Montana 2021

[hobbes]

Nothing better than a delayed flight and missing a connection

 

[hobbes]

We made it back onto Montana soil (Bozeman Airport) at around 2PM. I hooked up to camper as soon as we got home and hauled it into the mountains by dark. We stayed in the camper last night but left out early this morning so we can both work today. It's definitely good to be back in Montana and breathe cool mountain air. It feels like September.



I'll day hunt from the camper over the opening 3 day weekend. Isaac was supposed to hunt with me but he may have to work some. My week off is the second week so should be able to hunt the 11th to 19th. I may pack camp in a few of those days.

I'll likely have to work a little in there since we did the trip to IL and delayed flights cost me a day of work.

 

[rooster440]

We made it back onto Montana soil (Bozeman Airport) at around 2PM. I hooked up to camper as soon as we got home and hauled it into the mountains by dark. We stayed in the camper last night but left out early this morning so we can both work today. It's definitely good to be back in Montana and breathe cool mountain air. It feels like September.

View attachment 322851

I'll day hunt from the camper over the opening 3 day weekend. Isaac was supposed to hunt with me but he may have to work some. My week off is the second week so should be able to hunt the 11th to 19th. I may pack camp in a few of those days.

I'll likely have to work a little in there since we did the trip to IL and delayed flights cost me a day of work.

Looking forward to following along!


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[hobbes]

We set the camper up on Wednesday and spent the night. We both went to work on Thursday and Friday and returned to the camper Friday afternoon. When I got there the batteries were dead, so no lights or water pump and the refrigerator was off. It was on gas but I suppose couldn't reignite without power. I hooked up truck to charge the batteries some but we had to go easy on the power usage.

Isaac and I hunted this morning but had no action. On opening day last year we heard two bulls, but nothing today. We did find what I'm pretty sure is wolf sign in multiple places. We found big tracks, scat, and where a canine had scratched/marked the ground 4 or so places over a half mile or so.




We hiked out by noon so I could go buy a generator for the camper. I'll hunt again tomorrow morning.

 

[timbrhuntr]

Thats why I put a solar panel and a pure sine wave inverter in my camper to keep the batteries charged and run stuff like chargers small tv etc I also was able to get an inverter generator on sale for the times I am out and want to run air micro etc It is way better on gas, lighter and is super quiet .

 

[timbrhuntr]

I also run 2 12 volt marine batteries in parallel for the extra juice

 

[Grzybow]

Following along!

 

[hobbes]

I also run 2 12 volt marine batteries in parallel for the extra juice

The camper has two batteries but I don't know if they are marine batteries. I just didn't get them charged well before we left. That extra day at the airport cost me some prep time. It wasn't on sale but I bought a Generac 3300i inverter generator at Murdoch's. It's pretty quiet.
I needed to buy a plug for the 30 Amp outlet but forgot it. I was able to make due with the 120v plug


I'm not hunting this morning because I've missed more church the last couple weeks than I normally do. In addition, I'll be missing the next couple weeks. I'll hunt this evening and tomorrow morning.

We did have a cow and bull moose close to camp yesterday evening. It's concerning to see her without a calf. I talked to a buddy that's more familiar with wolves and he's seen those markings and thinks they are an alpha male marking his territory. If that's the case it's disappointing and I wonder if a cow moose without a calf has any connection. That's probably a lot of leaps but it sure was quiet yesterday and virtually void of the usual fresh elk sign.

 

[hobbes]

Sunday Evening Hunt:

On Saturday morning we took down the two cameras that I'd put up a couple weeks ago. Both were on the same wallow. I'm not sure what I did to the set up of one of them that would have got the best photos but it had taken around 3000 photos in what looked like a time lapse then ran out of battery, so it didn't capture anything but grass movement around the wallow. The "backup camera" placed on the other side of the wallow had caught part of an elk on the 22nd (it's head behind a big tree) and several photos of a 5point raghorn at 8:30 PM on the 29th, several of which were extremely closeup as he sniffed the camera . Other than that,the wallow didn't see the action that it looked like it saw last year.

It was hot yesterday so I decided to hike into it and sit on the downwind side for the last 2.5 hours of daylight hoping to get lucky and either hear a bull from there or have one come in due to the heat. It's a 2.6 mile hike on the trail then 400 to 500 feet of elevation gain over nearly 4 tenths of a mile to the wallow.

I went really slow up the hill because it's dry and noisy and full of blow downs. I looked up to see a bull staring at me 100 yards from the wallow. He was only 35 yards away (horizontal distance) and in a fairly clear shooting lane but was still laying down and all I could see was his fronts, his head, and a portion of his neck straight uphill. I ducked and nocked an arrow. I hadn't ranged him yet but was guessing 40. I raised up slow and probably should have drawn immediately. It wouldn't have really mattered because he stood quickly quartered away and turned his butt to me never offering a bow shot. A rifle would have been very makeable. He didn't run but wasted no time sneaking away. I say sneaking because he didn't blow out but instead vanished quickly with only a couple small pops that I would not have known was an elk had I not been looking at him.

