On the Hunt 2015

Starting to get it! – photo by Wolf Creek Angler

The general deer and elk season ended on Sunday the 29th. I did not fill the freezer this year however the season was a huge success nonetheless in that it was my son John’s  first hunting season. He has gone hunting with me on occasion over the years and he has always had some interest in taking up the sport himself but he is by no means what you would consider a hard-core hunting enthusiast.

He aced the hunter safety course a couple of years ago but chose not to hunt. He’s never been a fan of loud noises so the thought of firing a rifle had zero appeal to him. He has always had an interest in archery however and he’s been shooting for a couple of years. We had him take the archery hunter safety course last summer so he would be ready to hunt with a bow this year.

Something clicked on that first trip out this archery season as we snuck through the woods with our bows in search of deer and elk. We didn’t see any animals that day but I was ecstatic because I could see that he got it. Not that he was begging me to take him hunting but we did make it out a few times and had a great time together. The lack of action however became an issue as he struggled with that whole patience concept.

Once firearm season arrived I figured he was done. I felt bad that we hadn’t had much action. A friend has access to some private land and he suggested that we take John out and find him something to shoot. While he was extremely reluctant I did get him to go to the range with me. It took a fair amount of coaxing and discussion but he finally did squeeze the trigger on the 270. Another obstacle overcome – I could see once again that he got it. He’s been intrigued by guns for the last few years so it was a huge step for him to overcome his fear of the noise and the recoil and to get to the point where he was asking me to take him to shoot. Once again… I was elated.

We did hunt the private land and we did see a bunch of animals. John had a shot at a nice size mule deer buck and it was a perfect scenario with the deer coming ever closer and giving him all the time in the world to settle his nerves and take the shot. He ended up just missing and later that day he passed on a shot at a nice whitetail but it was such a positive experience and we’re so thankful for having had the opportunity to hunt there.

Following this outing we returned to public lands hunting and the frustration started to set in for both of us as we hunted hard yet failed to find any animals. The success of the season was reinforced for me however as I went out a few times alone and felt there was something missing. Hunting has always been a solitary activity for me, I’ve never been much into hunting  with a group but now I’ve discovered the magic of hunting as father and son. Hopefully he will stay with it!

Sunday was cold. We decided to drive to a few of our spots and check things out. Lots of people out trying to fill tags. Between the single digit temps and the crowds we ended up just going for a ride.  The season came to a close and we committed to putting more time into our hunting next season. From range time to pre-season scouting to making certain we set some blocks of time aside next year where we can hunt for more than a couple of hours at a time, we hope to get things dialed in.

Having grown up hunting in the deer blinds and tree stands of the Michigan woods I am trying to learn a whole different style of hunting here in Montana  and I’m thrilled to have my kid out there learning with me.

Elk hunting? I don’t know the first thing about it but I do know I would love to fill the freezer with elk meat. Maybe next year.

The last day of hunting is always filled with mixed emotions for me, especially when I have a season where I failed to harvest anything. I’m bummed out but I’m also ready to put the hunting gear away and start getting back into fishing mode. This year I was also bummed I wouldn’t be hanging out in the woods with my kid for a while. We certainly have our differences, often even when we’re out hunting, but the hunting has added a dimension to our relationship we’ve never had before and I wouldn’t trade these days afield with him for anything.

I had planned on fishing the Missouri on Tuesday but called it off Monday night seeing that the winds were going to howl. No sooner had I cancelled these plans then a friend called to see if I was interested in joining him for an elk hunt on private ranch land. Montana is conducting shoulder season elk hunts in a couple of areas of the state where  elk populations are exceeding target numbers.

I shifted back into hunting mode, excited at the prospect of harvesting a cow elk. We figured the odds would be fairly good of finding animals and of getting some opportunities. I awoke at 3:30 AM and made my way to Ulm where I met up with my friends and we made the 2 hour trip to our hunting grounds.

It was a different kind of hunt as we were able to ride our ATV’s anywhere we wanted to go in search of our quarry. We covered miles of prime elk habitat. We found tracks, some fresh, some not. We found an elk highway where a herd estimated at several hundred head  judging by the size of the swath of land, had passed at some point in the last day or two. We saw amazing views from atop towering vistas but there were no elk to be seen.

As we made our way to a different section of the ranch we came across a cow laying in apparent distress on the hillside. As we approached she got up and tried to move away. One of her legs was severely broken and we knew we had to dispatch her.  Since I have never harvested an elk my friends asked me if I wanted her. This was not the scenario I had envisioned when picturing harvesting my first elk  so I passed.  We did put her out of her misery and tagged her and while I had no qualms about doing this, I was reacquainted with the weight of our sport.

Thus ends my 2015 hunting season. I didn’t get out nearly enough and I didn’t harvest any animals but I did make a major connection with my son and I did go on my first official elk hunt which just so happened to involve an amazing piece of Montana with open and unlimited access via ATV’s. Meat in the freezer is great and hopefully we will have better luck next year but I consider this season a huge success and can’t wait for the 2016 season.

In the meantime – back to fishing. Report soon to come.