If you’ve spent any time chasing whitetails on Montana public ground, you already know the deal — the pressure is real, the country is tough, and the big-bodied bucks that survive a few seasons in this state are something else entirely. That’s exactly what makes this episode from Skull Bound TV worth your time. Host Jana Waller puts a tag on what she’s calling the biggest-bodied whitetail of her life, taken on public land during Montana’s general rifle season — and the whole thing unfolds the way good hunting stories should: a little weird, a little tense, and completely earned.
The episode opens at Gametrails Taxidermy in Florence — right there in the Bitterroot Valley — with a walk-through of their flesh-eating beetle colony used for skull cleaning. It’s a surprisingly fascinating detour if you’ve ever tried to do a European mount yourself and ended up with a boiling disaster on the back porch. Dermestid beetles do what a pot of water and good intentions rarely can, and seeing a working colony up close is genuinely cool. It sets the tone for an episode that’s as much about the craft and culture surrounding hunting as it is about the shot itself.
What stands out here beyond the kill is the public land angle. Montana still offers some of the best walk-in whitetail hunting in the West, but it demands legwork. General deer season runs through most of November in many districts, and while the Bitterroot corridor and surrounding drainages hold deer, hunting pressure along the valley floor pushes smart bucks into the timber fast. Finding a mature, heavy-bodied whitetail on public ground — not a private ranch, not a lease — is the kind of thing that takes scouting, patience, and a little luck aligning at the right moment. Jana gets all three working in her favor here.
Whether you’re still filling a tag or already deep into post-season scouting mode, this one’s worth a watch. It’s a reminder that the public land opportunity in this state is real — and that the big deer are out there if you’re willing to put in the miles to find them.
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