After the severe winter, record flooding and all around messed up year in my neck of the woods I really didn't have high expectaions for the archery season this year. Due to the flooding my family was out of our house for 3 months. We live on the Milk River and when we finally moved back in late July it was a relief to get back to normal. The winter and flooding were toough on the deer, but there were a few around and a few nice bucks as well. Then the EHD hit. By the end of August the deer were all but gone and all the mature bucks were dead. Whitetail hunting would not be an option this year.
Well, the arhcery season ends today and I find myself with a full freezer and out of tags.
I didn't plan to hunt antelope in the area, but during my muledeer scouting trips I ran into many more antelope than I anticipated. Enough that I had no second thoughts about hunting a buck. On the morning of Sept. 30 after spotting a couple small herds and several roaming bucks I spotted a buck and 4 does bedded on the end of a small ridge. I snuck to 30yds. of the buck and shot him in his bed. I boned him and loaded the game bag into my day pack and carried the skull and horns back to my truck.
Early in October when the weather finally cooled I went elk hunting. I was disappointed with the quality of the bulls I saw on public land. There were a few very nice bulls around, but they certainly knew where the private land fence was. On my first evening out I did end up watching a 300 class 6x6 from 48 yds. as he was raking the ground and pissing all over the place, but he wasn't quite what I was looking for. I did run into a couple nice muledeer bucks and late in the morning of the 10th I watched 2 bucks drop into a shaded draw to bed. I snuck into the draw and first spotted the rt. antler of the smaller buck. As I was only about 25 yds above the bucks the smaller buck knew something was up and and ran up the side of the draw and stopped to look back. As he did the bigger buck did the same. I looked ahead to where I thought he would stop and prepared for the shot. He stopped on cue and I settled in and released. My arrow burried tight behind the shoulder. He ran over a small ridge, but as he disappeared I could see he was losing it. There was no need to wait and as I topped the ridge he as laying there about 100 yds. from the location of the shot. Again I boned the deer put the game bag in my daypack, carried the skull and antlers back to my 4-wheeler which was parked on the ridge about 1.5 miles away. My Blackhawk daypack was by no means made to haul a load like that and it was neither comfortable or enjoyable but it beat making another trip with my packframe.
The next day was my last day to hunt for the season so I was looking for "groceries". I was hoping to find a cow, but most of the elk were on private land by the time the sun came up. At 8:15 I spotted a spike below me in the timber. I figured this was my last chance and as much as I didn't want to shoot a bull unless it was a large, mature bull, I decided to make a play on the spike. I got above and ahead of him in the timber and he passed below me as planned. The shot was not real far, but I was about 40 ft. above him so I aimed high behind his shoulder and released. The arrow blew through him and he tumbled into the coulee bottom about 80 yds. below me. This time I had my packframe along so I boned him and made 2 trips up to the road.
I was now out of tags and out of time. I got back to camp, cleaned up, broke camp and came home.
I am most likely done hunting big game since the whitetail does that are left will be counted on to rebuild the population on the lower Milk River. This should leave plenty of time to take my dad and new brother-in-law out after muledeer in the rifle season.
My season is over, but good luck to you gun hunters who are just getting started.
Well, the arhcery season ends today and I find myself with a full freezer and out of tags.
I didn't plan to hunt antelope in the area, but during my muledeer scouting trips I ran into many more antelope than I anticipated. Enough that I had no second thoughts about hunting a buck. On the morning of Sept. 30 after spotting a couple small herds and several roaming bucks I spotted a buck and 4 does bedded on the end of a small ridge. I snuck to 30yds. of the buck and shot him in his bed. I boned him and loaded the game bag into my day pack and carried the skull and horns back to my truck.
Early in October when the weather finally cooled I went elk hunting. I was disappointed with the quality of the bulls I saw on public land. There were a few very nice bulls around, but they certainly knew where the private land fence was. On my first evening out I did end up watching a 300 class 6x6 from 48 yds. as he was raking the ground and pissing all over the place, but he wasn't quite what I was looking for. I did run into a couple nice muledeer bucks and late in the morning of the 10th I watched 2 bucks drop into a shaded draw to bed. I snuck into the draw and first spotted the rt. antler of the smaller buck. As I was only about 25 yds above the bucks the smaller buck knew something was up and and ran up the side of the draw and stopped to look back. As he did the bigger buck did the same. I looked ahead to where I thought he would stop and prepared for the shot. He stopped on cue and I settled in and released. My arrow burried tight behind the shoulder. He ran over a small ridge, but as he disappeared I could see he was losing it. There was no need to wait and as I topped the ridge he as laying there about 100 yds. from the location of the shot. Again I boned the deer put the game bag in my daypack, carried the skull and antlers back to my 4-wheeler which was parked on the ridge about 1.5 miles away. My Blackhawk daypack was by no means made to haul a load like that and it was neither comfortable or enjoyable but it beat making another trip with my packframe.
The next day was my last day to hunt for the season so I was looking for "groceries". I was hoping to find a cow, but most of the elk were on private land by the time the sun came up. At 8:15 I spotted a spike below me in the timber. I figured this was my last chance and as much as I didn't want to shoot a bull unless it was a large, mature bull, I decided to make a play on the spike. I got above and ahead of him in the timber and he passed below me as planned. The shot was not real far, but I was about 40 ft. above him so I aimed high behind his shoulder and released. The arrow blew through him and he tumbled into the coulee bottom about 80 yds. below me. This time I had my packframe along so I boned him and made 2 trips up to the road.
I was now out of tags and out of time. I got back to camp, cleaned up, broke camp and came home.
I am most likely done hunting big game since the whitetail does that are left will be counted on to rebuild the population on the lower Milk River. This should leave plenty of time to take my dad and new brother-in-law out after muledeer in the rifle season.
My season is over, but good luck to you gun hunters who are just getting started.
