Holey Underwear, Sweaty Palms, Mountain Lions, Sketchy Bridges and Deflated Plans

When I took off for Montana this go around, I was more excited about Deer Camp, than apprehensive. I somewhat knew what I was getting myself into, and I knew a few of the women who would be there this time. While I was heading to a different part of Montana, I was very comfortable with the route I was taking to get there. I stayed over with friends in Spearfish, SD on Wednesday night after driving for roughly sixteen hours. I met Ashley and Jesse at the BHA Rendezvous in Boise this past May, and they were kind enough to offer me a spare bed and some good conversation before I continued on to Deer Camp the next morning. Thank goodness for a great night's sleep. I only had three hours left to travel after leaving Spearfish, and it was one hell of a gorgeous drive. I don't think I have ever seen so many deer or pronghorn, so many picture worthy sights, or had so little cell service for so long, as I did in southeastern Montana. It was just perfect.

When I arrived at the campsite, a BLM property on the Yellowstone River, I was the only one there, so I parked and walked down to the river's edge. It was a cold, blustery day, and the bite off the fast-flowing icy water stinging my cheeks and causing my eyes to instantly water, had me walking back to the truck in short order. As I sat with my heater running, I exchanged text messages with soon to be arriving campers, I started to feel my nerves kick in. Could I do this? Will I fit in? Will this year's camp meet the expectations that last year's camp left me with? I mean, after all, last year was one of the best experiences of my entire life, surely that can't be repeated.

Deer Camp

Campers started arriving, two to be exact, Lyndsey and Aubree, neither had I met in person, but both I had talked with on social, or via text, before this. We started setting up Lyndsey's tent then once we were done with that, we headed into town to pick up a few items. The three of us instantly clicked, which gave me a sense of relief. Seriously, I don't know why I do this to myself, I should know, much like last year, that these 21 other women who signed up to face the cold weather while sleeping in tents, and the rough terrain while hunting mule deer and pronghorn are not the type of women I need to be worried about "fitting in with" for this trip. When we got back from town, pizza in tow, along with a few groceries, more women started trickling in and getting themselves situated. After some steady work into the evening, all of the tents were set up, sleeping arrangements were finalized and introductions were mostly made. I think we were all ready to get some sleep and move on to hunting.

A good luck token from Chance.

I had done a ton of e-scouting with OnX Hunt prior to making the trek west, so I had several areas of BLM and state land marked on my phone. I partnered up with Aubree and Jen to venture into a huge piece of BLM ground just about 20 minutes east of town. We arrived in the dark, I suppose we left camp a little early due to my anxiousness about getting out there before any other hunters. So, we sat for about 25 minutes before it was light enough to see the trail head and where we were going. I got my gun case out of the back seat of my truck and opened it up only to find a pink, .22 caliber Cricket rifle, a zip lock baggie of .22 shells, my .270 with the bolt lying there next to it, and a pair of Chance's oldest, holiest underwear, with a note wishing me luck on my trip. It was hilarious, but I didn't fully enjoy the humor until later in the day, because in that moment, my hands were freezing, I couldn't get the bolt back in my gun and it was "go time". After a call to Chance and having him remind me that my rifle had a trick to getting the bolt in it, we got it handled and had a quick laugh, before heading up the trail.

The morning was spent hiking and glassing and really taking in the beauty of where we were. My legs felt strong and the weather wasn't too awful bad, with some snow flurries and a slight breeze. After getting eyes on a few Muley does, which Jen and I both had tags for, we set out to see if we could get around behind them to set up a shot. We misjudged how many ridges over they were, and ended up losing track of them, but it was a good morning getting a lay of the land. As we were walking out, Aubree and I went to check what would have been a shorter more direct path to the does we saw earlier in the morning, and sure enough, it would have been perfect, and well within range to get a good shot on them. That's is a prime example of over thinking the situation and then realizing after the fact that we made things harder on ourselves than necessary. But that is the beauty of going out hunting with other women in this situation, we are making the decisions, good or bad, and we are learning from each other, and about the thought processes that go into those decisions. We weren't being given "advice" or "direction" by a male counterpart, who may be a more experienced hunter or who may feel the need to guide us. This was all us, and whether we were successful or not, it felt good.

