Post by: bearhunter59 on November 20, 2008, 09:57:45 PM
I was invited to go to Montana with a co-worker early this year, and since I have always wanted to hunt there, I looked at it as an opportunity of a lifetime for me to go. So we put in as a group and got drawn for our combo elk and deer tags. I also put in for and got drawn for a Muley tag in the 250 unit, and an anterless in the 270 unit. Well, about a month before we go this co-worker tells me that the guy from Montana we were going to hunt with, now wasn't going to beable to be there during the week to hunt with us, so we would be on our own most of the time. (That was strike one). Then it turns out the other guy that was going with us from Spokane needed to delay the trip a week or so becuase of Guard duty. (Foul ball). It actually worked out better for me, because I had just broke my left (shooting) hand, and needed the extra week for it to get out of the cast. (Actually cut it off the second day it was on). Then a week before we are to leave the co-worker tells me the wall tent we were going to take is out, becuase it belongs to his father-in-law, and he has decided he was going to use it this year. (Strike two). So I get on Craigslist and pickup a used military GP 16x16. Then 3 days before we leave he tells me the utility trailer we were going to use is out....bent/broke tongue. So I get on Craigslist again and pickup a trailer. Friday (Halloween) he calls and tells me something has come up at home and we can't leave Saturday becuase he has to watch the kids. (Strike three). He assures me he will be at my house o'dark-thirty Sunday morning though and we will hit the road. I really expected to get a call early Sunday morning and have him back completely out, but he showed and we made it to Darby, MT in about 10 hours. Quicker than I thought we would get there. I thought it would take between 12-14 hours to get there...We were supposed to call the Montana guy when we got to Missoula and he would meet us in Darby and take us out to the camp. We started trying to get a hold of this guy from the time we hit Missoula, and for the next hour and a half to Darby. Even then we had to sit around in Darby for another couple hours until the guy finally called us and then showed up to take us out to the camp.
They had a wall tent, with stove setup for us already, which was great. Now, we could use mine for storage, cooking and general BS. We spent Monday setting up and waiting for the Spokane hunter to show up. He showed up about 9pm. For the next 4 day, we would get up early and hit the woods, and they would be ready for the truck and camp by 9-10 o'clock. Even when the co-worker was actually out of the truck, he was so far out of shape and we were at altitude, that we had to wait 10 minutes for him to catch up to us, up the first hill, and we had only been walking 2 minutes...It was like this all four days. By the fourth day, when I had been hoofin' it around, up and down those mountains all day, and couldn't raise them on the radio once, I had had enough. When I got back to the truck, I threw my stuff in it, jumped in, and told them that we could go home tomorrow if that was the way the rest of this hunt was going to go, because I didn't consider this hunting, and we were never going to see anything with the way they were hunting. We went back to camp and I wouldn't talk to them the rest of the day. They did actually go back out that afternoon, for the first time, but I refused to go with them...Turns out, that afternoon, the co-worker had a shot at a whitetail buck and he decided at that moment, he wasn't a hunter. They came back to camp that afternoon, and the co-worker said he decided he wasn't a hunter, and we could pack up and leave tomorrow....which is what we did. We packed up and came home Saturday.
This was truly the worst hunting adventure I have ever had.
I came home and decided to see if I could at least fill my deer tag during late buck, so I headed up to the Satsop Center and hunted the Wynoochee area Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning. By Saturday morning, after the third time of having someone drive up a road I had been walking up for 2 hours, I decided it just wasn't ment to be this year, and packed it up and came home....
I'm so depressed....trying to decide whether to give it all up or maybe take up bowhunting...anybody got a cheap left-handed bow they want to get rid of???
Post by: Houndhunter on November 20, 2008, 10:08:10 PM
Post by: bobcat on November 20, 2008, 10:13:23 PM
Post by: wrangler on November 20, 2008, 10:45:43 PM
Post by: jadeball1 on November 21, 2008, 07:43:30 AM
Post by: croix on November 21, 2008, 08:03:16 AM
that's really too bad. the people you hunt with can make a poor hunt a lot of fun, but unfortunately the opposite is true. keep me in mind for next year. i would love to hunt montana and i'm not afraid to put in the leg time. maybe jadeball1's support group idea could result in a pretty good group for that trip. even if i don't get in on it, i hope your next year is better.
Post by: tmike on November 21, 2008, 08:28:21 AM
Post by: 1bowhunter1 on November 21, 2008, 08:46:37 AM
Post by: X-Force on November 21, 2008, 08:57:15 AM
Post by: huntnphool on November 21, 2008, 09:31:32 AM
Anybody that still has a deer tag and time should hook up and GO. It's prime time right now and trust me we left plenty there for you to take.
:yeah: There is still plenty of time for you to go, don't burn the tag. Get together with someone else on here that still has a tag, split the fuel and drive time. If you drive straight through it will go fast, just take turns. That 250 tag should be a no brainer, seriously!!!
I am sending you a PM
Post by: Bronson on November 21, 2008, 12:39:24 PM
Post by: Dameion on November 21, 2008, 01:26:21 PM
Post by: MountainWalk on November 21, 2008, 01:34:29 PM
Yeah its tough to find good dedicated hunting pals. I'm kinda in the same boat sometimes.
Post by: 270Shooter on November 21, 2008, 01:42:51 PM