2020 Hunt Recap and Review

[Netherman]

I'm a bit late getting around to this but I've come to love typing these up to review myself and get feedback from the fine folks at rokslide. This is year four hunting the west. This year with four points we decided to draw at a WY September rifle deer hunt and were successful. Also, I’ll be doing the MT deer hunt again this year with my dad and friends brother, his friend, cousin, dad, and his friend.

Trip #1 WY Deer

Day 0/1

The three of us started our drive after work on Friday. After 22 hours in a truck we arrived at our destination. With a quick stop on some BLM land to check rifles we loaded up and started our hike in. having three days before the season opens, we decided to check out a few areas on our way in. our first stop was close to the trailhead but required some borderline rock climbing to get up to the area we planned to glass from. Running out of daylight we made a push up the hill and struggled to find a camp site large enough for our shelter (Redcliff). Finally, we found a spot. Feeling exhausted from the short but steep hike in coupled with the lack of sleep on the ride out we decided to skip dinner and just went to sleep.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: N/A

Day 2

1 am and I’m wide awake in a cold sweat feeling like I’m going to puke. Is this altitude sickness? I start slamming water and try and go back to sleep. After another sleepless night we’re up. Still feeling like death, I get the close glassing spot while the other two go to find different views. After a not so promising scouting report (one cow elk, and a cow moose and calf) we decide to keep moving. So, we packed up and started heading further down the “trail” that seemed to be only used by the local outfitter and his string of pack horses. Still feeling terrible and with no appetite I decided to dump some food to lessen my pack weight and share the weight of our stove and tent. After a 5 hour hike, we got to our next camp site. It was close to dark so two of us stayed to set up camp and glass close while the third went off to glass another couple ridges. Nothing was spotted so we choked down some dinner and went to sleep.

Lessons Learned: More preseason training and try to get your pack as light as possible. Share as much as you can and keep the shared weight divided. I had been running and biking in preparation for a sprint triathlon (canceled due to COVID) and felt like I was in OK shape and probably the best in our group. This led me to pack the redcliff, tent stove, and food stove rather than sharing between everyone.

Questions: How should you dispose of extra food in the backcountry? Not wanting to teach bears about human food I dumped the excess food into a rock pile. I’m not sure what the “right” thing to do is but this seemed reasonable. I bet I still had over a pound in wrappers to tote around... Not sure what I was thinking packing so much.

 

[Netherman]

Day 3

I don’t even remember what a good night’s sleep feels like at this point. Cold sweats, lightheadedness, and nausea have become a way of life. Do I have altitude sickness? COVID? With the opener still being a day away I decide to spend most of the day around camp. I hiked up the ridge to a glassing point for the morning and then spent midday lounging around camp trying to drink water, nap, and choke down some food. Back on the ridge for the evening glassing. I might as well have stayed at camp all day based on the number of deer I didn’t see. The other two didn’t do much better. They glassed some further hillsides and only saw two groups of deer and one forky. Midday they hiked around looking for sign and didn’t find much of that either. Hoping for our luck to change we go to sleep eagerly anticipating the opener tomorrow.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: How bad is altitude sickness and what are typical elevations to get it? I’m a flatlander from MI. We were camped at 8.5k but I’ve been to 12k hiking in CO with my brother without an issue.

Day 4

Opening morning. Still not feeling the greatest I opt for another close glassing spot while the other two strike off in search of further glassing point. I sit all morning and see a group of cows and a spike bull but no deer. Midday we meet back at camp and discuss our morning. They saw a doe/fawn group early and then did a big walk and didn’t find any fresh sign. Based on what we were seeing we decide to pack out and go check out a completely different area. Being so deep in we don’t get out until after dark. Back at the trailhead we head into town for some pizza and see if we can find a hotel for the night to shower and reset for the morning. No luck on the pizza as we go into town too late but did manage to find the one hotel room available. With some new onX maps downloaded we hit the hay with hopes for a better tomorrow.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 5

We got up two hours before sunrise so we could make it to our new area with time to get to a lookout before first light. Our plan in this new area was to get into our three glassing spots and then after the morning movement hike thru some different elevation bands looking for sign. We end up glassing three different spots, hiking around at 7-9k, and didn’t find one fresh bit of sign. Either we all suck at identifying sign or the deer aren’t actively using this area. In either case we meet back at the truck eat lunch and decide to go poke around some sage flats. We spend the evening looking for mule deer but only end up looking at group after group of antelope. After night had fallen, we set camp and turn in for the night.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: Where are the deer?

Day 6

Still in search of deer we give the sage a morning look but only see a few doe and loads of antelope. Striking out in the sage we head to another mountain range and plan to hike in for a few days. As we head into the trailhead we see camper after camper, but they seem to be a mix of hunters, ORV enthusiasts, and fishermen. Hopefully there are a few deer around. As we get to the trailhead, we run into the regional wildlife biologist.

