Over the years I have had many successsful hunts with my buddy Cal. Together we have accounted for a number of dead turkeys in Sonoma and Marin County with our bows, but Cal can get it done with a rifle or shotgun as well.

After getting some handloaded ammunition and installing a new trigger, he connected on this nice Montana Whitetail.

My uncle tried to get this guy a couple days before without any success. He had been very leery and elusive in the daylight hours. So I actually got up very early one morning and put on some chest waders and sneaked down a creek in the dark to where I thought he might be feeding.
He was just leaving the field when it was shooting time. I could barely see his horns about 100 yards away. After I shot he fell straight down in his tracks. It was still kind of dark and I couldn’t tell if I got him for sure. Well as you can tell I was very happy when I walked up and found him laying there.

I also had a doe tag and went back out and shot one with my bow.

Over the past few seasons we have been treated to some great trail camera pictures form DJ Rankosky of Montana.  He spends a lot of time in the offseason keeping track of wolves, bears and an occasional deer elk or moose with his trail cameras.   So with as much time in the outdoors, a rainy day is hardly much incentive to spend another day out chasing elusive elk in the dripping trees and brush.

A rainy midweek day hunt paid off big.  Since he had a day off and had fufilled his family obligations that morning he headed out, in the rain , to see if he could bump into a few elk near his home before he had to pick up his kids that afternoon.

Its only a 15 or 20 minute hike up a hill and over the other side, next to a clearcut, where the timber is dark, and elk like it. Perfect timing, as they are probably out of the clearcut and in the timber by now. I hit the timber at about 10:45, and right away see some brown legs, chins, and white rumps going away deeper into the timber(nothing in there eh?). Its wizzing rain and quiet walking. I move in closer, find where a root wad came up creating a little pit to get down in and call. Hopefully a bull comes back for his “lost cow”. Well about 1 minute into calling, a stick snaps directly behind me, downslope. And CLOSE!!

I turn my head to see this bull 15-20 yards down the hill, he startles, and circles downhill about 10 yards, I cow call and he stops, really wanting to see a cow I am sure. Broadside, ummmmm, 30 yards give or take a couple. Tree on the left, tree on the right, branch high, branch low, perfectly framing the ribcage on this bull. I somehow weasel around to a shooting position, and get drawn. And I let her go!! The fletching disappears but the bull leaves the “window”, not sure how the shot went. I cow call again, and hop out of my pit. The bull circles downhill 40 yards more and is just standing there. Thinking, drop, fall, die, do something(other than bolt down this steep freaking slope all the way to the creek. Then his rump starts sagging, and he lurches over backwards and expires. Yeahhh!!!!!

It wasn’t your typical big country western hunt with the spike camps and gear and such…

But it is a nice bull on public land filled with wolves and griz. I guess it kind of shows, you just have to keep putting yourself out there no matter how bleak it seems, you will find that bull that is just out of his mind enough to trick.

The deadlines to apply for FWP’s special license drawings are May 1 for bison, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat; and June 1 for elk, deer and antelope.

Applying for special big game hunting permits and licenses is a lot easier these days for the growing number of hunters who apply online at fwp.mt.gov . Click ” Apply for a Permit or License .”

Internet applicants receive instant confirmation that their applications are accepted and accurate. To avoid the one slip-up that can’t be detected, applicants should double check their desired hunting district numbers before and after entering them. Once submitted, the application can’t be changed.

Applicants will need a MasterCard or Visa credit card. A convenience fee of $1.25, plus two percent of the total purchase, will be added to the purchase price.

For those who don’t own a computer, Internet access is available at Montana’s 80 public libraries and 30 branch public libraries. Paper applications are available at all FWP offices and from most license providers.

Additional information about FWP’s $5 SuperTag lottery is also available online on FWP’s SuperTag Web page. The SuperTag chances are available for bison, moose, sheep, mountain goat, deer, elk, antelope, and mountain lion hunts.

Long time Montana hunters will notice a slightly new format in the state’s 2010 big game hunting regulation booklet and find several new opportunities for deer, elk and antelope for the upcoming season.

