And sometimes, the Bear eats you.
Headed up to the unit I drew for pronghorn on Friday. I had a slight tickle in my throat and a bit of a cough but figured I could get three days in before it became bad enough that I would have to head home.
Got to the unit late Thursday and slept in the truck. Got up Friday morning and went to the BMA I had reserved for Friday & Saturday. Signed in and talked with the Rancher who was very kind & helpful. I followed his advice and went up top only to find nothing on the fields where the speed goats should have been. Nothing.
I headed out and went North. I explored all the way to the northern end of the unit with only a handful of goats to show for it.
I did find one worth waiting for. He was 150 yards from the road as I went by. It's amazing how smart these animals can be. The buck stood squarely on two sections of private ground that weren't enrolled in Block Management. Block surrounded two sides of the off limits sections. State land buttressed the other two. It was a waiting game.
I watched the buck for a couple of hours, until close to the end of shooting light to see where he was going to bed. He went up over the hill and back to the leeward side of the hill. I drove out happier than I started the morning. I went to Great Falls to pick up a friend who wanted to come out for Saturday and see if we could put some sharpies and roosters up in the air. We left Saturday morning and after a short drive, hit the unit.
We crossed a small river and as soon as we crested the coluee, we saw a herd of about 20 pronghorn. One shooter buck in the bunch. And they were 400 yards off of public land.
We headed deeper into the unit, hoping to catch the buck from yesterday on state or BMA. As we pulled up to the spot we saw him yesterday, he was right where I thought he'd be. 125 yards off the road and with a smaller buck. After watching him for a few minutes, he took off over the hill.
We went around the hill, over towards the state land and on the backside of the off limits section, we saw the gals he was with. A big herd of 50-60 antelope took off. They headed right onto state land.
We parked and started the stalk. 3/4 mile later we crested a small hill. Below us at 250 yards the herd stood, grazing and milling. The big buck was on duty - watching our heads bob up and down as we came in closer. We saw him and dropped.
Stupid me, I bailed out of the truck too soon and left the shooting sticks and pack back at the truck. The eagerness for the buck overtook my ability to sit and wait for a minute and let the herd calm down more.
Afte a short belly crawl, I had a shot. LAsered at 147 yards, wind 15 miles from the west. An easy shot with the pre-64 model 70, or so I thought. The herd moved, he started to follow. It's now or never I thought and held on hair, squeezed and saw the 165 grain Interlock hit 5 yards in front of him, 10 feet to the right.
By the time I racked another shell into the chamber, he was at full run. I watched as he pushed his gals around and down to the bottom of the hill, hook a hard right to get us upwind of them and then they bolted for private.
Patience, it turns out, really is a virtue. I'm headed back sometime this week before deer & elk opener.
Headed up to the unit I drew for pronghorn on Friday. I had a slight tickle in my throat and a bit of a cough but figured I could get three days in before it became bad enough that I would have to head home.
Got to the unit late Thursday and slept in the truck. Got up Friday morning and went to the BMA I had reserved for Friday & Saturday. Signed in and talked with the Rancher who was very kind & helpful. I followed his advice and went up top only to find nothing on the fields where the speed goats should have been. Nothing.
I headed out and went North. I explored all the way to the northern end of the unit with only a handful of goats to show for it.
I did find one worth waiting for. He was 150 yards from the road as I went by. It's amazing how smart these animals can be. The buck stood squarely on two sections of private ground that weren't enrolled in Block Management. Block surrounded two sides of the off limits sections. State land buttressed the other two. It was a waiting game.
I watched the buck for a couple of hours, until close to the end of shooting light to see where he was going to bed. He went up over the hill and back to the leeward side of the hill. I drove out happier than I started the morning. I went to Great Falls to pick up a friend who wanted to come out for Saturday and see if we could put some sharpies and roosters up in the air. We left Saturday morning and after a short drive, hit the unit.
We crossed a small river and as soon as we crested the coluee, we saw a herd of about 20 pronghorn. One shooter buck in the bunch. And they were 400 yards off of public land.
We headed deeper into the unit, hoping to catch the buck from yesterday on state or BMA. As we pulled up to the spot we saw him yesterday, he was right where I thought he'd be. 125 yards off the road and with a smaller buck. After watching him for a few minutes, he took off over the hill.
We went around the hill, over towards the state land and on the backside of the off limits section, we saw the gals he was with. A big herd of 50-60 antelope took off. They headed right onto state land.
We parked and started the stalk. 3/4 mile later we crested a small hill. Below us at 250 yards the herd stood, grazing and milling. The big buck was on duty - watching our heads bob up and down as we came in closer. We saw him and dropped.
Stupid me, I bailed out of the truck too soon and left the shooting sticks and pack back at the truck. The eagerness for the buck overtook my ability to sit and wait for a minute and let the herd calm down more.
Afte a short belly crawl, I had a shot. LAsered at 147 yards, wind 15 miles from the west. An easy shot with the pre-64 model 70, or so I thought. The herd moved, he started to follow. It's now or never I thought and held on hair, squeezed and saw the 165 grain Interlock hit 5 yards in front of him, 10 feet to the right.
By the time I racked another shell into the chamber, he was at full run. I watched as he pushed his gals around and down to the bottom of the hill, hook a hard right to get us upwind of them and then they bolted for private.
Patience, it turns out, really is a virtue. I'm headed back sometime this week before deer & elk opener.