We headed into town around noon to get the proper credentials to hunt a large nearby piece of public land that required certain permissions. Once that was out of the way and we were back to camp getting a snack, we had a BLM officer show up to check who all the out-of-state plates belonged to in the parking lot. We chatted for a bit and told him about our Deer Camp, we talked about the fact that it was all women and how special it was. Then he gave us some great info on a few hunting spots I had marked on my phone. He checked our licenses, due diligence and all, and before he left gave us his number, and told us if we needed anything at all, to give him a call. By then it was time to head out to our next spot, one that he gave us some pretty valuable info on, along the Powder River. Jen decided to stay back, so Aubree and I piled into my truck and off we went. The evening hunt wasn't too eventful, although we joked that the head high clover we were fighting through as we walked along the river made us feel like we were in the African jungle. We saw some beautiful sights, a couple of Whitetail does and a sunset on the way back to camp that literally almost made me run off the road. The things we do for a picture of the that orange ball dropping below the horizon can sometimes make the best memories, and the best laughter.

Montana Sunset

Friday night we all ventured into town to meet up at a local bar, The Montana. We chatted and had some bar food, which was really pretty good after a long day of hunting. Some of the ladies chatted with a well-known local, and then, everyone was told by Nicole to circle up because she had something to say. From this point it all gets a little fuzzy. No, it wasn't the alcohol, because I don't drink, but it was more the anxiety I felt when Nicole made eye contact with me and flashed her ornery smile. She had a large cardboard box at her feet and as she started to speak, I felt my face get hot, my palms start to sweat, and the well-known feeling of wanting to make everyone focus their attention somewhere else. It felt very similar to that moment I heard my name at the beginning of the live MeatEater podcast in Boise, earlier this year. And strangely enough, one of the guys who was sitting on stage that night, was also here for this moment too. Poor guy is surely tired of hearing my name at this point.

A box full of surprises. Photo by Lindsey Mulcare

Nicole proceeded to say nice things about me, which I am embarrassed to say, I didn't hear the majority of, due to the loud ringing in my ears, but she wanted to gift me some amazing gear that she had acquired as part of her job with GearJunkie, as a thank you, and a token of appreciation, for the volunteer work I have been doing for various organizations. As I opened the box and lifted out piece after piece of gear that I could never afford, I was overwhelmed. This act of kindness will change my hunting experience for years to come. I will be warmer, I will have zippers that work, I will be waterproof if I choose, and I will be able to hunt longer and more comfortably than ever before. If you are a hunter, you know how critical that is to your overall experience. I could have kept hunting in the beat up, clearance rack gear I had bought almost seven years ago, let me be clear about that. I don't need high end camo with a specific name stitched into it to make me feel like I can be successful as a hunter. But I won't lie, it was like I had just won the lottery and I wasn't going to tell her I didn't want it, because deep down, I did. I think anyone would have, but there are days I still feel guilty about it. I'm working through that though, don't worry.

Aubree and I on Saturday morning, on BLM land

We regrouped at camp after we got back from town and decided who was going where, and with whom, on Saturday morning. Jen was feeling under the weather, so Aubree and I paired up again to take on the day. We decided to head back to that same BLM land near the Powder River as the evening before. On the way out there, as we crested the hill where near we had hunted the morning before, we saw a set of eyes on the side of the road getting ready to cross. We both assumed it was deer, but to our surprise, it was a massive mountain lion, who casually sauntered across the road as I slowed down. I wish I had pictures of the looks on our faces in that moment, because I'm sure we looked shocked. We drove on. We chose to go back to the river because we had seen about 20 Mule Deer just across the road from our spot, as we were leaving the night before. I assumed, they might come down and cross the road to bed in the tall clover for the night, and maybe we could catch them before they headed back across the road to higher elevation in the morning. I would be wrong in the end, and we ended up just seeing a few more Whitetail does. Every last one of those Mule Deer were in the same spot they had been in when we last saw them, the night before. Deer are funny that way, they often do what they want to do, not what you expect them to do. We decided to back out of there and head up the road to an enormous chunk of BLM land that had an easement and a two track that we could drive on, to get deep into the property. We ran into a man with his two kiddos, a son and a daughter as we were heading up the trail. His son had just killed his first deer! I was so excited for the kid, that I actually think he thought I was a little creepy. They drove out and we drove further in. The terrain was steep, and we got to thinking that I would have to be pretty careful about where it would, and wouldn't be smart, to shoot something, if given the opportunity. We hiked a good long way and climbed quite a bit but never laid eyes on anything other than some resident horses and a dozen or so pronghorn. We saw a little bit of deer sign, but not much. What got me all excited was the fact that we were seeing elk sign. that in my mind was worth the hike. Of course where there are elk, there are mountain lions, and I couldn't quite shake the feeling that the one we saw earlier that morning, was merely one of many in the area.

