Bearpaw Season - Fall 2012

[bearpaw]

While Anthony hunted with the TV show, I was busy with a husband/wife team.

Anthony hunted one part of the ranch while I hunted another part of the ranch. Bucks were in total complete rut mode, the does were in heat and we watched bucks running on doe trails like hound dogs on a coon track. There was one day the rut obviously peaked, at one time we had five different 4x4 or better bucks within 150 yards of us chasing doe trails. Four bucks were on one trail and one buck was on the other trail, I have never seen such aggressive rut activity, it will be a day to remember, we saw roughly thirty 4x4 or better bucks that day and most were with does or chasing doe trails.

The next day, yesterday, they decided we needed to quit looking at deer and kill some bucks so the husband/wife could get back home. First thing in the morning at daylight we spotted a buck we had all seen before with outward eyeguards. After about a 30 minute cat and mouse stalk the buck made a big mistake and stopped within view, the husband put one good shot into the shoulder and dropped him on the spot. I went and got the truck, I gutted him quickly, we loaded him into the truck and went spotting for a mule deer for the wife. We found several whitetails and some mule deer but not the mule buck we were after. Suddenly she happened to spot a whitetail buck at long range so I dialed in the spotter, I instantly exclaimed "he's a shooter". She had said if we spot a big whitetail that she would take a whitetail instead of a muley.

The buck was out of range so we watched him, as we watched from 400-500 yards and as a smaller 4 point watched from about 20 yards, the big buck mounted a doe twice . Then all three deer worked their way into a brushy canyon and out of sight. I drove way around so we could stalk in from the top of the canyon. It was really windy and the deer were really jumpy, we saw some mule deer and some whitetails but our buck had vanished. Suddenly a nice muley jumps up and runs over the ridge without presenting a decent shot opportunity. I whispered "let's finish our hunt and then we'll go after that buck". We were almost done with our hunt when I looked back and spotted the big whitetail buck staring at us, he had circled around us but made a mistake and stopped for a moment. I planted the shooting sticks on the ground and the wife took a quick aim and dropped the buck quickly with a spine shot.

Because she had not seen the buck through the spotter she didn't realize he was quite as good of buck as he was. As we walked up she finally had a good look, it was exciting to say the least. The buck was still alive so we finished him off quickly with a knife into the lungs as I held his antlers down firmly.

We finish another Montana deer season with a bang, we have been blessed again. I can't wait for next year, we have a tremendous crop of at least 30 to 40 mature 4x4 and 5x5 whitetail bucks including the best buck that got away plus some mule deer bucks still on the ranch at the end of season. These bucks will all be another year older so hunting should be excellent again next fall.

First photo is the husband's buck and the second photo is the wife's buck. Last photo is myself with the wife's buck, sorry for the mugshot.

[bearpaw]

I should add an interesting fact.

We were hunting the MT ranch up to Nov 9 and every buck had 1/2 to 3/4 inch fat on their entire backs and up to an inch on thei rumps. We hunted in Washington for 10 days and the last 4 MT bucks were all killed about 12 to 15 days later and there was almost no fat left on them, they have run themselves out of fat in 2 weeks.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Very nice  Did you hunt in Idaho for whitetail ...?  5 buddies tagged out this week ...all around 140 and bigger ...They said it was off the chart !

[bearpaw]

No we didn't, we only hunt mule deer in Idaho.

[BOWHUNTER45]

No we didn't, we only hunt mule deer in Idaho.

[rock]

tag

[CAMPMEAT]

I want your job Dale. Very nice deer too !!!

Its a bit tough surviving in todays economy but I do really enjoy what I do, wouldn't trade for any other carreer.

You're surviving and having fun..................

[bearpaw]

I am a little worried, I heard about a farmer who has found numerous dead deer on his place, deer in the field at night have gone from 42 to about 10. I mentioned it to the game warden and we are going to try and get a tissue sample for the biologist to check out. Hope it's not blue tongue. 

