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Have Oct 2016 off. What hunting trip to do solo?

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Have Oct 2016 off. What hunting trip to do solo?

Old 01-12-2015, 08:56 PM
  #1  
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Default Have Oct 2016 off. What hunting trip to do solo?

Hey guys,

I have Oct 5th - Nov 6th (ish) off next fall. I wanted to do a DIY elk rifle hunt, but I don't have any friends who can come with. So, now I am wondering what I should do with the month off. I have a slug gun, muzzle loader, rifle, and will be buying a bow in the next month.

What would be the best big game hunting trip out West for a newbie hunter? I live in Minnesota and have only hunted whitetail deer (have not had a shot at a buck in the four years I have hunted). I have been limited in my free time by being in school and consequently haven't been able to scout etc.

I was thinking maybe a rifle hunting trip for antelope and/or mule deer would give me the best chances of success, and also the most likely route to rope a buddy into coming with. Any suggestions for great opportunities in the month of Oct for slugs, MLs, rifle, or bow that a newbie might have some good chances of success with solo? Antelope, mule deer, elk, moose, black bear would all be great.. but I've got realistic expectations.

I do have a GPS, have good equipment, and am willing to invest in particulars if it would help to ensure in a successful hunt. I'd ideally cut down on costs but having the whole month off gives me kind of a unique opportunity.

I appreciate your input!

Last edited by Cog; 01-12-2015 at 09:05 PM.
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Old 01-13-2015, 04:26 AM
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Next fall is 2015.
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Old 01-13-2015, 04:42 AM
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I wouldn't waste that much free time on an elk. I'd get one of the unlimited sheep tags in MT and I'd be on the mountain at least 3 weeks before the season opens, find a good ram and watch him until opening morning. Then I'd take the ram.

MT is the only place that sells unlimited over the counter sheep tags and they are for areas that are spooky rough. The season ends when the prescribed number of rams are taken which usually happens by the 2nd or 3rd day. Mostly locals take the rams because they know exactly where to go which is why I would be camped out with the rams keeping tabs on them.
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Old 01-13-2015, 05:41 AM
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You'd rather have mutton than elk meat?
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Old 01-13-2015, 06:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Muley Hunter
You'd rather have mutton than elk meat?
Yep, I would. Have you ever eaten bighorn? It is one of the finest game meats there is. It is absolutely nothing like domestic sheep. Wild sheep meat is simply fantastic, tender and sweet. Try some and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Matter of fact my family used to get ewe tags for over by Georgetown as a second choice just for the meat while building points for ram tags. Unfortunately word got out about that and now you can't draw them as a second since so many people put in now even a ewe tag takes multiple points. Plus, sheep hunting is really neat to do but tags are hard to come by. That's why if I had a full month to hunt I'd be headed to MT on one of the unlimited tags. Who wouldn't like a month in sheep country?

Last edited by flags; 01-13-2015 at 06:06 AM.
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Old 01-13-2015, 08:19 AM
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Once again I'll have to agree 100% with Flags. Bighorn sheep meat tastes nothing like domestic mutton. I've been lucky enough to have eaten the meat of over 3 dozen elk and of 3 bighorn rams and 1 Dall ram. The wild sheep meat was far better than any of the elk.

I also like to hunt wild sheep more than any other North American game animals. They are a magnificent animal and they are found in some of the most beautiful country in the world.

I was lucky enough to have lived in Montana at a time when we could buy an unlimited bighorn ram tag every year, and many years the harvest quota would not be filled in the 3 month season.

Times have changed. Now, many of the previous unlimited bighorn tag units have closed. Others have gone to draw units, and now you can only either buy an unlimited bighorn tag or apply for a draw unit. You can't do both like we used to be able to do.

The last time that I bought an unlimited ram tag, I packed a horse camp in several days before the season opened and camped about a mile from where a friend had killed a great ram the previous year. The afternoon before the season opened I found an old full curl broomed ram, and we left him undisturbed.

The next morning my son and I were at the spot where we had spotted the ram the day before. It was still dark and we could hear an outfitter's horses across the canyon as he brought his hunters in. A local hunter had backpacked in and set up his camp a few hundred yards from where we had seen the ram the afternoon before. When daylight came we could see 3 separate tent camps in the grassy opening on the other side of the canyon.

My son and I spent the whole opening day hunkered down overlooking that valley. We watched a black bear in the bottom of the valley, 2 mountain goats walked through the trees less than 100 yards below us, and several bighorn ewes and a young ram grazed by us close enough that we could hear them biting off the grass that they were eating. Several times other hunters walked by us, some saw us, others didn't.

