Hunt Talk Bear Hunt 4.0

[MThuntr]

Day 2 brought a lot of heat and sunshine. We had a very brave camp visitor. Our little brazen chipmunk visited regularly looking for handouts. That little bastard even stole some potatoes off the plate leftover from breakfast. Kaitum returned to camp with a very eager Barley dog. Barley managed to find a lot of odd sleeping positions (often with a tennis ball in his mouth). When I made it to my evening spot I was greeted with a great view as a rainstorm rolled in over the mountains. I didn't see any bears that day.

 

[MThuntr]

My Day 3 of the Hunt brought rain (and snow). I hiked back to a spot where Schaaf had seen sign the day before. A big wind with the rain made for a miserable even. I managed to put a good sneak on a few cow elk but no bears had wondered into sight

On my way back to camp, I discovered a tree had blown across the road. Not having a saw with me, I managed to break the top off and squeeze my Tacoma around by driving up on the berm create by the road construction. 2 miles down the road, found 4 teenage boys stuck in the ditch from sliding around a corner...I could tell they were drinking. After pulling their little car out of the ditch, I asked for one of their beers but alas they claimed they weren't drinking

 

[MThuntr]

Saturday (day 4 for me) was a bit of a struggle knowing this would be my last hunt of the trip. My glassing spot had been taken by 2 other hunters and alternative 2 was an old forest cut. I still hunted through the cut searching for sign but never saw any. A few deer and lots of elk droppings but otherwise devoid of wildlife. Day 4 came to a quick close without another bear sighting. I returned to camp to discover that I should have hiked further in as Randy and Travis had seen better glassing areas a few miles deeper. Alas the hunt was over without even chambering a round. Cushman shared some of his famous pork chili (probably my favorite of the trip). Travis cooked up some fresh morels too.

In the end we all had a great time and stayed up late at night telling hunting stories and jokes, picking of Quigley for his fancy french snoring and poking at the fire while imbibing fine beers brewed by Kaitum.

 

[Titan_Bow]

Awesome pics! I am heading up Thursday night for a week. Were you guys up in the Yaak? I'm wondering overall were you running into closed and impassable roads?

 

[Bulldog0156]

I'm bummed I missed the festivities; I was hoping to join this year. Someone needs to get a hold of me next year, I have no desire to shoot a bear but I'll help pack and spot, and I have a nice wall tent.

 

[jquigley]

His Instagram handle is Quigleyhunts...it should be Quigleysnores.

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You son of a... It should be pointed out that you took one of these photos immediately following your own nap. The other was taken immediately before one. Some of us just have manners and don't take photos. Besides, the lack of bears was making you cranky and I felt my snoring might soothe your nerves a bit.

 

[jryoung]

You son of a... It should be pointed out that you took one of these photos immediately following your own nap. The other was taken immediately before one. Some of us just have manners and don't take photos. Besides, the lack of bears was making you cranky and I felt my snoring might soothe your nerves a bit.

I wasn't napping, I was feeling the vibrations of the earth for bear movement.


On a serious note, this annual trip just keeps getting better. Despite the lack of bears this year the trip was filled with great stories, laughs and of course amazing food. It hindsight, we should have called an audible back in Jan/Feb when we saw the winter stacking up....next time. I can't express how much I have enjoyed the friendships fostered over the last four years. We all took a gamble meeting strangers from the internet, and there are a thousand cliches that would illustrate why taking chances and seizing the day is worth it.

Lot's of new country for me this trip, I happened to pick a black spot on the map the first day and it produced a big bear, but he didn't want to wait for us to get to him. Still not sure if he spooked, or was chasing a drumming grouse, or another bear....but we were out of sight, down wind and 1,000 yards away so it wasn't us when we saw him boogie.

Jeff found the "S"...as in the "S" in a bungie cord, right in his tire.


Treats from Cuba and California


Special places


Friends


At the Field to Table Dinner at last months BHA Rendezvous I told Governor Bullock I come to Montana for its share of our public lands and Kettlehouse Coldsmoke, I made good on my promise.


Sometime the sky was on fire


Sometimes it wasn't


Story time

 

[jryoung]

Pretty rifles and pretty views


I give him shit, but he's a good hunting partner.


All you want glacier lilies


We ate


and ate


and ate


and got meat sweats


then had breakfast

 

[Nameless Range]

Sounds like you guys had a great trip. Thanks for sharing.

Tell me about that corned meat or Pastrami?

 

[JLS]

Great photos. I think it's safe to say no one wanted to take me up on coffee?

 

[JohnCushman]

Great photos. I think it's safe to say no one wanted to take me up on coffee?

Were any of us near you?

 

[el unit]

Looks like a great time. Thanks for sharing the pics.

 

[JLS]

Were any of us near you?

I believe jr was, and probably Quigley too. Maybe one of these years I can join in on the main event, but spring track kind of mucks things up.

 

[jryoung]

No Spokane this trip, Missoula got me on the cheap. Maybe this year we get some chuckar.

 

[JLS]

No Spokane this trip, Missoula got me on the cheap. Maybe this year we get some chuckar.

Okay. Now I feel better. I felt so bad about myself that I bought a 6.5 Hipster to reaffirm I was cool.

You're on with the chukars.

 

[theat]

Another great Hunt Talk Bear Hunt come and gone. It was great to see all the familiar faces and a couple new ones. The bear hunting was a little slow, but that really isn't why I go anyway.

 

[publichunter1]

Glad all of you guys had a great time. Great scenery anyway. Congrats to all.

 

[kansasdad]

J.R.. that all looks great, right up to the tick pics.

 

[----]

Sounds like you guys had a great trip. Thanks for sharing.

Tell me about that corned meat or Pastrami?

Corned moose from the Big Hole valley via six of the guys' backs that were drinking beer around the fire. It went into a hash one morning for breakfast. I tried mule deer pastrami last year and other than Ben Lamb most found it inedible, this year's edition was much more of a success.

We also threw a bunch of moose kabobs on the fire at one point, but I was too busy grilling to take pictures. J.R. grilled a wild boar backstrap one night that was incredible.

I was in the middle of a medical flare up and was dragging ass all week, so was mainly relegated to road scouting. I finally coaxed Cushman out of camp one day and we glassed a small bear on a cliff face.

We saw every type of weather NW Montana can offer, can't wait until next year.

 

[LCH]

Another great Hunt Talk Bear Hunt come and gone. It was great to see all the familiar faces and a couple new ones. The bear hunting was a little slow, but that really isn't why I go anyway.
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I recognize some of that scenery. How was the hike to the falls? When we went the road was closed about 2.5 miles from the trailhead, which made it a 10 mile round trip. We wound up postholing about half of it. Seems like it would have been a nice hike on dry ground though.