How was everybody's hunting season? (Helena, Townsend: apartment, lease, purchase)

[magoomafoo]

I woke up sad this morning. Hunting season is over. My family tagged out with me getting the last buck on the last day. I had more fun seeing the first timer's in our family get their first bucks and elk than anything. I really didn't care if I got one anyway but the hubby said we needed one more for the meat. I enjoy hunting more than the kill. I could've went out everyday and hiked around without getting anything and been perfectly happy. The garage is filled with bucks, bulls and cows-we were blessed this year. How did everyone else do with the cold snap and all the snow?

[Mt-7]

Yep, work and weather were not in our favor. I will say that we have had a better year but all in all it seemed the numbers were down.
Could it be the wolf I saw?

[magoomafoo]

Have plenty of wolves here-saw one feeding on a gut pile. I think we had too many hunters roaming about for the wolves to come out and play lol. I lucked out in the work department and was able to take the first timers in the family out and enjoy thier first bucks with them. Wish we would've had all this snow early in the season so going in the hills would've been more productive.

[Threerun]

Well I wasn't expecting to hunt this year because I am a new resident (moved here in April, but family followed in June). I was pretty sure that MT DNR was going to rule June as my official 'start' date so I didn't really plan to hunt big game. I did pay out of state fees to hunt pheasants when that opened, and spent about 4-5 days in Westby MT. That was a ton of fun and I got to use my Dad's old Browning A5- first time ever upland bird hunting and I did really well (considering the last thing I shot with that gun was snowballs when I was 19 or so).

However to my surprise MT DNR allowed a residency determination with my April move date, primarily because I was paying MT state taxes and had a lease agreement on an apartment, so at least I was able to purchase a license the second week of the general season.

I met some really, really nice folks that invited me along to hunt and had a great time taking in some of the MT outdoors (and I still owe someone some gas money, lol). I had every intention of hunting a full week over Veterans Day week, but my wife had other plans- I spent more time gutting and remodeling our basement family room than hunting *sigh*, and the weather wasn't really cooperative in the area I was invited to go to and tag along.

I spent some time solo with my bow around where I live, and I saw some quality whitetail bucks but none within reasonable bow range. I kept passing on does with yearlings, and then my relatives came in for Thanksgiving week and time just slipped by. At dusk last night I watched a pretty nice whitetail buck travel down our road, cross into a field and slip away into the pines as the sun was setting.

This is the first time in 16 years that I have not harvested any big game. Last year in WV I had 4 whitetails by this time.

But- It's not all about the harvest. I'm thankful to have met some new friends, spending some time outdoors, and watching the antics of young bucks chasing yearlings around the woods like teenagers at a school dance.

It's all good. But I can assure you this bolo year ain't gonna happen again!

[Mt-7]

We had a similar mid year move also so our first season was getting around and driving, finding good spots. Hunting is so different over here on the prairie, more like Hatari!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzaQI6_h07I

[Sabinerose]

We have figured out that it takes one elk and one or two deer in the freezer to feed us through the next hunting season. Four-ish deer will accomplish the same thing. This year we the tally was: husband got a WT doe and a very nice WT buck. My son got his first buck also - a nice little muley 2-point. No trophies this year, but we are in it for the meat... a rack on the wall is just a nice bragging bonus.

[magoomafoo]

Totally agree-a great rack is a "perk". While I enjoy the meat, I still have to say, the hunt is better than anything. One night while my son (his first year to hunt) was at basketball practice, I went out for a jaunt and just spotted. Three bucks walked past me within 100 yards and yet I didn't shoot. I wanted my son to get his before me. He got a fantastic 4-point whitey the next night. I caught myself looking up on the hillsides as I drove into town today, missing it all.

[ElkHunter]

I regret to say that this year I was not able to get out and hunt. My walker is not 4 wheel drive so I was limited.

However, I have 7 children that have contributed to my freezer. I'm set for this year.

I did apply for a disabled permit and I am now allowed to hunt from my vehicle. Not near what I expected in my life, but at least I will have game.

[MTSilvertip]

My season was tough, 2 full moons during general season made it difficult to find game as they could go nocturnal, especially where there was a lot of hunting pressure, and I fought the weather every step of the way.

In October I tried to take a long weekend to bowhunt, and there was a monsoon. I finally got out for one day and the fog was so bad that morning you could only see about 20 feet.
I did find elk that day and did get between a bull that was coming down the mountain to challenge a herd bull at the bottom, well I was in Black Timber and set up on a trail to ambush. Unfortunately the trail forked just out of my sight and the bull took the lower trail while I was on the upper trail. He passed me at about 30 yards, but in the heavy timber I just couldn't see him.
No Shot.

I took a week off for General Season and while I was able to get into my area, it snowed 17 inches on me in 2 days. I spent the rest of my time slogging through knee deep snow and only finding a couple of Moose and 4 mule deer I couldn't get a clear view of in the trees. Lots of cougar tracks though.
No Shot.

Finally, I took the week of Thanksgiving off. Sub-zero tempuratures and blowing snow made it dangerous to travel so I stayed near Helena. What a Joke. Most of the area is special drawing tags, limited weapons areas, or very limited access. That is why I DON'T hunt near Helena usually.
The best bucks I saw all year were on the lawn of the Capitol building and folks get excited when you hunt there... not sure why....

There are a lot of elk in the Elkhorn Mountains, but you can only shoot spikes without a special tag, so I watched a lot of elk but nothing I could shoot.
There are a lot of deer south of Townsend, easy to spot in hayfields, take your pick. However all of them were behind big orange signs.
Or you can go on the east side of Canyon Ferry Lake, deer in all of those fields, oh right, you NEED A SPECIAL PERMIT FOR BUCKS AND THE DOES WERE ALL BEHIND ORANGE SIGNS.....
No Shot.

Basically, I saw game, I chased game, I took quite a bit of vacation time, but nothing in the freezer but the pig I bought from my niece.
I did get to spend time with the wife, (She-Bear) and some friends, old and new, got to spend time out in the wilderness, watching animals, enjoying the beauty of the state, chilling out, (literally), so it wasn't wasted time.

Oh well, Ice fishing is coming up and I hear the trout are biting below Canyon Ferry Dam.....

[sspikaroo]

It was good, my 13 year old got his first antelope (a doe, as he drew an antlerless tag). And he also bagged his first deer, a nice whitetail buck with an odd atypical rack, 3 pointer on one side and an overgrown brow tine on the other.