He asks us if we are hunting and how it’s been going. I tell him our tale of woe while trying to limit the whining but am sure I sounded at least a bit down. He asked where we were hunting and after we told him he seemed to know it like the back of his hand. I guess you get around after 30 years as a wildlife biologist… He then asked why we went there and why we didn’t call him as that area “has the lowest deer densities in the region”. I told him we didn’t really know what to ask and that he probably got tons of phone calls asking “were the big bucks are?”. During our conversation I could tell his disdain for “road hunters” and lazy horse hunters who would just “ride ridge tops” as well as his appreciation and love for the deer. I got the vibe that he thought we were “doing it right” and asked if there was an area he thought we should check out.

Armed with a new area and game plan we left the trailhead without giving it a chance. Arriving at the new location in the dark we quickly set camp and went to bed. A revitalized enthusiasm and dreams of big bucks made it tough to fall asleep.

Lessons Learned: Call the wildlife biologist for any new area I plan to hunt. Be sure to be armed with good questions and not just asking for a “spot”. If other biologists are anything like this one, they will be equally passionate about deer and love to talk about them.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 7

An hour before sunrise we were trotting up the trail like kids heading downstairs on Christmas morning. We reached a meadow at around 8,000 feet and decided to drop our camp and split up for the morning. Nearing my planned glassing point I turned a corner and found myself face to face with a bull moose at 50 yards. I’m not sure which was greater, my awe or his confusion. Worried about a charge (not sure if this is a thing) I leveled my 30-06 at him while he turned his head side to side trying to figure out what I am. Watching him shake his massive rack almost had me thinking how incredible this experience was. I tried backing up but as soon as I did, he started walking towards me. I then started yelling “hey Mr. moose” “I don’t have a tag so please leave me alone”. That stopped him momentarily but then he resumed walking towards me. After I doubled down on the yelling he finally got concerned enough to turn and fast step it off the trail. Crisis averted…

On high alert the rest of the hike down the overgrown logging road, I eventually got to the area I thought I could glass and ended up looking at a wall of trees. I did run into a few doe on my hike but my morning was otherwise a bust. Neither of the others had a productive morning either so we made a new plan to split up and check out some other spots.

I didn’t find any good-looking glassing spots, so I ended up hiking a big loop. On my way up I ran into another hunter that was making a second packout trip. Talking to him it sounded like there was an army of locals on horses pushing the ridges looking for a reported 180” buck. He said his target buck ended up getting pushed over the top and he ended up with a 3x4 this morning. Not planning a return trip he gave me a few waypoints where he had seen deer and other camps. After congratulating him on his buck and thanking him for the info I was back on the trail. From there, I crept up on a group of does, saw another lone doe, and thought long and hard about shooting a forky. (You don’t make a 24hr commute and use 4pts for a forky) but we were getting late in the hunt and the freezer at home was looking scarce.

Back at camp we went over our evening adventures and decided we needed to be higher. In the morning we would break camp and hike up the ridge to the next level. Hiking the ridge would suck but would save us a 2+ mile walk on the trail. Anticipating the nice morning stroll ahead we hit the hay.

Lessons Learned: Add a second spoon to your extras. I forgot to pack my spoon after dinner the night before and had to resort to a stick that I roughly carved into the shape of a spoon. For the .001 lb an extra spoon weighs I’ll be packing an extra going forward.

Questions: Is a bull moose charge a thing? Should I have done anything different?

 

[Netherman]

Moose stare down.

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[phil.utter.9]

Thanks for sharing


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[Edogg_32]

Great post, sounds like quite the adventure!

 

[Netherman]

Probably gonna slow down a bit now that I'm done with plan rides for a bit...

Day 8

In the dark we started our climb. Rifles strapped to our packs we clawed our way up on all fours grabbing brush trees and anything else to keep us from sliding down. As we worked our way up looking down into a cut, we spotted a bull moose bedded. He looked like the same one I had ran into the day before, but this time was at a much more comfortable 400 yards. After a few pictures we resumed our climb. We eventually reached a waterfall and tried to figure out a way to continue up. We could either free climb the ~50’ wall or walk the long way around on a deer trail that also looked questionable. With heavy packs we opted for the deer trail. As we sidehilled along it just got steeper and steeper. The distance down didn’t bother me as long as the trail kept its level cut into the hill. Well that changed close to the end where the trail turned 90* up the hill and was really steep (greater than 40* steep). Scrambling up one foot slipped, and I was incredibly grateful for my climbing sticks which saved me from a 100’ fall.

