Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Montana Youth Hunt 2023 - Backpacking Trip

Every year I try to take my kids that are eligible out for Montana’s two-day “Youth Hunt”. The hunt gives 10-15 year olds a chance to hunt deer before the general season opener. This year I had two kids interested in the hunt, my two youngest. Addie, my 10 year old, and Trevin, my 12 year old. I try to see what they want to do when planning the hunt. When I asked Addie, she quickly suggested a backpack hunt. I had just the spot in an area where I have done a fair amount of elk hunting. We could hunt deer for two days and then look for deer and elk once the general season opened…

Day One- Pack in And Scouting
There are a lot of great ways to start a multi-day backpack hunt. “Hey dad, I forgot my heavy coat” blurted from your 12-year-olds mouth while making last minute preparations at the trailhead is not one of them. We were much too far from home and my buddy, Travis, that was helping us pack in to set up camp- was on a tight schedule.

Luckily the forecast was mild, I had packed enough layers for myself that I could spare one, and we had a stove for our tent so, even if someone got chilled, we could warm them up.



The hike in was not far, about 3 miles, but there is some significant elevation gain so it took a while.



On the pack in we ran across a very unlucky grouse that failed to realize, with malice aforethought, I had packed my Ruger Single-six along especially for this very occasion.





Mountain grouse are living proof that God lives and he loves hunters. As game birds go, they are second to none for table fair and often just about two points higher than modeling clay in the IQ department. I do believe I could eat grouse daily without complaint.

Travis had recently bought a nice tepee with a packable stove. At ten pounds all-up for the tent and stove it is an amazing setup. I have owned vehicles that cost less but it seems to be worth the money. It didn’t take long for the kids to find their burrows after a brief lesson on the finer points of building a pine bow mattress.




Addie helped process the grouse and we stockpiled a little firewood.




With camp set, Travis headed home to take care of some things as he was in the middle of moving houses. We headed uphill to hopefully locate a buck to hunt the next day. The target glassing knob was a prominent point that would give us a panoramic view of multiple drainages. In a straight line it is less than a mile away. The distance was no problem. The 1000’ gain in elevation sucked a little (lot) bit. I was grateful that I could pretend I was taking breaks for the kid’s benefit. In actuality I was feeling every poor dietary choice I had made in the past 40 something years.

We bumped a couple does and their fawns on the way up and had a close encounter with a juvenile moose at 18 yards that gave the ol’ sphincter muscle a test drive – still working!

We were walking the edge of the timber along a grassy, south facing slope. I just happened to look to my left and saw dark ears pointing up and staring at me from eye level. It took a minute to process that they were not attached to Ursus Horribilus and all was well.



Yes, there is a moose calf in those shadows. I promise.