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Montana Deer - Most important hunt of the season

Big Fin

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Tomorrow we start filming what is personally the most important hunt of my season. It is a Montana deer hunt that I have been looking forward to since this summer. A little background.

The guest hunter is a long-time hunting buddy and friend, Ole. He is 83 years old, has had some serious health issues, and as he always warns me, "Sport, I'm not getting any younger."

He and I always would spend a few trips in the duck blind every fall. We were always joined by another great friend, Neil, or as he often calls himself, "Einer" in appreciation of his Norwegian heritage. He is not exactly a young chicken either, posting his age at 68.

These guys are more fun than you can have in a day. Almost like Grumpy Old Men, but they get along much better. They take me along as the dumb young guy who they can talk into doing most anything they ask.

This summer Ole told me that he thinks his last deer is now behind him, rather than in front of him. I told him that is not the case, if I had anything to say about it. I told him I wanted to take him deer hunting to repay all the great duck hunts he had treated me to.

The three of us have not got to hunt together since I started the frantic life of filming this TV show. I was always on the road. I missed a ton of fun times. Neil was a guest when we filmed a Colorado antelope hunt in Season One, making that the only time I have hunted with him in the last four years.

I called Neil and told him what Ole had remarked. Neil offered to help me get Ole out in the field for a deer hunt. That was great relief, as they make a better comedy pair than they are individually.

This hunt will not be the typical OYOA hunt where we go to some new place, hunt public land, etc. Ole cannot navigate the hills anymore. I cannot take him up into the mountains. So, I made some calls and asked if we came and shot a bunch of does, would some of these landowners allow Ole to shoot a buck. Thankfully they all welcomed the idea when I explained such.

Neil has a doe tag, Ole has a doe tag and a buck tag, as do I. This is about Ole. I don't plan to shoot anything, unless Ole or Neil want extra meat for their freezers. Given my promise to my wife that I will be home through Thanksgiving weekend, my MT deer tag is most like going to join the unpunched pile from ID, NM, AZ, and CO.

Neil, being the classic Old School hunter, already hung his A tag on a doe. His theory is that they taste better. And, he did confide that he missed a nice buck and frustration may have taken over and venting of such was taken out on the next deer that came by - a doe. Ole is just as likely to take two does, rather than a buck and a doe.

This will be On Your Own, as are all our shows. Yet, it will be on private property that allows a lot of public hunting. I had to call a couple months in advance to see if there were any openings. They fit us in with some other hunters, which is fine. Will probably keep the deer moving.

They do not allow hunting to every person who stops by, but for people they know through the community, their kids school, or in my case, people who do business with the ranch. The way my wife and I got to shoot bucks here is by offering to shoot does only for the first three years. They eventually invited us to shoot a buck, given the job we were doing on the whitetail does.

Getting the older guys out in the field is very important to me. They have some great stories to tell and help give me perspective on what is important in life. I hope I am paying forward to the time when I cannot get out in the field without some help and some young guys invite me along for some doe slaying.

It is mostly about friendship and good times. If a buck falls to Ole's bullet, it will be the first buck he sees. He grew up in the depression and hunting to him is about acquiring winter meat. Having an extra doe tag is all the better to him. You would not know he is such a meat hunter when you see the 370+ elk rack that hangs above his fireplace, taken from the thick woods of NW Montana many years ago.

I know I will probably catch some flack about this not being on public land. Frankly, I don't really care. If there are viewers who cannot see this episode for all that it shows of what hunting means to friends and procuring food, then they should probably change the channel. Hunting and the friendships it has provided me is what I want to emphasize in this episode. It is very possible that nothing will even get shot. Yet, the relationship of the people involved and how hunting has bound that together is the story for the day.

I have told Ole I can bring chairs and build him a temporary blind along a good trail. I will bring a Mr. Buddy heater to keep him warm. I know the exact spot I want to place him. The same spot I placed my Dad when he came to Montana and we spent our last ever day deer hunting before he passed away. He was less mobile than Ole. It is also the place where my son shot his first deer - a whitetail doe. Having Ole shoot a deer from that little creek bottom corner would make that spot even more special to me than it already is.