Having made it thru the danger zone we made it to 9500’ and decided to find a spot to set camp. While looking we spotted another group of hunters. Shit. We had hoped that no one else would have hiked into this drainage as it seemed inaccessible to horses and was over 5 miles in off the main trail. Less than excited about this development we hiked over to talk to them and see what their plans were. Turns out they were also Midwesterners from MN and had been hunting this bowl four times previously (that’s dedication as the area has required 2-4 points over that time). Their plan seemed to be to hang at camp and glass up until a deer walked into range. This seemed way too passive for me but considering that they both were over 65 it might have been the best option for them. Agreeing to give them the bowl and that we would hike over the top and check the bowl to the north we wished each other luck.

As evening was approaching, we looked for a campsite and hanging tree. Having a seek redcilff was nice up until this point but trying to find a large enough footprint became a challenge as everything was rocky and steep. Eventually we found a workable spot and got set. It wasn’t the best as many stakes were out of ideal locations due to rocks. From there we split up to glass over the top and into the next bowl. No deer were spotted so we ate our dinner, hung our food, and went to bed.

Overnight a storm rolled in and had us awake and worried that our shelter was going to blow away from us. Holding on to stakes and trying to re-tension and re-stake different points we got it back into a workable position. With the wind and rain, we slept on edge while continuing to monitor the stakes and overall sturdiness of our shelter.

Lessons Learned: Not a new lesson but that trekking poles are a requirement in difficult terrain. Large footprint shelters require additional time for campsite selection and really need to be stretched tight for weather resistance. Going forward it may be better to go with either a tarp (lightest) or lightweight single or double tent for the smaller footprint (heavier).

Questions: How do you determine the safety of a route? Are there guidelines or do you really just need the experience in knowing what you are capable of in given conditions? I find myself more concerned with this now that I’ve got a kid on the way (Mid-March). How would you handle reaching an area with another group of hunters? Probably worth noting that the entire ridge system that we were at seemed to get hunted pretty hard.

 

[Netherman]

Day 9

The next morning, we glassed the same locations and struck out in the bowl but spotted a good buck (~150”) with a smaller one (120”) over the top. With everyone back at camp we decided to go after the buck. Leaving one person back at camp to keep an eye on the deer as well as our gear that we had laid out to dry, two of us headed up to make the stalk. Our path had us hiking across a scree field and then climbing up two ridges over to get on their elevation and then moving in slightly above their last known location. As we climbed up and begun peering over into the bench, we assumed they were bedded on, we heard a snort and then crashing. ****! We quickly fanned out and flanked towards the noise hoping for the deer to stop and look back. I guess the buck had seen this song and dance before as we never got a look as the deer crashed his way closer to the other group of hunters.

In hindsight we should have flipped over the top, got above them, and then either watched until they got up or lined up on the escape routes and signaled our watcher to move up from below and either get a shot or bump the deer to us. Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda type stuff running thru our heads we hiked back down to camp. Having blown our opportunity, we decided to pack up and head over to the next bowl and either set up in there or continue working our way north.

Moving into the bowl we spotted a freshly used campsite. Well, that might explain why we weren’t seeing deer here. Moving lower into the bowl we came across a gut pile. Guessing the previous hunter didn’t shoot the second biggest buck in the bowl we decided it would be best to continue on.

At the next “tier” below the bowls working our way north we bumped a buck out of a small cut. Without a word, we quickly went to our previous flanking strategy. I started moving to the opposite side of the ridge while they followed behind the buck. As I rounded the corner, I spotted the buck less than 200 yards away moving away from the others. Seeing a good spot, I quick stepped it and got set. Looking thru the scope I helplessly watched as the buck walked directly away from me. 200, 300, 500 yards away with no turn or shot opportunity. It was luck that we got on this buck but it sure would have been nice to get an opportunity.

Based on this encounter and the lack of deer sightings we decided that all the hunting pressure must have moved the deer down into the timber. We decided that our best chance would be to set camp and find some glassing spots looking into openings against the tree line. We quickly set camp and struck out on our own to find a spot to spend the evening. With some meadows identified from onX satellite view I headed towards my identified glassing spot. On the way I came across some steaming fresh bear shit. It was quite the pile and I couldn’t help but get the feeling that it was a bear of the brown variety. On edge I glassed into the small parks hoping to spot a buck moving up to feed for the evening. No luck, heading back to camp in the dark I opted for the longer but more open path. With a lot of head swiveling and stopping to listen I made it back without incident.

On my way back it had begun to rain. While looking at the trees surrounding our tent we noticed one dead tree that had potential to crash down onto us. After a bit of debate over were to set up with the building wind we finally got everything moved and reset. Everything slightly damp and with the ground wet underneath us we settled in for the night.

