Montana 2021 (updated 5/14)

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Swampstalk
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Re: Montana 2021

Post by Swampstalk »

Awesome getting your sons on them birds! Beautiful country!
Don
Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Montana 2021

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Crazy good day yesterday, snowing today. I'll add some photos with feathers and grins this weekend.
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Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Montana 2021

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

The next set of photos is my annual spring turkey hunt with my pastor. We try to hunt somewhere new in MT when possible but have hunted at least one area more than once. We went somewhere that was new to him but I had hunted close by around 8 years ago. Part of the reason we decided to hunt here was he knew someone with an apartment above their detached garage that had offered for us to use it. A nice place to stay is always a bonus.

We arrived Wednesday evening and did a little scouting. We found some birds but they were on a ranch that we didn't have access to. There were also birds behind our hosts house but they only have 10 acres and their 13 year old son will be hunting next week. We didn't want to sit down hill from their house and didn't want to kill a turkey that the kid could kill with his dad. He had killed a tom back in the fall and was proudly showing us the fan and beard.

We were planning to hunt Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning. The forecast wasn't looking too good for Friday, so we knew Thursday would be our best day.
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Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Montana 2021

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

I rarely have access to private land out here besides BMAs that anyone can hunt. When I do have access, I'm with Pastor. He's developed contacts everywhere and a couple last minute phone calls had us meeting a rancher the next morning at 7 instead of listening for turkeys on a ridge top.

We started off in a riverbottoms, but the birds that were there were on the neighbor with a pile of hens and really had no reason to even consider coming out way. I did find a nice matched set of whitetail antlers along the river laying 20 feet apart.
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Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Montana 2021

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

The rancher then suggested that we drive a few miles back into some BLM that he has grazing rights to and hunt some cedar a pine draws. The rest of our hunt on the rancher was actually on public land, but it might as well be private because it's landlocked by private land and the only access is through private.

We found this bird around 11 and called him across a draw. I watched him strut down through some nasty broken stuff then when he got to the bottom, he paced back and forth a little before flying across about a 10 foot deep wash. He then strutted his way up a steep incline and I shot him pointing straight down the slope when he gobbled at a yelp.
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Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Montana 2021

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

We found Pastor's bird around 3 after we took a break. Actually, we made a sandwich then he took a nap while I cleaned my bird. This bird was strutting with hens and didn't gobble much. We were lucky that we didn't bump them because I thought he was father than he really was and got closer than I should have. It's probably the only reason that we killed him. We were just too close for them not to take a look at us. His bird was a better bird than my own but that's never a bad thing.
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Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Montana 2021

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

We headed out from the ranch after that and drove to some land that I'd hunted 8 years ago to look around expecting to hunt it on Friday and Saturday. We stopped and talked with another rancher longer than we should have. Being a pastor, my buddy is also a talker, but it probably gets him more access than I'll ever have. While they were really friendly, these folks had hunters coming in that evening to hunt through the weekend. We continued on to our destination without any real expectations besides maybe locating birds for Friday.

However..........
I'd just mentioned that Isaac and I had killed a bird by parking at this spot and hiking cross country, so we decided to stop so I could throw out some yelps down through a canyon. Two birds responded unexpectedly from 300 yards or so immediately. I jumped back in the truck so we could drive down the road out of site. We could see both birds on a small ridge strutting with a couple of hens as we drove off.

We parked a few hundred yards down the road and circled a hill to set up on the other side of them opposite the direction of the road. We'd already gotten lucky just finding them but got lucky again on the setup. They were apparently moving somewhat in the direction that we chose because I heard a spit and drum as soon as I yelped and it was within 75 yards.

Over the next 5 or 10 minutes the drumming was crazy and steadily getting closer every time that I yelped at them but they didn't gobble again. We finally saw fan tips straight ahead about 50 yards but the birds were hidden in a swale moving left to right. The strutter popped out straight right at 30 yards or so but my gun was not pointed at him. I swung my gun right when the strutter spun and had his head hidden by his fan and Pastor rolled around right almost to his knees but couldn't shoot past me. We couldn't see the other birds but knew they were right there too in the swale behind a little grass. When the strutter came out from behind a tree I was going to have to kill him or he was going to be too far right. I shot him when he walked out half strut head out around 32 yards. Pastor rolled all the way to his knees and the other gobbler had stood straight up trying to figure out what was going on while the two hens between him and the now dead strutter took off flying. He should have flown like the hens because he was on his back within a second or two of his buddy.

