It’s So Hard…To Say Goodbye….To September…

September was again filled with bugling elk and starlit nights, mostly spent with my two good friends Kirk and Shawn.  These two hard working, hard hunting guys of high moral fiber and questionable hygiene, and I always meet up every year to see what September has in store for us.  We spend time chasing the elusive elk that Montana graciously provides us with every fall, while trying not to laugh or screw up too much along the way.  This year was no different than the last, mainly spent in our local honey hole that has few to far between elk and numerous other hunters, but we decided to give it hell again and see what lady luck would bring us.

It turns out lady luck, like she almost always is, was on the side of the elk again this year as we had numerous Stalk and Spook successes.  My greatest success to date actually was exploding the top of a fallen tree as I had a 6 by 6 bull at 30 yards.  Had my arrow been one cm higher, I would have had a very nice bull on the first day we went out, but instead, I have a broken arrow and a spooked off bull. Nothing better than learning some new Stalk and Spook techniques while out in the field.  Just because your shot looks good through your sights doesn't mean the arrow flight will be.  I believe it was Socrates, or maybe Aristotle (always get them confused) who once famously said “Elk hunting is a bitch, and then you die.”  The extreme high of calling in that bull to an absolute perfect spot for a shot on him was something that happens maybe once in a season if you’re lucky, and I had completely blown it.  It’s definitely something that will linger until next September even if I get a bull later this year with my rifle.  There’s something special about that perfect September setup…the perfect call, the big bull, the wind in your face, and he’s on a bee line to a broadside shot.  It’s something you dream about and to have it go south like that for a small oversight will constantly stick in your head until you can attempt to recreate that scene again, but finally put that arrow where it was intended. 

September didn’t pass without its blessings though.  Days spent with great friends, hearing the elk bugling, watching elk come in quickly to calls, and disappearing just as quickly with a shifting wind, and being able to fill my Elk B tag were all blessings I soon won’t forget.  You can’t complain about Montana grown organic elk in the freezer, and on top of that, I still have my general tag to keep on Spookin’.   Cheers to you September…I know you’ll be back, and when you do arrive, we’ll be somewhat ready for what you may have to offer.

"It's hard to describe the emotions that go through your body as a hunter. We experience the ultimate of low's immediately followed up by the ultimate of highs. We leave the trailhead each day never knowing what the story is going to be by the time the sun sets on the horizon and we anxiously await the next sunrise. It's a feeling that is so natural and deep within our bodies there is absolutely no way to ignore it. This is naturally what we were put on earth to do....Hunt, Respect, Conserve, Provide." - Jason Matzinger of Into High Country

_CTN

September Failure / Blizzard Bull

Bow season is over and I’ve dawned my rifle numerous times looking for elk but it’s just not the same.  Not even close.  After the rut died down, I couldn’t stop thinking about my missed opportunities and my one misguided arrow that missed what would have been my first bull elk with my bow.  I blew an amazing opportunity and don’t think I’ll get over it until I start hearing the bugles of 2014, but then again, it’s still hunting season.  I keep thinking of this bow season as a failure, as I never got the bull that I had desperately wanted.  But looking back on the season now, was it really a failure?

Shawn's bull

 My good friend and fellow Stalk and Spooker Shawn T Norris got a bull on the exact same day as he did the year prior.  We didn’t realize it until later, but it made us laugh.  Must be his lucky day…he should have probably bought a Powerball ticket that day as well.  We couldn't have been happier for him.  We probably were  as excited as he was that a bull was finally down.  We could have cared less who got it.  

After that, we got into multiple bulls almost every night and became so familiar with them that we named a couple based on their bugles.  I was full draw multiple times on different bulls but never quite got it done. 

I passed on a cow that had a calf that walked at 20 yards past me without a worry in the world.  The cow and her calf were continually talking throughout their adventure through the forest something about that family relationship made me drop my bow.  Had she not had a calf, maybe my season story would be a little different, but had I shot her, I don’t think I could look back at the kill and be happy about it. 

Bow season?

Having some fresh elk in the freezer is nice, but thinking about the wandering calf calling for her mother for the next couple days just made me uneasy.  Some people would say shoot, some wouldn’t, but I just did what I felt was right.  I’m definitely not saying it would have been wrong to take that animal, as it was perfectly legal, but I think it’s the intimate part of bowhunting that allows us to make those choices.  Being that close to an animal allows you to look at the whole picture, the herd and family mentality, and allows you to make choices and restrictions with hunting in ways that rifle hunting may not.  I guess that’s what makes bowhunters a little different.  We choose to bowhunt not because it’s easy, or a more efficient way to fill the freezer, but we do it because of the challenge, the adventure, the memories, the bugles, and knowing that it is one of the most pure and honest ways to take down a game animal.  It’s truly a hunt.  The ethics that bowhunters (as well as many rifle hunters) have don’t lie directly in the black print of the FWP hunting regulations, but expand far beyond that.  Not only is bowhunting difficult and at times exhausting, our personal ethics and restrictions that we put on ourselves can make it that much harder.  Try to convince someone who’s never bowhunted before to come out with you and they may say yes right away, but first let them know that you have a slim to nothing chance of getting something, if you see something you’re lucky, and if you actually get close to an animal it’ll be one of your best hunting days of the year. I don’t know many people that would gladly sign up for that, but for some reason us bowhunters can’t get enough of it.  Maybe some bowhunters won't agree with that, but we're normal guys with jobs constantly hunting public land, so I shouldn’t speak for all bowhunters on this, as I don’t know every bowhunter out there, but I’m guessing a lot of them feel the same way I do, especially those I hunt with.  
But really...was this season a failure? 

