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On Your Own Adventures is the only hunting TV show dedicated exclusively to non-guided hunting - your style of hunting. Any hunt you see on our show is a hunt you can do. It takes extra effort and cost to produce high quality hunting episodes outside of high fences or without the benefit of outfitters and the private estates that most shows depict.
But, we did it. We hope you like it. It is our best effort to tell the story of hunting as experienced by the average hunter - Reality Hunting.
We hope you tune in to the Outdoor Channel and watch our show starting Friday, July 3rd. Our dates and airtimes (Eastern time) are:
Friday - 1:30 PM
Friday - Midnight
Sunday - 5:00 PM
If you don't currently get Outdoor Channel, click here to get it.
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Larry Stickler aka AZ Red
Location - National Forests of North Central Wyoming
Date - Early October
How tags Acquired - Non-resident Drawing held by Wyoming Fish and Game
Watch Episode One Teaser
Summary:
This hunt is a non-guided hunt on National Forest. We drew these tags after three years of applying to Wyoming. Neither hunter had even been to this area before. We were helped immensely by a good friend of mine, Toby Pierson.
As you can see by the footage, we did not have the woods to ourselves. It was disappointing to show up and scout a day early, see lots of elk, only to come to the area on opening morning and have many vehicles parked at the trailhead.
We talked to some of these hunters and asked which direction they would be going, so we could go a different direction. In spite of our efforts to go the opposite direction of others, some other hunters still came and hunted in the same small area we were hunting.
Opening morning, we set up in a good glassing area, and close to a saddle we had seen elk using the previous evening. At first light, a nice bull came up out of the bottom to cross the saddle below us. Unfortunately, one of the other hunters in the area decided to stop by and visit. As we were hunkered down, glassing, he stood in the wide-open meadow, talking to us, in spite of our attempts to ignore him. Sure enough, when to bull came in, the noise and movement of this hunter scared him off before we could get setup and make a good shot and get good footage. Very frustrating.
The weather got really cold later that morning, and we did our best to hang in there, even though the wind was chilling us to the bone. On the far ridge, we saw a group of elk moving through the timber. Our only hope was that one of the hunters on that ridge would move them toward us.
Well, by watching the footage, you can see what happens.
An early-season blizzard came and drove us from the high country. That created some great challenges. We had staked our entire hunt on the big tracts of public land in the high country. In hindsight, the game warden did us a favor by getting us out of there before the blizzard hit.
It was frustrating to have to pull camp and find other options. But, nothing in hunting goes as planned - you all know that. So, we went to some low ground, looking for a way to get to some big chunks of state land. We could not find a landowner who would grant access. Being out of staters probably didn't help our cause.
Just before dark, we found a little 40-acre piece of public ground and decided to stop and check our maps and orient ourselves. When we stepped out of the truck, we saw some bulls just across the fence line on some private ground. Seeing that darkness was quickly arriving, we headed to the nearest little town, found a motel, eat a warm meal, and decided to come back in the morning.
Every morning, those bulls were nearby. We hunted in these blizzard conditions for four more days. All those days were spent on these 40 acres. Hard to believe, but that is how it worked. What you see in the show is only one of the encounters we had with these bulls. Some we called close, but the snow was so intense, you can hardly make out an elk, even though they were only 200 yards away.
Can't tell the entire story, but if you search the Hunttalk threads, you will see where I posted a day-by-day recount of this fantastic hunt.
The most important lesson I took from this hunt is that even though planning is very important to hunting, you need to be ready to adapt when weather or hunting pressure change that plan. In this case, we used those challenges to our advantage. Had we not been flexible and willing to try new ideas, we might have been inclined to give up without giving it the effort it deserves and requires.
Happy Hunting!
Episode 2 - New Mexico Elk
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Larry Stickler aka AZ Red
Location - National Forests of North Central Wyoming
Date - Early October
How tags Acquired - Non-resident Drawing held by Wyoming Fish and Game
Watch Episode One Teaser
Summary:
This hunt is a non-guided hunt on National Forest. We drew these tags after three years of applying to Wyoming. Neither hunter had even been to this area before. We were helped immensely by a good friend of mine, Toby Pierson.
As you can see by the footage, we did not have the woods to ourselves. It was disappointing to show up and scout a day early, see lots of elk, only to come to the area on opening morning and have many vehicles parked at the trailhead.
We talked to some of these hunters and asked which direction they would be going, so we could go a different direction. In spite of our efforts to go the opposite direction of others, some other hunters still came and hunted in the same small area we were hunting.
Opening morning, we set up in a good glassing area, and close to a saddle we had seen elk using the previous evening. At first light, a nice bull came up out of the bottom to cross the saddle below us. Unfortunately, one of the other hunters in the area decided to stop by and visit. As we were hunkered down, glassing, he stood in the wide-open meadow, talking to us, in spite of our attempts to ignore him. Sure enough, when to bull came in, the noise and movement of this hunter scared him off before we could get setup and make a good shot and get good footage. Very frustrating.
The weather got really cold later that morning, and we did our best to hang in there, even though the wind was chilling us to the bone. On the far ridge, we saw a group of elk moving through the timber. Our only hope was that one of the hunters on that ridge would move them toward us.
Well, by watching the footage, you can see what happens.
An early-season blizzard came and drove us from the high country. That created some great challenges. We had staked our entire hunt on the big tracts of public land in the high country. In hindsight, the game warden did us a favor by getting us out of there before the blizzard hit.
It was frustrating to have to pull camp and find other options. But, nothing in hunting goes as planned - you all know that. So, we went to some low ground, looking for a way to get to some big chunks of state land. We could not find a landowner who would grant access. Being out of staters probably didn't help our cause.
Just before dark, we found a little 40-acre piece of public ground and decided to stop and check our maps and orient ourselves. When we stepped out of the truck, we saw some bulls just across the fence line on some private ground. Seeing that darkness was quickly arriving, we headed to the nearest little town, found a motel, eat a warm meal, and decided to come back in the morning.
Every morning, those bulls were nearby. We hunted in these blizzard conditions for four more days. All those days were spent on these 40 acres. Hard to believe, but that is how it worked. What you see in the show is only one of the encounters we had with these bulls. Some we called close, but the snow was so intense, you can hardly make out an elk, even though they were only 200 yards away.
Can't tell the entire story, but if you search the Hunttalk threads, you will see where I posted a day-by-day recount of this fantastic hunt.
The most important lesson I took from this hunt is that even though planning is very important to hunting, you need to be ready to adapt when weather or hunting pressure change that plan. In this case, we used those challenges to our advantage. Had we not been flexible and willing to try new ideas, we might have been inclined to give up without giving it the effort it deserves and requires.
Happy Hunting!
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Jerry Pritchard (not hunting, but acting as the main wapiti vocalist)
Joe Sehultser
Scott Jones aka NV Longbow
Location - National Forests of Western New Mexico
Date - Mid-September
How tags Acquired - Non-resident Drawing held by New Mexico Game and Fish Department
Watch Episode Two Teaser
Summary:
As with many of our hunts, this is another one that took place on the National Forests. Gotta love a country that has over 200,000,000 acres of public ground opened to hunting. Those of you lucky enough to have hunted New Mexico know why it is appropriately named the Land of Enchantment.
The New Mexico tag draw is kind of different. You are allowed four choices, and they look at you first three choices before going on to the next application. Your fourth choice is a left over option, and usually not worth the money it requires. Residents get 78% of the tags, guided non-residents get 12% of the tags, and non-guided non-residents get 10% of the tags.
We lucked out. We drew our first choice - third season archery. Lucky!
We had a great camp of guys. Unfortunately TV production doesn't allow all their stories to be told in the 22 minutes that comprise an episode. In our camp was me, Jerry Pritchard, Scott Jones, Joe Sehulster, and Wade Zarlingo. Jerry and Wade did not have tags, but were long friends, and great elk callers, so they were more than welcome to be in camp. Throw in two really good videographers, and we had a great camp.
The beauty of many National Forest areas is that "open camping" is allowed. In other words, you set up your camp where ever you want. Just leave it how you found it. In our case, we found many places where hunters had previously made camps and had ready-made fire pits, stumps to sit on, and some other amenities that made it more sensible to use an old spot rather than a new spot.
Joe and I arrived two days early. Scouting and learning the lay of the land was primary, and would allow our hunting time to be used for just that - hunting. In our scouting, we found some great spots. The second archery season was going on at that time, so we had to be careful not to mess up the hunts of other guys. By the time Jerry, Scott, and Wade arrived the night before opening day, our maps were full of marks. We would have more places to investigate than could be adequately covered in our six days of hunting.
Rather than go into the full details of this hunt here, I hope you will watch it on the Outdoor Channel. In addition, I gave a blow-by-blow account of this hunt in the Elk section of Hunttalk. If you search those threads, you will read what a truly incredible hunt this was.
I wish I could say that everyone got a bull. But as the song says, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. If not for me making a poor hit, Scott probably would have had a much better chance of getting his elk. He gave up his last day, a day when bugling was at a crescendo, to come and help me find my bull. If that is not the definition of a great friend, I don't know what is.
The amazing part of elk hunting in New Mexico is how many hunters they accommodate, and the fact that they maintain excellent quality bulls in the process. The amount of public land to hunt these elk is incredible. There is something hallowed to spend a week chasing elk in the hills where you know the now extinct Merriam's elk once roamed, and to walk some of the same trail the great Aldo Leopold walked as he spent his formative years as a forester and biologist in this country. It is like no other place I know of, and very dear to my heart.
As you will see, elk encounters are plenty for those willing to stray off the beaten path. So many people we saw would only go a half-mile off the road. Few would travel that extra two or three miles where the elk were plentiful and the hunters few. I guess I should be thankful for that.
Mostly I am thankful to have had such a wonderful hunting experience, shared with great friends, and conducted on public lands, for little more than the cost of a tag. America is truly a great place - a place where the sturdy pleasure of the chase is available to every hunter, whether he is or is not, a man of means.
