As promised, here's a summary from our first hunting trip out West. For those more experienced, my apologies for stating what is obvious to you. I'm not professing to be an expert, but what I saw and learned won't soon be forgotten.
First, what a difference from back East - the methods, distances, conditioning needs and terrain are all worlds apart. Your conditioning and preparation will determine how far off the beaten path you can get and will increase your chances significantly. And unlike back east, you don't just attach a rope and drag them out. You must be in condition to pack out, probably multiple trips.
Our hunt was in Northwestern Montana the week of Thanksgiving. We were after elk and muleys primarily. It was below zero the first three days and windy as well, and the whitetail rut was on big. We had 8 to 20" of snow to boot. Unfortunately, the single bull elk we saw didn't present a shooting opportunity, but it was exciting just the same.
Late on Thanksgiving day, I got an opportunity for a shot at a smaller muley buck, but the shot was a long one. Fortunately, the outfitter had loaned me his custom 700 in 7mm RUM with a Zeiss Conquest 4.5x14 with custom turrets for the day. This scope, and a real good rest, turned my hunt from fun to exciting. The shot was across a canyon at 550 yards, adjusted for inclination and the first one was all that was needed. It was too long around the canyon for that evening, but we were back at it real early Friday and finally got to the buck at 11:00 am - what a hike!
Then, on Saturday, while I was watching 5 mule bucks wander through a clearing and wishing they were elk, my hunting friend Steve shot a real nice whitetail to finish our hunt.
Here's some basics we learned/confirmed - -get in better shape - much better shape - one wounded bull from our lodge climbed 2000 vertical feet before the finishing shot. My hike just to retrieve my deer was over 2 miles through brush and snow. Montana must be where my father had to walk to school 8 miles uphill both ways.
-practice shooting very long distances - and get a scope with the long range turrets for your specific load.
-tripods - not bipods or monopods - and not the ones with the twist locks that don't seem to work in extreme weather.
-cotton kills - leave it at home, all of it.
-get the right boots. Our outfitter swears first by air bob soles and he's right. The brand doesn't matter as much but my Irish Setter 1000 grams kept my feet warm, dry and no blisters. Folks in camp with Schnee's, Kennetrek's, Danners, etc, had less fun and I was handing out toe warmers that I didn't need.
-You don't have to spend $400 on a pack, but get a good one that fits. My H2O from Gander Mountain did just fine, but my friend's Cabela's pack was used 2 days before getting ditched, and subsequently returned because he couldn't keep the straps tight.
-make sure your outer layers keep you both dry and quiet. My Whitetail S3 insulated pants passed the test, but my friend's much more expensive Cabela's GoreTex were pretty noisy when frozen.
I hope that's not too much preaching. Just one more piece of advice if I may - please don't wait as long as I did to experience hunting out west. It's much harder convincing 50 year old legs to keep climbing. If I'd been just 1 minute earier climbing the mountain on day 2, I'd have had a very straight forward 100 yard shot at the only bull elk we saw.
Thanks again for the help I got here over the past months. It made the trip better, for sure. Wore my butt off but had a blast. Our group that week got half a dozen real nice bulls - between 290 and 350 points each but it just wasn't in the cards for my friend and I. We had a real good outfitter with good guides who worked very hard for us to be successful.
