Montana season so far...and done....with final pics page 7

[Mark Baker]

Well, here is how our season has been going this year....a lot of "stuff" happening around here to affect our harvest, but we're making the most of it!  

It starts off simple enough, with teaching the boys to make selfbows for themselves, and making myself a couple in the process as well.   The pics can tell this story....it begins in January last winter....

   

 

 
 
   

   

[Mark Baker]

The boys....my sons Kory, Boone, and their friend Daniel, all made hunting weight osage selfbows to use this year.  

I built a couple while teaching them, and picked out this vine-maple bow to hunt with.  

 

 

 

 

Here is a pic of Kory shooting his bow.

 

[8leg-lover]

Very nice! Great way to get through the hard winter.

I was talking to a friend in MT the other day. What's up with this Canadian wolf explosion? Is it really starting to impact areas of the state that bad? Heard they are hitting the deer population hard.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Looking Good so far Mark. I will check back for the rest!

[Mark Baker]

After a summer of high water around here, then the passing of my father-in-law just before the season began, Kory and I set out to hunt some elk.   We'd been chasing antelope as well, but had'nt had any luck yet.  

The first couple days of bow season found us in our favorite elk haunts mornings and evenings, always with the chance for deer and whatever might be around.....

We spied a group of lopes getting ready to head into a hay field, and a plan formed.....

Kory made a mile-long stalk, up a tiny creekbed to ambush them after they entered the field.  He learned a lesson from last years success in this same stalk.....and got ready to take two lopes in succession.   The plan worked to perfection, as he took out the lead doe, and the buck as he brought up the rear.   Nice way for a young man to "break in" his new selfbow!  

 

 

 

 

[Bernie B.]

That's really an accomplishment to take game with your home made equipment!  Great pictures!

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[Mark Baker]

That was two 'lopes, in 20 seconds!  

As we didn't have much time this year, and temps were very hot for september, we cut our hunt short for elk, to catch up on work we needed to get done.   I'm still behind on stuff around here.  Tim Roberts came up and hunted several days with me, and we chased elk around here, and got in a whitetail hunt or two, with Tim connecting on a fat MT doe!  He also got in some selfbow "schooling".    

 

 

 

 

 

[Butts2]

[Mark Baker]

This is a pic of a buck that Tim mmmmmissed....that I passed on several times early in the season.     Besides the heat, wolves have indeed impacted the area around my home, which is just north of Yellowstone.   The elk habits have changed....and even the whitetails in this area have been a bit harrassed.  I'm not anti-wolf...it's kindof neat having them around, but they need to be hunted and hunted now.  

I've always said that "these are the good ol' days", and they are.   But I'm afraid, they are not quite as good as they once were....perhaps.  Everythings relative.   After what was a long hard winter, and wolves, and for whatever reason, bow season passed without any more tags filled around here.   But some glorious days afield....I never get sick of the scenery here.  

 

[Chisler]

You guys are gettin it done in Montana. Beautiful bows!  Great photos - thanks!

[Mark Baker]

General (gun) season began with fall in a full color explosion....a nice treat, as we've had early snows and cold the last two years, and I have missed the colors.  

I started opening day hiking out to a new stand I'd put up, not with a lot of hope, really, just wanting to get out and enjoy the day.   I'd just got settled in, when this dude and his wife and dog hiked right into my area, yelling and screaming......I just waved to them, and they came over, all apologies!   Turns out he was a local pro-photog guy, and perhaps feeling bad about ruining my hunt, he appeals to my vanity with the old "can I take your pic" routine, for the Big Timber Pioneer (somewhat local paper) for the cover shot?"    Of course being an advocate for the promotion of "true" bowhunting, I agree.   The next three pics are taken by him...

 

 

 

In the end, my "mug" was out-scooped for Dennis Quaids, with news of him selling his ranch and leaving our fine area.   Oh well....

[Mark Baker]

Here's a few more pics of the area, taken from various stands, and hikes into them.    What a place!

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark Baker]

Although deer seem quite scarce this year, as November rolled into it's second week, buck activity, as usual, picked up.   Still not having filled a tag, and after missing a big buck last year, I needed to close the deal, for my own self-confidence and happy to fill the freezer some.    Here's a couple bucks I let walk one night as they made their rounds.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Bjorn]

Ah! Really cool! Making self bows and killing Antelope by spot and stalk.  What could be better?!      

[Mark Baker]

That first buck was Tim's buck, but all busted up already.  

The next night, I rattled after settling into my stand, and had a buck come in that I had decided would be a good buck to take this year, after I'd jumped him from his bed several times.   He was pretty aggressive, and gave me a great show for 10 or 20 minutes, before walking into my best lane, stopping, looking away....I HATE when that happens and had to put a stop to it.   The vine maple bow put one through the good stuff, and he's now history.  

He did'nt go far, and never knew what hit him.   This is our typical 3 year old here....and over the years I taken a bunch like him, but I'm sure glad to have him now.  

 

 

 

 

[Mark Baker]

Well....thats all for now.   I've been out trying to fill two doe tags I have for this area, and they are tough to find this year!   I hope this week will be kind to me, so I can get out and get one more crack at elk in the snow before the season ends after Thanksgiving.  Then I'll update.

[David Yukon]

Wow! This as to be the coolest thread that I ever read!! realy nice pictures, realy nice bows, realy nice country, realy nice animals!! You are a lucky man! Good luck on the rest of your season!
Cheers

[Thumper Dunker]

Real awsome cool stuff. Love the bows.          

[Over&Under]

I am way more than jealous Mark - some beautiful country you get to roam around in.

Great photos, and some fine trophies as well!

[GRINCH]

Mark you live on some beautiful country,it's great that you and your boys make your own bows must be really rewarding,congrats.