We only have three days to get this done, thanks to my Wyoming detour of this week. I will be over building a blind and doing as much of the TV work as possible tomorrow, with Neil and Ole showing up with tags and rifles on Monday and Tuesday. The weather looks cold and clear. The rut is in full swing. Hopefully some of the other hunters who will be there will push a deer past Ole and he will flash his big smile when he puts his tag on another deer. Hopefully we can capture that, and the essence of what hunting means to Ole and Neil.

And in the process, I hope Neil and I laugh as loud and long as we always do when the three of us are together. If we can capture all of that on film, it will be an episode well worth airing. In the day of whitetail TV being about inches, tactics, supplemental feeding, even shooting pens, ...... I want to show that whitetails - "The People's Deer," can provide an different experience.

Hope to post pics of Ole and his deer in the coming days.
 
Sounds great, can't wait to follow along. I doubt any of us would pass up a private land hunt, If somebody has a problem with it they could always go knock on some doors. Good luck Ole!
 
Awesome, hope the hunt is all you want it to be and more. Have a great time and hope to see the pics of his buck coming up soon.
 
Would love to see a montage of hunting photos of you and the "boys" from back in the day, fading to a present day hero shot. Maybe even Meryl Streep doing a "Out of Africa" voice over.....I had a duck blind in Minnesota....
 
Sounds like a good time. Having friends to cherish the hunting experience with is priceless. Can't wait to see this episode when it airs. Good luck!
 
Sounds like another great adventure with a couple of great guys. I think any real sportsman would do nothing but applaud you for taking these two guys out, regardless if its public/private, I know I am. Good luck this week, I can't wait to see and hear about this one!!
 
I don't see anything wrong with showing people theres other ways besides big $$ to get on private land.I got to hunt on some private ranches in Montana this year the exact same way,but it was because who I was with.They were either friends of the family or the father had done some work for them in the past.Both places were excellent even though I couldn't find a shooter on them;doesn't mean they wern't there for sure
Sounds like it will make and excellent show.I sure hope Ole finds a nice buck to take
 
Good luck!!! I also have not a problem with this kind of a show. You are still sticking to your core beliefs. Your showing the public what its really like. It's going to be special, I can feel it in your words. I knew earlier when I was there and you were telling me what you were doing that it would be great. I could see it in your eyes and hear the excitement in your voice.


" I will bring a Mr. Buddy heater to keep him warm. I know the exact spot I want to place him. The same spot I placed my Dad when he came to Montana and we spent our last ever day deer hunting before he passed away. He was less mobile than Ole. It is also the place where my son shot his first deer - a whitetail doe. Having Ole shoot a deer from that little creek bottom corner would make that spot even more special to me than it already is"

Like kansasdad said a montage would look great if there is room to edit
 
Good luck man! Hunting is about spending quality time with friends and family outdoors and you've got that part down on this hunt. It's not totally public land, but people can still get to it with reservations it sounds like and that's as legit as any hunt. You've got some great guys going with you and I look forward to see how this plays out.
 
Getting the older guys out in the field is very important to me. They have some great stories to tell and help give me perspective on what is important in life. I hope I am paying forward to the time when I cannot get out in the field without some help and some young guys invite me along for some doe slaying.

A noble and admirable plan Fin; it should make for a good show. I do the same for my 84 yr old uncle who has gotten 4 whitetail in the last five seasons, missed out one season but doubled up in another.

Being 68 yrs. old, I had vainly never considered myself one of the "older guys" until reading your post, so now must begin rethinking everything. I had hoped there was one more elk trip left in me, but recent cardiac complications will confine me to being the camp cook if ever fortunate enough to con some "young guys" into inviting me along. If not; I've had a good run at it and can still smell the sagebrush and quakies when I put my mind to it.

Hope the older guys score!
 
Just hoping that I have somebody to drag me out like that when I think I am done for. Should have yourself some more great memories to carry with you after this hunt.
 
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. Regardless of Public/Private this episode will a little different side of what hunting is all about. Usually for us DIY guys it's about just that, getting out there on your own and making it happen which I love, but this one sounds like it has just a little different flavor...a new side of "On Your Own" where old friends are getting together for one of their last deer hunts together. It will be a treat to watch and to read along here the next few days!
 
This sounds like your best episode yet Randy.Talking about what it means to you to help these older fellows hunt brings back memories of hunting with my grandfather .He's been gone 9 years now but I think of him every day I hunt.If anyone has a problem with this being on private land they just dont understand what hunting is all about.
 
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