Montana Whitetail Archery Hunt
- Thread starter Spencie
- Start date
I just got home from Montana...WOW!!! NO, I did not kill anything but what a week. That place is loaded with deer. I saw around 175 deer and 32 bucks (some were duplicates from previous days hunts). I was put on the North side of a ranch and another hunter was given the south side. Being semi-guided, the guide would walk you into your stand. I'm not sure how many ranches they have leased but they have 170 stands up. When it got daylight Montana's beauty was stunning! Absolutely amazing. That alone was worth the whole trip. I saw many 120" bucks but only 1 shooter....a 135" 8 point. I was able to grunt him into 30 yards but could not get a shot. Killing a buck would have been great but it did not take away from the hunt.
I had a great time with incredible accommodations with first class people.The lodge is as beautiful as any place you could possibly want to take the family on vacation....3 private rooms and 4 doubles. The food was prepared by a good ole boy country fella and was outstanding. The outfitter and guides are very friendly, helpful and hard working. Just great guys to hang out with.
Like I said, deer were everywhere. The river bottom was 20 yards wide to half a mile. The cover was thick but open. From the ground you often couldn't see 20 yards. From a stand you could see a long ways at times. Out of the river bottom is pasture or alfalfa fields. After that is sage brush hills then majestic mountains. Most of the hunting was from ladder stands. I'm not a fan of them but they are very comfortable. There is no leaf litter. It is all grass cover...you do not hear deer coming at all. They are just there. But they are not as skittish as Ohio deer. If they catch you moving in the stand they will look at you but most will calm down if you hold still. They have 7-8 hunters per week and give each one of them an Ozonics unit to use. I had never used one and was curious. I can tell you that I only know of one deer that may have winded me (I had many downwind all week) but a storm was blowing through and I had a new rain coat on that I tried to get scent free before I left but when I pulled it out I could still smell it's newness. The Ozonics unit has a distinct odor but the deer will glance up, take a wiff and go about their business. Am I going to go buy one? Probably not but then again...who knows.
They set their stands up between the alfalfa and bedding areas. The game plan is very obvious...it is not that cut and dry here in Ohio at least where I hunt. But with miles of river bottom that all looks the same, picking a spot to sit is tough. You are going to see deer about anywhere you set up. Getting a shooter in range is hit and miss. Most stands sites you can see another one. So if a buck goes by the other one they will set you up in that one the next morning or evening.
In the mornings the deer don't leave the fields until well after daylight. I only heard one deer bust out while going in to stands in the dark. In the evenings, everything is in the fields well before dark. I never had deer under me when it was time to get down. I never hunted in an alfalfa field though...some guys did. There was movement most of the time...with that many deer something was bound to be on it's feet.
I saw a few mule deer does while on stand and saw 4 coyotes. I gave one a shave but got no blood. I thought we had a lot of coyotes here...it's not a drop in the bucket. Kinda frightening. I saw NO squirrels or chipmunks and 2 grouse. I had an eagle fly over me a couple times one evening and saw a few driving to and from ranches. There were lots of Pronghorns to be seen on travels. They are in the middle of their rut right now. We did see a big bull moose the last day wandering through a field...wow, just wow. A couple hunters saw some bulls from their stands. I had 7 Merriams hens under me the first day...dumb just dumb...or uneducated. I could not scare them off. I did see a hawk or owl swoop down and try to snag one. Magpies are fun to watch and Sandhill cranes are annoying!!! I never saw or heard any elk but they aren't usually on the ranch I was hunting. A couple guys from Rush Outdoors were trying to film an elk hunt. They had a tough week but did get on some late but didn't score. They also got a couple bears and a Mountain Lion on film.
I was a little disappointed in the quality of the bucks. There seemed to be a lot of 120" 4-5 year olds. There are still some studs running around but I wasn't able to get on them. I do plan on going again but probably not next year. They are already booked for the best week that would work for me and they suggest not hunting the week of a full moon. I can only imagine what the rut would be like with that many deer running around. Oddly, their rut is Thanksgiving week. I would have guessed it to be sooner than ours.
I had a great time with incredible accommodations with first class people.The lodge is as beautiful as any place you could possibly want to take the family on vacation....3 private rooms and 4 doubles. The food was prepared by a good ole boy country fella and was outstanding. The outfitter and guides are very friendly, helpful and hard working. Just great guys to hang out with.
