Hunting the Yaak...

...not so great.

I have been eagerly anticipating my trip over to far NW Montana in search of the elusive forest grouse.  We have three species here in Montana (spruce {or Franklins}, blue, and ruffed) and it seems the Yaak area is good for spruce grouse.  The other two are more easily found throughout the state.  I left Saturday with the plan of hunting Saturday evening, then all day Sunday and Monday and returning on Tuesday.  After backing into a tree and setting up my camp, I headed out Saturday afternoon.  What I found wasn't what I had expected.  It was all dark, thick forest that you really couldn't even walk though.  I was bummed, to say the least.  Then it rained all night Saturday, which made everything in the forest hold water.  I quickly got drenched from head to toe on Sunday.  I did see a few grouse on the roads, but none were brought to bag.  Between the lack of good hunting, and the rain, I quit on Sunday after about a day and headed back home.  Back to the prairies for me.  The forest grouse are still on my list, but I need to find better spots.  Maybe next year...

I thought this old burn looked good, but nada...

Some of the roads I tried to hunt.

 

 

I found this spruce grouse driving in Sunday morning.  I thought it was a good omen, but not so much.

 

At least I had a nice camp site

 

Driving over Lake Koocanusa

 

Montana 2009

After an interminable wait, the Montana upland season has begun.  It's been warmer than I would like, but it's better than nothing.  I've made it out a few times, with mixed success.  The "forecast" is for a poor season, but I've been seeing quite a few birds.  In fact, the spots I've hunted have held more sharptails than I have found in past years.

I've got a couple of much anticipated camping trips coming up, where I hope to get in some good hunting.  Stay tuned for more details!

 

  

 

The big catch!

I finally made it out with my buddy to drown a few worms. We made short trip to a little lake here near town. It was a slow night at the lake, but I managed to land 1. Here's the big catch for the day, and a view of the lake from where we sat. At least we had a nice view to enjoy.

More summer fun!

My legs before arthroscopic surgery:


And after surgery:


Not quite as sexy, but hopefully will feel better once I recover. It's been a bit rougher than I had anticipated. But we're getting there.

(And ok, maybe that first shot is photo-shopped... just a little!)