RidgeRoamingRichard
Well-known member
My sister decided to hunt this year, which shocked us all, as she was never really an outdoorsy person. We started this summer, hiking and scouting, getting in shape for the task. We also worked on shooting, making sure she was comfortable with the gun and could shoot in various positions. She finished her hunters safety course and took her bear ID test, got her gear, and was ready to try it.
Our bear camp was super exciting; we saw moose, deer, bighorn sheep...pretty much everything other than bears. She put on a lot of miles with no complaint, blew on a predator call in griz country, and dealt with the dissapointment of an unsuccessful hunt well.
When opening day rolled around, we headed up to family land in NE Montana. We set out early the first morning, with temps hovering right below zero. We worked a finger ridge, glassing the basins and looking for brown and white bodies in a sea of brown and white. Not long into the hunt, we spotted a couple bucks bedding at the head of the drainage across from us, about 1000 yards out. She decided he was big enough, and we set out. We worked our way to the bottom, crossing low and slow when we thought we were visible, checking the wind and scanning for other deer that might bust us. When we got to the end of his drainage, we started up the opposite wall, planning to belly crawl across the top until we were in view. We dropped our pack and slid up to the top of the knoll, silently crept past a snoozing doe, and got settled in on top. As we laid in the snow, sizing up our query, my pride swelled. Katy assessed the situation, chose to shoot the smaller buck who offered a better shot, and delivered 2 rounds through his lungs. She gave him a good end, and he gave her an unmatched sense of accomplishment.
We quartered him and hauled him out, all the while reliving our 1.5 hr stalk. We've since processed him and sent away our cwd sample. Sis plans to euro the skull and tan the hide fur-off. I couldn't be prouder and would be perfectly happy to end my hunting season now, but now its time to get her on some elk!
Our bear camp was super exciting; we saw moose, deer, bighorn sheep...pretty much everything other than bears. She put on a lot of miles with no complaint, blew on a predator call in griz country, and dealt with the dissapointment of an unsuccessful hunt well.
When opening day rolled around, we headed up to family land in NE Montana. We set out early the first morning, with temps hovering right below zero. We worked a finger ridge, glassing the basins and looking for brown and white bodies in a sea of brown and white. Not long into the hunt, we spotted a couple bucks bedding at the head of the drainage across from us, about 1000 yards out. She decided he was big enough, and we set out. We worked our way to the bottom, crossing low and slow when we thought we were visible, checking the wind and scanning for other deer that might bust us. When we got to the end of his drainage, we started up the opposite wall, planning to belly crawl across the top until we were in view. We dropped our pack and slid up to the top of the knoll, silently crept past a snoozing doe, and got settled in on top. As we laid in the snow, sizing up our query, my pride swelled. Katy assessed the situation, chose to shoot the smaller buck who offered a better shot, and delivered 2 rounds through his lungs. She gave him a good end, and he gave her an unmatched sense of accomplishment.
We quartered him and hauled him out, all the while reliving our 1.5 hr stalk. We've since processed him and sent away our cwd sample. Sis plans to euro the skull and tan the hide fur-off. I couldn't be prouder and would be perfectly happy to end my hunting season now, but now its time to get her on some elk!