Thanks New Mexico. I am still Enchanted.
Episode 3 - New Mexico Pronghorn
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Jerry Pritchard (not hunting, but acting as the main wapiti vocalist)
Joe Sehultser
Scott Jones aka NV Longbow
Location - National Forests of Western New Mexico
Date - Mid-September
How tags Acquired - Non-resident Drawing held by New Mexico Game and Fish Department
Watch Episode Two Teaser
Summary:
As with many of our hunts, this is another one that took place on the National Forests. Gotta love a country that has over 200,000,000 acres of public ground opened to hunting. Those of you lucky enough to have hunted New Mexico know why it is appropriately named the Land of Enchantment.
The New Mexico tag draw is kind of different. You are allowed four choices, and they look at you first three choices before going on to the next application. Your fourth choice is a left over option, and usually not worth the money it requires. Residents get 78% of the tags, guided non-residents get 12% of the tags, and non-guided non-residents get 10% of the tags.
We lucked out. We drew our first choice - third season archery. Lucky!
We had a great camp of guys. Unfortunately TV production doesn't allow all their stories to be told in the 22 minutes that comprise an episode. In our camp was me, Jerry Pritchard, Scott Jones, Joe Sehulster, and Wade Zarlingo. Jerry and Wade did not have tags, but were long friends, and great elk callers, so they were more than welcome to be in camp. Throw in two really good videographers, and we had a great camp.
The beauty of many National Forest areas is that "open camping" is allowed. In other words, you set up your camp where ever you want. Just leave it how you found it. In our case, we found many places where hunters had previously made camps and had ready-made fire pits, stumps to sit on, and some other amenities that made it more sensible to use an old spot rather than a new spot.
Joe and I arrived two days early. Scouting and learning the lay of the land was primary, and would allow our hunting time to be used for just that - hunting. In our scouting, we found some great spots. The second archery season was going on at that time, so we had to be careful not to mess up the hunts of other guys. By the time Jerry, Scott, and Wade arrived the night before opening day, our maps were full of marks. We would have more places to investigate than could be adequately covered in our six days of hunting.
Rather than go into the full details of this hunt here, I hope you will watch it on the Outdoor Channel. In addition, I gave a blow-by-blow account of this hunt in the Elk section of Hunttalk. If you search those threads, you will read what a truly incredible hunt this was.
I wish I could say that everyone got a bull. But as the song says, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. If not for me making a poor hit, Scott probably would have had a much better chance of getting his elk. He gave up his last day, a day when bugling was at a crescendo, to come and help me find my bull. If that is not the definition of a great friend, I don't know what is.
The amazing part of elk hunting in New Mexico is how many hunters they accommodate, and the fact that they maintain excellent quality bulls in the process. The amount of public land to hunt these elk is incredible. There is something hallowed to spend a week chasing elk in the hills where you know the now extinct Merriam's elk once roamed, and to walk some of the same trail the great Aldo Leopold walked as he spent his formative years as a forester and biologist in this country. It is like no other place I know of, and very dear to my heart.
As you will see, elk encounters are plenty for those willing to stray off the beaten path. So many people we saw would only go a half-mile off the road. Few would travel that extra two or three miles where the elk were plentiful and the hunters few. I guess I should be thankful for that.
Mostly I am thankful to have had such a wonderful hunting experience, shared with great friends, and conducted on public lands, for little more than the cost of a tag. America is truly a great place - a place where the sturdy pleasure of the chase is available to every hunter, whether he is or is not, a man of means.
Thanks New Mexico. I am still Enchanted.
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Larry Stickler aka AZ Red
Location - Private and Public lands of Western New Mexico
Date - Early October
How tags Acquired - This tag was a gift to me by my wife. She knew I had applied for pronghorn in New Mexico for twelve years, and in that time had only drawn one tag, which was my third choice, and though that was a fun hunt, we were assigned a very marginal ranch.
As much as I am not a huge fan of landowner tags, that is the norm in New Mexico. I am not sure if resident hunters like that system or not, but such is the system.
When my wife told me to line up a landowner tag, I looked long and hard to find a rancher who would let me go non-guided. I could not find one. I had already determined the area I wanted to hunt, based on scouting I had done the year before while in New Mexico with my son, while we tried to fill his elk tag.
Seems like most of the landowner tags were already spoken for by outfitters. I can understand why this is, but wish it were not the case. Given that I was not able to find a landowner willing to let me know non-guided, I was disappointed, and decided I would take my chances again in the public draw.
In April, after having made my application to New Mexico, one of the landowners called and told me he had a cancellation, and given how much I had told him about my pronghorn hunting experiences, he agreed to let me come non-guided and reduced the price of his landowner tag accordingly. He warned me that I would be hunting with his three other guided hunters, and two to four public hunters. Fine with me.
Watch Episode Three Teaser
Summary:
In addition to this different landowner tag arrangement, New Mexico has another quirk when it comes to pronghorn hunting. Landowners must enroll their ranches in the pronghorn program in order to receive any landowner tags. By doing so, the landowner must allow some public hunters, to hunt, unimpeded, with full access. The ratio of public to private hunters is some obscure formula that I don't understand, but has something to do with herd size, and ratio of deeded ground to public ground.
If you draw a tag in the public antelope draw in New Mexico, you will be assigned a ranch. You can only hunt on that ranch, not on other ranches, or on public ground. This applies to rifle tags. If you draw an archery pronghorn tag, you can hunt all public ground in your unit, and any ranches where you can obtain access. Strange I know, but that is how New Mexico does it.
New Mexico rules state that the landowner has to allow the public hunters two days before the opening of season to come and scout the property, with no restrictions. Though I always hear about landowners not allowing public hunters to have full range of the ranch, that was not the case on this ranch.
The landowner went so far as to give all hunters a guided auto tour of the ranch. He showed us the boundaries, the waterholes, and some really nice bucks. He asked that we all respect the hunts of each party. He asked that if we saw the guided hunters going in for a stalk, that we back off and allow them to do so, and if they saw us stalking an animal, they would back off. He also offered every hunter the use of his walk-in cooler, whether they were guided or not. Then after the ranch tour, he invited us to his personal house where he served everyone some drinks. He was one of the most gracious landowners I have ever met. And, he loves the public hunters who come to his ranch.
This ranch was over 30,000 acres, with most of it being public land. The landowner is forced to enroll all deeded and leased acreage if he wants to be in the program. In this case, we would be doing most of our hunting on public land, even though it was a different type of arrangement to acquire a tag.
Those of you who follow my ramblings on Hunttalk know that I would trade you my elk tag for an antelope tag, without any hesitation. It is for this reason that my wife thought a New Mexico antelope hunt would make a great gift. I know some guys are all about elk, some whitetail nuts, and some sheep fanatics. For me, it is the speedsters of the sage.
To be in New Mexico, with a pronghorn tag makes if hard for a guy like me to sleep. Given the size of some of the bucks the landowner showed us the evening before the hunt, I was struggling to find a way to keep my eyes closed.
Without telling too many of the details of the hunt, all I can say is it was a great hunt. Shared with a great guy like Larry, in a place where trophy pronghorn are found, if one works at it. If I have one criticism, it would be that New Mexico only has two or three day pronghorn seasons. Not much more than that is needed, but for those of us who savor the days afield glassing these crazy critters, it is a season that ends too soon. But, I am sure the short season contribute to the great quality of bucks found in New Mexico.
If you search the Hunttalk threads, you will find my summary of this hunt. You will also find where Greenhorn predicted I might shoot a monster pronghorn. He understands my pronghorn infatuation, and I called him the night before season to tell him that I had seen more trophy pronghorn in one day than I would probably find in the next five seasons. Little did I know how the hunt would play out.
I am not real keen on making a TV episode an advertisement for every item I use. But in this case, there is one item you will see that needs to be in the arsenal of every pronghorn hunter. That is a Moo Cow decoy from Montana Decoy Company. When you see the footage, you will see how well it works for antelope. If you have not looked at that decoy, or tried one, I would strongly suggest it. That is one of the few advertising plugs you will hear or read from me. If that decoy had not been so instrumental to our success on this hunt, I would not waste your time with writing this.
.......And on the eighth day, God created pronghorns.
Episode 4 - Colorado Mule Deer
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Larry Stickler aka AZ Red
Location - Private and Public lands of Western New Mexico
Date - Early October
How tags Acquired - This tag was a gift to me by my wife. She knew I had applied for pronghorn in New Mexico for twelve years, and in that time had only drawn one tag, which was my third choice, and though that was a fun hunt, we were assigned a very marginal ranch.
As much as I am not a huge fan of landowner tags, that is the norm in New Mexico. I am not sure if resident hunters like that system or not, but such is the system.
When my wife told me to line up a landowner tag, I looked long and hard to find a rancher who would let me go non-guided. I could not find one. I had already determined the area I wanted to hunt, based on scouting I had done the year before while in New Mexico with my son, while we tried to fill his elk tag.
Seems like most of the landowner tags were already spoken for by outfitters. I can understand why this is, but wish it were not the case. Given that I was not able to find a landowner willing to let me know non-guided, I was disappointed, and decided I would take my chances again in the public draw.
In April, after having made my application to New Mexico, one of the landowners called and told me he had a cancellation, and given how much I had told him about my pronghorn hunting experiences, he agreed to let me come non-guided and reduced the price of his landowner tag accordingly. He warned me that I would be hunting with his three other guided hunters, and two to four public hunters. Fine with me.
Watch Episode Three Teaser
Summary:
In addition to this different landowner tag arrangement, New Mexico has another quirk when it comes to pronghorn hunting. Landowners must enroll their ranches in the pronghorn program in order to receive any landowner tags. By doing so, the landowner must allow some public hunters, to hunt, unimpeded, with full access. The ratio of public to private hunters is some obscure formula that I don't understand, but has something to do with herd size, and ratio of deeded ground to public ground.