Crazily enough we had filled our region specific tag and general tag all in one day.
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Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Montana 2021

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

It was a heck of a good day, probably one of the best single days of turkey hunting that I've had. We didn't really hear a lot of birds but we put plenty the cooler. We also slept in during the snow on Friday and drove home a day early. I'd like to be hunting now but we are out of general tags to hunt locally so I'll have to head out of town for the rest of my tags. I'm supposed to take a kid and his dad out tomorrow here locally but that could turn into a flop.

Closing out Thursday on the way to the truck.
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Pastor's 3:30PM bird (far right) and our 6:30 PM double (mine on left).
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Swampstalk
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Swampstalk »

Shane, that is an outstanding single day of hunting! Some stones it just falls right. Didn’t hurt to have the Pastor putting a good word in as well. Congrats to your Pastor and yourself!
Don
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by jhogue »

What a day! Congratulations to both of you!


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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Friday 4/30
I hunted some relatively new country. I found turkeys but only called in jakes and only one of those was in range.
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Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Saturday 5/1

I took a kid from church hunting for his first turkey hunt. His dad and grandpa were both there too so it felt like an army. We worked a couple turkeys that just wouldn't commit. Maybe I'll get him back out but schedules probably won't work.
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Tuesday 5/4

I hunted with a buddy from Kentucky that flew in on the previous day. This is his first Montana hunt. The day started slow but we finally got on a bird around 8:30 that was very uncooperative. We found a couple more around 10 and they were just as uncooperative but gobbled just enough to keep us around until 1:30 scratching our heads. So much for dumb Merriam's.
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Wednesday 5/5

We hunted the same birds that we finished with on Tuesday. Early morning was the ticket but the hen still lead them to us. It was a good morning in the mountains for my buddy's first Merriam's.
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

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soiltester
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by soiltester »

Wow Shane,
What a season you've had and sure helped friends out along the huntin' trail :thumbup:

I kinda' lost out in your posts, when I was in Mexico and see I had missed out on a bunch of exciting hunts!! :cheers:

Congrats on a great season and I sure hope ya' saw a few jakes fer' next year :shock:
ever wonder where the white goes when the snow melts??
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hognutz »

Great year for you and the clan! Pictures are always excellent.
Thanks for sharing!
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
I am the man from Nantucket.
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When attacked by a group of clowns...Go for the Juggler!!
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Thanks for the congratulations. I've seen some jakes but local number do seem down a little. Other parts in the state seem better.

We are heading to another region tomorrow to try and get him a second bird. I'll shoot one too given the chance but he'll get first shot.
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by soiltester »

Hobbes_mobile wrote: May 5th, 2021, 2:15 pm Thanks for the congratulations. I've seen some jakes but local number do seem down a little. Other parts in the state seem better.

We are heading to another region tomorrow to try and get him a second bird. I'll shoot one too given the chance but he'll get first shot.
Those toms don't have a chance so maybe you should do the ole' mirror, over the shoulder and behind the back shot :stir: :thumbup:
ever wonder where the white goes when the snow melts??
Swampstalk
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Swampstalk »

Amazing Midis touch Shane! Congrats on your continued success!
Don
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Swampstalk wrote: May 6th, 2021, 2:01 pm Amazing Midis touch Shane! Congrats on your continued success!
Thanks!

More good luck today for both of us.

Curtis at 11:30
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Me at 3:30
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Just a little background. Curtis was my pastor for a little while back in IL before being called to active duty as a chaplain at Fort Benning and Fort Stewart during the start of Afghanistan. I've not seen him in years but we've kept in touch occasionally and he and his wife came out for a visit and a hunt this year for his first Merriam's. When he first left for Fort Benning I took his son on his first turkey hunt on land they had permission to to hunt in KY and he killed his first gobbler right after fly down.

After Curtis killed his first yesterday, we went to another region today looking for his second. He killed a bird at 11:30 AM for his second Merriam's. It was a stud that weighed 20.5 lbs and had 1 1/4" and 1 5/16" spurs.
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

We went for a good burger for lunch then headed back out without any high hopes. It would hav been a great day without me killing a bird, but you better take them when you can.

We struck this bird around 2:45 to 3 PM then I killed him at 3:30 after he tried to slip in on my right.
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Re: Montana 2021 (updated 4/24)

Post by 935 »

Congrats to all. You've had a great season Hobbes.
Thank you Lord for creating these wonderful birds and allowing us to chase after them.
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