Hunting on the HiLine 2014, Volume 4: Week Of Hunting

Last week was the week of hunting around here! Jeff's friend Jeremy (remember him from This Post?) was here for the whole week. He's easy to host and fun to have around. Then, Jeff's Uncle Collin and Aunt Patsy arrived on Sunday and left on Wednesday, also for hunting purposes. They were staying with Tom and Carol, but we all got together in the evenings for meals.

Time was spent in the Lost River Wildlife Management Area and surrounding environs (again, read the post I linked to above for more info) and also in the Sweetgrass Hills, as the two primary hunting areas, with some excursions around old-standby coulees, too.

Because I was at work during the day, I did not go along on any of the hunting day-trips. Thankfully, Jeff shared some of his photos with me, so that's what we'll post on the blog this time, along with some info that Jeff did share with me about how the hunts went.

This photo (above) was from the hike into the Sweetgrass Hills. It had snowed a bit overnight, which typically means it's easier to spot elk. This particular view is looking back from the Hills to the surrounding flat-land. Pretty cool how the Hills just sort of rise up out of the prairie.

They guys actually did spot a group of elk right away, but were unable to take one home with them.

That's Jeff's Uncle Collin looking back at us.

Even though they day resulted in not bringing an elk out of the mountains after all, it sounded like everyone really enjoyed the hiking, as evidenced by the enthusiastic retelling of the day's events over dinner. Jeff said he learned a lot about what to do next time, and also that he just enjoyed being outdoors. He also said that it was cool to see the headwaters of Sage Creek, which is the creek that runs through our family farm, providing fresh drinking water most of the year to our cow herd.

At the bottom of this ravine is a very thin beginning of a creek, fed from a spring.
Thus, Sage Creek is born!

Much of the rest of the week for Jeff and Jeremy was spent driving around some of their usual haunts, looking for deer and elk. They did a lot of driving and A LOT of hiking in the coulees and along the Milk River. By the end of the week, Jeff and Jeremy had reached a number of conclusions about the deer population this year.

First, it appears as though the deer numbers are not actually less, as some around here have said, they're just spending their time in different places. With so much CRP having been taken out in recent years, it makes sense that the deer would seek different places to bed in safety. Namely, the coulee banks and ravines. Jeff is thinking they spend their day in the coulees, then feed on the flat lands at night.

Second, for some reason, there does not appear to be as many large deer in our area this year. Jeff and Jeremy spent significant time surveying the scene, and the deer that Jeff eventually shot on the last day of their hunting week was one of the largest they saw all week.

So, with that all being said, if you're planning on hunting in this area this year, remember two things: You're probably going to have to hike, and you're probably not going to shoot a record buck this year.

Jeff with this year's buck.
Not a record by any means, but not bad given what they saw in our area this year.

Hunting season is not over yet, so there's still time for Jeff to shoot an elk. Jeremy and his wife are coming up again in a few weeks, and they'll be looking for deer still, too. And, on top of all that, we have hardly taken Harvey out bird hunting, either! So, stay tuned for more Hunting on the HiLine updates as the fall hunting season continues!

Hunting on the HiLine 2013, Vol. 3: Buck Found on Lost River

The hype on the Lost River WMA (See Previous Post) proved true right away on Friday evening.

I had the chance to join Jeff and Jeremy on their evening hunt. We had barely driven into the WMA when we spotted a group of mule deer on a coulee bank. After scrambling out of the vehicle and slightly away from the road, Jeff and Jeremy scoped the deer and spotted a large buck. Jeremy was able to take a shot before the buck went out of sight around the bend of the coulee. It's pretty amazing he was able to take a shot after all the scrambling around and loud noises we were making. The deer were on the move.

 All except the one who took the bullet. He went nowhere.

