My Predicament

[jaw719]

So, I was scheduled to leave for Montana Thursday the 28th for a week long hunt with a buddy of mine. He is a backcountry guide and offered to take me out for my first elk trip.

Yesterday he texts me to say he fell checking a trail cam and broke three ribs and his foot and can't take me on the trip.

So what do I do? I have a non-resident general elk and deer combo tag and the last day to submit for a refund is today. I don't want to lose the $1200 I paid for the tags but I also have zero experience with western hunting. Every hunt I've ever been on is SC whitetails, sit in a stand over a pile of corn and wait. I've never even cleaned a kill.

So do I go by myself with a nearly 100% chance of failure while getting some experience, or eat the cost of the tags and wait until next year.

 

[badthirtyone]

Sorry to hear. Man, that's a tough situation.

 

[ShtrRdy]

That must have been quite a fall. What part of MT would it be in?

 

[sp6x6]

Can he not point you in the right direction.Genral local,where im sure he knows theres elk.Might know someone to help if you have to pack out.f you bone out or take the meat in shorter distances at a time,then go back for another load.Like wind sprints you can get a elk long ways by yourself

 

[jaw719]

That must have been quite a fall. What part of MT would it be in?

Great Falls area

 

[jaw719]

Can he not point you in the right direction.Genral local,where im sure he knows theres elk.Might know someone to help if you have to pack out.f you bone out or take the meat in shorter distances at a time,then go back for another load.Like wind sprints you can get a elk long ways by yourself

He said he could and I thought about it, but I am very green behind the ears with this type of thing. I guess what I could do if I do find an elk is I can try and flag someone down and offer up some of the meat for help cleaning and packing it out.

 

[Recon$$]

Go on the adventure, you'll learn alot. Just brush up on butchering.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

So, I was scheduled to leave for Montana Thursday the 28th for a week long hunt with a buddy of mine. He is a backcountry guide and offered to take me out for my first elk trip.

Yesterday he texts me to say he fell checking a trail cam and broke three ribs and his foot and can't take me on the trip.

So what do I do? I have a non-resident general elk and deer combo tag and the last day to submit for a refund is today. I don't want to lose the $1200 I paid for the tags but I also have zero experience with western hunting. Every hunt I've ever been on is SC whitetails, sit in a stand over a pile of corn and wait. I've never even cleaned a kill.

So do I go by myself with a nearly 100% chance of failure while getting some experience, or eat the cost of the tags and wait until next year.

Dang sorry to hear that.
Some of the best hunts I went on were the last minute/non planed and go on an adventure. Big undertaking if you are going by yourself and have no idea with logistical items like food, lodging, transport in the hunting area and WHERE TO HUNT. If you can get the guide to give you info with area maps and setting you up and possibly taking you to the area by vehicle and turning you loose. I would strongly suggest you take a family member or friend along. Don't do it by yourself. If you do carry a GPS distress system in case you run into trouble.
If you can postpone to next year do that.
Safety First!

 

[sp6x6]

Have to get one before you worry about the details.Trial by fire,go for it.The electric city has some nice elk hunting near

 

[jaw719]

Dang sorry to hear that.
Some of the best hunts I went on were the last minute/non planed and go on an adventure. Big undertaking if you are going by yourself and have no idea with logistical items like food, lodging, transport in the hunting area and WHERE TO HUNT. If you can get the guide to give you info with area maps and setting you up and possibly taking you to the area by vehicle and turning you loose. I would strongly suggest you take a family member or friend along. Don't do it by yourself. If you do carry a GPS distress system in case you run into trouble.
If you can postpone to next year do that.
Safety First!

The logistics I have figured out fairly well, it's the actual hunt that I am a newbie on. I guess he could tell me where to go, but then what? Find a hill, sit down and start glassing?

 

[xsn10s]

The logistics I have figured out fairly well, it's the actual hunt that I am a newbie on. I guess he could tell me where to go, but then what? Find a hill, sit down and start glassing?

That's how I hunt quite a bit. You could ask your friend about the area but here's the big question, how are your field and land nav skills? How good are you at being out there on your own?

 

[jaw719]

That's how I hunt quite a bit. You could ask your friend about the area but here's the big question, how are your field and land nav skills? How good are you at being out there on your own?

I have a pretty good sense of direction and I'll have a Garmin inReach with me so finding my way back should be fairly easy.

On my own is the only issue. I don't do this a lot so I'd be figuring things out as I go but camping by the truck makes it easier.

 

[badthirtyone]

I went on an elk hunt several years back with, what we'll call a "beginner/intermediate" outdoorsman. We hunted hard together for the better part of the week and I put him on several elk that he was just not able or comfortable to get a shot on.

Eventually, as the days passed, I was out of time and had to return to work, many hours away from our hunting grounds.

Low and behold if he didn't call my cell phone about two days later from the top of the mountain that I had left him on to tell me that he had a cow elk on the ground. I then spent the next hour on the phone with him talking him through the finer points of cleaning and quartering his animal so that he could pack it back to camp.

In the end, he was super appreciative of the help and gave me some of his game meat when he returned back to Denver.

I will say - loudly - that I give him mad respect for staying up there by himself and finding a way to persevere! I'll also say that his situation sounds at least a little bit like yours in that he had someone that could at least put him in the right area where animals were present and then he found a way to complete the mission - even if it was by phone call/consultation to make sure that he had done everything correctly.

That, honestly, was one of my most memorable hunting trips. In talking to him over the past few years I know that it was one of his most memorable as well.

Don't give up hope just yet. You may be able to pull off a similar story - and I'll just bet that there are members here that would do the same for you that I had an opportunity to do for my friend.

Spend a few hours now watching youtube videos on game care and cleaning. Enough to get moderately familiar with the process. Then call your buddy, or heck, even call one of us if you get an animal down. Genuine hunters want to help folks like you and would be more than willing.

Even if you don't harvest an animal, what better way to cut your teeth than by really stepping out like that and having that wonderous adventure? Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[xsn10s]

I have a pretty good sense of direction and I'll have a Garmin inReach with me so finding my way back should be fairly easy.

On my own is the only issue. I don't do this a lot so I'd be figuring things out as I go but camping by the truck makes it easier.

Safety and surviving is the biggest issue. I tell you buddy either way you choose would be fine in my book. You could go out and not get a shot and that would be fine, I've done that. You could stay home and wait and that would be fine too. Really it's up to you, what does your gut tell you. **** what anyone else says or thinks. The most important thing is what you think and what your gut tells you.