Lessons Learned: Always check for dead trees before setting camp.

Questions: Any tips for setting up floorless shelters in wet conditions? We had left the stove back at the truck to save weight (would have been nice to dry everything out).

 

[Netherman]

Day 10

Overnight the rain changed to snow and we woke up damp and chilled. We got dressed and hiked out to do some early glassing hoping that the weather might keep the deer out longer. After an uneventful morning, having run out of food, and needing to head home the following morning we decided to concede and give the W to the deer and Wyoming. Hiking out we kept an eye out for deer, but truthfully, we were just ready to be headed out. Not to say that we weren’t disappointed in the outcome, but it had been a tough grinding hunt.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: N/A

Trip and Gear Report

Trip Thoughts: This was one of the toughest most difficult hunts I’ve been on. Having been the most points we’ve used on a hunt and being an early rifle season, I had thought our odds for success were close to 100%. I was not prepared for the exhaustion/altitude issue, the low deer densities, or the significant hunting pressure in the area that we had hunted. Having never been on a September deer hunt I don’t know where these assumptions had come from, but they were dead wrong. After the hunt I would have changed a lot of things for next time. I would have made a call to the local biologist and go over my intended plans and experience we hoped to achieve. Hopefully this will allow us to hunt with a base camp strategy rather than the bivy style hunt we ended up with. If possible, a pre-season scouting trip would also be incredibly helpful. In September I would spend more time looking above tree line rather than the two days we wasted in coulee/sage country. I would also go over my pack and work to get as light as possible by cutting down my food (I ate a lot less than I thought I would), splitting up shared items (stove, shelter, spotting scope, tripod, ect), and reviewing each item and whether it really needs to go.

Noteworthy Gear: I’ve mentioned it before, but a steripen was my favorite item on this trip. Being able to purify the abundant creek water was quick, efficient, and allowed us to reduce weight by carrying less water over long distances. Slick 20* sleeping bag. I was never uncomfortably cold and was less concerned when we had to relocate out shelter in wet conditions. Cut up thermarest sleeping pad for sitting. I had been using their sitting specific pad, but the increased space was really nice (4 sections seems to be the ticket). From a cost standpoint it’s cheaper too as you can get 3 4 section pads out of one full size pad. Kryptek chronos hoody. I loved the hood on this as well as the warmth for the weight/bulk.

Disappointing Gear: Slick 20* bag also had some disappointing aspects as it was very bulky and took up 1/3 or more of my pack (EXO 4800). Partially disappointed in the redcliff. It was great for housing the three of us, but the difficulty in setup had me wishing we had individual shelters with smaller footprints. Next time I might bring my DST. No specific food items but just quantity (I brought way too much). Having less food would lower my pack weight.

Gear to Buy/Consider: Nothing really stands out here. I’d like to look at different bipods. Currently, I have a harris 13-27” that was left behind due to weight concerns. I’ve been looking at spartan, evo, and hatch bipods. I like the weight of the spartan, the modularity (attach to tripod) of the evo, and like the overall range (6”-27”) of the hatch bipod. I’ve read a few reviews including the rokslide bipod shootout but am still on the fence. My biggest concern with the spartan is the height range. Obviously shooting lower will be more stable but I hunt a lot of sage country and need heights in the sitting range fairly often. Even above tree line grass can often be too tall for some of the shorter bipods. I know that both spartan and evo offer swappable longer legs but worry about the speed of deployment. I’m still undecided but am slightly leaning towards the hatch as it gives me the height range, I am looking for in a package that can be quickly attached. Only downside/tradeoff is weight. At 19 oz it is significantly heavier than the spartan even when you add the longer legs.

 

[Netherman]

Trip #2 MT Rifle Deer

Day 0

Four weeks prior to our trip my dad tore his rotator cuff and won’t be able to make it due to his repair surgery being scheduled 1 week ahead of our trip. This is actually two problems because we were planning on driving his truck out there as my 200k truck isn’t reliable enough to make the trip. Now my options are either rent a truck or take my wife’s expedition (newer unibody version). Since I only have a deer tag and won’t be going into the steep and deep for elk I opt to take my wife’s car. I’ll be driving out by myself and meeting and hunting with my friend’s cousin who can’t get out there until Monday. From there we’ll hunt the rest of the week and drive back together.

