Montana Rut 2011

[the nikster]

I'll take a run at this...

It's the last 2 weeks before my (almost) yearly trip to Montana for the mulie rut. I'll be hunting with my good friends from New York-Mike,Dennis and Marco.
The four of us met several years ago when I swapped them an Idaho elk hunt. We have enjoyed each others' company hunting almost every year since.
I'll leave the house on the 10th of November and arrive at the hunt area later that evening. I have scheduled 4 days of hunting and I hope to return home on the 15th. We hunt out of a ranch house and have access to both whitetails and mulies-I prefer mulies. We also see many elk each year and even now I wonder why we never put in for the draw.

In preparation for this years hunt I stopped at Cabelas in Sidney, Neb. earlier this week on my way home. I had done my reseach and determined that I was going to try the Federal Premium Barnes Triple-shock in 7mm rem mag. I had printed off my rebate coupon which was generously provided on this website but I was still surprised that the final tally was north of $100 for 40 rounds.

With the bullets in hand I drove on thru the next day dreaming of the monster deer I was going to harvest this fall.
Now, I'm not gonna lie to ya. My wife has a pretty big list for me to complete in the next couple of weeks, not the least of which is remodelling her bathroom. I'll still get out in the next couple of days and send a couple rounds downrange and post some pics. Then I'll try to keep updates as I continue to prepare and execute my hunt.

Don't expect professional results from me. I may get excited and miss a day of two but be patient-I'll get it done and I think we'll all enjoy the photos!!

 

[JohnCushman]

Good luck!! Those triple shocks do some damage...you'll be happy with them

 

[belly-deep]

The price of premium ammo is ridiculous these days...so I reload

Triple shocks shoot really good in all the rifles I've tried them in so far though. As in Ballistic Tip/Sierra Gameking good...

Good luck on your hunt!

 

[Bucnutz.wis]

Good Luck Nick - hope you get to pound a nice one for us all to see !!

 

[mixedbag]

I'm all set to head back out in another week and a half.Have a local of Forsyth that I met camping in the Crazies looking over some mulies for me.He has a private ranch I can hunt the weekend of the 11/12/13.I'll do block management ahead of his days off work to see what I can find on my own.Bringing my 16 yr old stepson out this trip to see if he has any interest in a western hunt for next year and to give me another set of eyes.doesn't hurt that he can help with the 28 hr drive.My trophy room is missing a good muley and hope to fix that in a couple weeks.Calling around for hotel rooms today and hope to find something available.I'll sleep in my truck if I have to
Good luck on your hunt.Really looking forward to trying for these muleys in the rut and seeing what its like

 

[the nikster]

shake down

Thanks guys!
Sleeping in a truck can be miserable but years from now when you tell visitors about the monster buck on the wall you probably won't mention your accommodations. Good Luck!.

My brother, Bill, drew a late season any bull permit for Idaho. I figured it was a great chance for a mini shake-down for my montana hunt.
Yesterday morning he picked me up at four, and, along with his daughter, we headed for the hills.
It was cloudy and overcast when we arrived more than an hour early so we busied ourselves with soda pops and snacks. We also re-told(for the thousandth time) every story relating to that particular drainage.
At 8 am the ceiling lifted and we headed out. There was an inch of new snow and frost clung to every exposed cell of earth.
The cool air ached my teeth with every breath I took. Bellows of fog erupted from my lungs with every outward breath. It was so quiet I could hear the ringing in my ears and the pumping of my over-taxed heart. Our steps in the snow sounded like a child twisting a balloon into odd shapes. I would gladly pay thousands of dollars to experience this just one time-yet I get to do it any time I choose. I am a fortunate man.
Our path took us up a small quiet draw and over a few windy ridges. We carefully negotiated a small patch of likely looking timber. No deer, no elk, no sound-just our footsteps as we crunch, crunch, crunch our way on.
We moved on to an open(sort of) south facing hillside which, in years past, had been good to us. The wind stung our exposed skin. From time to time the sun would peek out from the clouds with a brightness that made our eyes water and the tears would soon freeze on our facial hair and clothes. Silently we soldiered on.
As we gained elevation we paralleled a large patch of timber. We gained the top of the ridge and crossed the small draw and entered the timber from the top knowing that the elk liked to hang out up there. Entering a snowy patch of timber on a cold november morning is not unlike entering a large empty church or cathedral at 4 am. It's quiet and you know you must not disturb the silence or the Gods might punish you.
Quietly we decended on trails worn into the pine needles by countles hooves and not a few boots. We stopped to investigate well worn and active bunny trails. Scrapes, both old and new, were given equal measure. Now and then the silence was broken by the chirping of a squirrel which we roundly cursed. Our goal was a ridge upon which I had harvested a small bull years ago. We arrived. We found the ridge empty, just as the small draws, windy slopes and timber patches we had encountered before it. In four hours of hiking we had crossed exactly zero deer or elk tracks. With my niece's interest dwindling we decided to head for the truck which was now only a few hundred yards away.
Again, we gave back the hard earned elevation to the mountain. I mewed now and then on a cow call as we approached the bottom and enjoyed the reaction of my brother who did not expect it-hehehe!
The truck was nice and warm, the pops were cold. The snacks were great and we all melted some snow when we went potty.
And my gear was fine.