The opening pages of the 2010 big game regulations outline the hunter’s legal responsibilities afield, followed by hunting district maps, regulations and legal descriptions of each hunting district. The final pages of the regulations contain information on licenses and general items of interest to hunters.

“We made the changes in response to requests for a simpler and easier way to access the array of information in Montana’s hunting regulations,” said Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim. “We hope that most find the regulations easier to read and the information more accessible.”

In addition, there are several new opportunities for hunters in 2010. Here’s a summary:

New Opening Day— Antelope, deer and elk seasons will open on a Saturday for the first time in recent memory. The general season for antelope will open Oct. 9. The general deer and elk season opener is set for Oct. 23. In past years, most general big game hunting seasons opened on a Sunday.
Deer Youth Hunt at Fall Break— A youth hunt for deer limited to youngsters between the ages of 12-15 was approved for the Thursday and Friday preceding the Saturday opener. That’s Oct. 21-22 and coincides with Montana’s annual two-day teachers’ convention, which are no-school days for most public school students. FWP will evaluate the program over the next two years.
“Party” Applications for Elk and Deer Hunters— For the first time ever, deer and elk hunters who enjoy hunting with friends and family can now apply for special licenses and permits as a “party” of up to four applicants. Be sure to follow application directions carefully.
ELK B Licenses— Elk B licenses (formally called “A9” or “B12” licenses), which allow taking a second elk, have replaced antlerless elk permits in several hunting districts. The change seeks to conform to deer and antelope “B” license classifications that provide hunters an opportunity to purchase a second license. An added benefit to hunters is the ability to use their special permit drawing application for a special bull-elk permit, instead of an antlerless permit. The change also provides additional opportunities for wildlife managers to increase antlerless elk harvest in areas where elk exceed population objectives.
Black Bear and Mountain Lion Archery— For the first time, Montana will offer black bear and lion archery-only seasons, which will open along with the general big game archery season on Sept. 4. To participate one must have a valid archery license.
New Antelope and New Deer and Elk Applications for Residents— Due to additional opportunities, residents now have one application for deer and elk and another for antelope. Each application requires a $2 Bonus Point fee.
Bonus Points— New this year, bonus points are also available for Elk B, Deer B and Antelope B licenses through the special drawings. The price to participate is $2 for residents and $20 for nonresidents per application.
Bison Hunting Districts— The deadline to apply for Montana’s special license drawing for bison is May 1. Hunters should note, as indicted on the application, that the West Yellowstone hunting district is 395 and the Gardiner hunting district is 385.
Montana’s annual big game hunting regulations and drawing applications are now available on the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Web site at fwp.mt.gov and from most FWP offices and license providers.

The deadline to apply for moose, bighorn sheep, bison and mountain goat licenses available through a drawing is May 1; the deadline to apply for deer, elk licenses and permits and antelope licenses available through a drawing is June 1.

DJ Rankosky from Western Montana has dropped a few more of his great trail cam pictures in my email inbox.  I thought you all would appreciate them.

DJ Writes:

The warm weather has been great, at least for the deer and elk, they need a reprieve. I hope it just keeps piling up in the mountains and raining down here. Have taken some walks around the neighborhood, haven’t seen any lion tracks, only preds seems to be the yotes. Went to Eureka and checked the cameras up there, had a few neat ones. Enjoy. The pink predator is Cazzie, she wanted to go check the camera by the house on the buck that we found on the property. She always talks about the coyotes

A quick movie clip from  DJ Rankosky’s trail cam in Western Montana.  A Grizzly bear sow and cub.  

 hwqile I’m down at Tejon ranch chasing hogs, I’m gonna let my buddy from Montana, DJ Rankosky tell you all a story complete with pictures, about a couple of bull elk he has gotten to know over the years on his trail cameras:

One of the things I like to do with my trail cams is hike them into some remote basins and set them up on wallows and springs. Obviously I get some pretty neat elk pictures and bear pictures, but I am more surprised at what I don’t get. Not one picture of a lion, lynx, wolverine, or other small carnivores like weasels or martens.