If you draw a tag in the public antelope draw in New Mexico, you will be assigned a ranch. You can only hunt on that ranch, not on other ranches, or on public ground. This applies to rifle tags. If you draw an archery pronghorn tag, you can hunt all public ground in your unit, and any ranches where you can obtain access. Strange I know, but that is how New Mexico does it.
New Mexico rules state that the landowner has to allow the public hunters two days before the opening of season to come and scout the property, with no restrictions. Though I always hear about landowners not allowing public hunters to have full range of the ranch, that was not the case on this ranch.
The landowner went so far as to give all hunters a guided auto tour of the ranch. He showed us the boundaries, the waterholes, and some really nice bucks. He asked that we all respect the hunts of each party. He asked that if we saw the guided hunters going in for a stalk, that we back off and allow them to do so, and if they saw us stalking an animal, they would back off. He also offered every hunter the use of his walk-in cooler, whether they were guided or not. Then after the ranch tour, he invited us to his personal house where he served everyone some drinks. He was one of the most gracious landowners I have ever met. And, he loves the public hunters who come to his ranch.
This ranch was over 30,000 acres, with most of it being public land. The landowner is forced to enroll all deeded and leased acreage if he wants to be in the program. In this case, we would be doing most of our hunting on public land, even though it was a different type of arrangement to acquire a tag.
Those of you who follow my ramblings on Hunttalk know that I would trade you my elk tag for an antelope tag, without any hesitation. It is for this reason that my wife thought a New Mexico antelope hunt would make a great gift. I know some guys are all about elk, some whitetail nuts, and some sheep fanatics. For me, it is the speedsters of the sage.
To be in New Mexico, with a pronghorn tag makes if hard for a guy like me to sleep. Given the size of some of the bucks the landowner showed us the evening before the hunt, I was struggling to find a way to keep my eyes closed.
Without telling too many of the details of the hunt, all I can say is it was a great hunt. Shared with a great guy like Larry, in a place where trophy pronghorn are found, if one works at it. If I have one criticism, it would be that New Mexico only has two or three day pronghorn seasons. Not much more than that is needed, but for those of us who savor the days afield glassing these crazy critters, it is a season that ends too soon. But, I am sure the short season contribute to the great quality of bucks found in New Mexico.
If you search the Hunttalk threads, you will find my summary of this hunt. You will also find where Greenhorn predicted I might shoot a monster pronghorn. He understands my pronghorn infatuation, and I called him the night before season to tell him that I had seen more trophy pronghorn in one day than I would probably find in the next five seasons. Little did I know how the hunt would play out.
I am not real keen on making a TV episode an advertisement for every item I use. But in this case, there is one item you will see that needs to be in the arsenal of every pronghorn hunter. That is a Moo Cow decoy from Montana Decoy Company. When you see the footage, you will see how well it works for antelope. If you have not looked at that decoy, or tried one, I would strongly suggest it. That is one of the few advertising plugs you will hear or read from me. If that decoy had not been so instrumental to our success on this hunt, I would not waste your time with writing this.
.......And on the eighth day, God created pronghorns.
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Tony Melillo (not hunting, but along for the adventure)
Vito Quatraro
Location - National Forests of Central Colorado
Date - Mid-November
How tags Acquired - Non-resident Drawing held by Colorado Division of Wildlife
Summary:
Watch Episode Four Teaser
Another non-guided hunt on National Forest. I drew this tag with four preference points. I had hunted mule deer in Colorado in 2003, so it took me a few years to build enough points to draw another good tag. We stayed in motels, but spent all the waking hours in the hills looking for deer.
This area of Colorado is known for good mule deer. Not a premium area, thus the ability to draw a rut tag with only four preference points. But, if the migration hits early, it can be fantastic deer hunting. We were praying for bad weather to get the deer down to the public land.
One thing about Colorado deer hunting is the fact that they coincide their elk seasons with the deer seasons. So, even if they give away very few deer tags for your hunt, check to make sure if the elk hunting is over the counter. Such was the case in this unit, so the hills were crawling with elk hunters.
Our prayers for bad weather went unanswered. The migration we hoped for never materialized. But, as with all hunting, there is not much you can do about that. Rather than sit around and bemoan the bad luck of warm weather, we hit it as hard as we could. We had to make our own luck if we were to have any chance at a good deer.
I was most often accompanied by Tony. Though Tony did not have a tag, we had hunted together in the past, and his company and extra set of eyes were very welcome. Vito hunts very hard, but most often alone. He set off most every morning by himself, covering as much ground as possible. I am more of a set up and glass kind of guy. Vito could walk from coast to coast, without feeling the need to stop, so when we do hunt together, we usually split up, as I am a drag to his hunting style.
In this hunt, I passed on a couple nice deer, but was holding out for something very good. I was willing to wait until later in the hunt, knowing I might violate that one hunting axiom - "Don't pass on the first day, that which you would shoot on the last." For Vito, it was a lunker or nothing.
When you watch the show, you will see that we had a blast. I had a chance at one really big buck, right at dark of the third day, but me and the videographer did not have time to get good footage of him before he bounded off the mesa, never to be seen again. He would have been one of those Colorado monsters we all dream of.
In this footage, you will see a deer get taken. Unfortunately, our camera gear is not nearly as rugged as our camera guys. When we had the best shot at this deer, the camera was malfunctioning, so all you see of that sequence is the deer bounding into the oak brush. We caught up with him later. Watch the show and you will see what happens.
A quick search of the Hunttalk threads will give you the day-by-day entries of this hunt as I recorded them each evening from the motel. Big Fred is still walking those hills, and may he live a long and fruitful life.
This was truly one of the most pleasurable hunts I have had in a long time. Great friends, great scenery, all with the potential that we might find the old buck of the oaks, and take him home with us. Even if you don't get the big one, knowing he could appear in your optics at any time is enough to keep the excitement high.
Thanks to Vito and Tony for joining me on this hunt and thanks to the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the great job they do managing a world-class resource.
Hunt hard and hunt often!
Episode 5 - Montana Whitetail
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Tony Melillo (not hunting, but along for the adventure)
Vito Quatraro
Location - National Forests of Central Colorado
Date - Mid-November
How tags Acquired - Non-resident Drawing held by Colorado Division of Wildlife
Summary:
Watch Episode Four Teaser
Another non-guided hunt on National Forest. I drew this tag with four preference points. I had hunted mule deer in Colorado in 2003, so it took me a few years to build enough points to draw another good tag. We stayed in motels, but spent all the waking hours in the hills looking for deer.
This area of Colorado is known for good mule deer. Not a premium area, thus the ability to draw a rut tag with only four preference points. But, if the migration hits early, it can be fantastic deer hunting. We were praying for bad weather to get the deer down to the public land.
One thing about Colorado deer hunting is the fact that they coincide their elk seasons with the deer seasons. So, even if they give away very few deer tags for your hunt, check to make sure if the elk hunting is over the counter. Such was the case in this unit, so the hills were crawling with elk hunters.
Our prayers for bad weather went unanswered. The migration we hoped for never materialized. But, as with all hunting, there is not much you can do about that. Rather than sit around and bemoan the bad luck of warm weather, we hit it as hard as we could. We had to make our own luck if we were to have any chance at a good deer.
I was most often accompanied by Tony. Though Tony did not have a tag, we had hunted together in the past, and his company and extra set of eyes were very welcome. Vito hunts very hard, but most often alone. He set off most every morning by himself, covering as much ground as possible. I am more of a set up and glass kind of guy. Vito could walk from coast to coast, without feeling the need to stop, so when we do hunt together, we usually split up, as I am a drag to his hunting style.
In this hunt, I passed on a couple nice deer, but was holding out for something very good. I was willing to wait until later in the hunt, knowing I might violate that one hunting axiom - "Don't pass on the first day, that which you would shoot on the last." For Vito, it was a lunker or nothing.
When you watch the show, you will see that we had a blast. I had a chance at one really big buck, right at dark of the third day, but me and the videographer did not have time to get good footage of him before he bounded off the mesa, never to be seen again. He would have been one of those Colorado monsters we all dream of.
In this footage, you will see a deer get taken. Unfortunately, our camera gear is not nearly as rugged as our camera guys. When we had the best shot at this deer, the camera was malfunctioning, so all you see of that sequence is the deer bounding into the oak brush. We caught up with him later. Watch the show and you will see what happens.
A quick search of the Hunttalk threads will give you the day-by-day entries of this hunt as I recorded them each evening from the motel. Big Fred is still walking those hills, and may he live a long and fruitful life.
This was truly one of the most pleasurable hunts I have had in a long time. Great friends, great scenery, all with the potential that we might find the old buck of the oaks, and take him home with us. Even if you don't get the big one, knowing he could appear in your optics at any time is enough to keep the excitement high.
Thanks to Vito and Tony for joining me on this hunt and thanks to the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the great job they do managing a world-class resource.
Hunt hard and hunt often!
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Scott Jones aka NV Longbow
Jerry Pritchard aka jerreep
Location - Private land in Central Montana
Date - Late November
How tags Acquired - The tags Scott and Jerry drew were part of the Montana drawing for non-residents. Being a Montana resident, I hunted with a general season tag that residents can purchase over the counter.
Watch Episode Five Teaser
Summary:
We hunted a ranch that has three components of private property. This rancher wants to allow some public hunting, to get the necessary harvest, and be a good neighbor to public hunters in Montana. But, like all ranchers, wildlife has economic impacts on their operation, so they do have part of the ranch leased to an outfitter.
In addition to the outfitted portion of the ranch, the landowner allows limited public hunting on another portion of the ranch. This is the portion of the ranch where we were hunting. We were hunting the last week of the season, and there had been more than thirty other public deer hunters on this portion of the ranch during the prior four weeks of the Montana general deer season. As such, the bucks were more scarce and spookier than you will find on private property that has exclusive private access, with no hunting pressure. The landowner keeps this portion of the ranch open to hunters they have come to know and trust over many years. There is no fee for those of us allowed to hunt here, just continue to follow the rules and shoot as many does as we can get tags for.
