ahh, yes. Another day during rifle season
Well, I've got to tell you. In a way I'm glad to have rifle season start, but at the same time I'm sad. There are SO many people in the woods and so many people crowding my roads early in the morning on a Saturday. It's good to have the insurance of shooting something between 20 - 300 yards, but it's bad to have to wear the orange and compete with the myriads of casual hunters. I guess I have a problem with sharing my woods. It's not so bad when all the people in the woods are invisible, but you get a bunch of folks tromping around in bright colors with rifles that can reach out and touch you at long distances...well, it makes me nervous. I never really thought about this in the past, there is something about calling yourself and performing the act of bowhunting that makes you appreciate the rifle. Shoot, it's made me appreciate my pistol! I have killed a deer at 60 yards with a pistol and have MANY opportunities this season to kill some deer at ranges much shorter...there is a challenge with a bow..the extra movement, the exact range you are comfortable at, the wind, your camouflage...all of that combines to make it infinitely more difficult than hunting with a projectile that moves with the press of a finger. Funny how things come out isn't it?
Now, I'm not saying that I disdain rifle or pistol hunting! Far from the truth! I actually enjoy it...it gives me a break from getting to within 25 yards of a deer or elk before I can consider shooting. It gives me the leeway to actually spook something, then have a chance to still make a kill. I'm getting nervous about putting up meat this year, so that added advantage is welcome.
Okay, so now that I have the politics out of the way...I went hunting this morning. Yep, it was snowing and blowing and seemed to me to be just perfect for tracking a whitetail to the death. Well, many others thought the same thing. I went up highway 12 again to try some old spots I have used to collect in the past. Actually, I was going to try a place my Dad had said had a lot of deer in. I got up this narrow dirt road to find two hunters JUST getting out of their truck...shoot, I wasn't going to follow THEM into the woods, so I backed out and looked for another area. Place after place had either one or multiple cars in it and I started to think I shoulda brought my waders...no one crosses the creek that parallels the highway...perhaps later I'll do that. Anywho, the place I killed the biggest buck of my life so far was empty of vehicles. I parked there, loaded up, and went straight up the darn hill. It's a STEEP climb for about a half and hour, then levels out on a nice flat ridge. This in turn breaks out into multiple finger ridges and a nice main ridge; perfect!
I hiked to the top, sweating up a storm, and in no time cut a buck track. Now, I didn't really KNOW it was a buck track because it was pretty small and I couldn't see any dew claws in the new snow (about 3 inches) but it was alone. I figured that was good enough for me, I'd again, follow it until I saw what was at the end of it. I mean shoot, it had just stopped snowing this morning, this was a FRESH track! I followed this thing up the ridge for about a half mile when it intersected some fresh doe tracks...immediately the trail I was following cut and followed these other tracks...I KNEW I was on a buck! It didn't take long before I noticed movement below me and saw the deer running around together; at thirty yards! I was ON them! I didn't have any shot because of the brush, but I could see the buck following the does close...he was something like a forkhorn or a three point...I couldn't tell because he was moving in some thick cover. Well, I had thrown up the rifle and noticed I couldn't get a good "seat" in my shoulder with the pack on, so I EASED it off me and then snapped the inevitable twig...at thirty yards, that's hard to ignore, so off they went. They really didn't know what they were running from, but they ran...on their toes like that elk last night.
I watched the buck pass into an opening at about 50 yards and got the rifle up to shoot, he paused, I hesitated, and he was gone. I ran up the hill, well, hurried up the hill, to try to intercept him. I figured he'd move down the ridge...which he might have done...and I thought I could get a shot in an opening that was up ahead. Well, in moving down the ridge, I saw some movement through the trees...really ORANGE movement. Sure enough it was another hunter, walking in the OPPOSITE direction of where the deer had gone. I tried to signal her with many "psssstssss" and low whistles but nothing was working so I just closed the distance. When I was 10 yards away from her I said something...she turned and jumped nearly out of her boots! I got TEN yards from a person with a rifle without them hearing me! Ugh, backtrail anyone? Anywho, I talked to her an the fella that was with her about the buck deer that passed right between us. I'll tell you what, I'm SO glad I didn't take a crack shot at that buck when I had the chance...they were right in line with the shot. That would have been seriously bad. I was discouraged with others up there, and scared because I might have killed one of them, so I left. I made my way to the truck after some fruitless walking around sidehill and made my way out.
