We had a great group of hunters this year.  Despite some pretty significant physical limits for some, and a couple of really nasty colds for others, guys got up every day to hunt their best.  Besides their particular game, they saw lots of other wildlife.  Weather was favorable to enjoy the scenery and countryside. Plenty of shooting opportunities to go around; most of those opportunities were successful.  Most hunters filled at least one tag, and over half filled all their tags.  New friendships were made, and old ones renewed.  We appreciate the positive attitude and good sportsmanship of the 2009 hunters.

Brian Hall, our first bowhunter of the season, has taken elk and antelope with his bow on previous hunts with us.  Brian knew just what he wanted:  a six-point bull and an exceptional mule deer buck.  Brian was within shooting range of elk and deer almost every day.  He passed on a big mule deer buck, waiting for a bigger one.   When he saw a monster 5 point white
ail with a sticker point, he almost weakened.  Brian thought his previous record book whitetails were enough, but this guy was a test!  Brian finally saw his dream bull, about 75 yds. out, with a 5 point bull at about 30 yards.  Brian was pinned down by elk, and couldn’t get any closer to the big bull.  He decided to pass on the available 5 pointer.  Brian went home with great memories of his trophy bull ambling just out of range, and the thrill of watching some awfully good bucks while waiting for the monster muley.   He’ll be back for them!

Tim Shaw and Paul Hoffman joined us in mid-September to hunt elk, with Doug Foster as guide.  The elk rut was winding down, and the antelope rut was just beginning.  Nothing in archery range the first couple of days.  Then the elk began to cooperate!  Tim and Paul were in the same fix as Brian, with elk all around, and the big bulls skirting the edges.  They worked hard; missed a good bull, and passed on a couple of available 5 pointers before Paul took his bull on the last evening of their hunt.  Mr. Bull tested Doug’s tracking ability in the dark, before they found him piled up against some brush.  A couple of days during the heat of the day, they enjoyed fishing for some big brown trout.  Lots of excitement and fun on this hunt; we’re looking forward to Tim and Paul joining us again.  Maybe they’ll add antelope to their next hunt.

Guide Steve Babcock put his two award-winning dogs, Tiger and Sounder, to work for Mike Landes and Nick Miller on their combo bird hunt.  Geese came in late this fall.  Duck hunting was great; Nick and Mike limited on mallards.  Then Steve brought pointer Callie on the job, and they enjoyed some awfully fast shooting at Hungarian partridge.

Antelope season began with perfect weather and plenty of excitement.  Pat Judge and son Ryan completed their first Montana big game hunt with single shot kills of trophy bucks.   They had time to hunt Huns and sharptails with Steve and Callie.  Our sharptail population continues to increase; they kicked up several coveys, one with 20 birds.  In her first adult year of hunting, Callie is working like an old pro.

Jim Rankin and Ken Bowman made antelope hunting look too easy, taking their trophy bucks with single shots early, and filling their extra doe tags the next day.  During the same hunt, Bryan and Paul Pilon had a very productive hunt.  They had purchased two extra doe tags apiece, and took two bucks and three does back to Ontario with them.

Clayton Swalstad and Steve and Brian Burns were our first general rifle season hunters.  Steve and Brian, on their first Montana hunt, got into a good whitetail buck their first morning.  Steve harvested the first animal of rifle season.  Brian had a few misses in his rifle, so didn’t harvest another big whitetail buck that presented himself.  He nearly stepped on a cow and calf elk on Spring Gulch.  Clayton was fortunate to see a mountain lion stalking a mule deer doe one evening.  No videographer there to capture that unforgettable moment.  Clayton’s priority was a big bull and a big mule deer buck.  He practiced “watch and release” with several four point mule deer and whitetail bucks during the week.  Clayton hunted hard for elk, but did not get a shot.  Twice we surprised elk and they surprised us.  They had the advantage, and made their escape.  I’ve been guiding elk hunts for forty years, and the elk are still teaching me lessons.

The second week of the season brought Ron and Myron Hancock for elk and deer, and Clyde Sutton, Lew Smith, Butch Creamer, and Ace Brewster for deer and antelope.  The antelope hunters perfected their belly-crawling techniques all week.  They shot a lot of misses out of their rifles, and eventually wound up with three buck antelope on the meat pole.  Lew started the deer harvest with a good five point whitetail.  Ace followed up with a high four point mule deer.  Ron and I made a run on a big six point bull on the Daisy Dean.  Darkness caught up with us before we could get Ron in a good shooting position.  A couple of days later, three big bulls came toward Ron, but turned away at about 200 yards, before he could get a good shot.  Doug took Clyde onto the river bottom, and rattled and grunted in an aggressive four point whitetail for a one shot kill.

Bill Caton arrived a day early, and killed his bull the evening before his hunt officially started.  Bill had his choice of several 5 and 6 point bulls, and took the one within most effective shooting range.  He has a good record over his past thirty years of hunting with us on making one shot kills.  He also took the biggest 5 point whitetail of the season.  Charlie Carter came looking for a good bull and a mule deer buck, with his .308 pistol. Charlie hunted hard all week, and took the biggest mule deer of the season.

Fourth week of the season found Tony Zumpetta following the tradition he started last year, taking his bull on the first day of his hunt.  Mark Matthews took a 5 point bull that day, too. We had 14 bulls in a herd of 26.  Mark shot his bull while he was feeding.  The biggest bull in this group escaped over the top of the West Plateau.  Tony and Mark both worked harder for their bucks.  Tony took a nice five point whitetail; Mark held out for a mule deer until the last day, when he took a whitetail.

We were into lots of bucks and bulls Thanksgiving week, but had no hunters.  Hopefully, someone can leave home for a Thanksgiving hunt with us next year.   We’re looking forward to another good year, plenty of game, and many good hunters to share with.