The landowner also enrolls the lower portion of the ranch in Montana's Block Management Program (BMP). This program is funded by license fees, mostly from non-residents. No outfitting is allowed on properties enrolled in the BMP. Hunters need to obtain the BMP booklets from the regional office they are looking to hunt. In that booklet, you will find the location of the BMP enrollee, the manner by which reservations are obtained, what animals are available to hunt, and any restrictions the landowner has related to access.
It was not our intent to show you a hunt for trophy whitetails on exclusive private ground. We wanted to demonstrate that it is possible to hunt private land in Montana without and outfitter. I know many non-resident hunters who have established long-term relationships with private landowners and come to Montana hunting on private land each year. And many more come to Montana and hunt the Block Management Program.
The bucks we hunted had been pressured. And, the bigger bucks had been cropped off by the hunters who had hunted the weeks prior to our hunt. But, it was a chance for three long-time friends to spend time together chasing deer. Scott and Jerry were excited, as they live in Nevada, and there are no whitetails there. Scott had been hunting with me the year before, and had taken home some of the does I had shot, and he was excited to get some more of these farm fed whitetails in his freezer.
Our weather was hardly typical for late November in Montana. It was warm and windy. The deer were still active, but mid-day activity was somewhat slowed by the warm temps.
The first morning Scott and Jerry went one way, and I walked a different direction, making a big loop around the creek bottom. It was hoped that my circling would funnel some deer near where Scott and Jerry were set up. A couple nice ones came by, but the speed they were traveling allowed for only running shots, which are not allowed.
As I neared the property boundary, I noticed a group of bucks and does in a small opening. I watched them for over a half hour, hoping they would come closer to me, and further away from the property boundary. On the other side of that boundary as an outfitting operation, so I wanted to drop any deer in his tracks, rather than allow him to jump the fence and have to deal with retrieving a buck from the neighboring property. I held high. And I missed high. The buck just stood around after the shot, eventually loping away. I checked for hair and blood, but as expected, found none.
You will see where Scott and Jerry passed on a buck the first day, hoping to find something bigger. That was to my benefit, as this tall narrow buck was a cool looking guy, who looked very plump and would make for great eating. The buck followed his doe into some thick brush. Scott agreed to circle upwind of the brush, hoping his scent would bring them out of the thicket. Watch the episode and you will see that every once in a while, the plans of man come together as hoped.
Jerry and Scott passed on many bucks during the hunt. The second to last evening, Jerry had a bunch of bucks running back and forth in front of him. We tried to get them to stop, but none would cooperate. He ended up passing on them.
Finally, another buck came out of a thicket. Jerry held on him, and at the shot, the buck flinched as though he had been hit. We followed the buck to the thick creek bottom, but ran out of daylight. We had scoured the ground for blood and hair, but found nothing. We tried to replay on the camera viewfinder, but it was too hard to see what happened. Jerry felt terrible. When we got the film back to the editing bay, we could see that Jerry shot right over the back of the shoulders, only grazing a few hairs off the buck. Not knowing that, Jerry spent the rest of his hunt looking for what he thought was a mortally hit buck.
The next morning, Scott placed himself at a funnel in the creek bottom. As Jerry and I looked for Jerry's buck from the night before, any deer we disturbed would go past Scott. Many deer came by, some almost running over Scott. Knowing it was the last day, Scott waited for the buck he thought would be the best for the freezer.
While looking for Jerry's buck, we heard Scott shoot. Within an hour, he walked up to our position and told us the story of what had happened. He spent the next two hours helping us look for a deer that was running around in the woods, with us thinking he had been hit hard and buried in the brush.
Jerry left the hunt with that sick feeling of a lost deer. He refused to take another buck that evening, though he had some chances. Thinking he had mortally hit a deer, he told us his hunt was done, whether he recovered the deer or not. Jerry was much relieved when I told him the footage showed the deer was not hit, only grazed. Even if it resulted in him not filling a tag, he was happy to know that a deer did not go to waste.
There is something to be said about a relaxing hunt where the goal is to only spend time with friends, and find some winter meat for the freezer. There is no pressure, other than to laugh, joke, and tell the stories of many past hunts. Given that was our goal, we achieved our objective to the highest level.
Like all our episodes, you can search the Hunttalk threads and find my summary of this hunt. I hope this episode gives you thought to take one hunt this year and make it a chance to spend with family and friends - something we seldom get to do in the busy lives we all live.
Not bucks for the record books, but memories for a lifetime.
Happy Hunting!
Episode 6 - Montana Elk
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Scott Jones aka NV Longbow
Jerry Pritchard aka jerreep
Location - Private land in Central Montana
Date - Late November
How tags Acquired - The tags Scott and Jerry drew were part of the Montana drawing for non-residents. Being a Montana resident, I hunted with a general season tag that residents can purchase over the counter.
Watch Episode Five Teaser
Summary:
We hunted a ranch that has three components of private property. This rancher wants to allow some public hunting, to get the necessary harvest, and be a good neighbor to public hunters in Montana. But, like all ranchers, wildlife has economic impacts on their operation, so they do have part of the ranch leased to an outfitter.
In addition to the outfitted portion of the ranch, the landowner allows limited public hunting on another portion of the ranch. This is the portion of the ranch where we were hunting. We were hunting the last week of the season, and there had been more than thirty other public deer hunters on this portion of the ranch during the prior four weeks of the Montana general deer season. As such, the bucks were more scarce and spookier than you will find on private property that has exclusive private access, with no hunting pressure. The landowner keeps this portion of the ranch open to hunters they have come to know and trust over many years. There is no fee for those of us allowed to hunt here, just continue to follow the rules and shoot as many does as we can get tags for.
The landowner also enrolls the lower portion of the ranch in Montana's Block Management Program (BMP). This program is funded by license fees, mostly from non-residents. No outfitting is allowed on properties enrolled in the BMP. Hunters need to obtain the BMP booklets from the regional office they are looking to hunt. In that booklet, you will find the location of the BMP enrollee, the manner by which reservations are obtained, what animals are available to hunt, and any restrictions the landowner has related to access.
It was not our intent to show you a hunt for trophy whitetails on exclusive private ground. We wanted to demonstrate that it is possible to hunt private land in Montana without and outfitter. I know many non-resident hunters who have established long-term relationships with private landowners and come to Montana hunting on private land each year. And many more come to Montana and hunt the Block Management Program.
The bucks we hunted had been pressured. And, the bigger bucks had been cropped off by the hunters who had hunted the weeks prior to our hunt. But, it was a chance for three long-time friends to spend time together chasing deer. Scott and Jerry were excited, as they live in Nevada, and there are no whitetails there. Scott had been hunting with me the year before, and had taken home some of the does I had shot, and he was excited to get some more of these farm fed whitetails in his freezer.
Our weather was hardly typical for late November in Montana. It was warm and windy. The deer were still active, but mid-day activity was somewhat slowed by the warm temps.
The first morning Scott and Jerry went one way, and I walked a different direction, making a big loop around the creek bottom. It was hoped that my circling would funnel some deer near where Scott and Jerry were set up. A couple nice ones came by, but the speed they were traveling allowed for only running shots, which are not allowed.
As I neared the property boundary, I noticed a group of bucks and does in a small opening. I watched them for over a half hour, hoping they would come closer to me, and further away from the property boundary. On the other side of that boundary as an outfitting operation, so I wanted to drop any deer in his tracks, rather than allow him to jump the fence and have to deal with retrieving a buck from the neighboring property. I held high. And I missed high. The buck just stood around after the shot, eventually loping away. I checked for hair and blood, but as expected, found none.
You will see where Scott and Jerry passed on a buck the first day, hoping to find something bigger. That was to my benefit, as this tall narrow buck was a cool looking guy, who looked very plump and would make for great eating. The buck followed his doe into some thick brush. Scott agreed to circle upwind of the brush, hoping his scent would bring them out of the thicket. Watch the episode and you will see that every once in a while, the plans of man come together as hoped.
Jerry and Scott passed on many bucks during the hunt. The second to last evening, Jerry had a bunch of bucks running back and forth in front of him. We tried to get them to stop, but none would cooperate. He ended up passing on them.
Finally, another buck came out of a thicket. Jerry held on him, and at the shot, the buck flinched as though he had been hit. We followed the buck to the thick creek bottom, but ran out of daylight. We had scoured the ground for blood and hair, but found nothing. We tried to replay on the camera viewfinder, but it was too hard to see what happened. Jerry felt terrible. When we got the film back to the editing bay, we could see that Jerry shot right over the back of the shoulders, only grazing a few hairs off the buck. Not knowing that, Jerry spent the rest of his hunt looking for what he thought was a mortally hit buck.
The next morning, Scott placed himself at a funnel in the creek bottom. As Jerry and I looked for Jerry's buck from the night before, any deer we disturbed would go past Scott. Many deer came by, some almost running over Scott. Knowing it was the last day, Scott waited for the buck he thought would be the best for the freezer.
While looking for Jerry's buck, we heard Scott shoot. Within an hour, he walked up to our position and told us the story of what had happened. He spent the next two hours helping us look for a deer that was running around in the woods, with us thinking he had been hit hard and buried in the brush.
Jerry left the hunt with that sick feeling of a lost deer. He refused to take another buck that evening, though he had some chances. Thinking he had mortally hit a deer, he told us his hunt was done, whether he recovered the deer or not. Jerry was much relieved when I told him the footage showed the deer was not hit, only grazed. Even if it resulted in him not filling a tag, he was happy to know that a deer did not go to waste.
