Ready. Set. Scout!
By angelamontana

Posted: August 26, 2013

1278354_10151846399302429_1638691807_nAfter a scouting session this past weekend in the Fish Creek area, the main thing we found was smoke.  We came across some moose scat, which most-likely means that wolves aren’t, or won’t be, too far from the area, assuming the moose stick around there.  That was about all we saw for sign, though, during the couple of hours we were out looking.  I was on my dirt bike, a Honda 250R, and Jason was on his Yamaha YZ450, while our friend, Lance Jones, was on his pretty awesome Can-Am 4-wheeler.

One thing I did realize is that it is definitely easier to scout for signs of animals on foot and on four wheels rather than on a dirt bike.  It’s difficult to go slow in general when you’re on a dirt bike, much less slow enough to really look for tracks.  But, we did come across a lot of new land that could be promising for hunting season this year.

befunkydeerWe were also out scouting down the Bitterroot last weekend, and we came across a herd of about 50 elk, which included a couple of spikes and one calf.  It was really good to see the elk, as we were not expecting to see any, but it was also disheartening to see only one calf.  But, one calf is still better than none.  Much like the moose sign up Fish Creek, potentially doubling as wolf sign, seeing the elk around there could mean that the wolves are not too far from this area, either.  We also came across a few mule deer, which is good for me, as I drew a mule deer tag for the area in which we were scouting.  So, for me, that area seemed promising, too.

It’s going to be a good year, I can feel it.  I plan on getting out there as much as I can, as archery season opens on September 7th, and that is right around the corner.  Montana Grant has it right with his article stating that “Scouting Always Pays Off!“.

Until next time…

(Written by Angela Montana; Photos courtesy of Lance Jones & Jason Maxwell)

New Podcast!

Riley's Meats - Butte Wild Game Processing