I took a look at FWP today and was thrilled to find out that I drew the 900-20 antelope tag in Montana. I know that it is considered to be a pretty sure thing, but I struck out on everything else this year so I was still pleasantly surprised. I have a general Western archery elk tag in Washington, so I will be planning on spending the elk season looking for Rosies. After that, I will have deer and bear tags in Washington and antelope and bear tags in Montana. I don't have a ton of vacation days, but I do have a very flexible work schedule, so I will be mostly planning on hunting antelope either mornings/evenings or on a few extended weekends (I can usually sneak out on a Friday if I make up the rest of my hours during the week, and I can take a Monday or Thursday or two). I am considering renting an airbnb somewhere in Montana for the month of October, or more accurately the 25th of September-25th of October (if they are still doing the 30+ day discounts or if I can find something cheap).
This is my first antelope hunt, and I only have one other western hunt (elk in northern Idaho last year) under my belt. My question for all of you more experienced folks is: how can I have as much fun as possible? It will just be me and my dog (I know this will make the hunting more difficult, but he's my dude and he knows to stay behind me and not make any noise when we are out in the field), and I can realistically work anywhere with wifi (or a cell signal strong enough to run my hotspot). There won't be any pressure in terms of time for me to get home. A friend of mine may come out for a few days to run around with me, but I am not counting on it. My only real restriction is going to be what fits in my truck, keeping a reasonable budget, and not burning a bunch of days off.
What would you do in my situation? How can I maximize the fun I have while chasing antelope? Would you try to sneak in some fall bear, or some upland game if you filled your tag (or even if you didn't)? Maybe fly fishing? Are there any creature comforts you would bring along? Are there specific regions or units you'd like to check out? Cool towns worth spending a night or two in? Am I thinking about this all wrong? Should I just keep it simple and go chase animals around? Should I plan on spending less time? Should I be thinking about going before Washington elk season opens instead of after? Both?
Any thoughts are appreciated, don't hold back. Thanks!
This is my first antelope hunt, and I only have one other western hunt (elk in northern Idaho last year) under my belt. My question for all of you more experienced folks is: how can I have as much fun as possible? It will just be me and my dog (I know this will make the hunting more difficult, but he's my dude and he knows to stay behind me and not make any noise when we are out in the field), and I can realistically work anywhere with wifi (or a cell signal strong enough to run my hotspot). There won't be any pressure in terms of time for me to get home. A friend of mine may come out for a few days to run around with me, but I am not counting on it. My only real restriction is going to be what fits in my truck, keeping a reasonable budget, and not burning a bunch of days off.
What would you do in my situation? How can I maximize the fun I have while chasing antelope? Would you try to sneak in some fall bear, or some upland game if you filled your tag (or even if you didn't)? Maybe fly fishing? Are there any creature comforts you would bring along? Are there specific regions or units you'd like to check out? Cool towns worth spending a night or two in? Am I thinking about this all wrong? Should I just keep it simple and go chase animals around? Should I plan on spending less time? Should I be thinking about going before Washington elk season opens instead of after? Both?
Any thoughts are appreciated, don't hold back. Thanks!