Hunt Talker Hunt 2014

[Sytes]

John! Think we may have soaked in a bit too much brew to retain the Cushmanisms we all laughed hard over... A couple made it to the thread though for some darn'dest reason, I recall many more!
As Ross said, damn good chili! It was great meeting you and sharing in the good times with ya!

Great to hear the road travels found you home! You need to toss up a pic of your dogs. Sound like the good kind!

 

[Gerald Martin]

Glad you made it home safely John! It was great coming back in the evenings and you having the fire stoked and the coffee on. John perks a mean cup of joe!

 

[idnative1948]

Too, too, bad I couldn't make it this time. I am guessing we could have put on a spread for the rest of the guys (not that you didn't eat well). Hope to meet you some day, sir.

I'm finally home now. I rolled in about 3 hours ago. I want to thank all the guys for not giving me a bunch of crap for deciding not to hunt. Once I saw the terrain and took into account my physical issues, I realized it would be a waste of a tag. I kind of assumed the role of camp cook and keeper of the fire and did a lot of fishing. I can't begin to express my thanks to everyone that put in the effort to put this on. This was one of the best trips I've been on and my shrink will be happy that I was able to deal with a group of strangers without extra happy pills. I stayed Monday and didn't catch a damned fish, but hung out with George and that was fun. I didn't run into snow on the way home until Casper, WY, but the roads were clear. So much for all the storms the weather service was calling for from Missoula to Sheridan, WY. Spent the night in Denver with an old Army buddy and got up this morning and headed home. My finace and dogs were happy to see me. Once again, thanks everyone for a most excellent weekend.

 

[e300winmag]

Glad you made it home safe John! Your an animal for making that drive by yourself. I know Ross and I had two of us to go about the same distance and it kicked out butts.. Thanks again for the awesome chili and I too would like your recipe.

 

[dustinf]

Back to the grind...

 

[FishN4Eyes]

Kick ass job, fellas!

Some real nice bears and looks like a good time was had by all.

Kudo's to the MT boys for coming up with a heck of a plan.

 

[putm2sleep]

Kick ass job, fellas!

Some real nice bears and looks like a good time was had.

Kudo's to the MT boys for coming up with a heck of a plan.

+1 - what an amazing job by the MT crew.

 

[e300winmag]