With the season set to open on Saturday I decide to start the drive Wednesday morning and have all day Friday and potentially some time Thursday to scout. I ended up caravanning it with my friend’s brother and his friend and make it to western SD the first day. We used some hotel points (I get a lot every year due to work travel) and found a restaurant/bar and got our food ordered just before the buzzer.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: N/A

Day 1

Up bright and early we continue the drive, stop in Billings for lunch, and arrive at our destination around 2pm. We all will be staying at an Air B&B in town. Compared to the wall tent and redcliff from previous hunts, this is the height of luxury. After quickly unpacking we headed out to do some scouting. With only a deer tag I decided to target a bit whitetail. I signed into a type 2 BMA that I’d hunted previously and then checked on some closer river bottom spots I had hunted previously. No giants. Back at “camp” we ate a kitchen cooked dinner and turned in.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 2

With my second day of scouting I decided to check out some new areas. At my first spot to look I spotted a nice 9pt inside 200yds. Man, I sure wish I had a rifle in my hands. Not wanting to disturb what I had found I quietly backed out. On my way back to the truck I bumped an even bigger 10pt. Gonna be tough to find a better spot but with ¾ of my day left I continued my search. Maybe the deer just keep getting bigger out here... I finished my day checking some other spots without much promise.

A look at the weather report showed a significant amount of snowfall predicted for the morning. Without a capable vehicle my contingent plan would be to hunt a BMA off a major road with the expectation that it would be plowed at some point. It was a type two with a sign in box 10 miles from the main road so I signed in for the next day before the storm. Back at “camp” we cooked a premium dinner and tried to sleep with worries of weather and dreams of big deer in our head.

Lessons Learned: Building knowledge in an area is an appreciable advantage. I’ve been able to scratch areas from the list and add areas with similar traits.

Questions: Where can I find the rules for BMA sign in areas? Is it legal to sign in the day prior? I suspect that it doesn’t matter from a usage monitoring standpoint but don’t know the rule .

 

[Netherman]

Day 3

Opening morning. It snowed and didn’t seem to be stopping. After making the others aware of my route and with a full tank of gas I headed to the area I had seen the two “shooter” bucks the day before. An hour and a half into my forty-five-minute drive I was at my planned hunting spot. After a short hike I was on the edge of opening where I had seen the 9pt the day earlier and where I suspect the 10 was headed. By 9 o’clock I had seen a few doe and a fork buck but nothing I was looking for.

Suddenly, I was bombarded with other hunters. Wave after wave they walked thru “my” opening. Guess I wasn’t the only one that knew about these bucks. Welcome to public land hunting… around 11 and after my fourth hunting party I decided to find a new place to hunt. Back at the car I was bummed to have found another truck parked next to me. I know it’s public and it was a good pull off spot, especially with the weather, but on a single section piece of state land I would have kept driving.

On my way out a lot more snow had fallen and was beginning to drift. After a few reverse/drive changes and one digging event I was back on the main road. With the road conditions worsening I headed to the main road accessible spot. With no shoulder or parking spot I dejectedly headed back to the B&B to try and figure out another plan. Once I got there the elders were already back after a tough day of their own. After explaining my plight I was offered a ride to the main road spot and promised a return ride after dark.

Hiking in off the road I quickly spotted a group of deer and worked my way closer. It was a group of mule deer which was surprising as this area is more of a whitetail spot. There was a small forked buck who had a cool forward pointing main beam on his right side. Must have been hit by a car or received some other injury. After watching him for a bit I continued on, working my way along the river. With about an hour or so of light left I spotted a group of bucks on the opposite side. Working my way closer I was able to get a look at a few of their racks over the bank. As daylight was running out and with no clear shooting path I decided to get over there for a better look. It was a mile and a half walk to the nearest river crossing, so I double timed it hoping to get around with light left. As I got closer, I spotted multiple groups of deer. It looked like the snow had kept other hunters out of the area and there was a deer party just for me.

I quickly worked my way up to the spot I had seen the bucks, but they had moved on. Working my way through a pocket of trees I spotted a group of deer working their way into an ag field so keeping the wind I moved thru the woods to cut them off. Once I got to the edge of the elevated field, I could see that they were the stragglers and not the leaders of the group. There were over 30 deer all kicking snow getting an evening snack. Through the trees but with no shot I spotted a nice buck. I quickly decided that I would shoot this buck if given a good opportunity, so I dropped back into the trees and began creeping around to get into a better position. I popped back into the field just behind a small cluster of trees that jutted out into the field. From there I dropped my pack and crawled 50yds or so to the edge and got set for a shot. Conveniently, the big buck was kicking all the other deer around and kept wide berth around him. Perfect, no need to worry about other deer getting in the way. 80yds away at this point I extended the bipod legs to account for the deep snow, lined him up and squeezed the trigger. The deer exploded in all directions with only the buck remaining and motionless. Awesome, I ran up to the deer snapped a few pictures to send to the group and see if I could con someone into helping with the packout.

