My first hunt in Montana (Picture heavy)

[Wary Buck]

I had an interesting first "hunt" of the year and thought I'd share some of it with TGers.  First, I haven't killed an antelope since '91 just north of Belle Fourche, SD.  Haven't hunted them much since then, but when I have it just never came together.

Montana's season starts Aug. 15 but that was our first day at work (in-service).  We then had three more "work" days to prepare for school followed by a Friday in-service as well.  I can only use three "personal" days a year so I went ahead and applied to use them Aug. 15-16-17 which doesn't cost the district any money for a sub but meant I had a very short window of opportunity.  According to Mapquest it was 11 or 12 hours of driving to get to the area near Broadus, MT.  

I left a few days early, poking my way through north central and western NE and stopping in on my several deer and antelope landowners and verifying my permission and sitting and chatting with each one.  This process alone took the better part of two days.  One lady is 94 years old but still a very sharp tack.  Saw a few antelope but it again verified my properties are only good late in the year and not in August when I'm looking for something to do.

Here's a couple pics I took while still in NE.  I did see several really nice 120-140" type whitetails while scouting.  I hope these photos come out halfway decent.  I'm clueless about technology which again is a big part of the reason I shoot a simple stick.

This first picture I have cropped so as to maintain the landowner's privacy but suffice it to say that I bet the sign stops some folks.  It's a beautiful spot along the Niobrara River in western NE.  If the photo can't be read it says:  "If you don't have permission, stay the he11 out or suffer the consequences of my 2nd Amendment rights."      :D    

 

This particular landowner also bemoaned that the bump in corn prices had caused many folks out there to disc up the grasslands once again and get the old pivots a going.  I have to agree, as when crop prices go down again, those same spots will erode and sprout endless sand burrs and the pivots will rust...

I've got permission on the other side of the river, too, where this old abandoned farmstead still stands in mute testimony to the trials and tribulations of a hard land.

It was interesting that when I got to town, I called this landowner out of the blue and she said, "Me and the neighbor (name withheld) were just talking about you today.  We were talking about all the great photos you took of our property and gave us a few years ago."  (Hint:  for some, that is a great gift).  The photo on p. ii of My Neck of the Woods was from this property as well.

 

Had a full moon during this time period, rising here above the Sandhills.

 

A dramatic sunset from this same property on Aug. 12th.

 

Here's a picture of the very narrow Niobrara at this point in its long journey prior to emptying its contents into the Missouri River.

 

More to come.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

[Wary Buck]

I really should have just camped out on top of the hills that night but got a motel room in town so I could deal with paperwork (maps, writing, etc.) and charging and using my phone (coverage horrible out in western NE).  

The next day I stopped in on the lady whose property is pictured on the cover of my book, My Neck of the Woods.  She's 94 and quite a lady.  I got her talking about politics and she spoke of FDR as if it were yesterday.  As a history teacher, I enjoyed that a lot.

I did a quick walk-through on part of her ground, and when I stopped to take a leak, a pair of bucks erupted from 20 yards away in some scrubby young pines.  They were going to let me walk right by them but got nervous when I stopped.  One was a dandy.  A short while later on the other side of the canyon, two more bucks (also whitetails) bounded out, one also very good.  No photos of them, but here are a few to give you the lay of this land.

This is typical of that kind of country.  Canyons full of pines and other brush, with grasslands/pasture on top.  

 

This particular waterhole I would love to monitor through a season.  Back home I get a good feel for what each stand site has to offer and through 80 to 100 hunts I get to see it too.  But if and when I'm able to drive out here for a short weekend/holiday hunt, I'm always torn with only 3 to 5 hunts as to where to go.

I have a fascination with windmills on the prairie, especially those with an ecosystem all their own.

 

After this visit, I ate and then headed about 15-20 miles south to look up a guy I got permission on for one day maybe five years ago, but the antelope (winter time) were so skittish I scalded them all out just upon driving into the ranch driveway.  I've had wildlife managers tell me that the biggest limiting factor for antelope in Nebraska is rancher acceptance.  LOTS of them shoot at them every chance they get just like they would coyotes.  And they leave 'em lay.  It's a sad but true fact of life out here.

The wife sent me out into the hayfields where the rancher and his son were baling hay.  This landowner remembered me from before and said absolutely I could hunt but through discussing things with him it was apparent that this time of year it was hit or miss, that the antelope were not seen a lot nor predictable when they were.  