Today I finally have time to sit down and write about the amazing trip from my eyes. It stated with a long drive through the night after meeting up with MinnesotaHunter in Fargo. We made great time and had breakfast in Bozeman and then met BigFin to pick up some goodies he had for all of us (Thank you Randy, we all greatly appreciate the gifts). From Bozeman we continued our journey to bear camp. The dive was uneventful thankfully as fatigue had begun to set in but was thankfully thwarted by our excitement. Some of the views along the way were breathtaking, especially for flatlamders of the north woods.
We finally arrived at camp and Charles and Gerald had already been there for awhile and had things ready to go. We set up a tent and I was given the option of sleeping in the wall tent instead of in my backpacking tent and I jumped at the opportunity. After visiting a little with Charles, Dave and John arrived and we prepared for our first night in the field.
Dave, Ross and myself were finally ready to go hunting and just about to leave when Travis showed up and off we all went. The first place we hiked into Dave and Ross set up on a rock slide and Travis and I went deeper into the wilderness. Non our way in we did not spot any bears but did spot several mountain goats. I kept thinking to myself as I plodded through the knee to waist deep snow that my winter fat was slowing us down. We arrived at a high mountain meadow and crossed a stream. My short legs and lack of balance ended up with my left leg getting a bath in 33 degree mountain runoff stream water. Travis and I finally arrived at our glassing point where we could see for several miles across a large valley and creek bottom and up several more drainages. The spring afternoon sunshine felt good as we searched for hidden bruins in the greening cliffs and avalanche slides. We quickly found many more mountain goats but no bears were willing to show themselves. We spent the last hours of light enjoying a snack, glassing the country and sharing memories of times gone bye. It was almost dark when we climbed off the avalanche slide from where we were glassing and we headed back to cross the creek when Travis spotted a monster black bruin about a mile up the drainage. Travis looked at me and with foolish enthusiasm I said let's try and get a shot before dark. So we took off racing the setting sun and waning light and closed the distance through rock slides, waist deep snow and tangles of dark timber to a cliff at a distance of 840 yards from the green face where the black bruin had been feeding. When we finally arrived there was just moments left of light but no bear to be found. We decided to head straight off the face and across the valley which ended up being and adventure in itself. We crossed about 30 creeks and I learned what devils club was in the dark that evening. We finally made it the 1.5 or so miles back to Ross and Dave and then all the way back to the truck. I think I carried out a whole stream in my boots that night. We soon arrived back at camp around 1 am and had a few beverages with brownies and other snacks and stoked the fire before retiring for the evening. What an amazing first day in Montana.
Day 2 started with more arrivals to camp and a detailed planning meeting amongst the group pouring over the maps. Everyone with bear tags decided on a place to hunt and we all dispersed excited to see what gifts the mountains would give this evening. Travis, Dustin and myself headed back up into the mountain meadow but this time we set up on a cliff 450 yards from the green face that the bear had been feeding on yesterday evening. The trek into the spot was much better in the daylight and Gerald kindly let me borrow his gators (I didn't bring mine, opps). I made it all the way to the cliff without getting too wet except for the gallons of sweat related to my winter fat. Once in our glassing spot we again saw a lot of mountain goats and what seemed like some nice Billies from a mile away. The sunset without a bear sighting up our drainage but on the way out in the twilight we were startled by some mountain ghost breaking branches just yards from us in an avalanche slide. Once we determined the coast was clear we hiked back out of the drainage and returned to camp. On arrival to camp though it was noted the Ross and Randy group were still MIA as well as Gerald and Dave. Our speculation of success eventually came to fruition and they returned with smiles on their faces and awesome pictures and stories to share. Joining us in the celebration were the guys from BackCountry Hunters and anglers and it was a privilege to have them in camp with us. They also provided us with some awesome gear, thanks guys! Bedtime was not until the early hours of the morning as celebrations and stories flowed around the campfire.
Day 3 started a little slow maybe from the late night before or the inclement weather. JR and I were the only two NR bear hunters left with tags and we were determined to get after it. I joined the Ross and Randy team on about a 5 mile one way climb to recover Ross's bear and look for one for myself. We took our time and were able to get Ross's bear out on a game cart down the network of trails. I was thankful for the cart and a little tired when we got back to camp. We didn't waste any time though and Randy and I jumped into his truck and went to look for more bruins. We odd not find any bears this evening but we had a great time seeing some amazing and super rugged country!!! JR returned also empty handed and the boys that went to get Dave's bear finally returned long after dark. I did not see the country that Dave shot his bear in but it must have been brutal from the stores that they told. John had chili waiting for us in camp and it was great and definitely satisfied my hunger after a long day of walking. The third night was less energetic but we ate well and soon retired before a final day of hunting.
Day 4. The last day I could hunt as Ross and I had to drive home for work the following day. JR and I were still very excited and determined to find bears. The group discussed options and poured over the maps. We ate a big lunch and off we went. Travis, Ross and myself hiked over 2.5 miles and gained about 2000 feet of elevation into a couple of clear cuts. The hike was grueling of course included a creek or river crossing. He views as we summited the trails were amazing. Once we arrived to the elevation we planned to hunt, Ross went and checked a clear cut around the other side of the peak and Travis and I headed towards the other clearcut. We arrived soaking we partially due to the falling rain but mostly all sweaty. I changed shirts and we had a snack and Travis spotted a bear about 3 miles away in a green clearcut. We discussed what would be necessary to get to this bear and decided that it just wasn't feasible for tonight. After my first evening I had learned what was reasonable and what wasn't feasible in this vast countryside. Ross soon came around the corner and reported a lack of green grass in the other clearcut. Ross wasn't standing next to us for more than a couple of minutes when Travis spotted a Black Bear in our clearcut. We immediately ranged him at a little over 450 yards and I attempted to get into position for a shot. He was well within my comfort range for my "featherlight" but he seemed to be an expert at keeping brush or lodge poles between us. So we decided to close the distance. Over the next 30 minutes we snuck and crawled closer to he big boar without him presenting a shot. When we were slightly over 300 yards away Ross spotted a cow elk not 50 yards from us and she became nervous a raced down the mountain. The boar didn't seem to mind and kept on feeding after a fee moments of looking around. We finally closed the distance to just over 250 yards. At this point it had been almost 45 minutes since we first spotted the boar and he seemed to be acting a little anxious. Finally he gave me a 2 foot window while he was quartering away and I gently squeezed the 2.5 lbs it required to send the superformance bullet down range. I was greeted by a solid hit and the bear began tumbling down the mountain. He soon regained his balance and I took off down he trail to get closer. Soon Ross notified me that the bear was on his feet. One more time I depressed the trigger and the boar tumbled down the side of the mountain. I heard Ross vocalize a thought running through my head as the bear tumbled down the mountainside "hit a tree!" I was ecstatic to have harvested my first Black bear. The three of us took some pictures and I thanked them and God for such an amazing adventure. We made quick work of cleaning the bear and loading him into our packs. After a grueling but rewarding 2.5 mile descent we arrived at the truck. Once back at camp I learned JR had also succeeded in harvesting his first bear! I was super excited and over some steaks and beverages we recounted our stories of another amazing Montana hunt.
Day 5. Ross and I woke early and finished packing and started our journey back to Minnesota. On our way out we were able to call the local game warden and he met us to register my bear. 23 hours later we arrived to our homes, exhausted but filled with memories that will last a lifetime.
The 2014 HuntTalker Hunt was successful in making lasting friendships, phenomenal hunting memories and beautiful trophies. Thank you to everyone who was a part of it and especially all of the Montana guys who helped us NRs succeed in our dreams of harvesting a bruin.

