What an adventure. My wife has enjoyed fishing with me for years, and has always been very supportive of hunting pursuits. The last few years she started to gain a desire to hunt. We started out hunting grouse together, then ducks. Before she got pregnant a year ago she went on her first deer hunt. It was a weapons restricted area in WA, and she was able to get on a deer and get a shot off, but missed (shotgun and slugs..).
With the birth of our daughter behind us, and settling into MT we thought it would be great to get her back out. So.... in the middle of moving into our new place, we halted everything packed up the rubbermaids with gear and peeled out of Bozeman friday afternoon. We made it to the BMA with 1 minute to spare to get our sign permission for hunting that area. We drove over to a piece of the BMA that I had scouted during Archery Elk. I had seen plenty of deer in this area. Really, we just wanted a good hunt experience, no hankering for a large buck, just a nice fat doe would do and I had seen plenty during archery season. So after giving the area a quick once over, and talking about the next mornings hunt plans with my wife, we headed back and checked into an OLD, clapboard hotel. It was awesome. 40.00 a night. At this point, the logistics for camping out with our 11 month old and making sure my wife has a quality deer hunt expieerence are just too much for me to handle, so a hotel was perfect.
Back at the hotel, I open the rubbermaid that should have most of our gear, and it is full of old comemrical fishing overalls etc... Shit. Time to drive the 2 hours back to Bozeman and grab the gear. 10:00pm and I am almost back to the hotel, 3 miles outside of town, and I have to lock up the brakes, as there are about 8 elk in the road and who knows how many on the margins! Almost clipped the rear end of one spike but managed to miss them all.
4:30 am and we are up. Gathering gear and loading the truck. Get the baby in the truck and head out to our spot. Once there we finish gearing up and the baby is hungry. 6:45 we are walking into the area. Kim is working her away around the edge of some cut alfalfa field, and Lillian (my daughter) and I are up on the ridge above the pines. Lillian is wild, screaming and crying. Going nuts! Not sure why. But after 3 hours of working the area and watching a few whitetails bound away (due to Lillian) I start to get frustrated and head back to the truck. Kim arrives about 20 minutes later, and comments on how she could hear Lillian the whole time. It was pretty stressful for me, and I am sure hard for Kim to hear Lillians complaints.
At this point we both realize Me getting her into some areas and helping her with the hunt is going to be very difficult with Lillian on my back. I had a good afternoon spot in mind, one that was fairly easy to get into and understand how to hunt. We drive to this spot, and Kim takes off while Lillian and I do some napping....
Kims comes back 2 hours later and reports that there were no deer or deer sign in this creek bottom. We start discussing what to do. Head back to Bozeman? Maybe an evening hunt then go home? Where should she go? How can I help her but also manage Lillian. Hmmm.....
Well, I remember reading Shreks Trek, and he was pretty clsoe to us, seeing deer. Shrek and I had already discussed the option of hunting this piece of state land he was seeing deer if Kim was still empty handed by late Sudnay. Well this was Saturday, and we both had learned what was feasible for us, given our situation. I decided we would grab some late lunch in White Sulphur and call Shrek.
Shrek seemed excited about meeting up, and wanted to WATCH Kim get her first deer. So, we drove out to the State land and started checking out the area..
After scoping, and discussing plans for a few hours, Kim fed Lillian then geared up and headed out. BUT, she was hit by a bad case of EBULLA! Not the kind from Africa either....She suffers from Bovine phobia. This is a women who regularly hikes alone in the woods and along streams for work, in country where cougars and bears are encountered not to often, as well as meth zombies. This is also a women who has hitched hike from WA state to Alaska and back, often having to spend the night in roadside forests along the way, alone. But this one lone bull in the middle of the unit had her number. After making her way halfway to a pre-determined ambush spot, she felt the need to retreat. Once back at the truck we had to debrief shrek on Kims bovine phobia.
Now, Kim does not want to bag the whole plan, she just wants someone to accompany her out there. Now I am faced with a hard choice, leave Lillian with Shrek, or Shrek joins Kim. I'm torn, as I want to be the one out there with my wife, but I sure as hell aint going to leave my daughter with this guy from an internet forum named after a giant green monster. Shrek graciously offers to join Kim and help her out.