We field-dressed the deer on the side of the point and loaded him in the pickup. With several daylight hours left, we decided to bird hunt in the flat along the south bank of the Milk River. We had a nice hike through some prime pheasant habitat. Harvey was with us and he trailed a few birds, but only pointed and flushed a pheasant hen. The hike was roughly two miles. We enjoyed working with the dog and the guys also took the opportunity to scout some prime deer and elk habitat. There were definite signs of elk having been in the river bottom recently.

This photo was taken from where we field dressed Jeremy's deer. The flat light makes the photo lose some dimension, but still gives an idea of the striking landscape and river valley.

We also saw three beavers and lots of gnawed trees and branches. It will be cook to see over the next few hunting seasons whether or not the beavers build a successful dam and watch their progress doing so.

As twilight fell, we began our trek out of the river and headed for home. We saw many, many deer on our drive back home but none were exactly what Jeff wanted to shoot. Most of them were does and fawns, which you're not supposed to shoot anyway.

The next morning, Jeff and Jeremy went out again. This time, they went to an old standby hunting ground which is actually the pastureland of a family friend of ours. Jeff got his buck that morning.

Group Photo

 This was the largest deer Jeremy had ever shot. Once they had both deer back to the yard, the guys measured and scored the size of the animals. I don't really understand the measurement process, but I think it involves measuring the width between both racks, the length of the racks as well as each of their tines, and the circumference of each rack at some strategic locations.  Jeff's buck scored 148 and Jeremy's was 172.  I think they are both planning to have at least the antlers mounted. The well-planned and executed decorating scheme at our house consisting of mismatched, second-hand furniture, and antlers on the wall will gain another statement piece.

The measuring process.

Now that they both have shot pretty nice buck mule deer, the guys are switching their concentration to hunting elk and working Harvey on some game birds. Jeremy will be back in a few weeks and the hunt will be on again. You can bet they'll be spending some more time in the Lost River. It has definitely shown it is prime habitat for many different types of animals. It's a neat place to hike. I'm also interested to come back during different seasons to see how the landscape changes.

Hunting on the HiLine 2013, Volume 2: Lost River

Perhaps the biggest news in the local hunting scene this year is the opening of the new Wildlife Management Area just a few miles north of our house. The Lost River WMA was a recent land acquisition by the State of Montana, finalized within the past year, and now it is open for business.

Here’s a brief description of the area: http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/fishAndWildlife/nr_0579.html

Formerly known as the Milk River Ranch, the Lost River covers an area of about 14 square miles. Evocative of a place forgotten by modern times, the land itself lives up to its name. It’s about 45 miles northwest of Havre, and only a short distance north and slightly east of our house.  It feels very remote.  Access roads are not well-maintained and in bad weather could prove problematic. Jeff and I drove up recently, before deer season opened, to investigate. Like so much of the countryside around here, it is easy to look around the Lost River WMA and envision tribal peoples roaming the land, chasing bison and tracking elk and deer.

The Lost River won’t be lost for long. With deer rifle season now open, hunters from across the HiLine and beyond are here to check out the newly opened public land in its first season of use: modern hunters again using the land to track elk and deer.

There’s a lot of terrain to cover and to hunt it effectively a person should be prepared to hike.  Hiking and participating with nature are my favorite aspects of hunting. With hunting company coming to our house again this weekend, I’m anxious to hopefully join Jeff and our friend in some on-foot exploration of the Lost River WMA. A full report of our findings will follow!

Until then, Happy Hunting, wherever you may be!

Where Have All the Whitetail Gone?

Well, it has happened.  We have received our first call asking for hunting permission a few days ago.  Antelope bow season opened a few weeks ago and bird hunting season opened on September first for Hungarian Partridge, Doves, and Sharptail Grouse. Rifle season, however, doesn't open for a few weeks yet. 

Too bad we didn't have a bow along with us when we spotted this guy, huh?

Photo by Tom Bangs

 Hunting season is typically a busy time in our neck of the woods.  Hmm.  As a sidebar:  the phrase "Neck of the Woods" really doesn't make sense for this area because there are hardly any trees.  I suppose a person should say, "In our neck of the plains." Does that work?

