Montana 2020

[Blklab]

Great thread and good looking horses

 

[hobbes]

I have confirmed that my cow tag has been extended, but still trying to confirm that block management will remain open. If not, I'm done.

If the cow elk hunt doesn't pan out, I've still got pheasants and predators. I may squeeze in a waterfowl hunt but that's probably the least likely.

I just picked up a new AR today that my son and I will set up for coyotes, if I can find ammo. I've also got a .223 Rem 700 varmint rifle that'll be used. I think that I still have some ammo that was reloaded for it. I can also handload some mean TSS loads for the 12 gauge.

If we can work it out, my two sons and I will make a 4 day trip east for coyotes and pheasants before the end of the year. I've not done that combo before, but they have coyotes on the brain.

I'm also looking to get into the reloading game finally, but even single stage presses are hard to come by now. I'd be setting up for 7mm RM, .223, and probably .308.

 

[hobbes]

Antelope tenderloin tonight in the cast iron, seasoned and seared at a high temp in butter and left pink in the middle. It disappeared fast.

 

[hobbes]

I got a return call from FWP today. Some block management owners are participating in the season extension and some are not. The area that I hunted on Saturday is participating, so that's good news. I'm planning to hunt on Friday and possibly glass Wednesday and Thursday evening.

 

[hobbes]

I glassed yesterday evening without spotting anything besides deer. My plans have changed for tomorrow so I didn't glass today. I had a "procedure" scheduled for the 17th and they called to see if I wanted to do it tomorrow. I don't want to do it at all, but I'd prefer to get it over. I may be able to get out Saturday morning.

 

[Wisco2020]

Roosters:

What a happy looking guy!

 

[hobbes]

It may be TMI, but I got the colonoscopy out of the way. Everything looks good according to the doc.

I'm finally getting around to boiling deer heads. Neither smell good but Isaac's was in a trash bag, so it is really ripe. I just pressure washed the brain cavity and covered myself in liquid rotten brain. It will require more to remove all brain tissue.

This is never a good smell, but waiting a few weeks has made it worse.

 

[Shrek]

There’s a guy down the road in Townsend that has beetles if you’re interested. I’m sure I could find his number. Of course he wants good money for the service.

 

[hobbes]

There’s a guy down the road in Townsend that has beetles if you’re interested. I’m sure I could find his number. Of course he wants good money for the service.

I wasn't aware of the guy in Townsend but knew there was a guy in Belgrade that does good work. I'm just cheap.

 

[KClark]

If you're cheap the best way to get dermestid beetles is pick up a small dead critter on the side of the road, pretty much dried out preferably. Throw it into some kind of make shift aquarium/ dermestarium and add your dead heads. When all done kill the beetles with hot water and toss the mess.

In most areas dermestid beetles are common and easily found by checking a few carcasses of roadkill or other carrion.

 

[Shrek]

If you're cheap the best way to get dermestid beetles is pick up a small dead critter on the side of the road, pretty much dried out preferably. Throw it into some kind of make shift aquarium/ dermestarium and add your dead heads. When all done kill the beetles with hot water and toss the mess.

In most areas dermestid beetles are common and easily found by checking a few carcasses of roadkill or other carrion.

I don’t even bother getting some from another carcass. I build a chamber at the back of my property out of concrete blocks and put the head in it. Beetles show up on their own and clean the head in about three weeks. Then I just wash the head and bleach it white if I want it really nice. If not I just hang the head outside around the back deck.

 

[hobbes]

Boiling is the easiest way for me to do it. It will be next spring before we have any naturally occurring beetles on it. I'm not cheap enough to dredge up roadkill
Boiling does require a little care. Some of the small forward bones typically come off, so they require a little epoxy to put them back. Teeth will do the same.

I got the majority of flesh off of Isaac's skull before he came by and we went to shoot a few clips through a handgun. I also picked up the 223 brass that he forgot and left laying there last weekend. We we're lucky that it was still there.

We went by Sportsman's and I bought my first reloading press (Merry Christmas to me). They are as hard to find as ammo or reloading components are. I've went relatively inexpensive with a Lee 50th anniversary reloading kit. I already have a digital scale from hand loading turkey ammo. I'll have to order dies next.

I got mine back in the water when we returned and now have it mostly cleaned up. I'll clean them up the rest of the wayby hand then use the peroxide cream (hair product) to whiten.

 

[KClark]

Wait... what? Are you saying there is a Sportsman Warehouse in Helena now? I can't believe how much that town has changed since I moved out in 2000. No more $89 SKSs at Gibsons and no more Midnight Madness at Capital Sports and Western I bet.