I scouted out maybe eight waterholes/tanks and saw only a handful of tracks, never more than one or two at a site and usually old.  I did see one pretty good buck, but that was all in probably close to 2000 acres.  My best bet is to return in November or December when the antelope come out of the hills and start to encroach on farmers' stacks.

 

Had an interesting duo take a ride on the hood of the truck for a while.

 

  :eek:  

With several phone calls and sit-downs accomplished, I was off to try to get to Belle Fourche where I was to meet my brother Jason and my Dad.  Driving through more of western NE and then up into SD just east of the Black Hills, I was reminded that I've got to get the Black Hills vacation done next year with my daughters!  A real gem close (sort of) to home.

[steadman]

Looking good Bryce!!

[Kenneth]

Great so far!!  Beautiful photos and thanks for sharing the tip!

[Shedrock]

[Wary Buck]

Got to Belle Fourche, having to stay very alert with all the bike traffic due to the Sturgis event.  My brother Jason and my dad were going to join me on this hunt--as well as my hunting partner--but those plans fell through for all three.  Last year this was a 96% draw unit, but Jason and Dad did not draw; my hunting partner backed out right before application deadline due to job uncertainty at that time.  I think she regrets that now, but there's always next year.

Jason (a big game guide in MB/AB) and Dad would hunt WY however and actually be near Gillette and maybe only 50 mi. south of my eventual MT destination of near Broadus.  Jason's primary guide, John Krawchuk, also accompanied him down just for the ride and we enjoyed the get-together.

The next day I was off on the final 95 miles of my journey, driving right by property I'd hunted in '90 and '91 in SD.  What a change in 20 years!  Lots more homes (Belle Fourche has grown), and also kind of sad to see a lot of ugly permanent blinds and/or portables perched by waterholes along the highway for the 10 or so miles of SD west of Belle.  I saw very few antelope along this stretch compared to past trips through here and we heard from several that above I-70, the winter was very tough on the antelope in these parts.

I did pull over to get a few pictures of antelope, knowing that because of my limited time schedule, I was very likely to take the first crack at an antelope buck of decent size should I get that opportunity.  And I wanted some pictures too.

 

I like the weird ones as well, this one in that short stretch of WY before I got into MT.  Saw frequent antelope, but pretty small groups or singles and spread out.  

 

In MT, I met the "guide."  John is a very knowledgeable hunter and had met Jason and Dad and they'd struck up a friendship.  He would keep the first week of the season open for us, and Jason would come up early to set up blinds.  In other words, we were really not being guided in the true sense of the word.  Jason set all of his own blinds, while Dad usually opted to sit in one Jason or John had set.  Well, with my other family members out of the picture, I had offered to come up early but John kind of discouraged that.  When I got there, it was apparent that little if any preparation had been done for me.

PERFECT.  

As I wanted to do this myself.  Unfortunately, the waterholes were fairly big (it's been wetter than usual and ponds were twice normal size) and offered tough conditions for the stickbow hunter.

I eventually decided on two locations, the first was setting up a ground blind next to a permanent the guide had installed from which no traditional bow could even fit, and I'll bet most compounds could not work.  It would be perfect for the NRA's version of the bow but again, where's the challenge in that?   :shock:

I didn't really like this spot but it would be my backup if the wind stunk at the other place.  There were some tracks but lots look like they came up to try to drink but got into some mud and perhaps backed out before they slaked their thirst.  Would they try to come back?  It also looked like half the animals would be out of range.

 

The other spot I liked because it involved problem-solving.  It was near a waterhole that was again too big.  But an alfalfa field was near some pronghorn-looking hills and anything coming from those hills into the alfalfa would be very tempted to water at a nearby pond, and with the gate open and a bunch of round bales sitting there, my plan was hatched.  The ground was far too hard to read tracks, but I just had a feeling...

Rather than set up my Double Bull next to the fence, I elected to set it back next to the bales for maximum camouflage and minimum new disturbance.  I didn't want the animals, if they came through, to feel like they were running a gauntlet.  As you can tell, the blind looks a LOT like a bale.

 

As you can see if you look close, I used plastic connectors to bind the top two and bottom two wires together to increase a shooting window.  Still, I was probably 10 yards from the fence, and the antelope likely 10 yards still further.  Would be interesting.

[Wary Buck]

Returning to John's humble abode, I got know him a little.  A Vietnam vet, a wiry sort, there was little doubt he knew his animals.  And for one of the few times in my experience, I was talking to a guy who was every bit as cautious about changing the environment and tipping off the animals.  Some say I give the critters too much credit, and they may be right.  But John shared my caution.

