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

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