Like I said, deer were everywhere. The river bottom was 20 yards wide to half a mile. The cover was thick but open. From the ground you often couldn't see 20 yards. From a stand you could see a long ways at times. Out of the river bottom is pasture or alfalfa fields. After that is sage brush hills then majestic mountains. Most of the hunting was from ladder stands. I'm not a fan of them but they are very comfortable. There is no leaf litter. It is all grass cover...you do not hear deer coming at all. They are just there. But they are not as skittish as Ohio deer. If they catch you moving in the stand they will look at you but most will calm down if you hold still. They have 7-8 hunters per week and give each one of them an Ozonics unit to use. I had never used one and was curious. I can tell you that I only know of one deer that may have winded me (I had many downwind all week) but a storm was blowing through and I had a new rain coat on that I tried to get scent free before I left but when I pulled it out I could still smell it's newness. The Ozonics unit has a distinct odor but the deer will glance up, take a wiff and go about their business. Am I going to go buy one? Probably not but then again...who knows.
They set their stands up between the alfalfa and bedding areas. The game plan is very obvious...it is not that cut and dry here in Ohio at least where I hunt. But with miles of river bottom that all looks the same, picking a spot to sit is tough. You are going to see deer about anywhere you set up. Getting a shooter in range is hit and miss. Most stands sites you can see another one. So if a buck goes by the other one they will set you up in that one the next morning or evening.
In the mornings the deer don't leave the fields until well after daylight. I only heard one deer bust out while going in to stands in the dark. In the evenings, everything is in the fields well before dark. I never had deer under me when it was time to get down. I never hunted in an alfalfa field though...some guys did. There was movement most of the time...with that many deer something was bound to be on it's feet.
I saw a few mule deer does while on stand and saw 4 coyotes. I gave one a shave but got no blood. I thought we had a lot of coyotes here...it's not a drop in the bucket. Kinda frightening. I saw NO squirrels or chipmunks and 2 grouse. I had an eagle fly over me a couple times one evening and saw a few driving to and from ranches. There were lots of Pronghorns to be seen on travels. They are in the middle of their rut right now. We did see a big bull moose the last day wandering through a field...wow, just wow. A couple hunters saw some bulls from their stands. I had 7 Merriams hens under me the first day...dumb just dumb...or uneducated. I could not scare them off. I did see a hawk or owl swoop down and try to snag one. Magpies are fun to watch and Sandhill cranes are annoying!!! I never saw or heard any elk but they aren't usually on the ranch I was hunting. A couple guys from Rush Outdoors were trying to film an elk hunt. They had a tough week but did get on some late but didn't score. They also got a couple bears and a Mountain Lion on film.
I was a little disappointed in the quality of the bucks. There seemed to be a lot of 120" 4-5 year olds. There are still some studs running around but I wasn't able to get on them. I do plan on going again but probably not next year. They are already booked for the best week that would work for me and they suggest not hunting the week of a full moon. I can only imagine what the rut would be like with that many deer running around. Oddly, their rut is Thanksgiving week. I would have guessed it to be sooner than ours.
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Hortontoter
Senior Member
Sounds like you had a great experience. It is nice to hear someone praise an outfitter. Most times people complain. I think many think that hunting with a guide or even a semi guided hunt will insure a buck on the ground. You went there with the right frame of mind which made your hunt very enjoyable. Glad you had a good time and soaked everything in.
Good stuff Spence, looks like a beautiful place! My in-laws were just out west and they were in Montana for a couple days.
Some videos I took. My guide told me to put the cam away until after I shot something after the 2nd day.
https://youtu.be/U1he3HG_GOI
https://youtu.be/y7ekdbW9DBQ
https://youtu.be/MRL_WYjVBI4
https://youtu.be/U1he3HG_GOI
https://youtu.be/y7ekdbW9DBQ
https://youtu.be/MRL_WYjVBI4
Sounds like you had a great trip. I had no doubts that you would. Montana is an amazing place that's for sure.
bigten05
*Supporting Member*
Just catching up Mike. Great summary. I can't wait to finally get out to Montana. Glad you had a memorable trip!
Wow . Great write up . Glad ya had a great trip . That tidbit about the outfitter giving clients a Ozonics to use is interesting for sure . I've been debating about buying one and keep talking myself out of it .
Buckmaster
Senior Member
I'm going to say that the Ozonics unit works or at least did not hurt. I didn't care for the odor that it emits. At this point I am not planning on buying a unit.