It's Mid-November and where are Jason Phelps and I? We can't be bugling rutty bulls, or standing in a trade show booth........ The truth is, we are headed to Montana to hunt rutting mule deer bucks!
It's a long drive for both of us goofballs even though we live states apart, and if you've ever been to Montana in November the roads can be terrible. Deep snow drifts, giant mud-holes that can swallow a truck and subzero temps create interesting hunting conditions.
So how do we hunt these bucks? It's basically spot and stalk (and sometimes spook) hunting, but often times from the warm seat of a 4wd pickup truck. We're up before daylight each morning, covering country looking for groups of deer off in the distance. Once spotted, the glass comes out looking for bucks chasing does. With there being a fair amount of deer around, we are pretty choosy as we try to pick out a mature deer from the landscape. Once spotted, the hike begins. Sounds easy huh? Well add in 30+ mph winds and single digit to below zero temps and it adds some difficulty. Your eyes tear up from the biting wind, and all those warm layers of clothes start warming up to a sweat as you hike up and down the hills. Oh, don't forget going from a windblown hillside with a few inches of snow, to a draw that has 3-4' snow drifts.
It's not always cold hikes and blustery winds. Lots of laughs and storytelling fill the hunt with levity. This year Jason's son- Hunter will join us on his first ever deer hunt, which will add another layer of fun to an already awesome hunt. Wish us luck and keep an eye out on social media as we share some of our moments for the hunt!