Armed with a ONx waypoint my friends brother agreed to meet me and said he’d be there in two hours or so. I got to work getting the buck prepped for a shoulder mount and quartered out. With everything in game bags, I decided to load it all up and head down the tractor path. It Was Heavy. After a couple hundred yards I decided that I needed to shuttle the meat, so I dropped half the meat and started my first circuit. On my way back to the second pile of meat I received a phone call. The brother had driven down what I thought was an impassible road and was parked next to the gut pile. Good thing I walked the meat I the wrong direction… We got it sorted, stopped at a gas station for a victory Busch, and headed back to the B&B.

Lessons Learned: Spots with easy access and quality deer will get pressure.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

MT Buck

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[Netherman]

Day 4

Tired from the previous night I slept in a bit and then got to work caping out the buck and re-organizing the cooler to be more efficient with the meat. By noon I had all my tasks complete. The elders came back for lunch, so I decided to tag along with them for the evening hunt. One would go to the spot I had shot the night before and I would go with the other into a new area I wanted to check out. Not long after we started walking, I spotted a group of two deer in a bowl below a small mesa about a half mile away. I could tell one was a buck and likely a good one if I could make the call with 10x42 binos. We stood around for a few minutes trying to decide if it was worth going after as we would have to walk a big loop to keep out of sight and with the wind right. Trudging thru about a foot and a half of snow we worked our way along. About halfway into our walk we peeked the ridge for another look. Still too far for scoring but now I could tell it was outside the ears and tall. (young eyes make a difference). We continued on our way and after a mile or so of walking we made it to our intended lookout spot. The bucks were no longer feeding on the brush where we had initially spotted them. I spotted a doe tucked under a brushy tree. Thinking they bucks may have bedded back down we got on top of the mesa and slowly stalked our way along the edge carefully peering down to see if there was a buck below. Eventually we found their tracks and could see where they topped the ridge and had made it over to private land. With darkness approaching and a tired companion we headed back to the truck.

Lessons Learned: Don’t be lazy and bring the spotting scope. If I would have had it, we could have made the decision quicker and maybe made it there before the bucks left. Along the same lines don’t dilly-dally once you’ve committed to going after something.

Questions: I wanted to keep pushing faster but didn’t want to kill an elder plodding thru the deep snow. Anyone have a polite way to ask someone whether they can walk faster? Or way to judge if they can be pushed?

 

[Netherman]

Day 5

In the morning I made the drive to Bozeman to pick up the cousin and swing by the FWP office and get a doe tag. While in town I also planned to pick up some tire chains for the explorer. On the way I saw a large heard of elk crossing a BMA with hunters everywhere. It looked like a festival with trucks lining the highway and county road. Even the FWP had joined the party. (I later found out that this was the event that resulted in many unrecovered/wounded elk and not nearly enough citations.)

After getting my chores done, we had just enough light for an hour of hunting. Not sure where to go for antelope we opted to try and fill our freshly minted doe permits. We carefully worked our way along the local river bottom and spotted a group of deer. Two small bucks, two doe, and a fawn. We went back and forth trying to get good shot angles and confirmation that we were not lining up on a buck. Between his shitty scope and their grazing path, they were able to make it thru our window without a shot fired. Continuing we spotted two doe and got busted before we could both get lined up on them. Maybe we need to rethink this double shooting plan… moving thru some brushy pockets I spotted a doe looking at me 60yds away. Broadside and with nothing behind I told the cousin to cover his ears, lined it up, and squeezed the trigger. As we walked up on it, I was hit with a wave of emotion. The doe had turned into a fawn. Still legal, but not the amount of meat I had hoped for and personally not something that I had intended to do. Sullenly, I got to work getting it into game bags while the cousin pressed on. As this wouldn’t be a heavy load we planned to meet back at the truck after dark.

Lessons Learned: Take a better look at doe before pulling the trigger. This wasn’t the first antlerless deer I’ve shot but was the first without another deer present for a reference. I haven’t really spent time looking at body size. With bucks if it’s got a big rack it’s generally got a big body.

Questions: Any tips on aging antlerless deer? I knew about nose length, but it wasn’t something I thought about at the time. I also think some of the missed opportunities earlier had me not wanting to squander another opportunity. Going forward I’ll be adding a check into my pre-shot routine.

 

[Netherman]

Day 6

Tagless again, the cousin and I took off in search of antelope. The unit his tag was good for is pretty tough. Not for lack of antelope but lack of public access. We were hunting 1-2 mile sections that have antelope moving thru but you have to catch them. Getting frustrated looking at “the line” all morning we headed to a BMA that is a bit further way but a larger huntable area.

At the BMA we went on a shitty 3 mile hike thru crusted snow and big drifts. It was the type of snow that will hold 90% of your weight. Just enough to give you the false hope of staying on top but actually resulting in a miserable postholing experience thru every drift. We’d seen antelope in this area before, but none this time. We headed back to the truck disappointed but excited for the enjoyable hike back. On our way back to the B&B we checked out a few small sections of state land but came up empty.