Well, then I thought I'd drive up to Lolo Pass and check out where hunters were...by this time it was only about 0830. I had time to waste. There were still people at every turnout until I got to road that my Dad had talked about seeing a lot of sign in. It is close to the pass, and the snow was about shin deep at the truck. I figured I'd make my way in and see if I could cut any elk tracks. I KNEW they were up there because it was the upper-end way to access that last terrible-thicket bowhunt I went on. I'd show those elk..I'd get them from the top! Well, I walked up this road for a ways and cut a deer track and decided to follow it. That led me straight up the side of this huge clearcut then took off...problem was, I couldn't figure out if the tracks were going INTO the clearcut or OUT OF the clearcut..the snow was that deep. I couldn't tell which way to go, so I gave up on it. I made it to another road and followed that for a ways...by this time I'm a couple hundred feet off the highway and the snow is now knee deep. There was a saddle about a mile off I thought I could get to and cut some tracks..that was my goal. I walked for probably an hour in this knee+ deep snow IN A CLEARCUT the whole time. By the time I got to the trees the road ended and my hip flexors where spent. I just couldn't foresee going any further safely. I was wearing long underwear (of course), cotton camo trousers, a wool sweater, and a coat...pack, rifle, blah. They were ALL soaked through, and I figured if I went traipsing through the woods with snow covered logs and broke something I'd pretty much be screwed to die within a mile of a major highway. Not for me! That's when I turned to go back.
I followed my track for awhile, but that was almost as frustrating as walking in fresh snow, so I jumped off the cutbank to get down to a lower road. STEEP. Seriously, I put my hand out a couple times to keep myself from falling and it was at shoulder height...I'd say a good black diamond slope for all you skiers. About halfway down I decided that was one of the dumbest things I could have done...sure, leave a clear road to walk through knee deep snow that covered down trees, slash, brush, etc. I'm an idiot. But, I was committed so down I went. After a couple falls I made it past another road to the one I needed to get on to get to the truck. Breaking trail again, I walked another half a mile to the truck. I was absolutely spent.
It was good though, a real good hunt...I finally saw deer, I tracked a buck, I saw the buck, I had a shot that I didn't take because it was hurried, I didn't kill anyone, and I got enough exercise to make any bodybuilder jealous. I got to walk for hours in a beautiful snowstorm in early November in Montana, I got to see a simply INCREDIBLE sunrise from high on a mountainside, and I talked with some nice folks. Plus, I'll tell you, there's nothing like coming home after a morning like that! It feels SO good to be inside and warm after being wet, cold, and tired for a couple hours. I stopped at my folks' house on the way home and they "donated" some chicken and rice soup to the Tom Relief Fund..can't beat that!
Now, I'm not saying that I disdain rifle or pistol hunting! Far from the truth! I actually enjoy it...it gives me a break from getting to within 25 yards of a deer or elk before I can consider shooting. It gives me the leeway to actually spook something, then have a chance to still make a kill. I'm getting nervous about putting up meat this year, so that added advantage is welcome.
Okay, so now that I have the politics out of the way...I went hunting this morning. Yep, it was snowing and blowing and seemed to me to be just perfect for tracking a whitetail to the death. Well, many others thought the same thing. I went up highway 12 again to try some old spots I have used to collect in the past. Actually, I was going to try a place my Dad had said had a lot of deer in. I got up this narrow dirt road to find two hunters JUST getting out of their truck...shoot, I wasn't going to follow THEM into the woods, so I backed out and looked for another area. Place after place had either one or multiple cars in it and I started to think I shoulda brought my waders...no one crosses the creek that parallels the highway...perhaps later I'll do that. Anywho, the place I killed the biggest buck of my life so far was empty of vehicles. I parked there, loaded up, and went straight up the darn hill. It's a STEEP climb for about a half and hour, then levels out on a nice flat ridge. This in turn breaks out into multiple finger ridges and a nice main ridge; perfect!