He had a ton of big animals to his credit (rifle), and some really incredible mule deer adorned his walls as well as my home-sweet-home, an old trailer house that was actually quite decent though my brother labeled it as "rough."  No a/c, but by the time the sun went down, a fan in the window had the room cooled off in no time.  It had been 95 or so that day.

After supper, I went for a little hike along the Powder River behind his place and jumped three deer who weren't really sure what had spooked them.  After giving them 10 minutes to settle down, I began sneaking on one of them and got over 50 very good pictures of a dandy whitetail.

 

 

 

 

 

A dandy buck, and I stalked to within 30 yards and think I could've closed in more, but I stayed next to a tree for stability for the camera.  I ended up seeing six bucks and a bunch of does; all of the bucks were 4x4 basic bucks, with one 5x5, plus the one pictured above, and all in the 120-145 class I'd say.  Very attractive deer.

[Wary Buck]

My host was also a rockhound of sorts, and had all kind of interesting geodes, fossils, and the like.  I looked forward to picking his brain more as our hunt ensued.

A couple more pics from that night before as I went through last preliminaries and also burnt off excess energy on my little hike with the camera.

Here's the only other buck I got close enough to take a picture of.

 

And here's another interesting fellow I got within about four yards of.    :D  

 

One more pic of the big buck.

 

Another beautiful sunset.

 

And the final four arrows of my preparation, probably from 22-20-18-16 yards.  If I got a shot tomorrow, the closest would be about 11 yards if they hugged the fence (unlikely) while those hugging the opposite side of the gauntlet would be closer to 30.  A faint lane into the field would offer shots in the 20-24 yd vicinity.

 

[Whip]

Great stuff Bryce!  Bring it on!

[coaster500]

[Wary Buck]

Alright, game day.  Here's another look at the countryside.  Trees in some of the lower canyons, but mostly high plains, with some impressive rock features far to the west of Broadus.

 

Here's a look at the blind from where the antelope I'd shoot at would be standing.  Still...shooting through a fence has never been my forte on turkeys.   :roll:

 

Here's the waterhole that the antelope might be headed too.  The rancher had backed up a stock trailer to use as a blind, and my guess is that it would be a very effective one.  However, over half the tracks were beyond 25 yards and honestly, I am just loathe to use someone else's setup in a situation where there is an option to come up with my own solution.  I'm the same way with borrowing tree stand sites most of the time.  I guess I'm weird that way, but I want some sense of authorship.  Plus, I really don't mind the walking shot if it's in range.

 

The abandoned farmplace in the background is where I'd park my rig.  Another thing I'm funny about (my brother Jason too) is getting out EARLY.  My host was a little more laid-back but I wanted to be out there at the crack of dawn which didn't happen.  As I drove in I could see some antelope far on the hillside, maybe 3/4 mi. away, but certainly where they could see me when I'd walk back to the blind.

But I HAD thought of that.  Years ago, my brother Scott worked in a fiberglass plant and we made some copies of the Dutton Decoy which was just hitting fame.  Mine needs a newer paint job, but I brought it along just in case I needed to access a blind or make a stalk across a vulnerable area where stealth was impossible.  So I hid down behind the decoy and hunched over/crab-walked through the high spots.  The antelope paid me no attention!

This photo is a re-enactment in my yard!  Ha.

 

How do you like it?  I made one for deer, too, thinking I might try to stalk a deer in a beanfield some time.  I haven't painted it yet.

[Shinken]

Great photos and story WB!

While I like the reenactment, I am lookin' forward to the part with the action....

     

Keep the wind in your face!

Shoot straight, Shinken

   

[Wary Buck]

Got into the blind just after 7 a.m., nocked an arrow, and got my books out of my pack and settled in.  Still trying to relax and decide which book to dig into, I heard a strange sound.  It dawned on me it was hooves on the ground and I peeked out and here came a buck on the gallop toward my trap.  It was scarcely 7:15.  Any chance he had seen me and my decoy walk through the gap?

I had already decided with my limited time to begin with that I was not going to be picky.  One look told me he was big enough.  Twenty years since my last antelope...

As he slowed to a fast walk in the first opening (I had two windows open in the DB), I just didn't like it.  He was framed kind of high in the fence gap and walking fast.  I personally think the deer video guys on TV overdo (by a long shot) all the noises they use to stop otherwise clueless deer that are walking slow.  That sets them on hair trigger and string jumping is a good bet.  I very rarely do it.

