dripping.” We stunk, bad.

- Listened to elk bugle 3 hours that morning, incredible. One big bull and a few satellites, M on top of hill glassing. No elk came through, herd of bison cut off elk between us, got lesson in Elk sounds though. No cows came in range.

- Moose.
View attachment 41733
- Went back to M’s, helped neighbor mend bent cattle fence. Funny, used truck, backhoe, 2x4. That was only shot on private ground.

- Drove back to mountain camp, glassing public ground all afternoon in valley on way.
View attachment 41734
- Glad for chance on private but didn’t feel the same.
- Arrive at camp, last night. Drinks, stories, packing, reminisce.
View attachment 41735
- Snow starts, only two left on mountain
- Drove up to C.D. Quiet, peace, happy.
View attachment 41736
- Sleep, cold.
 
Top