There is something to be said about a relaxing hunt where the goal is to only spend time with friends, and find some winter meat for the freezer. There is no pressure, other than to laugh, joke, and tell the stories of many past hunts. Given that was our goal, we achieved our objective to the highest level.
Like all our episodes, you can search the Hunttalk threads and find my summary of this hunt. I hope this episode gives you thought to take one hunt this year and make it a chance to spend with family and friends - something we seldom get to do in the busy lives we all live.
Not bucks for the record books, but memories for a lifetime.
Happy Hunting!
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Bart May aka Lawnboy
Location - Public land in Southwest Montana
Date - Late October
How tags Acquired - The tags Bart and I hunted with were general season tags. These tags are purchased over the counter for Montana residents and are drawn in a random drawing for non-residents. Once you purchase or draw this tag, you can hunt any of the general area units in Montana. That is where we were hunting.
Watch Episode Six Teaser
Summary:
All of you know how difficult hunting can be when a warm front comes through. Animals already wearing their winter coats start looking for the darkest coolest place in the country to hang out and get away from the heat. They move very little, and try to spend their entire day in the same general location.
The general elk and deer season in Montana always opens on a Sunday. Given the large crowds normally associated with opening day, Bart and I decided to wait until the first Monday, giving the weekend guys the first crack to alarm the elk that general rifle season was now opened.
Those who have hunted Montana, and other states with significant private land in the mountain valleys, know that as soon as the shooting starts, the elk find sanctuary. That safety is often found on private land - land usually outfitted, or where permission is next to impossible.
We spent our first morning watching from a ridge above large chunks of private land. We figured elk would be in the area, and with any luck, they would leave the private land and come to the areas where we could get after them. Such was not the case. We continued a week morning strategies based on hoping to intercept the elk that with some pressure, might be included to move to where we could go after them. Glassing that many elk, without opportunity to chase them is an exercise in frustration.
Our afternoon and evening strategy was to drive to other areas where we could hike and watch small openings in the National Forest. This was more entertaining, as we were moving, and seeing new country each day.
The first three days of our five-day hunt were very much the same, and with little or no result to show for our efforts. Lots of bear, a few deer, and some sore feet.
Finally on day four, we decided to climb a much higher ridge, from which we could glass many of the higher benches that opened up for miles to the east, north, and west. On that afernoon, we spotted a group of bulls and a large group of cows. They were on a very high bench a couple miles to our east. To get there, we would have to go to the east side of those mountains, climb out of that valley, heading west, drop over the divide and come done on the elk from above. This was not simple task. We would gain 2,200 feet of elevation in less than 1.75 miles. We left the truck at noon and by 2:45 had made our way to the bench above the elk. There we rested for over an hour.
So now I have to stop with the details, hoping you will tune in to see what happens on this hunt. From this, you will see that elk hunting requires leaving the trail in the dark, and returning in the dark. You better have a good map and know how to read it, along with a good pack and good headlamp. This type of hunting can be intimidating to those not familiar with the mountains or experienced in hunting in grizzly country. Anyone who hunts in grizz country and says they never think about bears while coming out in the dark, is a liar.
Like all our episodes, you can search the Hunttalk threads and find my summary of this hunt. When you watch the show, you will see the real benefits of being in great shape when in elk country. I am referring to Bart in this instance. I know very few people who can chase spooked elk, uphill, and close the gap. He is one in that group.
Thanks for watching.
Episode 7 - Colorado Pronghorn
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Bart May aka Lawnboy
Location - Public land in Southwest Montana
Date - Late October
How tags Acquired - The tags Bart and I hunted with were general season tags. These tags are purchased over the counter for Montana residents and are drawn in a random drawing for non-residents. Once you purchase or draw this tag, you can hunt any of the general area units in Montana. That is where we were hunting.
Watch Episode Six Teaser
Summary:
All of you know how difficult hunting can be when a warm front comes through. Animals already wearing their winter coats start looking for the darkest coolest place in the country to hang out and get away from the heat. They move very little, and try to spend their entire day in the same general location.
The general elk and deer season in Montana always opens on a Sunday. Given the large crowds normally associated with opening day, Bart and I decided to wait until the first Monday, giving the weekend guys the first crack to alarm the elk that general rifle season was now opened.
Those who have hunted Montana, and other states with significant private land in the mountain valleys, know that as soon as the shooting starts, the elk find sanctuary. That safety is often found on private land - land usually outfitted, or where permission is next to impossible.
We spent our first morning watching from a ridge above large chunks of private land. We figured elk would be in the area, and with any luck, they would leave the private land and come to the areas where we could get after them. Such was not the case. We continued a week morning strategies based on hoping to intercept the elk that with some pressure, might be included to move to where we could go after them. Glassing that many elk, without opportunity to chase them is an exercise in frustration.
Our afternoon and evening strategy was to drive to other areas where we could hike and watch small openings in the National Forest. This was more entertaining, as we were moving, and seeing new country each day.
The first three days of our five-day hunt were very much the same, and with little or no result to show for our efforts. Lots of bear, a few deer, and some sore feet.
Finally on day four, we decided to climb a much higher ridge, from which we could glass many of the higher benches that opened up for miles to the east, north, and west. On that afernoon, we spotted a group of bulls and a large group of cows. They were on a very high bench a couple miles to our east. To get there, we would have to go to the east side of those mountains, climb out of that valley, heading west, drop over the divide and come done on the elk from above. This was not simple task. We would gain 2,200 feet of elevation in less than 1.75 miles. We left the truck at noon and by 2:45 had made our way to the bench above the elk. There we rested for over an hour.
So now I have to stop with the details, hoping you will tune in to see what happens on this hunt. From this, you will see that elk hunting requires leaving the trail in the dark, and returning in the dark. You better have a good map and know how to read it, along with a good pack and good headlamp. This type of hunting can be intimidating to those not familiar with the mountains or experienced in hunting in grizzly country. Anyone who hunts in grizz country and says they never think about bears while coming out in the dark, is a liar.
Like all our episodes, you can search the Hunttalk threads and find my summary of this hunt. When you watch the show, you will see the real benefits of being in great shape when in elk country. I am referring to Bart in this instance. I know very few people who can chase spooked elk, uphill, and close the gap. He is one in that group.
Thanks for watching.
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Neil Severinson
Location - Public lands of Northwestern Colorado
Date - Early September
Watch Episode Seven Teaser
How tags Acquired - This tag was a not one I ever planned on acquiring. Here is the short version of a long story.
In February, I attended the Mule Deer convention held at the Hunt Expo in Salt Lake City. At that convention, lots of hunts and tags are auctioned and raffled. One of the tags was the statewide antelope tag for Colorado.
When this tag came to the auction podium, I had not intention of bidding. The auctioneer stated the tag had sold for $8,500 the previous year. That is where he started the bidding, with no takers. He worked his way down to $2,500, at which time I raised my hand to get the bidding started. Some true antelope junkies were in attendance, and instantly, they raised the bid to $3,250. Having watched them fight over the Nevada statewide tag at some really high dollar levels, I decided to make these guys work for this tag. I raised my had for $3,500 and turned to my buddies and finished listening to their stories, feeling content to have just raised the ante for these guys to go hunting in Colorado.
I pretty much stopped listening to the auctioneer, and struck up a conversation with the guys sharing the table with us. About five minutes later, a lady shows up at the table and asks for my signature. "For what?" I asked.
"For that antelope tag you bought." She replied.
"What? You gotta be kiddin' me." I looked at my friends in disbelief.
Well, my attempts to help the Mule Deer Foundation cost me $3,500. Talk about mixed emotions. I have never been a big fan of governor' tags; I knew my wife would have my hide when I got home; but I would get to hunt antelope.
Not much I could do at that point. I signed the form and gave the lady my credit card. I spent the rest of the event fidgeting about what would happen to me when I broke the news to my wife. As I did the entire 450-mile drive home to Montana.
What transpired when I tried to convince my wife that this was a great deal, is not repeatable on a public forum. Let's just say, the $3,500 was cheap compared to the rest of the costs I paid, and not just in terms of dollars.
Late in the summer it was decided that we would film a TV show. That meant I had to renounce some of the generous offers of friends and clients who had told me I could come to Colorado and hunt on their property. I now needed to find BLM ground to hunt on, and do so quickly. A quick look of the BLM maps of Colorado show you that Northwestern Colorado is the place where the most BLM land exists, and the most antelope reside.
I called my buddy Neil Severison and asked if he would want to tag along on a Colorado antelope hunt. He answered before the words had even left my lips. I knew he loved antelope hunting, so even without a tag, he was excited to tag along. He also is a great antelope hunter, and between us, I hoped we might formulate a strategy that brought success.
Most guys with a statewide tag would probably have taken advantage of the volumes of outfitter solicitations I received upon receipt of this tag. By doing so, they would probably have access to some private land with an older age class of antelope. But, being a committed On Your Own kind of guy, Neil and I stuck out on our own.
We went down two days early to scout. Having changed plans of where to hunt just prior to leaving for Colorado, we thought scouting on the ground would make up for the lack of "desk scouting" we had time to do.
In our scouting, we found two bucks that we wanted to go after. One had big flared prongs, even though he didn't have much mass. The other had lots of mass, but wasn't too long. I am sure there were bigger bucks to be had, but we wanted to replicate the type of hunt that could be had for any person drawing a tag in the public draw.
Scouting is something I will not sacrifice. As you will see from this episode, those scouting days were the result of our success. We made a stalk on the flared out buck the first day. I messed up and got too close, being spotted by one of his does as I peaked over the ledge. When the doe heads out, so does the buck.
At this time, we had a small event that I hope does not make TV. I had a prickly pear cactus hanging on the cuff of my jeans, right on my heel. As I squatted down, I placed that cactus right between my boot heel and my butt. I drove the cactus deep in the cheeks of my glutes and within seconds was dancing around the sage in my underwear, pulling cactus as quickly as I could. I suspect that clip will not make the show.