But I felt I had no choice so I made a bleat and he stopped for second, took a dump, and then walked into the second gap and I let him have it at 22 yards quartering away.  I could tell quite easily where it hit and you can too from the pictures, just barely in the white, forward and high.  Blood was apparent immediately.  

In the few times I've seen antelope just scald out of there, I've scarcely been more amazed by anything I've seen in nature.  From 0 to 60 almost instantly, he raced back the way he came in that low, ground-hugging and yardage-eating manner, did a circle and came back by me just flying through the gauntlet.

I kept hoping he'd tumble but noticed when he was running that the arrow, sticking out both sides, was sticking out higher on the exit side??

After running about 200-300 yards, 95% of which time he was in view, he slowed to a walk and walked another 200-300 yds and bedded down.  I crawled up on the bales and began a long vigil of watching.  Even a one-lung hit, given his oxygen demands of his sprint, was now unlikely.

   

After an hour of my bug-eyed attention, he got up, walked 10 feet, and bedded back down.  I wanted to go after him, but there wasn't a lick of wind yet.  After another hour, he stood back up and looked maybe just a hair wobbly once but no bobbing of the head or anything, and walked just over the rise.  By now, there was a slight breeze (5 mph at best), but I couldn't see him anyway, so I grabbed my quiver and headed over.

The wind was negligible but at least the right direction.  I tiptoed up to the rise and could see the tips of his horns.  He was mostly hidden from view, but I knew their eyes literally bulge on the outside of their head and they almost don't have a blind spot.  I got a hair closer, maybe 18 yards, taking it oh so slowly.  I was glad now to have worn my new Sitka Timberline pants which have knee pads.  I originally was going to wait for him to stand back up, but on one peek I could just tell he had picked me up.  His whole demeanor changed and I just knew he was going to erupt out of there any second so I guessed where the rest of his body was (I had a pretty fair idea) and shot through the grass at a target I couldn't see.

The arrow hit him in the ham and he emitted a quite startling and deep growl or roar for a couple seconds and barreled down the hill before going down for good.  

   

The above picture is pretty much where he tumbled, and the one below is where I took him up on a high point for some more pictures.

   

I was a very happy camper, though a bit befuddled at the first arrow.  In my haste to get photos and then take care of the meat on a warm mid-morning, I didn't take a ton of time to explore, but I think the arrow  either caught the top of a rib and followed it slightly up and over the spine (it dips REALLY low in there) or else just as the arrow was arriving the antelope began evasive maneuvers.  It cut something pretty good in there, but my follow-up shot was quite necessary I think or else it would have been a long drawn out affair possibly involving coyotes and not me.

Here's a picture of a muley on the way out of the canyon that didn't think I saw it.

   

I regret that I was in such a hurry on this trip, and with the early success, with some help of John's son (Billy) I could head back after a quick butchering job and salvage two of my three personal days and now save them for November and deer season.  The long drive home was made easier by a phone call that lasted almost the entire breadth of South Dakota...from about Belle Fourche to Sioux Falls.  Yes, there's little doubt my hunting partner had some regrets about not making the trip, but then again that just whets the appetite for the next adventure.

I used my Green Machine Pronghorn longbow, which I recently put prairie rattler skins on that were supplied by TradGanger and former Nebraskan Tracy Villwok.  Wensel Woodsman heads were on the business end of my 2018s.  It's a nice way to start 2011's hunting and has me wondering what's in store next.  Deer season opens Sept. 15 here.  But I'm working on just three hours of sleep from last night and about to crash now, so hope this little novel doesn't wander too badly and is readable.

[Wary Buck]

[steadman]

Congrats!!     That buck has a lot of white on him. Great way to start the year and to break in the snake skins!

[blacktailchaser]

WOW,that is great...i have all ready herd of a few guys getting speed goats...john

[TomBow]

Maybe it's just the interest in other places that are different than where I live but I have to say the pictures that you posted are awesome and a pleasure to see.  I did some hunting for turkeys a few years ago in north east/central NE and had a great time and enjoyed some great hunts.  And Montana?  Been in love with it since a family trip when I was 7.  Beautiful country out west and the same where I live.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and your pictures have done it some justice!

Great detail about the hunts and sound like you got it right when dealing with the landowners.  

Congrats!
TomBow

[Elkchaser]

Thanks for the great story and pictures Bryce.
Looks like a fun and productive trip.
Congratulations.

[TRT]

Great story!  It definitely stirs up a man's fever to go hunt!  Thanks for sharing this.