**** it, I got out smarted!

This is a male wolf killed mid December . After a night of coyote missing, and at 9am hours after dropping him off he drove out in his pasture to check on cows and found this guy and a black one eating a freshly killed deer, within yards of his cows! It was killed with a 280rem at just over 100 yards once again not long range. Killed a half mile from their house and 1 mile from Chico hot springs!
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    103.1 KB · Views: 111
This was a 9.5 year old female that spawned this thread! I had this wolf or her cursed progeny in my scope on more then one occasion! I had spent so much time following these wolves, that i knew where they day bedded on a regular basis, and their main routes. On this particular mid january day while we enjoyed a mid day camp fire more resembling a Bon fire we were b.s.ing about great hunts, glassing for these wolves and watching or dogs frolic in the snow, this nasty mutt and another trotted down a ridge and stopped 246 yards away. One got a life altering education and this mutt spun to go back where she came from. Her problem was her route was straight at us! Lights out! 6.5 creedmore 140 gr amax was used at 120ish yards. She was bad mangey on her belly and off side, and had a collar. 15 minutes before this wolf showed up by complete accident I called the scenario exactly as it happened up to the first shot, which quite honestly freaks me out to this day!
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    80.6 KB · Views: 97
From Oct. 20th to Feb 28th I hunted all but 20 some days and had an education of a life time, both of animal behavior, and marksmanship. Two times windage left my heart empty! I kept two horses in great shape and on the thin side! Many miles in the saddle, sore legs from power marching, frozen cheeks, and personal days in the hills became the normal.
I have the best wife who thankfully understands my obsession!
There is not enough time or space to describe this past wolf season! On this day it started off in classic fashion. My friend who killed the mangy female had a new saddle horse that was acting as though it had intensions. Low and behold my reason for not carrying my true long range rig in a saddle scabbard played out in grand fashion! This guy does not get bucked off, except today! That horse bucked so hard that the rifle came out of the leather, broke both leather straps and then that cuyuse, used the side focus knob on the ol' Nightforce scope for traction! Snow angel was made!
So we decided to share a rifle. All the while we needed to boogie because we had mutts howling a mile away! Wolves that we had spent two weeks locating!
After a short ride we figured we had wolves at 800ish. We decided to glass a bit as we came out of the timber, and my horse and ol' Buck were just pinned on a ridge. Well there trotted a buck wolf at 150 yards, oh baby, unlucky day for you wolf! 95 grains of 243 diameter smk tore through the shoulders! DRT, but I let the lifeless body have another for insurance!
We still had wolves howling at 900 yards and closed the distance 200 yards and tied up the hay burners. We ran another 75 yards and set up. We howled together and here they came! It was not my turn to shoot and my 6 foot plus friend was shooting my rifle with a 12 LOP, 'twas an interesting sight! The mutts were at 727 and stopped broadside. Then just as he squeezed the trigger the wolf moved, darn! So that was a miss! We ran, wheezing like frenzied maniacs to the target location for another look and a blood check! As we approached the location they began to howl again so we set up glassing and howling again, and unbelievably here they came again! My turn to shoot! We had a wolf standing at 599 yards, chip shot! Ya right, some idiot forgot to take the safety off as he followed the wolf, and when it stopped the gun no go boom. Away it trotted, stopped for an instant,,,,,, swing and a miss! Argh!
We glassed for an hour and headed for the rodeo horse! After a magnificent rodeo for the forth time and a short ride we were standing at the first wolf we encountered! After a few pictures we hear howling again, and in total disbelief, we watched as a wolf went to our last location and followed our trail for several hundred yards! Hmm maybe we should have done as we thought we knew we should and just stayed put, **** calving time! We did get home just in time to save a calf that needed pulled 1 mile from a wolf kill site!
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    116.3 KB · Views: 109
Many thanks to the guys in Montana. An article in the Rock Springs, WY newspaper on Friday said at the close of this year's season in Montana, 225 wolves had been killed by hunters. This did not include the 100+ wolves killed by wildlife officials. Estimated 650 wolves remain in Montana. Article stated "400-450 wolves needed to be a stable population", and it would seem that there is still a surplus. Given a decent year for pups, there should be a TARGET RICH ENVIRONMENT in the fall. Looks like 500(?) need to be shot to achieve "sustainable population" goal. Please help.
 