We never did catch up to the flared buck again. We did find the massive buck later in the hunt. I can't tell you all the details, so you will have to tune in to see how this hunt unfolds. You will find a thread in Hunttalk that gives a better daily re-cap than what I have provided here.
I am sure I shot one of the smallest bucks ever taken on a statewide pronghorn tag. But to me, he was a great trophy, and I think we did a great job of showing what it would be like for any guy who drew a public tag for this unit.
We are truly lucky to have the vast tracts of public land in this country. In this case, lots of BLM ground held lots of beautiful pronghorn.
Episode 8 - Montana Bear
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Neil Severinson
Location - Public lands of Northwestern Colorado
Date - Early September
Watch Episode Seven Teaser
How tags Acquired - This tag was a not one I ever planned on acquiring. Here is the short version of a long story.
In February, I attended the Mule Deer convention held at the Hunt Expo in Salt Lake City. At that convention, lots of hunts and tags are auctioned and raffled. One of the tags was the statewide antelope tag for Colorado.
When this tag came to the auction podium, I had not intention of bidding. The auctioneer stated the tag had sold for $8,500 the previous year. That is where he started the bidding, with no takers. He worked his way down to $2,500, at which time I raised my hand to get the bidding started. Some true antelope junkies were in attendance, and instantly, they raised the bid to $3,250. Having watched them fight over the Nevada statewide tag at some really high dollar levels, I decided to make these guys work for this tag. I raised my had for $3,500 and turned to my buddies and finished listening to their stories, feeling content to have just raised the ante for these guys to go hunting in Colorado.
I pretty much stopped listening to the auctioneer, and struck up a conversation with the guys sharing the table with us. About five minutes later, a lady shows up at the table and asks for my signature. "For what?" I asked.
"For that antelope tag you bought." She replied.
"What? You gotta be kiddin' me." I looked at my friends in disbelief.
Well, my attempts to help the Mule Deer Foundation cost me $3,500. Talk about mixed emotions. I have never been a big fan of governor' tags; I knew my wife would have my hide when I got home; but I would get to hunt antelope.
Not much I could do at that point. I signed the form and gave the lady my credit card. I spent the rest of the event fidgeting about what would happen to me when I broke the news to my wife. As I did the entire 450-mile drive home to Montana.
What transpired when I tried to convince my wife that this was a great deal, is not repeatable on a public forum. Let's just say, the $3,500 was cheap compared to the rest of the costs I paid, and not just in terms of dollars.
Late in the summer it was decided that we would film a TV show. That meant I had to renounce some of the generous offers of friends and clients who had told me I could come to Colorado and hunt on their property. I now needed to find BLM ground to hunt on, and do so quickly. A quick look of the BLM maps of Colorado show you that Northwestern Colorado is the place where the most BLM land exists, and the most antelope reside.
I called my buddy Neil Severison and asked if he would want to tag along on a Colorado antelope hunt. He answered before the words had even left my lips. I knew he loved antelope hunting, so even without a tag, he was excited to tag along. He also is a great antelope hunter, and between us, I hoped we might formulate a strategy that brought success.
Most guys with a statewide tag would probably have taken advantage of the volumes of outfitter solicitations I received upon receipt of this tag. By doing so, they would probably have access to some private land with an older age class of antelope. But, being a committed On Your Own kind of guy, Neil and I stuck out on our own.
We went down two days early to scout. Having changed plans of where to hunt just prior to leaving for Colorado, we thought scouting on the ground would make up for the lack of "desk scouting" we had time to do.
In our scouting, we found two bucks that we wanted to go after. One had big flared prongs, even though he didn't have much mass. The other had lots of mass, but wasn't too long. I am sure there were bigger bucks to be had, but we wanted to replicate the type of hunt that could be had for any person drawing a tag in the public draw.
Scouting is something I will not sacrifice. As you will see from this episode, those scouting days were the result of our success. We made a stalk on the flared out buck the first day. I messed up and got too close, being spotted by one of his does as I peaked over the ledge. When the doe heads out, so does the buck.
At this time, we had a small event that I hope does not make TV. I had a prickly pear cactus hanging on the cuff of my jeans, right on my heel. As I squatted down, I placed that cactus right between my boot heel and my butt. I drove the cactus deep in the cheeks of my glutes and within seconds was dancing around the sage in my underwear, pulling cactus as quickly as I could. I suspect that clip will not make the show.
We never did catch up to the flared buck again. We did find the massive buck later in the hunt. I can't tell you all the details, so you will have to tune in to see how this hunt unfolds. You will find a thread in Hunttalk that gives a better daily re-cap than what I have provided here.
I am sure I shot one of the smallest bucks ever taken on a statewide pronghorn tag. But to me, he was a great trophy, and I think we did a great job of showing what it would be like for any guy who drew a public tag for this unit.
We are truly lucky to have the vast tracts of public land in this country. In this case, lots of BLM ground held lots of beautiful pronghorn.
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Bart May aka Lawnboy
Location - Public land in Southwest Montana
Date - Early May
Watch Episode Eight Teaser
How tags Acquired - The tags Bart and I hunted with were general season spring bear tags. These tags are purchased over the counter for Montana both residents and non-residents. Once you purchase this tag, you can hunt any of the general area units in Montana. We hunted the mountains of Southwest Montana. Some areas have female harvest quotas and close to all hunting, once the female quota is met.
Montana does not allow the use of bait or hounds. So, this is a slightly different, make that a way different bear hunt than you will see in most instances. The majestic mountain country in which these spot and stalk hunts occur is worth the price of the tag. And when you get one, the logistics of packing out the meat, hide, and skull, tell you that you have earned it.
Summary:
I am not a bear hunter. My Dad was a bear nut. Living in Northern Minnesota, he would set out bear stands for anyone who wanted one. He would help them in any way he could. I never really understood Dad's passion for bears, and to be honest, never made a real attempt to learn more about it. Now that he is gone, it is one regret I will always have.
Moving out west, I became friends with many guys who were like my Dad - bear fanatics to the highest degree. Finally, I concluded I needed to learn what it is about bear hunting that makes normally sane people become obsessively overtaken by bear fever.
My buddy Bart May is one of those guys who loves to be in the hills chasing spring bears. I asked him if he would take the time to teach me some of his tactics from chasing spring bears. Even though his lawncare business is very busy by that time of year, bear hunting was enough to convince him that he should make the necessary accommodations to hunt bears.
We were only hunting seventy miles from our home. But, neither of us had ever hunted bears in that area. Heck, I had never hunted bears at all. We set up a camp in the National Forest and headed for the hills.
The first day we saw a jet black bear. We watched it for the longest time, struggling to determine if it was a boar or a sow. Not knowing for sure, we flounder long enough that it got nervous and moved off. Bart was pretty sure it was a sow, and given he was the experienced eye of our group, I was deferring to him.
Other bears located were a blonde bear that looked to be a female, or a very young male. We also saw another very black bear, but again, I think this one was a sow. For many reasons, shooting sows should be avoided, it possible. The reproductive rates of bears is not that of whitetails. And, boars can be the biggest source of cub mortality, so keeping the boars at a lower level keeps the predation of cubs at a lower level.
Like all hunts in the Rockies, we experienced every type of weather you can imagine. Rain, snow, hot sun, strong winds, and everything in between. The warmer weather toward the end of the hunt really "greened" up the grasses, which the bears focus on in the spring. That is good and bad. Good, in that is increases the amount of feed for the bears, and bad, as it gives them many more places to hang out and makes it harder to find them.
I learned more about bear hunting in six days with Bart than I could have learned in a lifetime of reading. Like most hunting, time in the woods is the best teacher. We did find one really big boar, but if I told you all the details here, you wouldn't watch the show.
If you are so inclined, you can search the Hunttalk threads and thread about this hunt. I can say that I now understand why may Dad, and many of my friends are such bear nuts. It will take a major distraction to keep me out of the bear woods from this date forward. I hope to be able to learn more about the bears, and come to understand more about the craziness of the people who hunt them.
Hope you find the time to go on a bear hunt. It is a truly remarkable hunting experience.
Episode 9 - Midwest Whitetail
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Bart May aka Lawnboy
Location - Public land in Southwest Montana
Date - Early May
Watch Episode Eight Teaser
How tags Acquired - The tags Bart and I hunted with were general season spring bear tags. These tags are purchased over the counter for Montana both residents and non-residents. Once you purchase this tag, you can hunt any of the general area units in Montana. We hunted the mountains of Southwest Montana. Some areas have female harvest quotas and close to all hunting, once the female quota is met.
Montana does not allow the use of bait or hounds. So, this is a slightly different, make that a way different bear hunt than you will see in most instances. The majestic mountain country in which these spot and stalk hunts occur is worth the price of the tag. And when you get one, the logistics of packing out the meat, hide, and skull, tell you that you have earned it.
Summary:
I am not a bear hunter. My Dad was a bear nut. Living in Northern Minnesota, he would set out bear stands for anyone who wanted one. He would help them in any way he could. I never really understood Dad's passion for bears, and to be honest, never made a real attempt to learn more about it. Now that he is gone, it is one regret I will always have.
Moving out west, I became friends with many guys who were like my Dad - bear fanatics to the highest degree. Finally, I concluded I needed to learn what it is about bear hunting that makes normally sane people become obsessively overtaken by bear fever.
My buddy Bart May is one of those guys who loves to be in the hills chasing spring bears. I asked him if he would take the time to teach me some of his tactics from chasing spring bears. Even though his lawncare business is very busy by that time of year, bear hunting was enough to convince him that he should make the necessary accommodations to hunt bears.
We were only hunting seventy miles from our home. But, neither of us had ever hunted bears in that area. Heck, I had never hunted bears at all. We set up a camp in the National Forest and headed for the hills.
The first day we saw a jet black bear. We watched it for the longest time, struggling to determine if it was a boar or a sow. Not knowing for sure, we flounder long enough that it got nervous and moved off. Bart was pretty sure it was a sow, and given he was the experienced eye of our group, I was deferring to him.
