Another Montana Story

[gramps]

First, it was nice to spend 3 weeks plus in my home state…mostly hunting, but visiting, sightseeing and some genealogy also.

I didn’t see any bucks the first three or four days, but enjoyed some spectacular country I had not been to before.  I did see a Big Horn ram that could have been the brother to the 200” +/- ram taken in August.  According to the locals, I was within a few miles of where he was taken.  Later that day I saw 5 rams together and took some pictures thru’ a spotting scope.  They are not very good as I was holding a small digital up to the eyepiece of the scope.

Moved across the big river to a large chunk of property that belongs to some old friends of the family.  Passed on several bucks and after another 5 or 6 days, I was regretting that decision.  In 15 days of hunting, I walked farther than I have in 10 years for a deer.  I am not complaining…actually I am very excited about it…’cause a few years ago I could hardly walk across the room.  (Bofire, I and a few others here have had vertebra fusions..multiple times in my case).

One evening, I spotted some deer and with light fading I could make out a buck.   Headed out in the dark the next morning and saw 14 does…no buck.  Went back to a convenient knob of high ground that evening and saw him again…no shot opportunity tho’.  Same story the next morning.  Third morning was the day.   Finally spotted him with a single doe.  The rut had not really started, but he was following a doe some.  They moved out of sight into a small draw..(Coulee for you other natives) ..about ¾ mile away and as I was figuring out how to be in a better spot the next morning, I decided I would try to make a stalk from here.  Had to cross a creek twice and with some large sagebrush for cover, I had a good view.  Spent 20 minutes glassing before I spotted antlers in the sage…cool..except there was 300 yards of a flat grass meadow between me and him.  It looked like his head was down like maybe he was asleep so I started to crawl across the meadow.  I moved a yard or so and looked thru’ the rifle scope ‘cause I was moving it ahead of me with the bi-pod down trying to stay low to the ground.   I had made it about 50 yards across the grass, looking every yard, when it looked like he was looking at me, but I could not for the life of me tell where his body was and no way to shoot at what little I could see at that range.  So I lay there for 35 minutes looking thru’ the scope…my eyes were killing me…when he stood up…stretched….turned broadside and ½ second later my 30 yr. old baby Weatherby went boom and I heard a reassuring whop.  Long hunt over.  Not big by any stretch, but typical of the area.

I had not even unloaded the 4-wheeler from the pick up in 2 + weeks, but with permission from the landowner, I gladly used it to haul him the 2 miles to the rig.

Spent several days walking the sage where a large heard of Antelope had been hanging out looking for sheds without any success and visiting with the current owners of the place where my granddad homesteaded and where I spent my youth.

I didn’t keep track, but it seemed everywhere I looked there was a pickup with Washington plates….lots of ‘em. 

And on the warm afternoons of 5 & 6 Nov, the rattlesnakes were out, Prairie Dogs also
PS…wool pants provide zero protection from cactus and yucca leaves.

Spent 6 weeks total over there this fall and enjoyed every minute .. Headed back in a few months.

[gramps]

Couple more pictures...

[Jason]

Awesome pics and great story! Congrats!!!

[NWBREW]

Sounds like a great trip.....nice pics of the sheep and a good looking buck. That snake doesn't look very friendly.

[Woodchuck]

Congrats gramps

[Pathfinder101]

Great buck Gramps!  Damn, I hope you took that snake's picture with a zoom lens... that's close...

[washelkhntr]

Congrats. That's a dandy buck!

[GWA Hunter]

Awesome pictures and thanks for the great story! I'm jealous. I have always wanted to go hunt Montana!

[mtndew]

Nice pictures. Is the hoist in your receiver the Monarch from Cabelas? If not, where did you get yours? I have been thinking about getting one of those. Looks like it works pretty slick.

[spur_ride]

awsome buck and great pics. congrats

[Buckmark]

Sounds like fun, nice buck..

[gramps]

Thanks everyone.
No telephoto on the snake...never expected to see snakes and I nearly stepped on this one.  Was walking along looking everywhere but where I was walking and heard the buzzzz and jumped a few feet before I even knew it.  So much for figuring out where they are before you move stuff one reads about.  Saw 4 total and all were a little slow and small, but 3 rattles can make a lot of noise and they would strike.

I welded up the skinning pole from some tubing and angle iron...will add some pieces for braces instead of the rope to the corners of the bed.  Put a small winch in the front of the bed for another use and it worked for this too.

[eastside boy]

Sounds like a great time!!!!  Nice buck and pics...thanks for posting.

[Pathfinder101]

Gramps, you oughta sell those pickup-hitch-deer-hanger-thingys.  I sure as heck could have used one out there.  I skinned mine on the ground.  In fact, I am waiting for Tom to send me a picture of me caping out my buck's neck.  He was rigor-mortis'ed, and we laid him on his back with only his rump and his antlers on the ground, and crawled under him like I was working on a car .  It's hard to describe, I'll post a picture when he sends it.