I left western Pennsylvania on the evening of May 7 and headed cross country to western Montana. For something like thirty years, I've wanted to hunt Montana, and i finally did it. Aside from seeing amazing country and sights, the best part was doing this trip solo. As far as planning, my plan was to bear hunt in western Montana. That was it. And northwestern Montana seemed about as remote as I could get. Staying mobile, I figured I'd go south after a few days to see some new country. Some research on here and I narrowed it down to Libby to start. My thought process was that once I got out there, I would wing it.
My route into Montana took me across I 94 through North Dakota. I saw plenty of pheasants and waterfowl, and definitely am thinking of planning a near future hunt out there.
Because I was headed to the northwest corner, I headed north out of Glendive for route 2 and rode that the whole way west. Beautiful country. Kind of reminded me of route 6 through northern Pennsylvania, middle of nowhere with a scattering of small towns. And casinos! You guys really must gamble a hell of a lot to support as many casinos as I saw. I'm pretty sure there's a Lucky Lil in every town I stopped. And old trucks. As someone with an appreciation for vintage rides it was cool to see so many, whether on the road or parked out in a field. One thing that popped out was the amount of early/mid 60's Ford pickups.
I got into the Kootenai Forest Sunday evening. What little research i had done indicated that the area was thick. Indeed it was. For a few days I still hunted gated roads. I don't really get the opportunity to hunt like that very often, given that deer hunting means going to my treestand for an all day sit. Knowing that grizzly bears could be around definietly had me hyper vigilant in ways that are not my norm. My head was on a swivel (But by Friday, I was giving thought to napping on hillsides when the sun would temporarily appear).
After a few days of stalking around The Kootenai I drove south to check out the Lolo. I was under the impression that I'd find more open areas that I could then glass. It worked out that way. After hunting one area Thursday, I had the good fortune of running across two Forest Service employees. We spoke at length on the problems facing the FS, they explained to me the prescribed burns in the area I had been hunting, the wildlife of the area, etc... I thanked them for the trail clearing I had encountered. And then, as they were leaving, they took the opportunity to guide me to an area that they thought I might like to check out. They were correct. I hunted that area Friday, and had a blast. The moral here is, when you have the chance to talk with people, do so. Be polite and grateful, and you might just be rewarded.
Saturday morning I accepted reality and headed home. As my goal was to see as much of Montana as possible, I headed south for Missoula. A few things popped out along my route as I approached Missoula. One, urban sprawl and growth. Two, the amount and size of trees among residents in one neighborhood. Lots of huge trees. It really looked like a great town to live in. Three, everyone in Missoula was friendly as hell. From Missoula I drove I 90 east to Billings where I caught 212 and headed into South Dakota.
This was an amazing trip that I really can't wait to repeat. I learned a lot and I'll be asking some questions that arose along my travels.
My route into Montana took me across I 94 through North Dakota. I saw plenty of pheasants and waterfowl, and definitely am thinking of planning a near future hunt out there.
Because I was headed to the northwest corner, I headed north out of Glendive for route 2 and rode that the whole way west. Beautiful country. Kind of reminded me of route 6 through northern Pennsylvania, middle of nowhere with a scattering of small towns. And casinos! You guys really must gamble a hell of a lot to support as many casinos as I saw. I'm pretty sure there's a Lucky Lil in every town I stopped. And old trucks. As someone with an appreciation for vintage rides it was cool to see so many, whether on the road or parked out in a field. One thing that popped out was the amount of early/mid 60's Ford pickups.
I got into the Kootenai Forest Sunday evening. What little research i had done indicated that the area was thick. Indeed it was. For a few days I still hunted gated roads. I don't really get the opportunity to hunt like that very often, given that deer hunting means going to my treestand for an all day sit. Knowing that grizzly bears could be around definietly had me hyper vigilant in ways that are not my norm. My head was on a swivel (But by Friday, I was giving thought to napping on hillsides when the sun would temporarily appear).
After a few days of stalking around The Kootenai I drove south to check out the Lolo. I was under the impression that I'd find more open areas that I could then glass. It worked out that way. After hunting one area Thursday, I had the good fortune of running across two Forest Service employees. We spoke at length on the problems facing the FS, they explained to me the prescribed burns in the area I had been hunting, the wildlife of the area, etc... I thanked them for the trail clearing I had encountered. And then, as they were leaving, they took the opportunity to guide me to an area that they thought I might like to check out. They were correct. I hunted that area Friday, and had a blast. The moral here is, when you have the chance to talk with people, do so. Be polite and grateful, and you might just be rewarded.
Saturday morning I accepted reality and headed home. As my goal was to see as much of Montana as possible, I headed south for Missoula. A few things popped out along my route as I approached Missoula. One, urban sprawl and growth. Two, the amount and size of trees among residents in one neighborhood. Lots of huge trees. It really looked like a great town to live in. Three, everyone in Missoula was friendly as hell. From Missoula I drove I 90 east to Billings where I caught 212 and headed into South Dakota.
This was an amazing trip that I really can't wait to repeat. I learned a lot and I'll be asking some questions that arose along my travels.
