Well my hunting buddy and I are back from Montana and had a great time. Went up on 11/5 and were home on 11/20. We both took bucks. But, neither of us harvested a bull. I had to settle for a cow elk in the last 10 minutes of the last night. I had drawn a special permit allowing me to harvest a cow if we couldn't find any bulls. We made a camp for the deer hunt and then came back to town to hunt the elusive Wapiti. The weather just didn't cooperate for the elk hunt. My buddies buck was a nice 4x4. His first deer and he's rightly proud. My deer was a non-typical that was 7X8, counting eye gaurds. Mine wasn't really tall or wide but unique and heavy. The cheater and uniqueness is what really convinced me to take him. He's one of a kind. I made an uphill/backside stalk to within 80 yards. It was really blowing and the ridge/bench top was really crusted. I thought for sure that I was going to spook him and the does he was with. I crawled along slowly and sure enough he was there. I have pics on a disk and will try later to post them. (or I can email them to an experienced picture expert.)
My buddy actually shot his deer two days before I took mine. We spotted a four point out on a coulee ridge top and decided to make a stalk. This buck had us made before we were in shooting postion. We were sneaking back towards the truck, coming down a different coulee and I was leading. Luckily I wasn't strolling along all head down and depressed but, instead I was thinking that around any bend could be a buck. Sure enough I spotted one as our little side coulee came around a corner and dumped into the main coulee. (kinda like a river tributary) I peaked over the finger ridge and there he was feeding in the main coulee. I dropped down and neatly put my knee in a cactus. As I pulled out the spines I explained to my buddy that there was a better buck right over the little finger rigde. I adjusted his shooting sticks and we snuck up and got set for the shot. He was still feeding, kind of angling away a bit. He hooked his head back and was eating wheat back along his side so, his antlers were blocking his vitals. I told Dave to wait and he took a breath. The buck moved his head back in front of his legs and I said "whenever you're ready." Dave made a one word comment referring to not being able to get quite steady enough. Then he exhaled again and the Buck was down. Double lung shot. His first deer and the blood trail started and ended in the Buck's last set of tracks. To say the least I was proud of my friend. He did good. I helped him tag his buck and then hiked out to get my uncle and the truck.
Sorry for the convoluted tail but it is late. I will work on the picks later, or I can email them. I know that they are way to big to post as is.
Later,
Mark
Pics now added. Thanks to Skein.
[ 11-25-2003, 11:19 AM: Message edited by: MarlinMark ]
Montana Fun (Pics Added)
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