 

[the nikster]

sighted in

I went out this morning to make sure I could hit a barn if need be.

I have BLM land just 10 miles from the house and an area a bunch of folks have always used for shooting-myself included.

I used my Savage package rifle in 7mm rem mag purchased in 1991 at Cal-Ranch. I topped it with a Leupold Rifleman scope and put a bipod on it. I use a Butler Creek sling cuz it's cushy. I loaded it up with Federal Premium bullets and took a couple of shots at 100 yards. Top 2 holes are the first 2 at 100 yards on 3 power. I liked that so much I moved out to 200 and dialed her up to 6 power and cranked off 2 more shots. Allowing a bit for my abilities, I liked those 2 shots as well. I loaded up my gear and headed for the house.

I forgot the camera so the pics were taken when I got home.

 

[kansasdad]

Farmer Hoggett would say, "that'll do pig!" Nice work

 

[huntRme]

That's one straight shootin' rifle. Wish mine was that easy to sight in.

Can't wait for the big hunt. It sounds like you know how to tell a story. The secret to telling a good story is to load it with plenty of details...never think a story gets too long...if you saw it, put it in, if you felt it, put it in, if you heard it, put it in, if you did it, put it in. Make us feel as though we were there.

 

[the nikster]

The hunt is over. I had no internet while gone so I was unable to post. I am going to post each days events as they happened-one day at a time, with any pics I can find...

 

[the nikster]

Day 1 travelling!!!

I left the house at about 5 am. I had packed all my gear the evening before and was anxious to see Montana.
I drove thru the darkness and as the sun was rising over Monida pass I began watching the moon off to my left. As I drove along the reservior I saw a jet pass in front of the moon .
I arrived at the ranch with little fanfare at about 1:30. I attempted to check in but the house was empty as they were out preg-checking cows. Not wishing to waste a moment I grabbed my glass and went for a drive. Within 1 mile of the ranchhouse I had spotted 3 20" 4x4's. I was sooo excited. Most of the deer were too far off to get a good pic with the camera but I kept trying! In 3 hrs I spotted so many deer and so many bucks that I quit counting. I returned to the house at about 5:00 and met up with some friends who had flown in from NY and a father/son tandem from Penn.
We swapped stories of past hunts on the ranch. I told them how I had seen a lot of bucks and that the rut was just beginning.
We enjoyed a nice dinner and later, went to bed with high hopes for the coming days.
I should point out up front that I did not take as many pics as I originally intended-but I took copious video. I'll post a video link on the last day(if I can figger it out).

 

[the nikster]

teaser

Dennis and I with our deer...

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Sweet, the Beat goes on..........could ya aim the Camera up just a little? LOL John

 

[the nikster]

Day 1 Andrew wins

The morning started with a nice breakfast supplied by the ranch.
There are nine separate areas on the ranch and, in an effort to spread out the hunters, we were all assigned different areas. Historically the most covetted area is the river bottoms of area 6. Stan and his son Andrew from Pennsylvania were assigned this area. It has cottonwoods, old creek bottoms and is adjacent to farmlands and is loaded with both whitetails and mulies.
My buddies Mike and dennis were assigned unit 7 which has a bunch of draws that empty into unit 7. Some of the biggest bucks travel these draws early and late in search of does.
I was assigned units 3 and 4. Few deer occupy these units but the ones you find are usually above average.
I spent 4 hrs driving the ridges and walking coolies. I did see a few does and a couple of bucks but the bucks were in units next to me, not mine.
I had agreed to meet Mike and Dennis at a specific draw at 11:00 so I did. Mike and Dennis had seen nothing to shoot at that early in the hunt. They were there with Andrew and his dad, Stan. Andrew had harvested a NICE buck just after daylight. That is Stan's story to tell, (feel free to post a pic Stan).
We decided to push the bottoms as a group and we were very successful. We spotted many does and a couple of 'last day' bucks-yes, I know the old saying!
We passed on all the deer and spent the remainder of the evening driving the roads, glassing draws and checking out all the old homesteads in the area.
Another friend, Marco, arrived that evening and we exchanged more stories of past hunts over a fantastic dinner.

