MT_Sourdough

Don't underestimate the potential of the lower flats in the southern part of the unit. Lotsa nice bulls down low. It's really dry right now, so finding water is a good start.

Reading that made "Me sooooo Horny" for a hunting partner. I wonder if he ever scouted the backside on Brokeback Mountain.

I'd show you pics of cow elk in 8 taken over the last couple of weeks, but photobucket is blocking me if I don't give them tons of money. There are elk all over that unit. It is always a roll of the dice and sometimes they just don't roll your way.

You'll see deer frequently enough to recognize individual deer and enough to track antler growth, but not enough to guarantee their visiting the salt lick on any given day or any given week for that matter. The monsoon rains seem to really scatter the deer, especially the bucks. The bachelor herds vacated my salt licks through the monsoon and didn't return until after archery season was over.

It can be difficult to find a 500 yard range that is truly safe. Be careful out there.

It's explosion was initiated by industrial styled agricultural practices that include taking bi-product coming back from the slaughter houses and feeding it to livestock. I think that process has been banned, but the damage is done. Once a parasitic disease has mutated to transfer from one species to another, than it poses a threat to continue to infect other species. The disease was introduced to wildlife (deer, elk, etc.) from livestock, so that cross species infection demonstrates the risk. One of my biggest fears about CWD is iit has become a political football used by differing interest groups in the west.

I had a forest service official explain some of their hidden logic/agenda. I was told they'll let roads degrade to a level that very few people will travel them. That way they save money on maintenance as well as enforcement. They will enforce closures when they can, but they do not have the manpower nor the will to invest into what is really needed to enforce compliance.

Right now, on google earth, you can see obvious fresh atv tracks cutting across Woodchute Wilderness. Welcome to the wild west. In Montana, they would put up signs on roads regarding their status and usually had locked gates on the closed access roads. Local ranchers had keys to the gates and everybody else usually followed the rules. Local ranchers were the first line of enforcement. My neighbor would keep track of all vehicles coming and going. If she was suspicious of anybodies activities or intentions, she'd be on her atv following them with binoculars and sidearm. Butte, Montana has it's share of lawless folk, but Browns Gulch was kept in check.

I use camo tape on my security boxes and that really helps in hiding them. !" wood screws hold the security box in place and leave no trace when you take it out. Cable locks helps to keep honest people honest. Salt licks done right with granular mineral salts for cattle work quite well. A good mineral lick in a good location could get as much visitation from critters as a a water hole. During monsoonal rains a salt lick is often more active than water tanks. With a mineral lick, you get lots of pics of the critters with multiple views/angles of antlers. Using a mineral lick will somewhat pattern critters to visit on a regular basis and allows you more opportunity to keep track of antler growth through the summer. Critters are more relaxed at a mineral site than they are at water holes. Doing a little strategic trail work on the trail leading to your trailcam. Moving branches and other obstructions as well as noisemakers (i.e. dry pine cones) from your trail will bring more visitors and allows you to get in and out quietly while checking your cam site. Animals, especially ones carrying lots of headbone, like to use the path of least resistance. If you put your camera in a densely forested area, making room at right height for easy navigation of big racks through the branches will invite more such visitors to your cam site.

Hey man, no beefing on Paulden. Just Joking.

Last year, I found a mule deer skull/antlers from a lion kill. It had nice sized antlers and I hung it on a tree next to my tent. My camera caught two side by sides come into camp (about 40 yards off road) and one of the guys got out and took the skull/antlers from the tree. I was glad that was all they took. I knew I was being a bit tempting by leaving it on the tree. Cameras on camp is a good idea. Place one (or more) of them in an area to likely get licence plate. Your thief is a local addict. I'd bet money on it.

what about poaching to make a name for yourself to further your guild business to feed your family ?? Thanks! That makes sense. Maybe hella wrong, but there is some logic to it.

poaching to feed the family i can understand, Poaching for trophies? What's the point?

toilet paper

Super Bowl will be Cardinals over New England Cheaters 98-0

I have seen lots of rattlers over the last 3 weeks

HOLY $#!+ !!!

Some cooler air is moving in and scattered showers usually makes it happen, but is it too soon? Anybody hear bugles yet?

I have yet to hear a peep out of'em in 8 and 19a

Now, YOU are a leaker, Trumps gonna kick you out of the country. You'll probably be in a Gulag before too long. It's 4 am and I gotta get.

I bought a 12x12 Alaknak with vestibule that I am doing a test run with next week, I will be using it in Montana in November, but I want to test run it, now, so I am not confused when temps may be below zero.

I am currently doing load development using Varget and Speer 130gr spbt bullets. I am not in pursuit of the highest velocity, so I have narrowed my load down to 42.5 - 43 gr of Varget. Velocities are in the 2860 - 2900 fps range from a 22" barrel.

http://www.levergunleather.com/p_buttstock_covers.htm I bought a couple of cheek rests and lots of other work from this guy. They are heirloom quality. He specializes in leverguns but will make slips and cheekrests for any rifle that doesn't have a roll-over cheekrest as part of the stock.

Silent where I was at in unit 8, today.

I'll be up in 8 tomorrow and I am expecting to hear some noise.