Montana 2009

We hit the road early afternoon on Wednesday. Crossing several state boders, Montana welcomed us with this sunset.

Day 1


Pulling out the gear for the first day's hunt.



The country looked good. We were able to find a few sharptails.

Day 2

Friday was so stinkin' cold I was barely thawed out enough to get a quick picture of the morning results. (18 degrees with about 20mph winds.) The snow had been blown away by now. I didn't get too many pictures this day, I was bundled up trying to stay warm. This is our version of the "Big Game Pose". Hold the birds out in front to appear larger than life.

Day 3

Saturday, "The Pheasant opener!" A change of pace from a few days hunting sharptails and huns.

The "Big Ten" pointer found on the doorstep of an old farm house. There was no apparent visible sign of death.

Not as many of these as last year! Thank goodness! (One of the three. We found 16 last year)

Day 4



Some additional wildlife during the Sunday afternoon drive. Looking forward to Spring!

Day 5



Last day! A few roosters in the morning before the long ride home. Several years ago we saw a ton of pheasants all around this particular coulee/grain section. We tracked down the land owner and he gave us permission to hunt one day only. It was good to us!

There was definately a late hatch this year. We passed on many of the smaller roosters, choosing those with a more distinct ringed neck. I reached out and touched this one. Dixie with the retrieve goes on point on her way back.





Last bird for me on the trip produced by Dixie shown in the picture below. It was nestled tight in the buffalo berry bushes in the bottom right of the picture. What you dont see is Nifty on point on the other side. We decided to shed some jackets. (it was a balmy 30 degrees) Nifty's Astro alerted Steve that he was on point 100 yards down the coulee. We re-geared, put on the vests and headed toward the location. Dixie locked. I took a few pictures from a knoll and proceeded. As I approached the bushes I heard some rustling and a small cackle followed by the bark of my beloved 20ga silver pigeon. Big Bird Down! Not really, it was a first year bird, but it had full color unlike most of the roosters we saw. .....continued below



After all this, Nifty seemed to be still interested in the bushes. From previous experience our results were cofirmed. Porcupine! Not one, but two, just chillin' on a homemade raised bed of sticks, 4 feet off the ground. Not the first time we've kicked a rooster out of occupied porcupine bushes. We're beginning to think there's a pack between the two! You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours! :)

Evolution of a Rooster. Believe it or not, the one on the right is a rooster, and no we didn't shoot it. We're good at identifying birds, but not that good! We were hunting a shelter belt when this little chukar...I mean rooster came flying in and landed about 10 feet in front of one of the dogs. She was on it like blue bonnet.

Praying for more trips like this in the days and years to come! (Lame attempt of being poetic)

In conclusion, I don't know about you, but with 40+ hours on the road, you learn how to entertain yourself! We occasionally think of all the gear acquired and used during the trip. Our coversation starts with, I'd like to thank the sponsors for this trip, then the listing begins!...........Cabelas, GMC, Beretta, AYA, Browning, CZ, Federal, Estate, Remington, Kent, Garmin, Smart Wool, IBM, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Dr. Pepper, Gatorade, M&Ms,LC Supply, Gun Dog Supply, Lewis Dog Boots, EMT Gel, Fleetwood RV, Mr. Heater, Bread and Butter, Kershaw knives, Ruger, Leer, Coleman, North Face, and the list goes on and on.

Cheers!