Photo by Tom Bangs

In any case, our neck of the prairie (Do prairies have necks? Do woods, for that matter?  What is the origin of this silly phrase anyway?), hunting season is normally a busy time when people from all over the state and even some from out of state converge on our normally quiet area.  We host friends and family nearly every weekend we are not in Bozeman in the fall.  Everyone is hoping to get their trophy deer or antelope, or the occasional wandering elk.  Time to start wearing Blaze Orange jogging clothing and for Harvey to wear his orange vest.

Did you know Pronghorn Antelope are the fastest North American land animal?
Take that, Alex Trebek!
Photo by Tom Bangs

This year, when deer rifle season opens, I am hoping people will give some serious consideration as to whether or not they need to travel to this area for their venison harvest. No, I'm not anti-hunting.  Quite the contrary. In fact, the situation this year has made me feel stronger than ever about hunting as a humane way to manage animal populations and provide some natural, organic, local food to your family and friends.

What has me concerned this year is the massive outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease among whitetail deer in this part of the state.  Usually simply referred to as hemorrhagic disease, it has what had up until now been burgeoning populations of whitetail quite stymied.  The deer are bit by small insects called Biting Midges, which are basically a type of gnat, and who are carriers of the disease.  The disease incubates within the infected deer's body for 7-10 days and then the deer dies slowly from uncontrollable internal bleeding.  The deer, not feeling so well, typically wander back to their favorite nearby watering hole for what they hope will be a drink of water that might make them feel better.  The water is no use.  The deer dies anyway and meanwhile gets bit by a new gnat, who now becomes a new carrier for the disease, and then goes on to bite another deer... and the cycle continues.  Personally, I'd rather be shot by a hunter than left to bleed out internally until I died.  Sounds pretty horrible, doesn't it?

You can see how a highly contagious disease like this could quickly and effectively impact an animal population.  Don't be too alarmed-- there is no risk to people or dogs of catching the disease either from a Biting Midge or by encountering a dead or infected deer.  We researched this topic thoroughly after Harvey found a dead deer in a neighbor's yard and promptly began rolling all over and around the stinky deer carcass, as dogs are wont to do.  Apparently, you can even eat meat from an infected deer and be just fine! Although, that doesn't sound very appetizing. "Hey guys! This year we made hemorrhagic disease jerky! Who wants to try some!?"  I think not.

Many farmers in the area have talked about happening upon multiple deer carcasses in their fields as they were harvesting their crops.  In fact, it seems like it has become more common to see a DEAD whitetail than to come across one trotting around happy as can be.  Jeff and I spotted a very small whitetail fawn the other day bounding across the road--alone.  I suppose it's evolution or Darwinism as a perfect example.  Only the strong survive.  It nevertheless made me sad, seeing Bambi all alone. Bleeding heart that I nurse under my supposed tough-girl exterior. Ha.

At this point, we haven't heard anything from Fish and Game as to pending restrictions on whitetail this year, which Jeff and I both think is a little unnerving.  Even when there are restrictions released, some people choose to ignore them anyway.  With no restrictions, what will happen to the whitetail population? Hard to say.

The bottom line as it relates to hunting season is that the whitetail population is already greatly reduced by the disease.  If you are planning to come to this area to hunt, please be aware that whitetail are not going to be very numerous and consider only hunting antelope, mule deer, or elk, and hope for a rebound in whitetail populations in seasons to come.

Winter is for Meat Processing

It's January. Snow is on the ground (Yay!) and the air is crisp.  Football season is over in our house, and basketball is just starting to get good.  Big game hunting season has long been out of our minds.  Time to hunker down and enjoy the solitude of winter.



Mmmm... summer sausage!

Big game hunting season my be out of our minds, but now is the time to process the meat into tasty, tasty treats.  After several years of processing his own animals, Jeff has really become quite proficient in the art and science of home-butchering and meat processing. One thing I can say about it is that it is A LOT of work- the perfect type of work for a deep winter day.