Like I said, I get lots of elk, and two bulls stirred my interest in the summer of 2007, one I dubbed “toad sticker” and the other “thirds”. The “toad sticker” bull had a freakishly long left second tine, it stuck out to the side like a sword. Overall he was a nice six, long main beams but very narrow, not being 36 inches wide. “Thirds” was a nice bull, the big dog in the basin; his third tines were much longer than any other bull I had ever seen in this country. They never showed up together, but “thirds” had a little tag-along rag horn that was always with him. Both bulls played into archery season 2007, but “toad sticker” is the most interesting story.

(more…)

Well DJ Rankosky has been out to check his cameras again. Here is what is roaming the hills of NW Montana, (using a road none the less)

Big Coyote…

This one AIN”T a Coyote though…Yep that’s a wolf.

There is more than one…

The predators aren’t JUST Canines in the winter

While many Western hunters are getting cabin fever after the hunting seasons close, DJ Rankosky of  Kalispell, Montana is putting out scouting cameras in his hunting areas.

Scouting cameras have been widely adopted by Midwest Whitetail hunters, but see limited use in the West in the vast tracts of public land. When I asked DJ how and why he got started he replied:

“I hunted this brushy country since I was 12. Spent lots of time scouting, out hiking, all that. Two kids come along and that changes a guy’s priorites. They are the most important thing in my life, along with my wife of course. So I started thinking I needed something to help me scout.”

DJ’s early experiments with Game cameras were a learning experience. He finally began building his own “homebrew” cameras.

“My friend bought a Leaf River cam, we played around with it, got some pics, but it was just so slow on the trigger, and bulky. Started surfing the internet, found some homebrew websites and got hooked. I have built about 25-30 cams, I run about 13-15 during the spring and summer. It is so fun to see what is there when I am not. ”

Where DJ hunts is thick and brushy and that part of the state is not as conducive to long range glassing as other more open parts of the West.

“Northwest Montana is tough to scout anyway, you can see the sign, but just don’t see the game like in other parts of the state and country, you can be 20 yards away from an elk, and not see it! Even glassing, you get a glimpse of game but never a good look before it’s into the next patch of alder. ”

DJ has captured some unbelievable pictures from his cameras. Some of the most memorable have been of the predators that share his hunting area.

In November of 2007 he found a mule deer carcass and set up a camera, hoping to catch pictures of scavengers such as coyotes. When he downloaded the pictures he was surprised to find these BIG toothy buggers in his hunting area:

He even kept tabs on them when spring rolled around. He set up a camera on a logging deck where the grass came early (Probably to catch Deer and Elk). The family unit of Grizzlies was back.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll give you folks a taste of DJ’s remote scouting. Perhaps it will encourage folks to get out into their hunting areas and see what’s happening when they are not there….

It doesn’t happen very often, but when hunters are calling to elk, sometimes it attracts other predators.  Steve Tintzman and Barry Lemon know first hand.  While calling to a bugling bull elk, with a cow elk call, a cougar was attracted to the sound and Was stalking Tintzman.  Lemon shot it once with his traditional longbow just yards from his hunting partner.

“As it got closer and closer, I saw it much too low to the ground,” Lemon said. “Steve was behind me cow calling. When it got about 25 yards away, I saw that it was mountain lion.”

It was coming right at the camouflage-clad hunter.

“Maybe 15 yards away, it crouched down low and it was flipping its tail,” he said. “It was looking beyond me. Its eyes were glued on Steve.”

The big cat stopped, slowly turned and began walking away.

“I thought, ‘That’s a good sign,’ ” Lemon said. “I thought I’d just let it walk away.”

Suddenly, the mountain lion turned and began creeping right toward Tintzman, who had no idea the animal was anywhere near. Lemon began to inch backwards. He already had an arrow nocked in the string of his traditional longbow.

“It was crouched down low and heading right at Steve,” Lemon said. “My mind was racing. All my experience in the outdoors told me the lion could cover 15 yards to zero in a matter of seconds. It was moving fast.”

The Full Story in the Missoulan