Other bears located were a blonde bear that looked to be a female, or a very young male. We also saw another very black bear, but again, I think this one was a sow. For many reasons, shooting sows should be avoided, it possible. The reproductive rates of bears is not that of whitetails. And, boars can be the biggest source of cub mortality, so keeping the boars at a lower level keeps the predation of cubs at a lower level.
Like all hunts in the Rockies, we experienced every type of weather you can imagine. Rain, snow, hot sun, strong winds, and everything in between. The warmer weather toward the end of the hunt really "greened" up the grasses, which the bears focus on in the spring. That is good and bad. Good, in that is increases the amount of feed for the bears, and bad, as it gives them many more places to hang out and makes it harder to find them.
I learned more about bear hunting in six days with Bart than I could have learned in a lifetime of reading. Like most hunting, time in the woods is the best teacher. We did find one really big boar, but if I told you all the details here, you wouldn't watch the show.
If you are so inclined, you can search the Hunttalk threads and thread about this hunt. I can say that I now understand why may Dad, and many of my friends are such bear nuts. It will take a major distraction to keep me out of the bear woods from this date forward. I hope to be able to learn more about the bears, and come to understand more about the craziness of the people who hunt them.
Hope you find the time to go on a bear hunt. It is a truly remarkable hunting experience.
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Location - Private and Public land in Kansas and Iowa
Date - December
Watch Episode Nine Teaser
How tags Acquired - The tags for this hunt were drawn in the non-resident drawings held by these states. I had four preference points in each state. The Kansas tag was a rifle tag, good for ten days, and the Iowa tag was a second season shotgun tag, good for a week.
Summary:
I am lucky to have some really good contacts in Iowa and Kansas. For years, I had been offered the chance to come to these states and hunt whitetails. I wanted to combine them in one trip, so I waited until I knew I could draw both states, and combine this as one hunt. At the time I applied for these tags, I had no idea I would be filming a TV show later that year. And, when that TV show was focused on hunting accessible lands, I was forced to decline the generous offers of these friends, and hunt publicly accessible lands.
Ouch. That was a big change in plans. I knew what kind of bucks came of the properties I could have hunted. But, true to the concept of the show, I went to Kansas and hunted a wildlife management area and private properties enrolled in the "Walk-In Hunting Area" program. These properties are open to all hunters.
In Iowa, I changed my plan to hunt two public wildlife management areas, not very far apart. This was a way to hedge my bet, and not tie myself down to a single area.
Both options meant I would be competing with lots of other hunters, for the very spooky animals that would be around. This is in sharp contrast to the hunting that you see on most Midwest whitetail shows.
Fortunately, both states have lots of deer. I did not see a lack of deer, but did see a lack of cooperative deer willing to stand around and be filmed. Really, I didn't plan on shooting them all, they could have at least been more cooperative.
If there is one thing that December in the Midwest can bring, it is wind and bad weather. I had lots of it. Kansas started warm and windy, but within short order, was windy and cold. The wind was so difficult on every day, it made the deer very jumpy and the hunting very difficult. But, that is hunting the publicly accessible lands.
I only had five days to film, so I could not sit around waiting for better weather. If I had it to do over, I would have done these as archery hunts, and come in November. I suspect there would have been fewer hunters and the deer would have been much more active, due to the rut. Hunting late rifle seasons like this, on public land, makes deer drives the best hunting option. That is not an option that works for filming, as viewers don't want to see the tails for deer running through the trees.
Be the weather what it was, and the deer past the rut, I hunted very hard. Every day was spent in the woods, trying to put together a plan that would allow me a shot at a good buck. I had shots at does, and my tag was good for either. I had come to the Midwest to meet the challenge of hunting publicly pressured deer, and do so with the company of cameras. So, I was inclined to keep pressing on, regardless of the difficult hurdles I had put in front of me.
The last day came and went. No deer. I had to deliver the camera guy to the airport that afternoon. I would return to the motel, catch some rest, and head to Iowa the next morning. I though I would try one last spot on my way out of Kansas. Well, in spite of the 50mph winds, a deer was thinking the same thing I was – get into that brush patch and out of the wind.
If you read the threads here on hunttalk, you will see that the deer and I met within throwing distance in that thicket. No video camera to record the story, just a lot of still images taken from the digital camera in my frozen hands. Not sure how you make TV out of that, but such is the difficulties of what we had tried to do.
I headed to Iowa with my Kansas buck still steaming in the back of my truck. The wind and rain froze, making driving as treacherous as anything I had ever encountered. I arrived in Iowa drained and needing sleep.
I scouted for two days before picking up my camera guy at the airport. Lots of deer were spotted in those scouting days, but with the forecast for extreme cold in the forecast, I was not sure if my spots would hold together in the changing conditions.
The first day was beautiful weather, but poor hunting. Only deer seen were running at Mach I, having been the victims of the Midwest deer drive tactics. But, I did have both a doe and buck tag in my pocket, and should have taken advantage of the does who gave me the opportunity
The second day turned bitter cold, and stayed that way the remainder of the hunt. High temps for the day would be single digits, and the wind was very strong. Hunting was miserable and filming was impossible. Yet, we struggled on.
I had now been away from home for three weeks, and just getting up each morning was a struggle. And to face the brutal conditions took all I had. I hope each day that I could see a buck and the season and filming could come to an end.
Finally, the fourth evening, just before dark, we had set up a blind at the corner of a field. I noticed a big deer coming our way. I pointed him out to the cameraman. My shotgun was braced in the crotch of a small tree, and the cross hairs were on the buck.
I waited for the command to shoot. Nothing. I looked at the cameraman and he was feverishly working the viewfinder, trying to get it functioning. Thoughts crossed my mind – "Just shoot, this is your best chance, and what a buck he is." And then replaced with "Don't shoot. You came this far and sacrificed many opportunities to get it on film, and a kill without footage is the same as no kill at all."
While my mind struggled, so do the cameraman. I kept asking for the authority to shoot, but it never came. Finally, the buck bounded away from the commotion in the brush, never to be seen again.
I could only laugh. Yet, I really wanted to cry. The cameraman was livid with himself, though he was not to blame. -4F temps are not the conditions these fickle computerized cameras are made for. He had done all he could. Filming just added an extra element that was impossible to overcome, when combined with near arctic weather, lots of other hunters, and deer that had been hunted hard for the week prior to our arrival on these public lands.
So, I left Iowa with my tag in my pocket. I learned much. I know that big bucks can be had on the public lands. Most guys would not add the complication of a TV show to the already challenging task of public land whitetail hunting.
But all is not lost. We took a challenge, and proved that it could be done. With a little luck, it would have all worked out on film. Now there is one more big buck running those oak ridges of Iowa, waiting for some other hunter to come to this same wildlife management area and hunt him, just as I had.
There is great satisfaction to challenging yourself beyond what you expected. What would have been my impression of deer hunting in Kansas and Iowa, had I taken the kind invitation to hunt farms of friends? Probably that this hunting is really good. Yet, I still have that opinion of deer hunting in those states, and can deliver the news that great public hunting is available in those states, to hunters willing to work for it.
As with all our episodes, you can find this hunt told in the threads of Hunttalk. I hope the story gives you a view of personal challenges met, and the inner character you find I yourself when you come up short.
Happy Hunting!
Episode 10 - Montana Turkey
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Location - Private and Public land in Kansas and Iowa
Date - December
Watch Episode Nine Teaser
How tags Acquired - The tags for this hunt were drawn in the non-resident drawings held by these states. I had four preference points in each state. The Kansas tag was a rifle tag, good for ten days, and the Iowa tag was a second season shotgun tag, good for a week.
Summary:
I am lucky to have some really good contacts in Iowa and Kansas. For years, I had been offered the chance to come to these states and hunt whitetails. I wanted to combine them in one trip, so I waited until I knew I could draw both states, and combine this as one hunt. At the time I applied for these tags, I had no idea I would be filming a TV show later that year. And, when that TV show was focused on hunting accessible lands, I was forced to decline the generous offers of these friends, and hunt publicly accessible lands.
Ouch. That was a big change in plans. I knew what kind of bucks came of the properties I could have hunted. But, true to the concept of the show, I went to Kansas and hunted a wildlife management area and private properties enrolled in the "Walk-In Hunting Area" program. These properties are open to all hunters.
In Iowa, I changed my plan to hunt two public wildlife management areas, not very far apart. This was a way to hedge my bet, and not tie myself down to a single area.
Both options meant I would be competing with lots of other hunters, for the very spooky animals that would be around. This is in sharp contrast to the hunting that you see on most Midwest whitetail shows.
Fortunately, both states have lots of deer. I did not see a lack of deer, but did see a lack of cooperative deer willing to stand around and be filmed. Really, I didn't plan on shooting them all, they could have at least been more cooperative.
If there is one thing that December in the Midwest can bring, it is wind and bad weather. I had lots of it. Kansas started warm and windy, but within short order, was windy and cold. The wind was so difficult on every day, it made the deer very jumpy and the hunting very difficult. But, that is hunting the publicly accessible lands.
I only had five days to film, so I could not sit around waiting for better weather. If I had it to do over, I would have done these as archery hunts, and come in November. I suspect there would have been fewer hunters and the deer would have been much more active, due to the rut. Hunting late rifle seasons like this, on public land, makes deer drives the best hunting option. That is not an option that works for filming, as viewers don't want to see the tails for deer running through the trees.
Be the weather what it was, and the deer past the rut, I hunted very hard. Every day was spent in the woods, trying to put together a plan that would allow me a shot at a good buck. I had shots at does, and my tag was good for either. I had come to the Midwest to meet the challenge of hunting publicly pressured deer, and do so with the company of cameras. So, I was inclined to keep pressing on, regardless of the difficult hurdles I had put in front of me.