Some things that I noticed about the bull as he stood was that he was not the raghorn 5 point, he had not been in the wallow, and he was alone. He was a really pretty 6 point. I don't think over 300 but a solid Pope and Young bull with a bulky body. I'd be thrilled with a raghorn and he'd have been more than I would have expected.

I eased on up to the wallow afterwards and cow called from there occasionally until dark. The only thing that I saw or heard was another hunter that bugled above me a few times just before dark then walked 40 yards past me on his way down the mountain 20 minutes before dark. I thought the bugles were likely a hunter but was really hoping the limbs breaking close by were a bull but I spotted the hunter soon after. I don't think he knew that I was there. It was a crappy way to end but I sat until dark anyway.

Some freshly browsed grass near where the bull was bedded.


I got back to camp at 10 PM. A hike in the dark.


Real food is a benefit of a base camp. Hot ham and cheese using hotdog buns.


A real bed, lights, and a good book are more benefits of a basecamp and a camper. I'm 51 now and apparently getting softer as I age


I had a really short and unproductive hunt this morning before needing to haul the camper back home. I'll set back up on Wednesday or Thursday for next week's hunt. I may hunt a different mountain range. I really like this area but I seem to be spinning my wheels here and the hunter numbers have increased over the last 10 years while I believe real bugles have decreased.

I'll try to post the closeup game camera photos of the raghorn.

 

[hobbes]

Game camera photos.

This is the better camera position that took 2,495 photos 8/14 to early morning 8/15 until the batteries died:


This is the other camera far side of wallow from first photo. 8/22 left edge of photo, left side of tree, elk body


Here is the raghorn 5 point that took special interest in the camera on 8/29.


This is me looking really old at 6:50 AM on 9/4 taking the camera down with call in my mouth .

 

[hobbes]

Nothing to do with archery elk but horses are sure as heck Montana.

I'm keeping an eye on a buddies horses this week while he's on an Alaskan moose hunt that he does every other year. I'm jealous as heck.





While the weekend was nothing extraordinary, the mountains were still calling through the window as I drank coffee this morning and logged in for work.

 

[hobbes]

Heading back to set up in the same area. I'm going to give it 3 or 4 days to get into elk. I'll start hunting Saturday then move Monday or Tuesday if I'm not hearing anything or have some indication that things are heating up. I really like this area and definitely elk there but the pressure has really went up since 2012.

I'll probably have to work on Wednesday.

 

[hobbes]

Camper is set up. I hated to drive back out, but I have to work tomorrow. I'll head back up tomorrow late afternoon.

This is from the ten day weather forecast, and it will be at least 10 degrees cooler in the mountains. That's not too shabby.



If I happened to find elk too far from the camper, I'll abandon the camper and pack in closer. If I can't get into some action by Monday, I'll likely abandon the area.

 

[rooster440]

Camper is set up. I hated to drive back out, but I have to work tomorrow. I'll head back up tomorrow late afternoon.

This is from the ten day weather forecast, and it will be at least 10 degrees cooler in the mountains. That's not too shabby.

View attachment 325024

If I happened to find elk too far from the camper, I'll abandon the camper and pack in closer. If I can't get into some action by Monday, I'll likely abandon the area.

Still looks a little warm! Best of luck!


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[hobbes]

Still looks a little warm! Best of luck!


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It's been upper 80s the last few days so it's a big improvement.

 

[timbrhuntr]

Hope you get into some bugling real soon !

 

[hobbes]

Smoke has rolled back in. Hopefully it improves with lower temps coming.

A few days ago out new window:



Today with smoke:

Not a mountain in site.

 

[hobbes]

Friday night and Saturday morning sounded like this on the camper:

 

[hobbes]

Saturday evening:. I hunted a series of parks and checked a wallow that I marked last year. Someone has a couple nice photos of me.




I bugled a time or two but only got another hunter in response. That has become increasingly more frequent.







I spotted a small herd just before dark a couple miles away in the middle opening.

I'll check it out tomorrow morning.

I also ran into a cow and calf right at dark.

 

[hobbes]

I'm picking up and moving. There are elk here but the only bugling I'm really hearing is other hunters. I've ran into other hunters every time I've been out. I didn't used to do that here. There are plenty of MT folks but the nonresident folks have increased. I used to see a truck from New York and either Minnesota or Michigan. Right now there are a couple from Washington, a couple from Idaho, one from Wisconsin, one from Delaware, and multiple from Minnesota up and down the road. Within a couple miles from the trailhead I'm dealing with guys from the road and this morning at three miles I was dealing with a guy that had climbed off his horse and parked it. I turned around and hiked out.
They have every right to be there. I suppose it's not Colorado crowded but the party is getting too big for me. I'll try another area with the camper after I get a low tire checked out.

I've enjoyed this spot and been reluctant to leave it, but I don't think it's going to be my primary archery spot anymore. We'll see. I may get over my aggravation and find myself hunting it again.