 

[hobbes]

Wait... what? Are you saying there is a Sportsman Warehouse in Helena now? I can't believe how much that town has changed since I moved out in 2000. No more $89 SKSs at Gibsons and no more Midnight Madness at Capital Sports and Western I bet.

I moved here in 2011. There was a Sportsman's that had been closed during their bankruptcy stuff and it had been reopened with a very similar name. I guess Sportsman's got their ducks in a row because it eventually changed back to a Sportsman's Warehouse. We still have Capital Sports and Bob Wards. I really like Capital and would buy from them given the chance. There is also Montana Outdoors that has a decent selection of guns and ammo (when ammo is available). I'm not familiar with Gibson's.

 

[KClark]

Gibson's was a regional chain like Pamida. They closed before I left, the Walmart went in in 1992 and Gibson's suffered a quick death.

 

[hobbes]

I've never had much interest in reloading. I grew up around it. My dad used to sit at the kitchen table with what seemed like the simplest set of tools and reload for paper and groundhogs. He's got more equipment than I even know at this time from centerfire and pistol dies that he doesn't even own to shotshell set ups that he hasn't used much since his clay pigeon days at the local club. We couldn't hunt deer with center-fire rifles, so I never was into rifles that much. Dad was always a gun nut though, so I've put my hands on a decent sampling of guns through the years. Many of those he'd proclaim "I'll never get rid of this gun" to turn around and trade it in the next year on a different gun that caught his eye. Guns have always just been practical tools for me. Collecting guns and shooting at paper day after day never appealed to me that much, so reloading never appealed to me.

I'm really not sure why it has began to appeal to me. I guess it's been gradual because I've been keeping all my brass the last several years thinking I may need it. It seems a terrible time to start since components are so hard to come by. However, I bought a relatively inexpensive Lee single stage press in a kit, my first set of dies (7mm RM), some bullets, and holy heck I found some primers. My next purchase is powder and a loading manual. I had no idea that belted magnums could be such a problem for reloaders until doing some research. I'd like to load 223 but those components are even harder to come by. I've got a 308 also, but it's typically just backup. I'd like to buy both my boys their own hunting rifles and have been considering 06s, but I won't be doing that right away.

I've picked up a few things over the last week or so all in the name of Christmas
- Lee 50th Anniversary Kit
- Lee 7mm RM dies
- Nosler 160 gr. Partitions
- Fed. 215 primers
- HSM 223 rounds for coyotes
- El Cheapo 223 rounds for ripping through an AR
- AR clips



Enough of that. On to my hunting plans:
I'm planning to hunt from Thursday into the weekend, but not for elk. I'm heading out with a bird dog, but I'm leaving all options open by bringing a 223 varmint rifle for coyotes and some steel shot and a layout blind in case I find waterfowl that is just too good to pass up. Pheasant is my primary goal, but last year the phez numbers were low enough that I was wishing that I had planned for waterfowl or coyotes one.

My 223 is a Remington Model 700 VTR with what looks like a scope included with a kit, at least low budget. It was given to me several years ago. I've not shot it a lot. It was hell on the prairie dogs a few years ago.

 

[Jared]

I'll add to this as the rest of the season progresses. I've went ahead and included most things from spring 2020 up until now.

Montana 2020

Besides all the other craziness of 2020, hunting season has been about normal for me this year. I started the 2020 season off on turkeys in Montana in April. I finished that off in the SD Blackhills in May.

I bought a used 2012 Tundra to use in place of my 2006 Tacoma that my youngest son is now driving. I feel sorry for the Tacoma.

Elk rubs always pop out at me while hunting turkeys.

Deadheads are always interesting but this one was a little too old and chewed on for me to carry it out:

My favorite photo from turkey season of my Blackhills bird:

Nicely done and congratulations

 

[hobbes]

The goats have been feeling neglected, so I brought them up in the yard today. They ran behind me bucking and jumping like it was the greatest day of their life. They do like attention.

 

[Dereleek22]

Great thread - this was fun to read. Thanks for sharing.

 

[hobbes]

I've got the truck loaded, the OnX maps saved to my phone, and I'm heading out in the morning. I really planned on leaving this evening and coming back Sunday or even Monday, but I invited someone to join me that didn't have a flexible schedule. We'll have to be back Saturday night.

I would have liked at least one more day of hunting, especially as short as these days are and considering the drive time. There won't be time to worry about waterfowl unless it's an easy jump shoot. I'm still bringing the coyote medicine, just in case. I think it will be a good trip anyway and he seems happy to be invited.

I'd prefer a little colder weather and fresh snow on the ground.