For two weeks I got two hunt with 2 of the best guys I know.  Four days into the season I was full draw on a nice bull, basically 2 more steps and could have had a bull.  Kirk and I did get to see the BIGGEST SMILE we’ve ever seen on our close friend Shawn T Norris during one of the worst September snow storms we’ve ever been in!

The September Blizzard Bull

We saw and heard more elk and had more opportunities on bulls this past year than we ever had before, and we got to spend two weeks hiking and camping around the beautiful state of Montana during the fall.  You can’t really beat that.

I guess I can’t call it a failure.  It was definitely a season full of Stalk and Spook success. 

One of my favorite times after a Stalk and Spook Failure... 

Getting the job done

Spoon and Sprocket Antelope Buck

A couple months ago, my buddy Kirk and I decided mid-September was too far away and we needed to try our luck with the Montana antelope 900 tag before the mayhem of September started.  We decided to set out to the mountains for a chance at some early season antelope this past weekend.  Neither of us have ever arrowed an antelope before, and with our number of Stalk and Spook antelope hunts mounting, we felt this short trip may give us the best chance possible.  Bow hunting antelope in August is something most people don't know you can do, let alone actually be successful at, but it's exactly what we headed out to do.  

Antelope are amazing animals.  They are the fastest land animal in North America, have supposedly eight times the vision humans have, and combine it with an extremely wide field of vision that gives us bow hunters little chance on sneaking up on them in a spot and stalk situation. It's actually been said that the only person ever known to run one down in full sprint was Chuck Norris.  Sitting in a blind all day in 90 degree weather can be really fun if you can't afford a sauna, but with this land and terrain, spot and stalk was our hunting style of choice.  

It's amazing how these antelope vary in areas that they live.  We spotted a herd at the top of a mountain range, guessing somewhere around 9,000 feet, and also spotted a few of them several thousand feet lower on the open meadows and river bottoms.  My good friend Shawn T Norris was bear hunting the snowline at around 7,000-9,000 feet elevation this past spring and ran into them up there, just acting like they belonged.  They are definitely Montana's version of an antelope...tough, rugged, and will make any situation a favorable one.  It's an extremely unique situation and I've never seen anything like it anywhere else I've seen antelope.  We were truly hunting Montana mountain antelope.   

Our first night, we met up at camp and made a campfire and discussed plans for the morning. The next morning started off with mountain closures due to forest fires, and we had to alter our plans dramatically due to the changing of conditions.  We headed back up the road and found a spot to gain some elevation to start our spotting.  It worked out.  We found a herd of about 20 speed goats up on the hill side and decided to put a stalk on.  There was one giant buck with a ton of does sitting in a field surround by hundreds of yards of open grass land.  After closing the distance to the final tree, there was no more cover and we just had to sit and watch these animals hang out and leave without us having a chance on them.  We packed up and headed back down the mountain, which actually turned in to a lucky turn of events.   

Heading back towards camp, my fellow Stalk and Spooker noted some interesting white spots on the side hill of the road.  We pulled over and glassed and it was exactly what we were looking for...antelope.  Not only 2 bucks, but 2 young bucks in an area where a stalking position would be possible.  We grabbed our bows and headed out on another stalk.

This stalk was perfect.  We had cover the whole way by trees on a river bottom and by walking up the river side, the constant noise of flowing water covered our noise from the dry grass and branches crunching under our boots.  The wind was minimal and the antelope were grazing some of the only green grass we'd seen.  As we crawled up the river bank to get a shot, I noticed the first buck heading down river right behind a tree.  I took this chance to set up and get ready to draw back and wait for him to pop back out so I could get a shot.  Kirk ranged my buck at 36 yards and I waited.  As I was waiting, Kirk whispered over to me, "I've got a shot on the second buck...Should I take it!?" Obviously, I told him of course and Kirk drew back and released...all I remember is the classic "thwack" and we had an antelope down.  It won't be breaking any record books and we joked it was more "Spoon and Sprocket" than Boone and Crocket, but its a trophy in our eyes.  A great end to a great weekend.

I'm still thinking about it...this was a buck completely unaware of our presence, chomping down on delicious grass, making his way towards water and still jumped the string of Kirk's bow without even seeing him release his arrow.  I  am amazed by their quickness and ability to try and avoid oncoming arrows.  We had a friend last week that missed a buck at 45 yards due a a string jump.  They are quick little critters and have evolved into a bow hunters nightmare.  With cooling temps, I'll be tempted to sit in a blind the rest of the year, but this hunt was awesome and a great warmup to the coming elk season.  Is it September yet?

Morning view from camp while drinking coffee.  Can't beat a beautiful Montana morning