This year, another young couple we are friends with came over for a long weekend and the four of us worked together at processing autumn's game harvest into manageably eatable portions. They had been out earlier in the fall and took a very large deer while they were here. We all agreed at the time to get together again for the processing.



Summer sausage and assorted snack sticks.

Jeff and I are not ones to enjoy a wild game steak or roast, but quite enjoy encased meats and sausages of wide variety. Of course, this means a lot more work on our part to process the meat, but we think it is worth it in the end. Fortunately, our friends agreed, and with four people processing the meat instead of two, it went smoothly. Not to mention, it was a lot more fun! Between the two couples, there was meat from two deer, one antelope, and some leftover meat from an elk-- well over one hundred pounds. In the end, we had snack sticks, summer sausage, cheddar polish brats, regular brats, loose breakfast sausage, loose Italian sausage, and plenty of jerky. We spent three days grinding, smoking, and cooking the various meat products.

These are either the regular or cheddar Polish brats...

Jeff received a very nice new meat grinder this year for Christmas, along with some very useful accessories such as a very large metal industrial mixing bowl, and some sausage seasoning mixes. These greatly aided the process- definitely were put to good use right away.  We used these with some of the other supplies we already had- jerky guns, a smoker, and a food dehydrator, among other small items. I think we also used nearly every metal tray and wire cooling rack that I own, and also managed to dirty nearly every rag or towel as the house and shop were consumed with meat-making.

Breakfast sausage on the right, Italian sausage on the left.
Approximately eight pounds of each.

 I don't think any of us are planning on quitting our day jobs to become butchers any time soon, but there is a great sense of pride in processing the meat all on one's own. To me, the next step in our process would be to create our own seasoning blends from scratch as well.  Right now, we primarily use pre-packaged mixes from Hi Country, which is a Montana-based company, located near Lincoln, MT.  Check them out at http://www.hicountry.com/ or if you're in Lincoln, stop by their store. Their jerky and meat products are also found in convenience stores and food stores throughout Montana, if not further afield. The seasoning mixes from Hi Country are really good, and as the saying goes, why mess with success? We may never stray from buying their packages, but the experimental cook in me loves the challenge behind creating delightful or unexpected flavor combinations on our own. Something to think about for next year, anyway.

Some finished product, packaged and ready for the deep freezer.

One thing that greatly appeals to me is that hunting, processing, and eating game couldn't be more "local." The animals used were taken within a few miles of our house, were processed at our house, and will be eaten at our house. Beef or pork that we added to some of the products also came from nearby sources. The only non-local ingredients would be the seasonings. To take it further, wild game is also grass-fed and free range.

We have sampled all of the products we made this year except the cheddar Polish brats, which I am very excited about. Everything so far has been excellent, and an improvement over last year. That is the best we can hope for, anyway- improvement over last year. So far, I think we nailed it.

Hunting On the Hi Line: 2012 Edition, Vol.1

A Hunting We Will Go...

On fall weekends we are not in Bozeman cheering on our favorite (Number 2 in the Nation!!) college football team, we are home, hosting hunters.  This past weekend was no exception.  We had one couple staying at our house, which, in this season, I like to refer to as The Hunting Lodge. We also had another couple friends join us this past Saturday for a day hunt.

Hard to see in this photo, but we spied an owl perched in the upper window of this shed.

Friday, Jeff's buddy got a pretty nice  buck.  Regrettably, I didn't get any photos that day because I forgot to charge my camera prior to the outing. All the same, it was a nice, big mule deer buck with chocolate antlers scoring 161 in the Boone & Crockett system.  Admittedly, I didn't even know there were different ways to score bucks, but apparently their are. In this case, a score of 161 is a pretty nice buck.

That day it was the four of us: me, Jeff, Mike and Ashley. We parked at the rim of a coulee and almost immediately spied this beast of a deer, and then spooked him away.  Jeff, being a fairly experienced guide, planned a hike wherein we would walk in the coulee bottom for a while and make a loop back towards the pickup.  Jeff thought the deer probably had not gone too far away, and in the end would be likely to be back where we found him.

