Montana 2021

[hobbes]

I took yesterday off work and went looking for the same elk as Friday. I did not find them on Saturday so I went in same as Friday. I found a bull around 9:30 and got to him around 11 or so after having to backtrack due to the wind and logistics of skirting around the head of a canyon out of site.

He'd gone quiet by then and after a half hour I decided to leave him be and take a nap downwind. At a little after 2 he bugled from his bed. He wasn't where I thought he was but I was half asleep.

I decided that I'd start cow calling at 5:30 unless he piped up sooner. He didn't make a sound until about 5:45 when a second bull bugled at my cow calls from the bottom of the drainage. I'm pretty sure the bull in the bottom was the wicked sounding bull from Friday.

They were bugling back and forth at each other and at me some. I thought the closest bull was coming in at one point but I think he had a couple cows and was pushing them away from the other bull. I followed and pressed him pretty close. I apparently got close enough because he turned and came in quicker than I expected. I wasn't in the best set up and at 50 yards he stopped head on. He hadn't seen me at that point but knew he should see a cow.

It was a 30 minute stare down with him bugling at the other bull every few minutes. He took a few more steps in my direction a couple of times and at some point there he picked me off. He was within range but no chance at a shot. He gave me a few nervous grunts there toward the end and during a couple of his turn around I sidestepped a couple feet trying to find a window for an arrow while he was broadside. I could not find a way to get an arrow to him and he'd had enough. He didn't run, just turned and walked away.

Here's the cool part. He was a freaking stud of a 6 point but had broke off his left main beam around his third. I couldn't tell if the third was there or not. The right side had a really long main beam. I'd have probably scoured the mountain looking for the broken section if I'd killed him.

I was 5.5 miles from the truck with 4.75 miles of it a pretty good trail. I got to the truck at a little after 10 PM. It was a really long day that was pretty close to ending really well.









Working my way to the bull.




Nap time


Long day


I don't have much bowhunting for elk left. There is still a few weeks left in the season but I'll hunt pheasants on the opener and will be babysitting my granddaughter on the last weekend. I may get out this coming weekend but I'm pretty beat right now and work items both home and job have stacked up.

 

[timbrhuntr]

I don't have much bowhunting for elk left. There is still a few weeks left in the season but I'll hunt pheasants on the opener and will be babysitting my granddaughter on the last weekend. I may get out this coming weekend but I'm pretty beat right now and work items both home and job have stacked up.

Looks like you had a good run and thanks for sharing ! I've done 4 years out there mule deer bowhunting and not got one yet but it was some of the best hunting I've ever done and can't wait to get after them again even if I don't get close enough or blow a bunch more stalks !! Plus I should have 2 preference points for next year

 

[hobbes]

Looks like you had a good run and thanks for sharing ! I've done 4 years out there mule deer bowhunting and not got one yet but it was some of the best hunting I've ever done and can't wait to get after them again even if I don't get close enough or blow a bunch more stalks !! Plus I should have 2 preference points for next year

I was planning to go after those elk again today. I thought about those bulls all week. But...... I've got an issue that flares up occasionally that flared up yesterday. I don't want it to get to the intensity that it was 3 or 4 years ago, so I'm pretty cautious with it. Elk will probably have to wait for general rifle season. I'm pheasant hunting the 8th to 14th.

 

[timbrhuntr]

Sorry to hear about your issue flaring up I have a few of those myself lol
Been years since I pheasant hunted back then I was the dog most of the time as we didn't have one lol
I guess the boom stick will have to do it for you ! I have thought a few times of going back after bow with a rifle for mule deer but was too busy chasing whitetails .

 

[hobbes]

I'll be preparing this week for the pheasant opener. I'm planning to head out mid day Friday and stay in my travel trailer until Thursday. I'll work a couple half days remotely next week. I've hunted antelope on this same trip the last couple years but did not draw a license this year. I'll take my bow with me on the off chance that I'll run across a big mule deer or whitetail buck that requires an attempt at a stalk. I may spend some time glassing deer. I'd really miss the November rut hunt but I wouldn't pass a chance at a big buck. It's unlikely that anything will come of it.

After this, my next hunt will be rifle elk. I don't typically put a ton of effort into it. I'm planning to hunt with some guys in a big wall tent a few days in a spike only unit and hunt with my 18 year old some the first two weeks.

I currently own only two rifles that I use for deer/elk/antelope, a Remington 700 BDL 7mm mag and an ADL in 308. The 308 was a cheap package bought on sale for my boys when they were younger and for my wife. However, they've shot most of their deer and elk with my 7mm. The 308 has been used on one muley buck by my son and one cow elk by my wife. I take the 308 in the truck as a backup when I travel.

Last summer I replaced the cheap package scope that was on it with a Vortex Diamondback 4-12x40. That's nothing special but a huge improvement over what it had. In addition, I don't shoot "long range", so dialing isn't necessary. I moved that scope over to an AR for coyote hunting back in January, so I picked up another one a week or so ago. In addition to the scope, I've ordered a Timney trigger for it and a Harris 13-23" bipod that should arrive tomorrow. It could use an improved stock but that'll have to wait. I may get out and try to dial in the scope this week. It'll still be my backup but the boys are more likely to want to shoot it now with a few improvements.

I really planned to buy them both new rifles this year but that just hasn't happened.

 

[hobbes]

Trigger and bipod came in today. I may need to buy some rings. I don't recall if I swiped them along with the scope or not.