Sketchy at best.

After leaving there, we spent the much of the day driving. Normally that would make me crazy, not to be on the ground hunting, but the sights were cool, the laughs were many and just being there, in eastern Montana, made it all feel pretty great. We managed to drive up to Terry and then back down toward camp, following the Yellowstone. We ventured all the way back past camp, only to head north again, but this time on the other side of the river. We crossed some seriously sketchy bridges that surely should be condemned, or at the very least reinforced. In my mind, you shouldn't talk as you are are crossing them, or they might collapse. Don't ask me the logic behind that one, I've got nothing for you. We found a nice big piece of block management land that I strongly considered going back to the following day. So much so that I went ahead and filled the card out at the box to cover me for the next few days. It was getting dark, so we decided to get back to camp for our wild game potluck dinner before we missed out. Plus, I had some squirrel and noodles to get cooked up for everyone to try.

Saturday night in the tent we had massive amounts of food for everyone to try. Duck/jalapeno poppers, wild sheep sausage, squirrel and noodles, pronghorn loin, canned garden goods, elk borscht, summer sausage and cheese, trout and so much more. It was the best place to be on a Saturday night, if you want my opinion. We had a couple of game officers stop in to introduce themselves at one point during the evening. They said that the ladies down at the Game and Fish office were going on about all of the ladies who were holding deer camp just outside of town, and the officers wanted to stop by to say hello, and to drop off CWD testing kits for us. They had a little bit of food, and then told us that what we were doing was really a great thing, before leaving camp. Not long after the eating was wrapped up, the tables were moved and we spent some time as a group talking about who we were, and what made us want to come to Deer Camp. It was an intimate setting and a great way for everyone to share about their path as hunters. This time spent sitting on coolers, the ground and camp chairs, all in a circle, is what makes this camp so special. There were a few ladies there who were observing, there was photographer, who is also a non-hunter, who was there doing a project on different types of people who are hunters. There were new hunters who have never taken a shot at an animal, and there were a few who were hunters for much longer. We also had a young lady who was on her very first hunt. She attended Deer Camp last year and afterward, decided she would like to be a hunter. So, she completed her Hunter Education class earlier this year and was hunting right there with the rest of us, which was one of my favorite aspects of camp this year.

Saturday night conversations.

After we wrapped up our time as a group, we went back into hunter mode, and made plans for the next day before heading off to bed. Aubree didn't have a tag for this trip, she was there just as an observer and in my case, my shotgun rider this time, but she was a great partner to hike all over hell's half acre with, for those few days and I can't remember laughing that hard in ages.  Unfortunately, she was going home on Sunday morning, so I decided that I was going to venture out solo and then maybe meet up with Nicole, Sarah, Lindsey and Anna later in the morning. I asked a few ladies about where they had seen deer earlier on Friday and Saturday, and they told me what section I should go to, to start out. My plan was set, my gear was in my truck, and I knew what time I was going to wake up and what time I wanted to leave. I was ready. But first I needed to sleep. It was almost midnight; the time was changing overnight, and sunrise was coming way to soon.