Good job Rooster and Co. !!! Congrats on a great season and a very dedicated effort put forth. Also Thank You for the very good reporting all season. I did get close this year but am sorry to report another bowl of tag soup for me. The little horse wreck last fall changed my plans as far as mounted chase this past season. But I vow to have my paint "Hank" ready for tracking this fall. In fact I have been working with him almost daily in the past weeks. The four mutts I spent may days after are still here. All I can say is they better stay in the hills and away from the calving herd.

Jeff
 
Hunting season is over here in Montana, but that does not mean that the learning process is over. It seems like in the last week wolves coyotes and fox are every where! A friend went to pull traps and saw 10 wolves that came out of YNP one day after the season, hmm the mange study and feeding area at Stevens Cr. must be over. He caught one a few days after the trapping season opened and they spent their time until now living around Mammoth. March 1 an employee of mine saw three on Dome Mtn. WMA while glassing for future horn hunting. On Feb. 28 I got a call from a friend of a friend that a retired local guy watched 5 wolves eating something behind his house until 10 am. The dink did not call another friend of the Ohair family who has their family feedlot a half mile away, they were long gone by evening. Another friend who's son shot one out of the same bunch, saw 8 low on the north ridge of Tom Miner basin on March 1.
What the hell? And interesting how they are everywhere all of a sudden.
I say get out and keep screwing around with them, they have all summer to dumb down!
This year was unbelievably more difficult to kill a wolf. Both in finding and hitting. I have never in my life hunted something that i knew was in the area, but no where in sight at the same time. A guy can shoot paper all summer, which helps greatly improves your odds with killing most big game, and predators species. The most important lessened learned was you had better be a **** fast shot and once you spook a wolf, do not expect it to stop for a shot, ever!
Oh and at my very own house I have lost two chickens to fox! Time to refocus my efforts!
Ps. Take note of these locations
 
Rooster, What kind of shoes are you running on your steed? Are you welding on Borium or are you using the drive in carbides? If the carbides how many per shoe?

Thanks
Jeff
 
Rooster, What kind of shoes are you running on your steed? Are you welding on Borium or are you using the drive in carbides? If the carbides how many per shoe?

Thanks
Jeff
I use rim pads to knock the snow out of the foot, then the shoe has drill tech, it is borium suspended in brass that you put to the shoe with a forge or maybe even a torch, in two spots on the toe, and one on each heel. I also use four ice nails but they wear down pretty fast! I like traction!

The drive in carbides do not stick out far enough for me, and you just have one little tiny point of traction.

I used to use the borium that comes in the steel tube but the borium chunks are smaller and not as good of traction.
Some drill tech, borax, and you are in business. Are you shoeing or having it done?
 
I use rim pads to knock the snow out of the foot, then the shoe has drill tech, it is borium suspended in brass that you put to the shoe with a forge or maybe even a torch, in two spots on the toe, and one on each heel. I also use four ice nails but they wear down pretty fast! I like traction!

The drive in carbides do not stick out far enough for me, and you just have one little tiny point of traction.

I used to use the borium that comes in the steel tube but the borium chunks are smaller and not as good of traction.
Some drill tech, borax, and you are in business. Are you shoeing or having it done?

I usually have them done every 2 months. But I will prepare the winter shoes for the farrier to fit and put on. I have been using 4 carbides per shoe. Just wondering what you used. I will be just going back to irons for the summer now.

Thanks
Jeff
 
Warning! This thread is more than 11 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Recent Posts

Top