We embarked on our hike.  It was a damp, cool day, but with little wind.  It was mild enough that with moderately fast hiking, we stayed warm enough. In the coulee, we saw piles and piles of deer.  I have not been hiking with Jeff for more than just a few years, but this was certainly the most deer I had yet seen while walking in a coulee. Jeff agrees that the deer numbers seem to be up a bit this year.

Eventually, we neared the completion of our loop and closed back in on the pickup.  As we got closer, that first big buck was spotted again- pretty near where we had first seen him.  Mike took him down.  It took us quite a while to locate him, but once we did, everyone was happy and surprised at how big he actually was.  I think Jeff was most pleased with the fact that his guiding skills were correct and that he still hasn't "lost" a deer once it had been shot. We both were also very happy Mike got such a nice deer- his biggest so far in his hunting career.

The next day, Jeremy and Jacynta joined us.  The number of vehicles carrying hunters driving through the north country was a little overwhelming, being a Saturday.  We found it difficult to find a good place to park that wasn't already overrun with hunters.  Eventually, we settled on a short, flat hike through an area Jeff and I frequently see a lot of deer. Right as we neared the end of our loop and were about to head back to the pickup, Mike and Jeff spotted some pretty nice deer, and the hunt was on.

Jeff, Jeremy and Jacynta taking aim on some deer.

 We spent quite some time scoping what looked like a pretty nice buck.  In the end, shots were taken, but it turned out the animal was further away than he appeared. He'll live to see another day.

Sunday morning, Jeff, Mike, Ashley, and I took our dogs on a bird hunt through a creek bed area.  The dogs did great and were a great team together. Harvey stalked and pointed birds and Skip, Mike and Ashley's Golden Retriever, brought them back to us.  It was the first sunny day we had in a while, and with no fog and no wind.  Quite a nice day we had.

We saw quite a few birds, but only harvest two Hungarian Partridge, or "Huns." We are off to Bozeman again this upcoming weekend, but should be home the following weekend, and already with plans to host Jeremy and Jacynta.  Somewhere in between guiding and hiking with friends, Jeff will likely get a deer for himself.  

As for me, last season was my trial grounds. My year of discovery, if you will.  My conclusion is that I have no moral qualms with hunting, and I have found that in the moment an animal is harvested, I don't feel sad for it, like I thought I would originally.  However, I just don't feel the need to take a shot myself. What I like most about hunting is two things: 1) Spending time enjoying the great outdoors, and 2) Spending time with Jeff doing something he truly loves to do.  

Until next time, when A Hunting We Will Go, again!

Hunting on the Hi Line: Part 4

And just like that, hunting season was over.

Well, technically, there's still several weeks or more left, but Jeff and his pal both shot as many deer as they wanted to over the weekend.  I guess the rest of the tags they didn't fill will go unused-- tag soup.  I will have to contribute my antelope buck tack to that mix as well.

I could have tried harder or been more insistent about hunting my antelope buck, but I spent most of the season this year just trying to figure out if I even cared to hunt at all.  I think ultimately what I enjoy about hunting the most is simply hiking outdoors and enjoying nature with friends and family.  Maybe next year I'll be able to give hunting the full effort anything deserves when trying it for the first time and actually shoot an animal.  We shall see...

Photos from this weekend below.

This is the buck Jeff shot.  Not a huge rack, but the deer had a huge body.

When you shoot a deer in the bottom of a coulee, you have to drag it up and out of the coulee...
The guys had control of the deer and I carried both their packs and weapons. 

Sun setting, silhouetting the Sweetgrass Hills. 

In the bottom of a coulee.

Deer running along the coulee ridge top.

The coulees are otherwordly in my opinion.