 

[CGeminski]

Hey Nick... I am Stan's cousin, I hunted the ranch last year and hooked Stan & Andrew up with the info. Glad to see they both got nice bucks, Andrew's was a real slammer! Here is my buck I took in 2 last season, very happy with it for my first muley. I passed up the same 145 inch whitetail twice in 6 before shooting this guy!
By the way, I heard your buddies from NY live a few miles from me...

 

[noharleyyet]

Very nice photos Nick, thanks.

 

[the nikster]

Day 2 Mike scores

Thanks folks!
So far the story has been light on pics of deer-I was spending too much time hunting. Soon I'll have more deer pics-two more days..
I actually made a mistake, It was this day that Marco arrived late in the evening-just as the sun was going down.
I was again assigned units 4 and 3. I wore those units out.Small observation of possible scientific interest alert!!!!!!
While coming around a small windblown point, I saw some round rocks. I looked closely and there was a rusty ring around them. They were completely round and of differing sizes-perhaps a dozen or so. I am completely at a loss as to what they could be-any guesses?
I watched a small buck leave some agricultural fields at daylight. He walked almost 2 miles up several draws before bedding down in a small crack of a draw. I marked the spot on my GPS. 2 years from now I'll find a 26" 4x4 sneaking into that draw about 90 minutes after daylight. I did see some more does.
I spotted a group of does coming down a small draw to an old watering trough. I slipped in to within 140 yards. They picked up a smallish 4x4 in the last bit of a draw as they entered the field. I watched them for some 45 minutes before I tired of wasting daylight and snuck out. Got some video for later.
It was closing in on 11:00 so I called Mike. Mike had a better morning. We met up at the county road where he related his story to me.
Mike and Dennis had spotted some does milling about up a draw in unit 7. They watched them for a few minutes before spotting a buck laying near under the sage. Mike put on a stalk/bellycrawl to a nearby ridge. Wrong view, only does. He re-aligned to another spot on the ridge and had a view of the buck as he chased some of the does around. Mike shot the buck. It was his best buck yet on the ranch. The buck was a heavy horned 3x4 about 25" wide- he was very excited and had every right to be so! I'm still trying to get pics from Mike-I'll post them soon as well.
Mike took his deer to town. dennis and I used the afternoon to scout out unit 5. We had never hunted there. Beautiful large draws with steep sides-big buck country. Again we saw some does but no bucks.
I dropped Dennis off with Mike when he returned and I went back to a corner of 6 that usually hold a large concentration of deer. I stood there for 2.5 hrs in a snow/rain storm and saw a total of zero deer.
We all made our way back to the ranch where high fives for Mike were shared and we all listened to his story. Mike is a great storyteller and you always feel as if you were right there.
Given all of the evidence, the rut was close but still just out of reach. Just like late night at the drive-in in 1985...

 

[the nikster]

A little catch-up

Here are a couple of pics I got from the guys.
First is the nice buck that Andrew harvested on the first morning.
The second is a nice buck that Mike harvested on the second day.

 

[Big Fin]

Looks like great fun, Nick.

 

[the nikster]

Day 3 pursuit

On day 3 Dennis and Marco and I agreed to pound the cottonwood riverbottoms a bit.
We pushed one area for about 1/2 mile and spotted about 20 deer with 3 small bucks.
Then we drove the truck over to another spot. On the way I topped a small ridge and had nothing but amber waves of grass in front of us. Thinking this was the wrong way I stopped the truck and we discussed options. While we sat their idling, heads started popping up outta the grass like popcorn-soon a half dozen does were looking at us.
We moved on to another area for a mile long push.
As we exited the trucks and while we formulated a plan, 5 does with a 2x2 and a smallish 5x5 tried to sneak out the back door. We saw them but passed. During the next 5 minutes I saw 4 more 4x4 or 5x5 bucks, all slightly smaller than those I'd seen in my dreams.
We walked on and saw many more does but no bucks bigger than 2x2.
This was to be my last day. The others posted in their favorite zones and I drove around glassing in an attempt to snatch victory from defeat. I did push 30+ does down a large draw but only 1 small buck appeared with them.
On my way back to the ranch I phoned my wife. I expressed my desire to spend another day with the rut fast approaching in pursuit of a monster buck. Readily she agreed.
I went to the ranch and told the guys I had 1 more day, what a day it turned out to be...
One last ugly pic of me before I show you some more purdy deer. Maybe BF could use some of his brush/magic to make me look prettier like the guys on the show?