Lessons Learned: Antelope hunting small parcels it a horrible way to go. If I get an antelope tag I’ll be looking for large chunks of huge antelope.

Questions: N/A

Day 7

Wanting more meat to fill the freezer I decided to buy a second doe tag. Unlike Michigan where you can buy a tag at any gas station or grocery store I needed to go to a FWP office, the closest was two hours away so I got an early start while the cousin went with the elders to the chunk of state I had scouted and hunted opening morning. On my way back to pick up the cousin and continue our search for antelope I found out that the dad had shot a buck. Sweet!

The excitement quickly turned as I got the full story on arrival. The buck had been hit too far back and they have been following green for the past hour. I talked them into giving it some time and coming back in a few hours. I was pushing for the next morning, but I think last year’s coyote incident might have swayed their decision. I gave the cousin my keys to take off on an antelope hunt while we continued the search for the buck. The search was tough and would have been impossible without fresh snow. We would follow tracks and confirm our path with the occasional puff of green in the snow.

Three hours and many deer runways and side trips later, just as it was feeling like a lost cause a buck exploded in front of me. It bounded away seemingly uninjured. As I got back on his track, I found the signature green goo. From there he ran into a marsh and crossed a few small creeks. At least that’s the best guess we could come up with as we never found another speck of blood or goo. Disappointed and in total darkness we headed back to the truck cold, wet, and defeated.

Some good news back at the B&B, the cousin had popped an antelope. He had to wipe the milk off its mouth for the trophy pic, but it was a buck antelope on public. Apparently, not something you see too often ‘round these parts.

Lessons Learned: Known gut shot deer should be given at least 12hrs. I know this is the generally accepted rule, but a group member last year had lost half his deer to coyotes, crows, and eagles after waiting overnight.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 8

With deer tags still in the pockets of the elders the cousin and I decided we would hunt some whitetail country with them since we’d be able to pop a doe if we didn’t turn up a buck. Cousin and dad went to the spot I shot the buck the first morning and the friend and I went to the spot we had chased the “good” buck earlier. As daylight hit, we were set glassing into the small bowl we had seen the buck before and also able to look down into a BMA with a pivot. Nothing in the bowl and the fact that we couldn’t see the trees anymore told us there was a serious snow drift over there.

Fortunately, we did spot some deer around the pivot. All doe but deer and a direction for us to head. As we worked our way over towards them the deer all moseyed their way into the adjacent creek bottom. Thick with brush and alder we decide on a mini drive. As the young guy I drew the short straw and would get into the thick stuff and try and bump a deer out into the open and in front of the friend. Slowly making my way thru the brambly mess I eventually happen upon a doe with three fawns. With one and a half deer in the cooler and the friend buckless I opted to keep walking. Only 30 yds away and not wanting to send them crashing down the creek bottom, I backed up and cracked a few branches. On my way back thru they were gone. After what seemed like miles but was probably less than 300yds I came to a fork in the creek. Wanting to regroup I headed back towards the brush line. Almost there I came to a clear-cut path along a fence line. Hearing crashing, I stopped and watched as a giant 10-point mainframe buck jumped into the clearing. Stopped broadside I tried to figure out how to Dr. Frankenstein my opening day buck back to life so I could shoot this one. He made mine look small. Unfortunately, he didn’t give the lifetime I would have needed to figure out the logistics of my plan.

I made it back to the field and met up with my elder. He had seen the buck too and had it in the crosshairs but had no shot due to proximity to cattle. Once we started our mini drive, he said the cattle spotted him from across the field and began following him (presumably hoping to be fed). While they weren’t in his sight picture, he said he didn’t feel right shooting with them so close. A few minutes later a ranch hand showed up on a SxS asking if we’d seen anything (I think he knew about this big whitetail). We told him what we had seen and why we didn’t shoot. He didn’t say anything more and was on his way.

Getting close to lunch time and out of creek bottom we headed back to the truck. Talking about the big buck and the general quality of deer in the area. We ended up talking about whether it’d be better to target whitetail (locally larger) or mule deer (locally smaller). He said he really wanted to shoot a mule deer. Over the week I’d repeatedly seen a 2x2 bedded in the same spot. Forgetting our hunger momentarily we decided to look for the little muley. We got signed into the new BMA and drove to the small cut they group of muleys had been living it. unfortunately, overnight a herd of cattle have been moved into the area and were currently occupying the small cut I had been seeing the buck in. With food back on our minds we headed back to the B&B only to spot a group of bedded deer on the other side of the road. A U-turn and few minutes glassing from the shoulder and we had spotted the forky in with 4 doe bedded in some small cuts. We turned around one more time to get the wind right and slowly worked our way along to get above them for a shot. We spotted them exactly where we expected to see them. On top of a flat plateau, and with no cover we belly crawled into position about 100yds away. After a few minutes of “find the buck” in his low-quality scope with elder eyes we had a buck on the ground.