The last day came and went. No deer. I had to deliver the camera guy to the airport that afternoon. I would return to the motel, catch some rest, and head to Iowa the next morning. I though I would try one last spot on my way out of Kansas. Well, in spite of the 50mph winds, a deer was thinking the same thing I was – get into that brush patch and out of the wind.
If you read the threads here on hunttalk, you will see that the deer and I met within throwing distance in that thicket. No video camera to record the story, just a lot of still images taken from the digital camera in my frozen hands. Not sure how you make TV out of that, but such is the difficulties of what we had tried to do.
I headed to Iowa with my Kansas buck still steaming in the back of my truck. The wind and rain froze, making driving as treacherous as anything I had ever encountered. I arrived in Iowa drained and needing sleep.
I scouted for two days before picking up my camera guy at the airport. Lots of deer were spotted in those scouting days, but with the forecast for extreme cold in the forecast, I was not sure if my spots would hold together in the changing conditions.
The first day was beautiful weather, but poor hunting. Only deer seen were running at Mach I, having been the victims of the Midwest deer drive tactics. But, I did have both a doe and buck tag in my pocket, and should have taken advantage of the does who gave me the opportunity
The second day turned bitter cold, and stayed that way the remainder of the hunt. High temps for the day would be single digits, and the wind was very strong. Hunting was miserable and filming was impossible. Yet, we struggled on.
I had now been away from home for three weeks, and just getting up each morning was a struggle. And to face the brutal conditions took all I had. I hope each day that I could see a buck and the season and filming could come to an end.
Finally, the fourth evening, just before dark, we had set up a blind at the corner of a field. I noticed a big deer coming our way. I pointed him out to the cameraman. My shotgun was braced in the crotch of a small tree, and the cross hairs were on the buck.
I waited for the command to shoot. Nothing. I looked at the cameraman and he was feverishly working the viewfinder, trying to get it functioning. Thoughts crossed my mind – "Just shoot, this is your best chance, and what a buck he is." And then replaced with "Don't shoot. You came this far and sacrificed many opportunities to get it on film, and a kill without footage is the same as no kill at all."
While my mind struggled, so do the cameraman. I kept asking for the authority to shoot, but it never came. Finally, the buck bounded away from the commotion in the brush, never to be seen again.
I could only laugh. Yet, I really wanted to cry. The cameraman was livid with himself, though he was not to blame. -4F temps are not the conditions these fickle computerized cameras are made for. He had done all he could. Filming just added an extra element that was impossible to overcome, when combined with near arctic weather, lots of other hunters, and deer that had been hunted hard for the week prior to our arrival on these public lands.
So, I left Iowa with my tag in my pocket. I learned much. I know that big bucks can be had on the public lands. Most guys would not add the complication of a TV show to the already challenging task of public land whitetail hunting.
But all is not lost. We took a challenge, and proved that it could be done. With a little luck, it would have all worked out on film. Now there is one more big buck running those oak ridges of Iowa, waiting for some other hunter to come to this same wildlife management area and hunt him, just as I had.
There is great satisfaction to challenging yourself beyond what you expected. What would have been my impression of deer hunting in Kansas and Iowa, had I taken the kind invitation to hunt farms of friends? Probably that this hunting is really good. Yet, I still have that opinion of deer hunting in those states, and can deliver the news that great public hunting is available in those states, to hunters willing to work for it.
As with all our episodes, you can find this hunt told in the threads of Hunttalk. I hope the story gives you a view of personal challenges met, and the inner character you find I yourself when you come up short.
Happy Hunting!
Hunters
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Jerry Pritchard aka jerreep
Location - Public land in Southeast Montana
Date - Early May
Watch Episode Ten Teaser
How tags Acquired - Turkey tags in Montana are an over-the-counter situation, with the exception of some places in western Montana. Both residents and non-residents can purchase these OTC tags. In some units of the state, you can take two spring gobblers. Not a bad deal if you are coming from out of state on a turkey hunt.
Summary:
I wish I could tell you that I am a turkey-hunting expert. That would be a lie. Prior to this hunt, I had shot one turkey in my entire life. That was a fall turkey that would lead his flock past my deer blind every morning, so one morning I decided to be ready for him, and shot him at eight yards. Hardly the same experience as calling spring birds.
My companion for this hunt was Jerry Pritchard. Jerry has spent more time hunting western turkeys than any person I know. Besides his own hunting, he has helped untold numbers of other hunters to their birds. Knowing my limitations and his experience, I was glad to have a veteran with me on this hunt.
We had chosen the first week of May for this hunt. That would be the third week of season in Montana. Given we were hunting public land, we knew the three weeks of hunting pressure prior to our arrival would result in some birds having been educated, plus some of the toms being plucked from the flocks. But, like most people, when you pick a time for your hunting trip, you go and make the most of it, dealing with all the other conditions and elements inherent to public land hunting.
Since we were camping on National Forest ground, we decided we would bring the wall tent and ATVs. That would give us more flexibility and mobility as we adapted to whatever the weather and birds told us was the thing to do. Given the severe weather extremes we encountered, this turned out to be a well thought out strategy.
Most people think of turkey hunting as going to a wooded farm pasture, calling bird to the decoy and shooting them from the blind. Or at least that was my impression, based on what I had seen on TV turkey hunts. Boy, was I in for a big surprise. The wild country, spooky birds, extreme weather, and uncooperative toms who were satisfied with the live hens they were chasing, made for an experience I had not mentally prepared for.
Like most every hunt I go in, the first thing I do on a public land hunt is to look for the place that is hardest for other hunters to access. In this case, the National Forest had many areas with travel restrictions, which meant it was a boot leather opportunity. The roads had made impassible by the weeks of wet weather prior to our arrival, so we were relegated to traveling forest service roads with ATVs. I only use ATVs to get me to the hunting location, on roads open to vehicular travel. In this case, even though these roads were open to driving my truck, I would have been stuck within the first half mile.
I don't want to tell the entire story here in, so I will leave the suspense for viewing on Outdoor Channel. I can assure of this. When you watch this episode, throw out every preconceived notion you have about turkey hunting, as this episode will make turkey hunting look more extreme than some elk hunts.
You will find a day-by-day recount of this hunt in the threads of Hunttalk. As compelling as that story is, it pales in comparison to the episode you will see on our show.
I would challenge all of you to ad a twist to you spring turkey hunting by someday coming out West to chase these crazy wild Merriam's turkeys. If you accept that challenge, try to plan a hunt on some of the wild public grounds. You will see a side of turkeys that would otherwise never think existed. Whether successful or not, you will have the time of your life.
I am going back next spring to see if I can actually get this done while walking six miles per day, rather than the ten miles I invested each day of this hunt.
Happy Hunting!
Randy Newberg aka Big Fin
Jerry Pritchard aka jerreep
Location - Public land in Southeast Montana
Date - Early May
Watch Episode Ten Teaser
How tags Acquired - Turkey tags in Montana are an over-the-counter situation, with the exception of some places in western Montana. Both residents and non-residents can purchase these OTC tags. In some units of the state, you can take two spring gobblers. Not a bad deal if you are coming from out of state on a turkey hunt.
Summary:
I wish I could tell you that I am a turkey-hunting expert. That would be a lie. Prior to this hunt, I had shot one turkey in my entire life. That was a fall turkey that would lead his flock past my deer blind every morning, so one morning I decided to be ready for him, and shot him at eight yards. Hardly the same experience as calling spring birds.
My companion for this hunt was Jerry Pritchard. Jerry has spent more time hunting western turkeys than any person I know. Besides his own hunting, he has helped untold numbers of other hunters to their birds. Knowing my limitations and his experience, I was glad to have a veteran with me on this hunt.
We had chosen the first week of May for this hunt. That would be the third week of season in Montana. Given we were hunting public land, we knew the three weeks of hunting pressure prior to our arrival would result in some birds having been educated, plus some of the toms being plucked from the flocks. But, like most people, when you pick a time for your hunting trip, you go and make the most of it, dealing with all the other conditions and elements inherent to public land hunting.
Since we were camping on National Forest ground, we decided we would bring the wall tent and ATVs. That would give us more flexibility and mobility as we adapted to whatever the weather and birds told us was the thing to do. Given the severe weather extremes we encountered, this turned out to be a well thought out strategy.
Most people think of turkey hunting as going to a wooded farm pasture, calling bird to the decoy and shooting them from the blind. Or at least that was my impression, based on what I had seen on TV turkey hunts. Boy, was I in for a big surprise. The wild country, spooky birds, extreme weather, and uncooperative toms who were satisfied with the live hens they were chasing, made for an experience I had not mentally prepared for.
Like most every hunt I go in, the first thing I do on a public land hunt is to look for the place that is hardest for other hunters to access. In this case, the National Forest had many areas with travel restrictions, which meant it was a boot leather opportunity. The roads had made impassible by the weeks of wet weather prior to our arrival, so we were relegated to traveling forest service roads with ATVs. I only use ATVs to get me to the hunting location, on roads open to vehicular travel. In this case, even though these roads were open to driving my truck, I would have been stuck within the first half mile.
I don't want to tell the entire story here in, so I will leave the suspense for viewing on Outdoor Channel. I can assure of this. When you watch this episode, throw out every preconceived notion you have about turkey hunting, as this episode will make turkey hunting look more extreme than some elk hunts.
You will find a day-by-day recount of this hunt in the threads of Hunttalk. As compelling as that story is, it pales in comparison to the episode you will see on our show.
I would challenge all of you to ad a twist to you spring turkey hunting by someday coming out West to chase these crazy wild Merriam's turkeys. If you accept that challenge, try to plan a hunt on some of the wild public grounds. You will see a side of turkeys that would otherwise never think existed. Whether successful or not, you will have the time of your life.
I am going back next spring to see if I can actually get this done while walking six miles per day, rather than the ten miles I invested each day of this hunt.
Happy Hunting!
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