This was checked out and determined to be some other parasite (not blue tongue). The same parasite has showed up in several areas of NE WA this last late summer, the WDFW is aware of localized deer losses in some areas.

[Ridgeratt]

 The same parasite has showed up in several areas of NE WA this last late summer, the WDFW is aware of localized deer losses in some areas.

They shot some of the parasite's.   

[Killmore]

Those whitetail hunts look like a blast!! You finishing off a deer with a knife, PRICELESS.

[bearpaw]

Those whitetail hunts look like a blast!! You finishing off a deer with a knife, PRICELESS.

No sense wasting ammo, meat, or a cape by shooting it again. After all, are we not natural born killers.   

[LittleJohn]

 

[Killmore]

Dale, Is there any deer tags available after the draw is done.Like landowner or outfitter tags? Having so many points in washington and thinking this is the year to draw , just wondering if say you don't draw here in washington can you then buy Montana?

[bearpaw]

Dale, Is there any deer tags available after the draw is done.Like landowner or outfitter tags? Having so many points in washington and thinking this is the year to draw , just wondering if say you don't draw here in washington can you then buy Montana?

This year Montana had leftover tags and then they authorized more tags, I was in one of their F&G offices yesterday and was told they never did sell out this year, licenses were available till the end of season. I bet it will be the same next year!

[bearpaw]

Bad Luck Leads To Good Luck
Sometimes it's funny how events unfold.

During my last hunt in Montana I had a couple bad days, as soon as I arrived we unloaded the wheelers which I always take in case it rains. The ranchers prefer us to use wheelers if it rains to travel on the ranches so we don't make ruts in the roads. I unhooked the trailer and pulled forward, then I set the unloading ramp behind the truck and backed out the wheeler that was loaded in the truck. My ramp is a short one that I used in my old chevy, my ford is much higher and I was parked with the backend downhill. I started backing out and when I realized that I was going to go over backwards it was too late. In midair I managed to dismount but still landed on my back and the bike was still coming down on top of me, instinctively I caught the ATV in mid air with my legs, I was laying there absorbing what had just happened and holding the ATV up in mid air with my legs when the wife spotted the whole affair, she started hollering for her husband who quickly came and we pushed the wheeler off to the side. Incredibely I was fine, I wasn't even sore from the fall and it was a pretty good fall. As soon as I convinced them I was OK we finished getting ready for the hunt.

It was pouring rain and then snow and then hail, the 30 mph wind blew the hail into our faces so hard it stung as we rode slowly. Finally the precipitation stopped but the wind blew the rest of the day and night. We saw a few deer and a few bucks that day but not as many as usual, deer were staying out of the storm.

Next morning I couldn't find my keys, I looked everywhere, I tore my room apart but no keys. I went to get my spare key but the holder was empty.    Hello AAA, please come and unlock my truck for me.    We finally made it out hunting and the wind had dried out the mud enough so that we were able to drive the truck into the ranch. We hadn't been on the ranch for very long and right off we had a flat tire, these are brand new Cooper STT tires I put on before leaving for Montana. I tried airing it up with the portable compressor, we tried a can of fix-a-flat, finally I had to find the jack in my truck which didn't fit under the axle and after some digging and jockying we got the tire changed. We immediately went to town but nobody sells Cooper tires and the tire was ruined so I bought a used tire for another spare. I also had another spare key made at the hardware store.

Later in the day when we were back at the ranch I drove over a stick that got caught underneath and broke the transmission shifting cable. Everytime I needed to change gears or start the truck I'd have to crawl underneath and move the shifting lever on the side of the tranny.    We go to town again and I buy some little pulleys and 5/16 nylon rope, I rigged a pull cord from the tranny shifting lever up through my rear window so that I could at least change gears and start the truck without crawling under.    In spite of all these situations we saw a ton of deer that day.

The next day the deer were rutting harder than I've ever seen, we looked at roughly 30 mature bucks. The following morning we killed two nice bucks that I have already posted. I'm just glad the luck changed to "good" luck. 

I am getting everthing repaired or replaced today and the truck will be back in good running order by day's end.