Montana Deer Hunt...BRRRRR!
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 4:58 pmWe just returned from hunting mule deer in Montana in some of the coldest temperatures any of us have ever hunted in. For the first 5 days of the hunt the air temp never got above 5 degrees. One of the days the low was -23 as we headed out in the morning and the high was -7. Bitter cold!
You simply had to be covered head to toe to even have a chance. Outside of the usual fuzzy wuzzy garments I purchased a set of 1000 gram Irish Setter Elk Stalker boots at Sportco that were absolutely awesome. With one pair of smart wool socks and another pair of Cabelas socks my feet barely got cold.
Took the mask off long enough to get a dork selfie that shows some of the Montana countryside. Pretty open country if and if you can see them they can also see you. Very challenging!
We hunted a mix of BLM and BMA ground in Montana. BMA units are blocks of private ground that farmers allow hunters access to. There are a ton of them in Montana and if you do your homework you can find some real honey holes. We did the homework and found some great spots to hunt.With a lot of the private land leased up by clubs and guides nowadays this is an awesome program
We rode quads on the BLM lands that had roads on them. Here's Nelly unloading the Can Am Outlander 450 that he borrowed for the trip. I had this machine going 56 mph on a chilly day over there and the ride from the independent rear suspension is sweet. I haven't had much experience with a new ATV like one and I'm sold
I passed up a lot of bucks looking for "the one". I found some beautiful animals but never did find a true thumper. This buck on the last day would do just fine though....definitely a beautiful muley.
I layed on top of a ridge in the snow for around an hour and a half waiting for him to get out of his bed. I got within 320 yards and waited...any closer and he would've run for the hills. You've got to push your pack and rifle out to the rim edge in this country. Stick your head over the horizon and they are gone in a flash. Walk out on top of the ridge and stand there like a dumb ass and you might not EVER see them again. I've done that myself and they don't waste any time getting out of dodge.
Eventually a coyote walked up and got this mule deer to stand up and my .300 win mag barked shortly thereafter.
The end of the another great trip with a bunch of stellar friends. I simply can't imagine travelling with a finer group of people. Despite the weather it was yet another great adventure in the outdoors and a great hunting trip
- brrr_web.jpg (55.9 KiB) Viewed 38302 times
You simply had to be covered head to toe to even have a chance. Outside of the usual fuzzy wuzzy garments I purchased a set of 1000 gram Irish Setter Elk Stalker boots at Sportco that were absolutely awesome. With one pair of smart wool socks and another pair of Cabelas socks my feet barely got cold.
- frozen_web.jpg (148.39 KiB) Viewed 38302 times
Took the mask off long enough to get a dork selfie that shows some of the Montana countryside. Pretty open country if and if you can see them they can also see you. Very challenging!
- frozen2.jpg (139.88 KiB) Viewed 38302 times
We hunted a mix of BLM and BMA ground in Montana. BMA units are blocks of private ground that farmers allow hunters access to. There are a ton of them in Montana and if you do your homework you can find some real honey holes. We did the homework and found some great spots to hunt.With a lot of the private land leased up by clubs and guides nowadays this is an awesome program
- bma_web.jpg (144.61 KiB) Viewed 38302 times
We rode quads on the BLM lands that had roads on them. Here's Nelly unloading the Can Am Outlander 450 that he borrowed for the trip. I had this machine going 56 mph on a chilly day over there and the ride from the independent rear suspension is sweet. I haven't had much experience with a new ATV like one and I'm sold
- triton_ramp.jpg (138.33 KiB) Viewed 38302 times
I passed up a lot of bucks looking for "the one". I found some beautiful animals but never did find a true thumper. This buck on the last day would do just fine though....definitely a beautiful muley.
I layed on top of a ridge in the snow for around an hour and a half waiting for him to get out of his bed. I got within 320 yards and waited...any closer and he would've run for the hills. You've got to push your pack and rifle out to the rim edge in this country. Stick your head over the horizon and they are gone in a flash. Walk out on top of the ridge and stand there like a dumb ass and you might not EVER see them again. I've done that myself and they don't waste any time getting out of dodge.
- rifle_pack.jpg (144.35 KiB) Viewed 38302 times
Eventually a coyote walked up and got this mule deer to stand up and my .300 win mag barked shortly thereafter.
- endsley_mule_deer_web2.jpg (174.01 KiB) Viewed 38302 times
The end of the another great trip with a bunch of stellar friends. I simply can't imagine travelling with a finer group of people. Despite the weather it was yet another great adventure in the outdoors and a great hunting trip
- montana_mule_deer_web.jpg (99.04 KiB) Viewed 38302 times
