An Outdoorsman’s Journal: 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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 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, Oct. 26 – High 62, low 29 Today was opening day of Montana’s elk and deer season with a gun. I left home five days ago and have been building camps, scouting and enjoying life in the mountains, Selina joined me two 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 this morning and got back to camp in the dark at 7:30 tonight; one small mule deer buck and one doe are all that were 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 four grizzly attacks on hunters/campers this summer/fall. The last two 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 two tents, both Eskimos, one for cooking and hanging out, and the other 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 day’s 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 two 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 gazillion 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 third day of hunting, and 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 playlist 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 it’s a part of life for every parent. I hunted hard for three 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 and both told me the same thing. The season started late this year and where we were hunting is an area where the elk either migrate south or north. Both told me of numerous roadkill 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

Mark Walters