Remember, Shrek is taking a break to rest his sore legs, and blisters, so he can go 100% on Monday for an elk hunt. So his offer was beyond generous, it was selfless.
With the birth of our daughter behind us, and settling into MT we thought it would be great to get her back out. So.... in the middle of moving into our new place, we halted everything packed up the rubbermaids with gear and peeled out of Bozeman friday afternoon. We made it to the BMA with 1 minute to spare to get our sign permission for hunting that area. We drove over to a piece of the BMA that I had scouted during Archery Elk. I had seen plenty of deer in this area. Really, we just wanted a good hunt experience, no hankering for a large buck, just a nice fat doe would do and I had seen plenty during archery season. So after giving the area a quick once over, and talking about the next mornings hunt plans with my wife, we headed back and checked into an OLD, clapboard hotel. It was awesome. 40.00 a night. At this point, the logistics for camping out with our 11 month old and making sure my wife has a quality deer hunt expieerence are just too much for me to handle, so a hotel was perfect.
Back at the hotel, I open the rubbermaid that should have most of our gear, and it is full of old comemrical fishing overalls etc... Shit. Time to drive the 2 hours back to Bozeman and grab the gear. 10:00pm and I am almost back to the hotel, 3 miles outside of town, and I have to lock up the brakes, as there are about 8 elk in the road and who knows how many on the margins! Almost clipped the rear end of one spike but managed to miss them all.
4:30 am and we are up. Gathering gear and loading the truck. Get the baby in the truck and head out to our spot. Once there we finish gearing up and the baby is hungry. 6:45 we are walking into the area. Kim is working her away around the edge of some cut alfalfa field, and Lillian (my daughter) and I are up on the ridge above the pines. Lillian is wild, screaming and crying. Going nuts! Not sure why. But after 3 hours of working the area and watching a few whitetails bound away (due to Lillian) I start to get frustrated and head back to the truck. Kim arrives about 20 minutes later, and comments on how she could hear Lillian the whole time. It was pretty stressful for me, and I am sure hard for Kim to hear Lillians complaints.
At this point we both realize Me getting her into some areas and helping her with the hunt is going to be very difficult with Lillian on my back. I had a good afternoon spot in mind, one that was fairly easy to get into and understand how to hunt. We drive to this spot, and Kim takes off while Lillian and I do some napping....
Kims comes back 2 hours later and reports that there were no deer or deer sign in this creek bottom. We start discussing what to do. Head back to Bozeman? Maybe an evening hunt then go home? Where should she go? How can I help her but also manage Lillian. Hmmm.....
Well, I remember reading Shreks Trek, and he was pretty clsoe to us, seeing deer. Shrek and I had already discussed the option of hunting this piece of state land he was seeing deer if Kim was still empty handed by late Sudnay. Well this was Saturday, and we both had learned what was feasible for us, given our situation. I decided we would grab some late lunch in White Sulphur and call Shrek.
Shrek seemed excited about meeting up, and wanted to WATCH Kim get her first deer. So, we drove out to the State land and started checking out the area..
After scoping, and discussing plans for a few hours, Kim fed Lillian then geared up and headed out. BUT, she was hit by a bad case of EBULLA! Not the kind from Africa either....She suffers from Bovine phobia. This is a women who regularly hikes alone in the woods and along streams for work, in country where cougars and bears are encountered not to often, as well as meth zombies. This is also a women who has hitched hike from WA state to Alaska and back, often having to spend the night in roadside forests along the way, alone. But this one lone bull in the middle of the unit had her number. After making her way halfway to a pre-determined ambush spot, she felt the need to retreat. Once back at the truck we had to debrief shrek on Kims bovine phobia.
Now, Kim does not want to bag the whole plan, she just wants someone to accompany her out there. Now I am faced with a hard choice, leave Lillian with Shrek, or Shrek joins Kim. I'm torn, as I want to be the one out there with my wife, but I sure as hell aint going to leave my daughter with this guy from an internet forum named after a giant green monster. Shrek graciously offers to join Kim and help her out.
Remember, Shrek is taking a break to rest his sore legs, and blisters, so he can go 100% on Monday for an elk hunt. So his offer was beyond generous, it was selfless.
