Upper Breaks are a mess

[SteveE]

I crieded all summer about drought and fire.
Blink and it will change.
Ive been mudded out of my elk hunt for 3 straight weekends now. Managed to get in one day and pull my camera.

I only have to drive 4.5 hours and have a rifle tag so no biggie but I feel sorry for the out of state archery hunters stranded on the edge of asphalt praying for wind to dry up the muddy roads. They are in every approach.

Talked to a guy from WA in a Toyota that was stuck for 6 days straight. He thought he would be ok with new mud tires and a winch. Ha!

 

[TimeOnTarget]

I crieded all summer about drought and fire.
Blink and it will change.
Ive been mudded out of my elk hunt for 3 straight weekends now. Managed to get in one day and pull my camera.

I only have to drive 4.5 hours and have a rifle tag so no biggie but I feel sorry for the out of state archery hunters stranded on the edge of asphalt praying for wind to dry up the muddy roads. They are in every approach.

Talked to a guy from WA in a Toyota that was stuck for 6 days straight. He thought he would be ok with new mud tires and a winch. Ha!

View attachment 74597

View attachment 74598

Don't they have boots?

 

[SteveE]

Don't they have boots?

Boots do you no good in this country when it is gooey. You literally get 4 inches taller from the mud stuck to your boots. My tall Schnees weigh 20 lbs each

Tire chains, boots, 4 wheelers - none of it moves when the breaks go to goo.

 

[Lonesome_God_outdoors]

I wonder how those tread things you can put on your truck, instead of wheels, would handle this type of mud. Or if they would just destroy everything

 

[HSi-ESi]

I was thinking about the Breaks this morning when I saw all the snow hitting Big Sandy & Havre. Did the Breaks just get rain out of it?

 

[Nameless Range]

Tire chains, boots, 4 wheelers - none of it moves when the breaks go to goo.

Years ago, a friend and I made a very poor decision and got stuck near a reservoir southeast of the Wilder Trail that no longer exists called Buffalo Wallow. Getting stuck in gumbo sucks. Hiking to salvation for the better part of 8 hours in gumbo sucks worse.

I think that soil would prevent a tank from crossing it in some instances. Hopefully rifle season has more favorable weather for you.

 

[Southern Elk]

Coming from Mississippi I can sympathize with the mud. Sometimes the best that we can do is ride an ATV and I've seen gumbo so bad that the mud is solid between the tires and fenders and the tires won't even spin. Like others have said, nothing is worse that boots that weigh 20 lbs each.

 

[Addicting]

The way that elk is posed in that photo makes it look like he is more moose than Elk. The gaps in the pines make him look all pallmated.

Does the goo turn bottom less or is just the greasiness of it that makes it so messy?

 

[MThuntr]

The way that elk is posed in that photo makes it look like he is more moose than Elk. The gaps in the pines make him look all pallmated.

Does the goo turn bottom less or is just the greasiness of it that makes it so messy?

It can be both...seemingly small dips can turn into bottomless bogs that swallow trucks and other places will be snot slick on the surface and dry 1/2" down.

 

[brownbear932008]

Worst stuff in the world if ya want a good workout walk in gumbo several miles with those 20lb boots. We call it the three step kick.

 

[npaden]

I remember getting stuck a few times during rifle season and waiting until it froze up at night to get out. I guess this early it isn't freezing at night and you are just stuck until it dries up.

I also remember having it get so packed around the tires in the wheel well so I wasn't able to turn the steering wheel anymore. Had to use a tire iron to get it knocked out to where I could turn the steering wheel again.

 

[u1299]

Then when you get home a simple trip to the car wash won't be sufficient either.

 

[Lefty315]

I just flew over this morning, lots of snow on the ground up through central Montana. I'm guessing it'll warm up, melt and continue being messy for a bit.

 

[1_pointer]

Gah! Hope it starts drying out. I won't be there for 3 weeks, so it has time. What little experience I do have with the gumbo makes me really hope it dries before then.

 

[gregt9146]

Boy i hope it drys out before November 10th when I head out, Either that or well need to change up our plans and stay on the graveled areas

 

[TheTone]

I first learned about Montana gumbo when I was a kid hunting prairie dogs. I was awoken middle of the night to us quickly breaking camp in a rain storm and hurrying back along the dirt road to get to pavement before we were stuck in their longer than we wanted. That stuff is no joke and has had my respect ever since. Glad I wasn't trying to elk hunt out there this year.

 

[mtmiller]

I was thinking about the Breaks this morning when I saw all the snow hitting Big Sandy & Havre.

Not sure how much they got in the Breaks? Assume you are talking Phillips? We did get a bit in Havre. GuNR was on patrol.

 

[Art Vandeley]

The mud was brutal a couple weeks ago.

 

[SteveE]

The mud was brutal a couple weeks ago.

View attachment 74615

Awesome! I’ve made 5 trips this year. Took the picture of that bull opening morning of archery. Still hard for me to believe (now) but it was so flippin hot and crackling sweet clover that I didnt even go after him. No way I can process/pack a bull fast enough being solo so I let him walk thinking I would be back soon.

The next trip I knew it had got a bit of moisture but you only get so many days to hunt so off I went. Found standing water. Ambitious with memory loss I headed in. Made it bout 1/4 mile almost burying it twice in holes big enough to eat a 4x4. Funny how my memory returned instantly.

I’ve been out twice since and have only gotten into this bulls area once and had to get out as the weather man lied and the midnight snow storm started at 2:00pm.

Good times

 

[JWP58]

I wonder how those tread things you can put on your truck, instead of wheels, would handle this type of mud. Or if they would just destroy everything

Probably just destroy the road.