With the end of big game season yesterday, I am curious on how the hunting crowd on the forum did this year.

I made my annual trek (well, first time in two years, we got skunked for tags in 2012) to Miles City for antelope hunting, and it was probably the lowest amount of goats we have ever seen. I did get a nice fat doe, and had a local businesswoman compliment me on my posts here after I bought some supplies with my credit card and she recognized my name, so all was not a complete loss.

Here in western Montana, the elk stayed high the whole season long. We would find their beds in the morning, but they would be long gone to the high country before legal shooting. At age 52, I am not going to pack out a cow elk for three miles...those days are gone.

Deer hunting I got close a couple of times....but no cigar. I am getting to be a picky deer hunter any more...if I don't want to eat it, I won't shoot it. So that means I am using my A tag to hunt whitetail does.

How did everyone else do.

We went back and forth to Ekalaka many times during hunting season. While we were not hunting we did see a lot of antelope on the cut across road. Saw multiple herds everyday. Saw several so so mule dear bucks. Almost hit a 5 x 5 with but small in diameter, about 18" wide but really tall.

One night a monstrous Mule deer buck came walking straight down the gravel road at us. We almost couldn't get stopped. He calmly walked to within 30 yars and then stepped of the road. The deer my brother got years and years ago the is 27 1/4" wide would have easily fit inside of this guys rack. He was huge. Never once did he run.

We did see more coyotes than deer though. Only a few white tail deer, with one decent buck, but it was near a farmers house bedded down everyday with his small heard of does. They did have a nice looking coat though.

Wish we would have had a dash cam. It would have been an awesome video to share...

[This message has been edited by Tim Wagoner (12/2/2013)]

I heard the harvest was low in this part of the state.

My friend and I did very well this year. I harvested a 13" antelope with my bow, spike elk with my bow, 1 turkey with my bow, 1 turkey with my gun, 2 whitetail does 1 with gun the other with my bow, and a nice 5x6 whitetail buck with my gun. Needless to say my freezer is full.
My friend's dad harvested a very nice 6x7 whitetail, and my friend harvested a 8x9 whitetail along with 1 mule deer doe.
All in all a very good season, now I want to get out and do some pheasant hunting.

If you're talking about J and T, those were both really nice deer. I'm living vicariously through T atm.

It’s been slow here at the house this year. Wolves seem plentiful . . . moose seem scarce, probably no coincidence there. It’s not yet been cold enough to freeze the Kvijack, so the caribou are still far to the north of town.

In a couple weeks I’m going to have a go at the feral chickens on Kauai – I’ll post pics if I have any luck.

Yes Josh, you know who I hunt with we all had a very good season!!

Glad to see some hunters did good. I just heard my cousin in Big Timber got his deer and his elk all in the same day.

Gunnar wrote:

I did get a nice fat doe, and had a local businesswoman compliment me on my posts here after I bought some supplies with my credit card and she recognized my name, so all was not a complete loss.

Gunnar:

I find this improbable.

Both daughters of the hunting age were able to fill their mule deer tags. Most satisfying part for Dad was that in both cases, the hunt required some effort and strategy once the deer were located. Both times, the strategy worked exactly as Dad predicted. Consequently both girls were rewarded with easy shots.

Big Dave shall henceforth be known as "The Deer Whisperer".

Good for you and your family, Big Dave!

Bob L.: Not all of MC are Tea Party morans.