Hunting on the HiLine: Part 3

Many of you have emailed me or commented wondering whatever happened to my antelope tag... Well, first I have to apologize.  I misinformed you all.  I thought the tag expired last weekend, but it turns out I have one more week!  I didn't end up going out on Sunday.  I value sleeping in quite a bit, so I didn't get up early in the morning with Jeff and his buddy, and Jeff had to do work in the afternoon (Yes, farmers still do work during hunting season!)

So as of now, the plan is to hunt and hike pretty hard this coming weekend.  I have told Jeff that I will try to fill my tag.  He has a "monster buck" antelope picked out that I know he would love me to shoot.  We have joked that a nice big antelope head mount would make a lovely Christmas gift to my parents... ;)  The saga continues!

In addition to Jeff's buddy coming up from Bozeman to hunt this past weekend, Jeff's cousin was here as well.  She is interested in learning to hunt ethically and safely and Jeff was a great guide.

Sunday night Jeff and I and his parents were invited to a dinner party in Rudyard. It was hosted by some friends of Tom and Carol in honor of the hunting guests they were hosting.  Seems like around here everyone loves a party and also everyone is very inclusive.

There has been some discussion that perhaps too many licenses are being awarded to this area.  Jeff feels our area is being over hunted and I think it bothers him some to see so many people hunting our otherwise sparsely populated area.  What's more, deer numbers are down this year anyway, but it seems as though numbers of hunters are up.  For people who are harvesting animals solely for food purposes this may not be a big deal.  If you only care about meat, you probably don't want a trophy buck anyway, and I have been told that whitetail meat tastes better.  However, with numbers of animals being down, especially for mule deer, it's probably time for Fish and Game to reevaluate the distribution of tags it awards.

Anyway.  Here's some photos from the hike I took with Jeff and his cousin through the coulees, looking for deer.  The lighting is not great, but I think you will get a sense of what the coulees are like around here.

We were well within bow range of a llama. 

Looking into a large coulee from the road. 

Our descent into the coulee.  Jeff, followed by his cousin. 

We startled these deer up and out of the coulee. 

We never did fill any tags, but it was a great hike all the same.
Here are some swallow nests built into the mud wall of the coulee. 

A fossilized item, probably petrified wood.  

A perfect perch for the nest of a large bird. Eagle? Hawk?

Looking toward another coulee, around sunset. 

The Hunting Lodge is OPEN!

With the arrival of our house guest this weekend, the hunting lodge is now OPEN for the season.

There are piles of antelope and deer around here, plus sharptail grouse and Hungarian partridge in great numbers.  Jeff is an excellent hunting guide and annually finds himself leading his friends and family members around the stubble fields and into the coulees in search of the next great kill.  Jeff is the Operations Manager and Chief Hunting Guide, but has told me we can all just call him Chief.  Usually, Jeff leads his friends to where he knows they will find big animals, and tries to encourage them to shoot one before he will take a chance.  After all, Jeff lives here and could hunt any time.  He wants to show his friends a good time and help make sure they get a good animal.

Now that I'm here, I have taken on the role of Logistical Manager of the hunting lodge.  I help with preparing food, general housekeeping, occasional transportation of the Chief and patrons, and other miscellanea.  Of course we don't charge our friends and family for room and board at our house during hunting season or any other time, but I like to think of it as a bed and breakfast and try to plan for delicious food and beverages whenever we will have company.

Right now is bow season (rifle opens in two weeks).  Yesterday our guest shot the first antelope buck of the season early in the day.  Today, they are out trying to get one for Jeff.  Sometimes I feel like I am living on the Sportsman's channel on TV.  The guys are so giddy about getting an animal, and will talk nonstop about the details of each shot taken.

Jeff is constantly trying to convince me I should hunt with them.  At this point, I'm more comfortable in my role as Logistical Manager.  That being said, I also think it's important to try new things, so I will give it a go some time this season, I'm sure.

Almost every weekend this fall that we are not in Bozeman for Bobcat football games, it is likely that someone will be staying at the Hunting Lodge.  I am looking forward to having visitors, and it is nice to see people who are so excited about being here.