We stayed the full 5 days of the season hunting the main canyon where we had seen the sheep, plus other canyons on both sides of our camp. We were contacted by a Montana game warden on horseback that told us that a grizzly had been seen in the valley below our camp. A Yellowstone Park ranger in full camouflage stopped by our camp to check our food storage. We met a Yellowstone packer with a string of pack horses that was supplying the Park rangers that were patrolling the Park boundary.

The only other rams that we saw on that trip were through my spotting scope and they were on a side ridge inside Yellowstone National Park. I didn't hear of any rams killed in that unit that year.
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Old 01-13-2015, 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Muley Hunter
Next fall is 2015.
Thanks... I had originally titled my post with 2015, but second-guessed myself knowing there was a recent change in the year.


Ram hunt is a very interesting suggestion. I guess I'd always imagined there'd be a 10 year wait to get a ram tag. Do you have more information on what equipment would be necessary? I've got a 70-L backpack, 3-season tent, stove (white gas - work at higher altitudes?), 30 deg down bag (have a fleece liner and can wear merino wool long johns and a hat if it's much colder), Therm-a-rest, appropriate clothing, boots, rifle, but no optics. Is there usually snow during the season? Is the terrain forgiving of a sled for packing out meat or hauling in gear?

If I go out West I'd planned on buying a Nikon Monarch 7 8x42 binocular. A nice treat to myself and something which will serve many years of good service. I don't know if a spotting scope on top of the binocs would be in my budget; how would binoculars compare to a spotting scope for a hunt like this?

Can I use aerial maps to help focus my search? What sort of features do I look for - cover, water, food? What's their preferred forage? How about hunting techniques--standard stalk and spot? Are there calls or decoys you can use to locate or lure them with? How's their sense of smell? If I don't see a ram, are there ever opportunities for OTC tags on deer/elk in the same units?
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Old 01-14-2015, 04:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Cog
Thanks... I had originally titled my post with 2015, but second-guessed myself knowing there was a recent change in the year.


Ram hunt is a very interesting suggestion. I guess I'd always imagined there'd be a 10 year wait to get a ram tag. Do you have more information on what equipment would be necessary? I've got a 70-L backpack, 3-season tent, stove (white gas - work at higher altitudes?), 30 deg down bag (have a fleece liner and can wear merino wool long johns and a hat if it's much colder), Therm-a-rest, appropriate clothing, boots, rifle, but no optics. Is there usually snow during the season? Is the terrain forgiving of a sled for packing out meat or hauling in gear?

If I go out West I'd planned on buying a Nikon Monarch 7 8x42 binocular. A nice treat to myself and something which will serve many years of good service. I don't know if a spotting scope on top of the binocs would be in my budget; how would binoculars compare to a spotting scope for a hunt like this?

Can I use aerial maps to help focus my search? What sort of features do I look for - cover, water, food? What's their preferred forage? How about hunting techniques--standard stalk and spot? Are there calls or decoys you can use to locate or lure them with? How's their sense of smell? If I don't see a ram, are there ever opportunities for OTC tags on deer/elk in the same units?
First thing to do is get ahold of the game dept of MT and research the unlimited sheep hunts. They have them in a couple of areas. You need to decide which one you will try to hunt and then go from there. Most western states keep detailed info on where things like sheep and goats are taken so you can see which areas consistently produce sheep. They usually have the names of the successful hunters as well. Contact them for up to date info. Topo maps or google earth can help you look over the area. Mind you that maps are only a starting point. That's why I suggest getting there 3 weeks before the season so you can put boots on the ground and do some serious scouting and glassing.

And, if you are considering sheep hunting, start working out. Whatever you weigh right now you can bet is at least 20 lbs more than you want for sheep hunting. Hit the stairs and get your legs and lungs in shape. They aren't called mountain game for no reason. Gear needs to be top quality and light weight. Take what you need and no more. When it is on your back every single ounce matters.
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Old 01-14-2015, 01:25 PM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by Cog

What would be the best big game hunting trip out West for a newbie hunter?
I would put in for a pronghorn tag in Wyoming. You have time to get into a unit and do some scouting before your hunt.
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Old 01-14-2015, 02:15 PM
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Do you have a budget in mind? A Wyoming mule deer/Antelope hunt is a lot of fun and relatively inexpensive compared to other hunts but won't take up a month of time. Sheep hunts can be very expensive and long draws unless you go over the counter in the very limited areas. You could always do a variety of DIY hunts. Mule deer, Antelope, Elk, and Whitetail deer in top spots just for the cost of gas, food, and the tags. You have plenty of time to plan multiple inexpensive hunting trips to take up a month. Are you looking to spend the whole month hunting or just a week or two?
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