Question : our mid-western bowhunters

[royden]

I'm glad you like NY BT One thing about our different hunting area's is food. For you I'm sure food is a prime hunting consideration either as a food plot or as "what field or acorn or mast source are they using today?" At least here in the western corner of the state where the brush is thicker than anything the east side of Mt has to offer ;D ;D (nothing like that nasty stuff in Tx - at least you can get thru our brush) food sources aren't as identifiable. I mostly spot/call and stalk in the mornings hunt the fringes of bedding area's or travel area's in the afternoon and evening. Going in to the blowdown nasty's after a bedded elk is a very difficult thing to pull off successfully.

Mtshooter - glad to see another Mt hunter. There had been two of us for a while but I am not as verbose as you appear to be so you can take up the slack for me. I really do like your posts and your heart for hunting partners. Have you chased antelopes north of Miles city? That's where we were going for a number of years but the 10 hour drive was a little much. I hope I've found a place North of Shelby that is only 4hrs - was gonna go this year but our car blew up and we ran out of extra money. Didn't want to take my old '68 pickup at $1/mile

Personally I love road hunters - the more the better: it keeps out of the area's you and I hunt. Few people ever even leave the road, very few make it more than a mile behind a gate. The crazy thing is that road hunting with a bow is actually highly successfull. I know a lot of people who do it (of course they are teaching the elk all about bad elk call's too .)

keep it up

[mtshooter]

Great to have another MT hunter here as well. Yes the road hunters help my plight I know several that are successful also, just isn't for me. Deep in the woods is where you find me and let them push them back. Besides I think I have better (IMO) encounters further back. How many times do you see a bull tearing up a wallow next to the road

We Goat hunt most of Eastern MT, and as you know a lot has been taken up by outfitters. But there still is some great Block Management available. I just won't leave my Double Bull setup. It is so sad that you can't trust a fellow hunter

[royden]

Around Angela we had a BM place (would have to check on name for you if interested) that was roughly 32 sections with a limited number of hunters (very few). Walk in only with a main ranch road going right up the middle. Farthest walk was 3 miles with a limited number of water sources and rolling hills / draws and pasture. Could see on average 1/2 mile from ranch rd. and another 1/2 mile from the various ridges. Very easy to spot and stalk with decoy. We camped nearby at a friendly rancher's place with tents and such. Never had a trouble with outfitters - the ranchers and wheat farmers want dead antelope . North of shelby everyone was friendly and claimed lots of antelopes - we saw a hundred or so the one day of scouting I got in. Shelby was more broken with wheatfields down in the lowlands. Ranchers and game wardens claimed the goats stayed back from the wheat fields up in the broke ground ranches- that seemed hard to believe to me but depends on crops I'm sure.

[mtshooter]

Goat hunting is fun, the adrenalin rush is unreal watching them come across the pasture to the waterholes, I just have a tough time sitting in the blind for 15 hours. To easy to nod off ;D I would much prefer to spot and stalk elk and mulies. Those old Mulies are so mystical they way they move through the brush or timber.

I fill the freezer with WT does out of my backyard during general season with my bow, so my A tag is saved for the Mulie Buck. We live on 27 acres with a creek that flows year round, just a few miles out of town, so there are no rifle hunters here just subdivisions, corn & wheat fields, pasture and sugar beets all around us. The does and fawns come through the yard within 40 yards of the house like clock work 6:45 am and 4:45 pm every day

[18javelin]

Here in the hossier state we are limited to basicly Stand Hunting which is the same every where, with the exception of differing food sources. When we have a huge acorn crop patterns are Diminished deer feed everywhere.

I do still hunt/stalk when the wind is high or the woods are wet. But usually with little succsess other than the info gained during those stalks. I have had a few successful stlks but they are few and Far between to take it on as a Constant form of hunting. We have rolling hills here and Farm lands also. The souther part of the state is By far my Favriot just because of the Diverse places we have to hunt Not to mention the State ground that abounds.

I have been to Colorado and was in awe and Amazed at how they do things diffrent out there. And i am determined to learn by going back over and over just to do so. Their Land is Beautiful But very Tireing at 10,000 feet. I have the Upmost respect for Hunters such as MT and their western counterparts. They are true hunters all could learn a few things from. But wouldnt give up my part of Indiana for anything either.

[fulldrawhuntin]

Mostly stand hunting here, although I do like to stalk and stillhunt. If the conditions are right I would rather stalk (wet, quiet, or windy). I have done some hunting in the mountains and found it incredible the amount of scouting necessary before you even pick a destination. Maps are king. The internet is invaluable too. Once you have spent months planning then I personally have one week to try to sneak up on a critter. wow

[fulldrawhuntin]

Oh, I forgot to mention the fun it is dealing with my wonderfully well behaved horses and all that goes along with crossing state lines with them! ;D

[mtshooter]

We use our horses too and we used to have a couple mules.

Here are a few shots of some of the areas we hunted this year.

[fulldrawhuntin]

great pics mtshooter.

[BT]

That right there would be good enough for me