I hiked to the top, sweating up a storm, and in no time cut a buck track. Now, I didn't really KNOW it was a buck track because it was pretty small and I couldn't see any dew claws in the new snow (about 3 inches) but it was alone. I figured that was good enough for me, I'd again, follow it until I saw what was at the end of it. I mean shoot, it had just stopped snowing this morning, this was a FRESH track! I followed this thing up the ridge for about a half mile when it intersected some fresh doe tracks...immediately the trail I was following cut and followed these other tracks...I KNEW I was on a buck! It didn't take long before I noticed movement below me and saw the deer running around together; at thirty yards! I was ON them! I didn't have any shot because of the brush, but I could see the buck following the does close...he was something like a forkhorn or a three point...I couldn't tell because he was moving in some thick cover. Well, I had thrown up the rifle and noticed I couldn't get a good "seat" in my shoulder with the pack on, so I EASED it off me and then snapped the inevitable twig...at thirty yards, that's hard to ignore, so off they went. They really didn't know what they were running from, but they ran...on their toes like that elk last night.
I watched the buck pass into an opening at about 50 yards and got the rifle up to shoot, he paused, I hesitated, and he was gone. I ran up the hill, well, hurried up the hill, to try to intercept him. I figured he'd move down the ridge...which he might have done...and I thought I could get a shot in an opening that was up ahead. Well, in moving down the ridge, I saw some movement through the trees...really ORANGE movement. Sure enough it was another hunter, walking in the OPPOSITE direction of where the deer had gone. I tried to signal her with many "psssstssss" and low whistles but nothing was working so I just closed the distance. When I was 10 yards away from her I said something...she turned and jumped nearly out of her boots! I got TEN yards from a person with a rifle without them hearing me! Ugh, backtrail anyone? Anywho, I talked to her an the fella that was with her about the buck deer that passed right between us. I'll tell you what, I'm SO glad I didn't take a crack shot at that buck when I had the chance...they were right in line with the shot. That would have been seriously bad. I was discouraged with others up there, and scared because I might have killed one of them, so I left. I made my way to the truck after some fruitless walking around sidehill and made my way out.
Well, then I thought I'd drive up to Lolo Pass and check out where hunters were...by this time it was only about 0830. I had time to waste. There were still people at every turnout until I got to road that my Dad had talked about seeing a lot of sign in. It is close to the pass, and the snow was about shin deep at the truck. I figured I'd make my way in and see if I could cut any elk tracks. I KNEW they were up there because it was the upper-end way to access that last terrible-thicket bowhunt I went on. I'd show those elk..I'd get them from the top! Well, I walked up this road for a ways and cut a deer track and decided to follow it. That led me straight up the side of this huge clearcut then took off...problem was, I couldn't figure out if the tracks were going INTO the clearcut or OUT OF the clearcut..the snow was that deep. I couldn't tell which way to go, so I gave up on it. I made it to another road and followed that for a ways...by this time I'm a couple hundred feet off the highway and the snow is now knee deep. There was a saddle about a mile off I thought I could get to and cut some tracks..that was my goal. I walked for probably an hour in this knee+ deep snow IN A CLEARCUT the whole time. By the time I got to the trees the road ended and my hip flexors where spent. I just couldn't foresee going any further safely. I was wearing long underwear (of course), cotton camo trousers, a wool sweater, and a coat...pack, rifle, blah. They were ALL soaked through, and I figured if I went traipsing through the woods with snow covered logs and broke something I'd pretty much be screwed to die within a mile of a major highway. Not for me! That's when I turned to go back.
I followed my track for awhile, but that was almost as frustrating as walking in fresh snow, so I jumped off the cutbank to get down to a lower road. STEEP. Seriously, I put my hand out a couple times to keep myself from falling and it was at shoulder height...I'd say a good black diamond slope for all you skiers. About halfway down I decided that was one of the dumbest things I could have done...sure, leave a clear road to walk through knee deep snow that covered down trees, slash, brush, etc. I'm an idiot. But, I was committed so down I went. After a couple falls I made it past another road to the one I needed to get on to get to the truck. Breaking trail again, I walked another half a mile to the truck. I was absolutely spent.
It was good though, a real good hunt...I finally saw deer, I tracked a buck, I saw the buck, I had a shot that I didn't take because it was hurried, I didn't kill anyone, and I got enough exercise to make any bodybuilder jealous. I got to walk for hours in a beautiful snowstorm in early November in Montana, I got to see a simply INCREDIBLE sunrise from high on a mountainside, and I talked with some nice folks. Plus, I'll tell you, there's nothing like coming home after a morning like that! It feels SO good to be inside and warm after being wet, cold, and tired for a couple hours. I stopped at my folks' house on the way home and they "donated" some chicken and rice soup to the Tom Relief Fund..can't beat that!
posted by geotracker12 at 2:55 PM
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