An Outdoorsman’s Journal

By: Mark Walters

Hardcore Elk Hunt

Hello friends, This week I am going to write about a very challenging and fun Montana elk and mule deer hunt that I recently returned home from. For myself the entire trip with travel lasted 13-days. Six of those days I was fortunate to have my 23-year -old daughter Selina Walters join me. Selina is a biologist for USFWS based out of Missoula. This is one of those stories where I have to be brief as there is so much to write about.

Saturday, October 26 High 62 low 29

Today was opening day of Montana’s elk and deer season with a gun. I left home 5 days ago and have been building camps, scouting and enjoying life in the mountains. Selina joined me 2 days ago.

Both of us were confident that we would harvest something today as there were plenty of elk in the area and an August scouting trip was really looking like it was going to pay off.

Long story short, we left camp in the dark at 5:00 this morning and got back to camp in the dark at 7:30 tonight, one small mule deer buck and one doe is all that was spotted and both were passed up. Both of us figured it was the warm weather that kept the elk from moving as neither of us heard a shot the entire day.

A huge part of this trip was our camp life, which for me was 10-nights. In Montana, anything to do with camping involves grizzly bear precautions. Here are some examples, carrying bear spray is basically mandatory. Many Montanans carry a pistol and bear spray, but bear spray is proven to be a safer bear deterrent than pistols. In the area we were hunting there have been 4 grizzly/hunter/camper attacks this summer/fall. The last 2 were with bowhunters who were injured but killed the grizzly with pistols.

In no way is it cool to kill a grizzly, they are protected and so caution is protocol unless a pistol is your last option. In most cases bear spray saves the day as it did with one of Selina’s coworkers.

We had 2 tents, both Eskimos, one for cooking and hanging out, the other was for sleeping. Not a bit of food or trash was left in the cook tent and that required Selina and I to hike from camp before our morning hunt, after our days hunt and before we went to bed to our stash. This was always in the dark. I brought Red and Ruby and had them chained on 2 sides of camp. They were excellent prevention and toughed out some rough weather. There was no snow the first five days of this adventure and it seemed like there were a gazzilion snowshoe hare. The snowshoes, like the local weasel population, had turned white and would try to hide but really stuck out which I am confident makes them easy prey. It snowed on Monday, which was the 3rd day of hunting. We were confident this would turn our luck around. We saw wolf tracks and some deer tracks and were starting to realize that despite hunting over a large area with snow on the ground something had changed.

Nighttime for Selina and I at camp was incredible. We cooked great meals, listened to music (her play list is the best), and had a drink or a beer. For me to listen to her stories as a young biologist was interesting and eye opening. I think if people could just hear what a biologist with a degree in fisheries and another in water resources sees and experiences it would be very good for the world.

On Wednesday I took Selina down the mountain to her vehicle and we said goodbye. For me it was very difficult, but a part of life for every parent. I hunted hard for 3 more days and covered many miles on foot with snow on the ground. Over that entire period of time, I only saw one set of elk tracks, where just one week earlier there were tracks, beds and droppings everywhere.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Montana hunters on two separate occasions who both told me the same thing. The season started late this year. Where we were hunting is an area where the elk either migrate south or north. Both told me of numerous road kill experiences happening this week near Bozeman and Big Sky.

For myself and Selina, we had a blast. Our relationship is very unique in that we are fun and never run out of things to talk about.

The elk migrating literally just before the season opened was a very bitter pill to swallow and at first we just thought they were bedded down because of warm weather.

Life sometimes throws you a curve ball. We shall adjust!

Sunset

This snowshoe hare will blend into its mountain background much better once there is snow on the ground.

Selina Walters taking a break on one of our days of hunting elk and mule deer in Montana near Bozeman.

Our spike camp was 5 miles up the mountain from our base camp.