Sunday was the day I needed to try and make something happen, because on Monday, I was making the long drive back to Indiana, and I wanted to take some meat back with me this year. Sunday morning I woke up, got dressed, brushed my teeth, grabbed my breakfast bars and walked out to my truck. I turned the key and as my truck started, my heart sank. I had an alert instantly appear on my dash, I had a flat tire. I could've went into full on panic mode, but I knew there were other people going out to the same area I was planning to hunt, so I was hoping one of them could give me a lift and just drop me off. What I would do if I shot a deer, or needed to get back to camp I would have to figure out later, right now, I just needed to get out there. Thank goodness for Elise.

Elise was at Deer Camp last year, so we were friends and I didn't feel awkward asking for a lift. She was going to look for pronghorn just beyond the area I wanted to hunt Mule Deer, so it worked out great. When we arrived at my drop off point, there was a Muley doe literally standing fifty yards off the parking area. Elise stopped and asked if I could get to my rifle, which was in the backseat of her car. I could, and after I had it, I eased out of the car to try and sneak up to the fence, all while keeping some fence row brush between the Muley and myself. It was still a little dark, but we were past legal shooting light, so I continued to creep closer to make certain that it was a legal deer for me to shoot. In the back of my head I knew it was a Muley, but just the day before I almost pulled up on a Whitetail doe down by the Powder River, thinking it might be a Mule Deer coming out of the brush. That made me hesitate in this situation, and it cost me. Just as I found her in the scope of my left-handed Savage .270, she bolted.

At this point, my heart was racing and I was full of disappointment all at the same time. But really, what fun would it be to shoot a deer in the damn parking lot? I would have lost a full day of hunting, a full day of fighting the elements, a full day of what I love the most, which is the "suck" of a DIY public land hunt. So I grabbed the rest of my gear out of Elise's car and wished her luck before she drove away. As I watched her taillights disappear, I realized that I was seriously alone, no vehicle, no one to help me if shit went south, spotty cell service and only myself to make or break this hunt. This place looked desolate, I had nowhere to get out of the weather, no to place to get warm and I wasn't even sure that anyone else would drive by. I figured I better get my head right pretty quick though and find a spot to start glassing. My intent was to find that doe that had eluded me earlier, and try to make a better, more successful stalk on her.

After hiking five miles, across coulees, up on the highest ridges I could climb, and looping back around in slick, eastern Montana mud, I couldn't seem to track her down. The wind was brisk up high, the mist came faster and heavier and it didn't appear it was going to quit. I climbed down from the rocky hillside I was perched on, dropped down into a deep coulee, and was hoping to find a place to sit for a few minutes to have a snack, some water, and a break from the breeze. After sitting out of the wind and getting the feeling back in my face, I remembered that I was originally going to hunt with Nicole, Lindsey and Anna this morning in this same general area, and I wondered if they were near by. I finished my last few iced animal crackers, put my pack back on, and started hiking back toward the direction of the road. Once I had cell service, I sent a text to Nicole and luckily, they were really close to where I was, and they were going to swing by and pick me up. I suddenly felt a shot of energy, maybe it was the animal crackers pumping sugar into my veins, or maybe it was the feeling of comfort I would find in the warm truck cab that I would soon be crawling into. Either way, I was hoofing it back to the parking area and I couldn't wait to see my friends. I saw the truck waiting, and as I opened the door and looked inside, I suddenly had a good feeling that the rest of the day was going to be incredibly meaningful, regardless of how the hunting went. Nicole, Lindsey, Anna, and a surprise guest I wasn't expecting to see, Sarah, all greeted me with smiles and I got a good doggie snuggle from Butch. After waking to a flat tire, deflated plans, and an early morning missed opportunity, my day was getting a whole lot better, little did I know, just how good it would be.

We followed the two track, checking the map as we went, we passed by a few other ladies from camp who were high above on a ridge, making their own way looking for mule deer, and then took the road as far as it would take us, before deciding it was here and now that we would try to make something happen. And we were going to do it together, even if the odds were against us being out as a group of five, plus a dog. More chances to get winded, more chances to be seen, more chances to go back to camp empty-handed, but the memories we were about to make on that Sunday, made all the chances worth taking. So we went hunting, together, and I can't wait for you to hear how it turned out.....

Photo by Lindsey Mulcare