 

[hobbes]

Trigger and bipod installed. That dang bolt stop spring can be a bitch to hold in place and still keep the bolt stop and action holes in line all while inserting the pin, but after a few minutes of trying it finally came together. I'll have to buy scope rings this week. I really hated putting it back on the plastic stock but it'll have to do for now. I probably don't shoot well enough to know the difference.



I planned on reloading 223, 308, and 7mm mag this summer, but I chose not to even start, considering the difficulty of finding components. I'm just happy that I have enough factory ammo for this year.

 

[hobbes]

I won't be posting any Montana hunting for awhile. We are making an emergency trip home to Southern IL / Western KY. My dad's health has taken a turn for the worst.

 

[hobbes]

I lost my dad this morning, October 9, 2021. I made it home in time to say my goodbyes and thankful that I made it back to visit with him in August, but quite frankly it wasn't enough. I want more time, I'm not ready for him to be gone.

I know these photos won't mean anything to the few folks that have been following along with my season, but I feel like sharing them.

Dad was born and raised in Western Kentucky.
A grey squirrel riding on his shoulder that he raised.

High school


He served in Vietnam

He packed the radio through the jungle.



He loved motorcycles and raced them in his 20s

 

[hobbes]

Your's truly was born when he was 25 and my brother and sister were born when he was 26 and 29.


He had three brothers, one older and two younger


He loved hunting and fishing and passed that on to my brother and I. He was a hell of a duck hunter in the 70s and 80s then killed a lot of whitetails and turkeys in the 90s and 2000s. He killed an elk cow with me in Colorado in 2010 and was as giddy as a kid. He acted the same when I called in his one and only Merriam's turkey in MT in 2017. He also hunted MT pheasants with me in 2016.

 

[hobbes]

He loved to visit Montana but he and Mom had to cancel their trip this year due to the start of some breathing/lung problems. My wife and I, our youngest son, and my granddaughter came home to visit in August.


He loved to shoot but the breathing problems he'd developed kept him from going shooting alone. I took him while we were in and at least once a week my mom would take him and set targets up for him to shoot.
He'd just shot a container of tannerite here and was laughing.


Other than my wife, Dad was the first person I'd send successful hunting photos to. I don't know how I'll deal with the rest of the hunting season but you can bet that I'll spend all of it thinking of him.

 

[deerhunt1988]

Sorry for your loss!! That last paragraph really hits home and makes me dread the day... love the Mark Twain pic, my father and I have made many a trips there.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I am sorry for your loss. I hope the great memories you have of special times shared with your dad help you through this.

 

[Scoot]

My sincere condolences to you. My dad died a year ago today. Not a day goes by when I don't think about him.

 

[hobbes]

It's been a long few days so far with tomorrow being the dreaded funeral. I did go by my brother's house today and took a few photos of his whitetail mounts. They span quite a few years and it doesn't include several racks scattered in various places.

These are his newest mounts


This one is a tank

 

[hobbes]

It was a tough week. The rollercoaster won't end for a while, feels like never.
We drove all day today from Southern IL to Chamberlain, SD. The place is crawling with pheasant hunters. Today was the opener. We'll make it to Helena tomorrow evening. I'll work M-Th then help set up elk camp Friday and hunt Sat - Mon. A spike will be my only option, but I'll likely have another guy and his son with me. The kid can shoot a cow or spike. They'll be there for the first time so I'll hunt with them the first morning. I probably won't have a chance to shoot on the opener.

 

[Mt Al]

Sorry about your loss, Hobbes. Thanks for sharing, sounds like your dad was a good man.

 

[hobbes]

Stopped at Wall Drug in Wall, SD and ate breakfast this morning. They have some really well known whitetail mounts there. I'm assuming replicas but good looking replicas. I think you can zoom and read which bucks they are.










They also have the rare jackalope


The Black Hills still had snow on the ground.





I also ran into the Cabela's at Rapid City. I did not find any 12 ga pheasant loads but I probably have plenty anyway.




We are almost to Billings so should be in Helena by 8:30 Mountain. We are both exhausted.

 

[hobbes]

We got home last night around 8:30 PM. Seemed like such a long trip. We've both ended up with colds so that added to the fun.

I really didn't want to leave and if there has been anything that could persuade me to move back, this has been it. However, my kids have started putting down roots in Montana and I refuse to willingly leave the granddaughter.

I'll hopefully have some elk stories to tell after this weekend.

 

[hobbes]

General season opened on Saturday. I've been invited for the last 5 or 6 years to stay a wall tent elk camp. I've not been able to go the last couple of years. I went in on Friday to help set up then came out on Monday. It's a spike only unit without drawing a special bull permit or a cow license. No elk were killed in camp over the weekend. I had a father and son with me Saturday morning then just the kid that evening and Sunday. The kid could have killed a cow or a spike if given the chance. I could only kill a spike. It started raining Sunday night and rained steadily all Monday morning so I did not hunt Monday. That was unexpected since it was snowing Sunday evening.

Before wall tent:


After wall tent:


Inside
Bill can no longer stay in camp due to his health. He started hunting here with his father in the 40s. Bill was brought in to hang out, drink coffee, and tell stories for a couple of hours.




Camp mascot climbed into my truck with me while I charged my phone. He's not mine but has taken a liking to me.


From Saturday evenings hunt/sit

Three big bulls that came to 175 yards. The smaller two of the three Put on a pretty good show fighting a lot harder than I would have expected at this time of year. The more aggressive of the two made one lunge at the bigger bull on the right before thinking better of it when the big guy turned to meet the challenge. They are approximately 300 yards in the photo.


Sunday morning: