2011 Hunting Season in Review
At the end of every hunting season, I find myself counting the days until the next season opener. It seems like September 15th came around pretty quick this year. In the winter months most of my time was spent going to or from meetings. As the president-elect of the Montana Outfitters & Guides Association, I had a full agenda, but I think the time spent will be well worth the effort for the outfitting industry and the non-resident hunter. In our spare time, we calved out the cows, ran 6 summer trips and put up over 700 tons of hay.
September 14 – 20, Camp Creek scored early and often this year! Brandon called the first bull in, just minutes into opening day, the 6 point could not resist the cow talk and presented himself at 60 yards, Steve’s single shot echoed the valley and the 2011 season is in full swing. Later that morning, Chris decided to test Guy’s patients. Guy found another 6 point crossing the avalanche slides and positioned Chris for the shot at 240 yards. Count’em up, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 shots and the bull never moved a muscle. I think at that point, Guy took the gun from Chris to see if the scope was mounted facing the right way. Everything appeared to be affixed properly and in good working order, so Guy handed the gun back to Chris and Chris asked “Should I shoot again?” to which Guy replied, “Hell yes, shoot again! He’s still standing there!” Number 6 was the lucky shot, as the bull humped up, took two steps and rolled down the mountain. I had Hank for the second day and it took a little coaching for the 350 yard shot at a 45 degree angle, but the end result was another 6 X 6 bull. Hank’s account of the hunt is in the http://klazy3.com/about-us/montana-hunting-testimonials-1/ page of our web site. Guy had better shooting from Greg that day as well, the 5 X 6 came in to the bugle/cow talk combo and a single shot at 100 yards was all it took. On the last day Paul and I snuck into a bull and cow bedded down at 80 yards. The rain/snow made it difficult to use our optics and by the time Paul had a clean scope and crosshairs on, the bull was up and running, no shot. The near opportunity must have gotten Paul pretty exited though, because that evening he took a lantern to the shower tent and proceeded to lose sight of the rest of camp for over an hour. Paul took a pretty good ribbing from his buddies for getting lost a mere 50 yards from the rest of camp, but I told him not to take it too hard and besides it just increases my confidence that these “guided hunts” should be in demand well into the future. The packing out day is usually spent in the saddle recounting the week’s events and getting mentally ready to face the outside world again. Jerry did not have much time for reflection, as a 5 point bull came bugling toward the main-line trail and Guy said, “Shoot’em!” Jerry said the walk out was worth it though, because his horse was carrying half of his bull.
September 23 – 29, Every once in a while, a guide gets on a roll and every elk in the country is in jeopardy! Brandon was about to have one of those weeks. Logan and I had both tried to kill a bull across the creek from camp on the last hunt with no success. Mid-morning on the first day, Brandon cow talked the 6 X 6 bull into 40 yards and Kenny made the most of a single shot. I had spotted a bull on that same ridge later that evening and planned the next day’s hunt. I had assigned Brandon to take his hunter to a different area for the day, but something told me to change up the assignments and send Brandon after the bull. That evening we told Brandon that he must be slipping a little because he could only get Gene’s huge 5 X 5 into 70 yards for the shot. Now, it’s like pour gas on the fire! On day three Brandon took Michael out and he nearly had to shoot in self defense. Brandon had called the 6 point into 20 yards and the bull was still coming in hard when the trigger was finally pulled. Three days, three bulls and Brandon made it look like a walk in the park! Not to be totally out done, Logan got Mike on a big 5 X 6 mulie in Camp Creek and later in the week a nice 5 point bull. Mike knows he has been a very lucky hunter though, in the 6 hunts with us, he has scored every year and this year he filled both his tags. Speaking of filling tags, it’s a good thing that everyone brings the combination elk/deer license, because when Gordon returned to camp, he proclaimed that he had killed a bull. Upon returning to the site and even without having to get a DNA analysis we determined that it was a nice 5 x 5, but it was a mulie rather than a bull. I think the information highway via face book, had him properly ratted out in California, way before he actually made it home.
October 2 – 8, The guys from Con-Agra Corp. came to hunt and do a little team building for the week. The weather was not very cooperative during the first two days, but when the storm passed the bulls were bugling! 7 different bulls were offering to play that morning and two bulls made the mistake of bedding in the open, where Scott spotted them. A 45 minute stalk and we were positioned at 199 yards. Most of the bull’s body was covered up and only the neck and head were visible for the shot. We decided to wait it out, because eventually the bull will stand up and Scott would have a good shot. After waiting another 45 minutes and Scott’s breathing was settled down, he was confident that he could take the bull in the neck. Scott pulled the trigger and the bull jumped to his feet, it was a clean miss. The 5 X 5 ran 20 yards and stopped broadside, this time the target was bigger and the end result was in Scott’s favor. Brandon called another bull in for Mark at forty yards, but the timber was too thick and the bull vanished without a shot being fired.
October 11 – 17, Brandon and Jeff found 40 + head with 5 bulls in the herd. It was going to be a long shot, as there was not enough cover to sneak into position. Jeff did get a shot off, but explained later in camp that it was more like an accidental discharge than a shot. We are seeing elk everyday now and have started on several long stalks, but getting into position seems to be the challenge. I finally get Frankie and his son Brandon into position, the herd is moving toward the saddle that we are set up in. As they start to cross the saddle at 180 yards, I hit the cow talk and they froze in their tracks. Apparently, elk in the scope can cause buck fever as well, because 3 shots were fired and our horses carried us of the mountain instead of an elk. Guy was 1 of the 2 moose license holders this year and after nearly two weeks of looking for Bullwinkle; he found success with a 37 incher. The excitement continued after the kill though, as a big boar grizzly thought the moose should be his. Guy had to fire a couple of warning shots toward the griz to convince him the moose was not to be shared. It’s a good thing that he had a couple of sharp knives along, because the boar circled at 50 yards while Guy skinned, quartered and loaded the moose on his horses.
October 20 -26, Father & son combo of Art & Eric are back again for another hunt, as Art put it, “We’re here for more memories, elk or no elk, we are going to take some more great memories home with us.” Another father & son combo of Myron & Brian were there for the same, but Myron’s 77 year young body told him that he physically could not take riding a horse any longer, with Carsten’s help, we managed to get Myron safely back to Lincoln, as the rest of the crew and hunters headed into camp. The next morning Brian said he wanted to shoot the first legal animal he seen, so he could go out with Jerry and be with his father. As we were riding up the Bugle trail, five cows crossed in front of us and Brian filled his freezer. Myron’s stroke like symptoms had passed and Brian vows to finish the deal in 2013. As a guide, most of our actions in the woods become second nature over the years, I sometimes forget that some of our hunters have very little experience in the field. Such was the case with Eric, we had found 50 + head and we needed to get between them and where I thought they were going to bed. As we approached the area that I had in mind to set up, the lead cow was 50 yards away, I dropped to my knees for cover and turned to motion Eric to do the same. Eric was some 20 yards behind me and had his head down climbing the ridge. At the moment, I was completely helpless, I had 50+ head trailing toward us and Eric hiking straight toward them! It seemed like forever (probably 7 or 8 seconds), but by the time I had (quietly) gotten Eric’s attention, the lead cow and Eric were just 35 yards apart. Eric had followed my lead and had dropped down to his knees, I could tell that he had spotted the lead cow as well and thankfully she still doesn’t know we are there. Perfect, we can just freeze like a statue and when the bull comes along, we got him! As the cows were walking by at 30 yards, I looked at Eric and apparently he did not understand the statue concept. It looked like he was in a wrestling match with his backpack, he was trying to get it off, but the straps were not cooperating. I think Eric started to feel the heat from my piercing glare that was telling him not to move, so with the pack half on – half off, the cows continued to file by. Then, I saw the tines coming toward us and pointed in that direction, so Eric could be ready. The bull steps into the opening and Eric has him spotted. First there was a little jam up in chambering a round, finally the gun goes up, then back down. Scope covers! The crisp clean sound of scope covers being pulled off and then being released to slap against the scope is about enough to make me stomp on my hat! Again the gun goes up and I see the flash of fire from the end of Eric’s 30-06. I could not see the bull’s body when Eric shot, so the first thing that I asked Eric was “Did you get him?” Then I thought, at 40 yards standing broadside, how could he miss? It took longer than I expected to find any blood, but 150 yards away lay Eric’s 5 X 5 bull! I really wanted to cuss Eric for almost blowing the opportunity (several times), but after he confessed that the bull was only the 2nd animal that he had ever taken in his whole life, it was also second nature for me to say “Great Job! We made some memories today!”
October 29 –November 4, Sean from PA. is making his 10th hunt with us this year! He has taken several bulls over the years and again this year he is holding out for the big one. We are finding elk with the spotting scope, but getting into position with most of the hunters is proving to be physically challenging. I had three generations of hunters in Lost Pony, as Grandpa (Don), Dad (Travis) and Son (Nathan) came prepared to make the long shot. We have two bulls and 40+ cows spotted and we snuck up to 315 yards of the bedded herd. Both Nathan and Travis have very small shooting lanes, so we will wait the bulls out, because we have seen them get up and move from their beds several times as we were sneaking in. 30 minutes goes by and when 1 of the 40 stood up, they were all up and running. We had been winded! Hind sight says we should have crowded the shot earlier, but ethics tells me that it is much easier to watch the herd disappear over the ridge, than to be tracking a cripple because of a poor choice in deciding when to shoot. The weather did not help us out much on this hunt, I usually don’t mind storm fronts, because the hunting is great after the storm. The elk took full advantage of the unsettled weather, so we will have to continue the pursuit next September, time to pull the camps and head for the Deer Creek hunts.
November 6 -9, We have the farmers & ranchers from the Dakota’s this week and all three hunters have been with us multiple times, it’s going to be a fun hunt. All three took their mulie buck, so now it’s time to concentrate on the elk. Kurt admitted that he had reservations about coming out again, because he was afraid of being in the tell all news letter that you are currently reading. But honestly, he has to know that he is an easy mark for me to use, because I first asked Dean where he was sighted in at, to which he said, ”I hit a pie plate at 100 yards, then took it out to 300 yards and I hit the 5 gallon bucket that it was setting on.” Ok, well, hum, “Kurt, where are you sighted in at?” Kurt’s reply was, “Well, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to shoot before we came out, so a couple of days ago, I stuck the gun out the pickup window and hit close enough to ruffle some feathers on a mud hen at about 130 yards.” Nice! We’ve got 11 bulls bedded on the ridge across from us and my confidence level in the hunter’s ability to “Shoot Straight” might be at an all time low. Brandon took Dean around the backside of the ridge for the close shot and I’ll take Kurt and try to coach him into getting close enough to “ruffle some hair.” We were in position first and had to reluctantly pass on a 6 and a 5 point, as Brandon & Dean were not in position yet. Some 20 minutes later, the remaining 9 bulls are starting to get nervous; Brandon must be getting close. We hear a shot ring out, and four more bulls come trotting down the ridge across from us at 220 yards. They never did stop to give Kurt a shot, so now a total of 6 bulls have come by and we haven’t fired a shot. Another group of three bulls come running down the ridge and stop at 300 yards straight across from us. “It’s now or never Kurt, shoot anyone of them.” Kurt’s shot sounded like a good hit, but all three bulls were still standing there. Just as he was about to shot again, one of the bulls dropped and started sliding down the mountain. I think that bull started off as a 5 point, but we will never know, because he was sliding nine-o when he slammed into a big fir tree and shattered the rack. We found most of the pieces, but the bull ended up a 4 X 2 when it came to rest in the bottom of the draw. Several more shots came from Brandon’s direction, and Dean managed to whittle down a nice 7 X 5 bull as well. Sorry guys, stuff like that is just too easy to write about. I’m sure 2012 will be just as fun, when the guys return to hunt the Scapegoat.
November 10 – 13, Steve’s talked about this day for years. His group of hunter’s has hunted the Scapegoat twice and the Deer Creeks twice over the years, this time his sons are old enough to make the trip. As a parent it is a special moment to be able to pass on your passion for hunting and being in the woods. As an outfitter, it’s a nod of confidence in our outfit, when the dads start bringing the next generation of kids/son in laws. Jason set the bar high on the first day, as he cracked a 6 X 7 mulie! The shot startled Guy, as he was glassing in the opposite direction when the buck came walking through the saddle. Jason said that he really did not know if it was a big one, but it was plenty big enough for him. It was hard to keep the first time mulie hunters from shooting the younger bucks, because a 20 inch/2 year old buck looks pretty big when you have been hunting whitetails your whole life. Scott and Cory did well though, as both have decided to mount their 5 point bucks. Don had to trust his guide (me), because when the mulies were scattering in front of us, I had Jason hold our horses and we were in hot pursuit. The heavy horned buck gave us the slip initially, and then I spotted him walking away from us. Don had him in the scope and he turned broadside for the shot. After the buck piled up, Don proclaimed that he did not know what he had just shot, but if it was good enough for me, it was plenty good enough for him. The heavy 5 X 5 was not as massive as the one Don took two years ago, but nevertheless it was a nice buck!
November 15 – 18, When Fred rebooked a year ago, he said that their group had done several outfitted hunts and our outfit was the first one that they had ever rebooked with. He did not really know why, but it was, “just a fun and exciting hunt.” Fred opted to hunt a whitetail the first day and took a nice 4 X 5 buck. Everyone else is looking for the “wall hanger”. The spotting scope found a bachelor bunch of bulls on day two and on day three we were out to relocate them. Two drainages before where we expected to find the bulls, we found a different bull bunch of 4. The bulls were bedded in a very protected spot, so 300 yards is as close as we can get. Shawn had the first crack, but either the heavy gusting winds or the brush sent his shot off course. A second later Kevin sent a rivet on its way. This one found pay dirt and the freaky horned 6 point crumpled. Fred was caught up in the excitement and had to pull the trigger as well, but with no luck, at least we got one of the four. On the last day, Guy was glassing a good buck, but before he could tell Cotton to take him, Cotton shot and said, “Let’s ground check ‘em”. It was a good decision, as it was a non-typical 6 X 6 mountain buck! Rob’s last day buck wasn’t too shabby either, a 24 inch 5 X 5.
November 20 – 23, Four out of the five hunters are repeat clients, so right from the start we know everyone’s capabilities and we can plan the hunts accordingly. Don and I found a lone 5 point bull bedded on the spine of a ridge and while we were planning the stalk, Brandon and Paul joined us. Brandon & Paul are going to try and sneak in behind, while Don & I position for the ridge to ridge shot. We were only able to get to the 330 mark and the bull would have to move a little for Don to have a good shot. Brandon is working his way down the spine and looks to be within 200 yards of the bull, but they cannot see him yet. The bull must have sensed that something was up, because he stood and looked up toward Brandon a few seconds and was gone. Most of the time it is not an accident where the bulls choose to bed, it’s usually well protected with; sight, smell and sound in their advantage. Later that afternoon, Paul took his first mulie buck, a respectable 4 X 4 that was in heavy rut. Ron also punched his tag with a 5 X 5 buck that day. Brandon found another bachelor bull bunch on day 2 and the hunt plan is in motion for day three. It is nearly a ½ day ride to get into the area where the bulls are, but to our disappointment, all we could find were the day old tracks from the bulls. That doesn’t fill the freezer, but it does add to the memory bank and makes a person pause for a moment to appreciate just being in the mountains, doing what we love to do.
I hope you had an exciting and productive 2011 hunting season. We just finished up our Scapegoat Wilderness and Deer Creek hunts with this season being another successful year! We harvested 17 brow-tined bulls and 14 mule deer bucks, which gave us a 53% harvest and an 80% opportunity rate. The 2011 animals can be viewed at http://klazy3.com/photo-gallery/ Be sure to call several references for any hunt you decide to go on, we list ALL of our previous years hunters at http://klazy3.com/hunting-trips/montana-hunting-references/
Our Scapegoat Wilderness 2 on 1 hunt rates are $4200.00 per person, broke down as follows. $600.00 down to book your hunt spot, $1200.00 due 5/1/12(once your license is in hand), and the balance of $2400.00 is due upon arrival for your hunt.
Our Deer Creek 2 on 1 hunt rates are $2800.00 per person, broke down as follows. $600.00 down to book your hunt spot, $1000.00 due 5/1/12(once your license is in hand), and the balance of $1200.00 is due upon arrival for your hunt.
Due to the passage of citizen’s initiative I-161 on November 2nd 2010, the guaranteed outfitter sponsored license is no longer available in Montana. All licenses issued in 2011 were on a random draw. However, the non-resident combination license(elk/deer/fishing) had a 100% success rate in the draw and there were around 800 licenses still available through the fall hunting season. For the 2012 season, I anticipate a 100% success rate for the combination license as well, providing your application is submitted prior to the March 15th deadline.
Montana also has a new non-resident preference point system that allows 75% of the licenses to go to the applicants with the highest amount of preference points. Give me a call and I can help you through the application process. Even if you are unsure about your future hunt plans in Montana, it is a wise decision to start building preference points for use in the future.
2012 License Rates: All licenses have a March 15th application
Combination (Elk & Deer) $ 912.00
(Elk only) $ 812.00
(Deer only) $ 542.00
Thanks to all–from the hunters, to the crew, cooks, guides, packers, and their families, and to my family (especially Julie)! 20 some years from now, when I am nearing the end of my run in the mountains, it won’t be all of the animals we called in or stalked and harvested that I will recall; it will be the friendship and camaraderie of the back country experiences that I will cherish. See you on the mountain next year!
If you are thinking about hunting with us in 2012, the current available openings are listed at http://klazy3.com/about-us/rates-deposit-schedule/ Don’t let another year slip by you, these remaining hunt spots are filling up!
SHOOT STRAIGHT! Brett