Spent the last days 8 days hunting mule deer in Montana. A day and half of travel each way. We walked between 10 to 15 miles a day.

Had a great time even through I didn't kill a buck.

The first two days I passed on 4 easy shots from two hundred yards and closer.

The first was a small fork at 130 to 220.

I peaked over a ridge saw a doe then started glassing. 4 more does then the small buck popped out. Stood at 130 yards for a while the wandered to 220. I laid there for close a half an hour watching the herd.

Could have killed that buck many time front rest was my bi-pod butt resting on my day pack solid as a rock. Ranges confirmed by my range finder.

The closest being a small 3 pointer at 15 yards.

2nd day I was hunting a very steep draw at times I could touch both sides at the same time.

A constant about 30 mile an hour wind in my face.

I came around a corner and there stood up a small 3 pointer at 15 yards just staring at me.

He stayed plenty long enough for me to shoot him.

The then bonce to 137 yards and stood the for a few minutes while I eyed him up through my scope off the shooting sticks. He then bounded off.

A few minutes later I bumped up a bachelor ground of 3 small 3 pointers. They ran a little ways and stood there as I looked them over. I decide they were two small to be worth the mile and half haul out of there. Up steep ravines.

After that I saw a total of 16 more bucks a few real bruisers. None gave fortunately gave me the shot I wanted. Just needed another 5 to 10 seconds to get into the place the afforded me a good solid position to shoot from.

One jumped up 25 yards in front of me in a ravine filled with brush. Dang I wish I had by Wis. whitetail rifle a model 99 300 savage. I killed many deer with that under the same circumstances.

My 9lb 700 in 300wm was not up to fast jump shooting at least that day.

Had one very big buck silhouetted on a ridge at 300 yards that wasn't a safe shot.

The next day I had the same buck in the same spot only below the sky line.

I needed 10 feet to make a safe sure shot at 273 yards.

I made it to 8 feet when he decided he didn't like what was going on and was gone. The next day my cousin and I worked into that box canyon hoping one or the other would get a shot.

I was sitting on a knife ridge looking into the canyon. I pulled out my signaling whistle to get my cousins attention. I blew it about 3 times when I noticed a coyote coming over the back side of the ridge at about 50 feet away.

As I reached for my rifle laying next to me he saw me and took of down the ridge dodging sage brush.

I then proceeded to miss him and making him run faster.

One one day I pushed 5 big bucks out towards my cousin I could not shoot because the were running towards him.

I waited and waited for the shot none came.

We meet back up about a hour latter. It took me awhile to find out what happened.

He was very embarrassed that he forgot to load is rifle.

He said it was a very loud click.

He was remined about it for the rest of the trip.

We pushed bucks out of that draw for 3 days but just couldn't get the right shot.

It was a buck hot spot.

The last day of hunting my cousin and I were sneaking into the draw. When I spotted a doe some distance away 435 yards by the range finder.

Were were glassing when we spotted another 3 does. Then a nice buck stood up I went into a solid prone position.

I found the deer in the scope put early in the morning the sun was just breaking the ridge
line. The glare was just enough that I could not make a clean shot.

My cousin spotted two more bucks but they were to far for him to shoot and I was out of position to see them. We finished pushing that draw. I chased up two smaller bucks. My cousin took a shot at one of them. But just as he was finishing his trigger squeeze the deer jumped and he missed at about two hundred yards.

Our other friend missed a buck standing at 150 yards mid point trough the hunt. Who knows why.

He later killed a nice buck antelope at 410 yards with a single round through the lungs.

Between the 3 of us we saw 26 bucks and about that many does.

We lost a day and half of hunting because of rain. One couldn't get into the back country because of the mud.

Over all even through I didn't kill a deer I had a fantastic time.

P Dog, thanks for the report and I know many people appreciate your restraint on questionable shots. Lots of others would have let lead fly no matter what, hope you get some satisfaction in that.

I'm also an expert and missing coyotes to make them run faster and appreciate the skill, patience and effort required! Great report.

Sounds like a great hunt! Beautiful country too. I miss Montana, though Colorado isn't bad.

Thanks for the Report. I hunted eastern Montana south of Wibaux from 1994 to 2006 and shot a few nice bucks, the largest a 29” 5 X 4. He’s hanging on my wall.

I am at the point in my life where having to kill something is far less important.

Then the quality of the hunt.

One does not travel out of state for the meat. I can buy tags here and shoot a deer. In the front yard most mornings. If I needed the meat and it would be a lot cheaper.

I tried very hard to get my two hunting partners into positions to take their game.

But when one forgets to load his gun, the other misses a easy standing shot.

What can one do.

One can only try

I am glad you had a good time.

That is the most important part!

Thanks for the report. Sounds like you had and made some lasting memories. That's what really counts in the end.