 

[e300winmag]

Travis and I

 

[e300winmag]

Ross and I

 

[krshntr81]

Thanks for sharing all these amazing stories!

 

[dustinf]

Here are some of my pics. Wish I had more, but I was on the pack out crew 2 out of the 4 days. Being an overweight tenderfoot meant the camera was left behind on those adventures.

Travis explaining to Ethan we weren't anywhere close yet:

Me after embarrassing myself:

Travis and Ethan glassing:

3 of the 9 mountain goats we spotted:

 

[Sytes]

Ethan, It was great meeting you and Ross! Great write-up of your hunt adventure!

BTW, my dry joke of cell phones off the bat went off kilter when yours sounded before I could finish with handling my own "smarter than I" phone... Haha!

Those Bison burgers were the best darn burgers I've had! Sure, Five Guys can clutter up a good burger with all kinds of great additional tastes beyond the burger, though those burgers you had were beyond awesome!

Thanks for the food, good times and friendships!

Oh and major kudos for keeping in the hunt down to the wire for a great black bear! While we waited around camp, we were all counting the time and estimating when you would return. All hoping later than sooner... when later came we were smiling with anticipation you had tagged a bear! Major grats for keeping at it!


Dustin, Those are some great pictures! Crystal clear! Great moments captured that truely present the value of the activity!

 

[Elkoholic]