We got him quartered up and were met by the cousin and dad who had shot a small whitetail buck that morning. After packing everything back to the truck the elders headed back to the B&B to eat and take care of the meat while the cousin and I went back in looking to fill our last two tags. We went on a long hike and almost got it done at last light with a 300yd sprint to get into position only for our whitetail doe to grow longer ears, black tails, and white butts. Bummer.

Lessons Learned: Look thru your scope in all possible hunting positions. His scope looked and worked fine from a bench or a MI blind but in “field” positions did not have adequate eye relief.

Questions: How close is too close to shoot near cattle? I feel like this is a “if you have to ask, you’re too close” kind of situation but I’m wondering if there are any sort of guidelines?

 

[Netherman]

Day 9

Last day and really only ½ a day as we still need to do some cleanup and organization back at the B&B before we head home. The cousin and I split up to look in two different areas to maximize our chances. Moving along I spotted a group of 4 doe. As I worked closer, I realized that if I got closer, I would be shooting towards the main road that was 500yds away. With a level shot the bullet would be in the dirt before it reached the road, but I just didn’t feel comfortable shooting in that direction. Instead I opted for a longer shot that would take the road out of the equation. Boom. A distant gunshot sent the group running before I could take a shot. The noise had come from the cousin’s direction, hopefully he had shot one. Moments later my suspicions were confirmed via text message. With my opportunity gone I decided to work my way over to him to see if he needed help.

On my way over I bumped a deer into a brushy edge along the river. Knowing that it’d be tough swim I decided to try and creep in for a shot. Moving as quickly and quietly as I could I worked my way into the brush and eventually flushed it out. I never got a shot but was able to confirm it was a fawn. (now it made sense that it allowed me to get so close). After the short side quest, I made it uneventfully to the cousin. He was already ½ way or more done getting it butchered up so 15 minutes later we were loading up to pack back to the truck and I spotted a deer moving in the bottom next to us. Leaving the cousin with the mess I took off with my rifle and bino harness.

Once I got down there the deer was nowhere to be found. Looking around, I spotted another deer up on the ridge we had walked over. Not wanting to take a skyline shot I needed to gain some elevation for a level shot. A quick 200yd stalk and I was 120yds out prone on my bipod. Crack! The deer bucked and went on an 80yd death run and piled up. I looked back and the cousin was looking curiously. He had heard the shot but never saw the deer. I lifted my rifle over my head in celebration which he quickly mimicked. I double timed it back to my pack and got our plan sorted. I’d take my empty pack over to start cutting up the second deer while the cousin brought the first back to the truck.

By the time we had everything back in the truck and ready to roll it was 11:30. Not a bad morning. Back at the B&B we ate lunch and began the work packing, organizing, and cleaning. Somehow, I got signed up to cape the brother’s deer as I “was good at it” as well as skull capping the other deer for plaque mounts. No biggie and with two cases of busch on deck it wasn’t the worst experience. By dark we had everything cleaned, organized, and packed away for the morning so we spent the rest of the evening drinking the remaining beers and re-living out trip.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: N/A

Trip and Gear Report

Trip Thoughts:

After three years of hunting the MT opener this has become one of my favorite trips and one I look forward to every year. The deer aren’t the biggest and elk hunting this area can be downright tough, but good times with good people are hard to beat. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it next year as my dad and brother want to hunt 2nd rifle in CO. But if I do miss it I’m sure I’ll be thinking about going the next year and feeling a twinge of regret whenever I hear stories without my name in them.

Noteworthy Gear:

Sunglasses and a cut up thermarest pad. The sunglasses were great at cutting glare and stinging sleet while the added room over the z-seat was awesome in the snow. Other than that, nothing really stood out here. I think having my gear pretty dialed in and gear for day hunting being more minimal nothing really stood out as noteworthy.

Disappointing Gear:

Low quality optics. The cousin and friend both had issues identifying targets and the cousin even ended up scoping himself on his antelope.

Gear to Buy/Consider:

I’m still looking at bipods. I haven’t pulled the trigger but am still thinking the hatch bipod is going to meet my needs. My only concerns are weight and width of bipod while in the lowest setting. Warmer boots. I’ve got uninsulated boots and standing around in snow all day had me wishing for more insulation. I’ll be looking at pack boots and insulated leather boots and trying to decide which would better meet my needs.