Back to work trying to get things caught up and under control and now home from the dentist this evening after having a tooth pulled has finally given me a little time to include some of my thoughts of our adventure and give thanks. There have been a lot of posts with details of our hunt so I will not include too many repeats but rather give thanks to all who played a part in this; and to let you all get a feel for each of these guys and understand what it’s all about to sacrifice, share and form friendships with strangers. First off thank you to everybody, each and every one of you all played a part in our successful hunt. JR, Bob, Gerald, Randy, Travis, Thorne (Travis’ dog), Charles, John, Ross, Ethan & Dustin – Thank you! Whether it was getting this thing all started, providing accommodations, cutting fire wood, bringing grub, rides from airports, tending to camp needs, sharing their Bear spots, pouring over maps, packing out, dragging worn out
flatlanders up a mountain, sharing your knowledge, sharing beers, being supportive and encouraging, lending gear, cooking, campfire talk, unlocking keys in a truck, etc. each of you played a part in this thing, I will be forever grateful. I want to make sure I especially thank the Montana guys, you guys all rocked! Everything you did to make basically eleven strangers all comfortable and gel together as a group and give us the opportunity to make memories and friends for hopefully a lifetime. I have to give special thanks to Gerald for dragging me into that nasty drainage and up that mountain after my Bear, it was grueling, one of those things most wouldn’t attempt by themselves. Although, physically I put forth the effort but it would not have been for Gerald, his drive, instincts and encouragement pushed me to overcome what turned out to be 12hrs of pain. Gerald you are amazing! Then the next day Gerald, Travis, Thorne, Dustin and I went in to get
my bear, another 9hrs of nasty navigation and hard work, and Gerald switching packs with me off and on to pull me through, thanks guys! Travis packed out 3 of the 4 Bears on this adventure, Randy packed out 2, these Montana guys are serious animals. I think most readers have formed their own opinions of what kind man Travis is, but he far exceeds your wildest expectations, this guy is a beast and at least in my opinion; spends just as much time in the wilderness as anybody, his knowledge level is off the charts and constantly learning more to gain every advantage he can. After taking my bear to be processed and the taxidermist on Sat.; I got to spend some time with Charles glassing for a bear for him, although there were no sightings we got to know each other and tell some stories, Charles is so genuine and encouraging, and I am so happy for him after his accident 2yrs ago that he is able to get out and do what he enjoys. Charles always made sure we had
fire wood cut and split and accommodations taken care of. Charles and his wife Erika were kind enough to invite Dustin and myself to stay at their house the night before we flew out, thanks for the awesome elk tacos, shower and comfy bed! Although Dustin wasn’t there to hunt, but rather join the experience, take photos and support us; he did as any of us would have done and that was jump right in and help pack out 2 bears, awesome willingness to help out, we also got time to talk and know each other packing my bear out and during the drive back to Charles’ house, I loved hearing about his Alaskan adventures (oh, and the dogs too!) and not to mention his skills at breaking into a truck with keys locked in it (must have learned that in Pittsburgh). I think Ethan was along for 2 pack outs including his own, after Ethan, Travis & Ross arrived at 3am with Ethan’s bear I cooked them up some steaks (provided by Dustin) and caught up on the story. Ethan
and I then stayed up until 4am sharing stories, his African hunt stories were very intriguing; not to mention his bison hunt that provided us with some great bison burgers in camp. Even I got the pleasure of helping with a pack out of JR’s bear, what an awesome stalk he put on that bear considering where he and his dad first glassed it and for him to pull that off was awesome! The first night in camp I got to spend some time on the mountain with Ross, we shared stories and got to know each other a little while glassing a sow with cubs and a couple mountain goats (my first goats), what an awesome guy who also packed 2 bears out. I must say I am proud to know he has and is serving our country protecting us all. Before this trip even started the plan was for Cushman to pick me up at midnight in Missoula at the airport, we spoke before hand and I asked how will I know who you are “I’m the fat guy with a shaved head and covered in tattoos” was the response I got, I said
“well you should be easy to find at midnight in Montana”. John drove 16hrs straight from Colorado and then waited for my flight to arrive, needless to say we crashed at a hotel (Cush can snore with the best of them), but I was prepared with ear plugs and exhaustion. John always made sure we had fire at camp, some good jokes, and coffee in the mornings, not to mention his kick azz chili. As I mentioned before Randy packed a couple bears and is also a very knowledgeable local Montana guy, very funny guy also, he can cook a mean mess of bear gravy and biscuits on a tailgate of a pickup truck as well. Although I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with JR and his dad Bob, I have to mention JR is the one who started this whole thing and I’m glad I got to give some payback carrying some of his bear off the mountain, Bob can cook a mean skillet of Halibut cheeks wrapped in bacon, that’s for sure! Travis and Thorne, I can’t say enough about these
two, they go everywhere together. Thorne was right there on those 3 pack outs Travis did, hung with us around camp and got many tastes of the great food we were eating. Travis was so gracious to share his knowledge and bear spots, what he did for all of us will never be forgotten. Gerald Martin is a mega beast in a small package, everyone has read some blurbs about my hunt and what hard terrain it was, but everyone didn’t get to witness his sincerity, enthusiasm, hard work to make us all at home and constant organization of everything, what an awesome guy! It was also great getting to meet Land & Grant from Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, thanks for the goods, if anyone is not familiar with what they are doing go check it out, they are working there tails off trying to preserve what we have and what we like to do! Lastly, I have to give thanks to Big Fin; eleven strangers connecting to form friendships and kick azz in the mountains would not have
happened if it wasn’t for HuntTalk being there for us, Thanks Randy. I sure hope we all get to do this again someday and soon! (we might have more interest I suspect next time). My story may have jumped around some but hopefully for you unlucky HuntTalkers who didn’t get to join us can next time make the same decision I did on that mountain with Gerald…. “Don’t wait for it to happen, make it happen”. Thanks again to everyone. -- Dave

 

[Elkoholic]

Dave & Ross bears

 

[Elkoholic]

Thorne

 

[Elkoholic]

Bison burgers

 

[Elkoholic]

Halibut cheeks

 

[Elkoholic]

JR, Randy, Dustin, Travis & Thorne going to pack out JR's bear.

 

[Elkoholic]

Dustin & Cushman breaking into John's truck....... Wonder why?