The year 2020 started for us just like any other year, except little did we know this year would be full of ups and downs. Montana special draw tag applications were coming up right around the same time Covid-19 was ramping up. Every year, my wife and I apply for the special moose, goat, sheep, elk, and deer in our home state of Montana. Thanks to her dad bringing her up with a love of hunting in the outdoors, it is not hard for me to convince her to go with me.
When the results were posted, it was another year of unsuccessful point building for me, but my lucky wife had drawn an either-sex goat permit as well as an antlerless moose permit. The next few months were full of phone calls, map research, and some on-the-ground scouting trips to prepare.
We planned to focus on the mountain goat hunt as our first priority since the Crazy Mountains are known for being rugged and snow-covered most of the year. We had planned a scouting trip at the end of July when the terrain we wanted to scout was accessible. We learned that in the summer months this area is popular to hikers and that 6-10 miles of hiking put us into country with plenty of goats.
My wife, Cortney, and I had decided to invite two of our good friends, Erin and Sam, along on our opening weekend along with her dad, Paul. Unfortunately, her dad could not make the trip due to her mom injuring her ankle one week before the trip and she was scheduled for surgery the day we were setting out to hunt. We set out to hunt the first weekend of the season, a few days after the September 1st opening date.
The four of us made our way up the mountain, all heavily loaded with our camping supplies, food, and hunting gear. We had hiked for about seven miles and were ready to set up camp and get our packs off. Once we were settled in, the spotting scope came out and the search began. We quickly scanned the basin and saw several goats, but once we really started watching the basin, the mountain came alive with goats. We saw groups of four to seven at a time, a few lone billies that were young, and several nannies with kids. We were on the search for a mature billy. We spotted another group of goats that looked promising and decided to make a move to get into shooting distance for a better look. Once in position, we studied the animals for a good hour or two but decided to pass as the season had just started. We had planned on a four-day hunt and then a seven-day hunt the following week. At camp that evening, we sat around eating our Mountain House meals and came up with a game plan for the next day.
The next morning, we decided to make the hike to another lake at the bottom of a basin another three miles in. The hike was not going to be easy due to the elevation gain. Our camp was at 8,000 feet and we had to climb a pass that was 10,400 feet and then back down another 1,500 feet to the lake. We took off just as the sun was rising because the terrain was promising for the potential of running into more goats. We made our way up and over the pass and decided to look into the basin before dropping down into it. Over the next hour of glassing, we spotted roughly 30 goats spread out across the drainage. We decided to drop down and get a better look at several of the goats we had seen from the top.
We spotted a mature billy by himself grazing and enjoying the warm fall day. After studying the goat for some time, we decided he was somewhere between 9-9 1/2", which is a very respectable goat for Montana. My wife said that she would like to try and make a move to get within shooting range. Our two friends stayed there as we made our way down through a boulder field. After about an hour of slowly working our way down and around the lake, we set up on a large, flat rock 297 yards below the billy. My wife calmed her nerves and looked through the scope. She squeezed the trigger and made a perfect ethical shot. The goat went down quickly. Our friends were on the other side of the lake, and all we could hear was them cheering on the great shot.
The emotions were high, and the hard worked had paid off. One of the Montana special tags was notched. We had a successful season so far, but we had one other tag to try to fill. Cortney and I had already requested the time off work for September goat hunting, so we used that time to focus on moose hunting. However, our early season trip to the Big Hole Valley was unproductive, with warmer weather and smoke-filled skies.
Come November, winter had finally hit the Big Hole Valley and we continued to hunt without success. The wind had drifted most of the roads closed, but we were able to get through the drifts with our side-by-side. We spent a lot of time in the blowing snow trying to cut tracks or catch a moose out in the open. The days were starting to get short, and the animals had seemed to vanish. We continued to push ourselves through the cold but could not find the animals.
The following weekend, we were celebrating our birthdays by going after a moose yet again. We went into a completely new area of our district and found the same thing – a lot of snow and little moose sign. On Sunday, which was Cortney’s birthday, we took the side-by-side into another new area without success. On our way out, we finally cut a fresh set of moose tracks. We jumped out and started following them through knee-deep snow. We caught up to two cows but could never see them well enough to get a shot off.
At this time, it was around 3 p.m. I looked at Cortney and asked what she wanted to do, thinking she would say let’s head home. Cortney had killed her great special draw mule deer on her 18th birthday and was feeling lucky. She wanted to drive up one more road we had been up several times. As we started up the road and came around the corner, there was a man walking down the road. This was remote Montana with no cell service. I looked at Cortney and said I bet he had gotten stuck. I pulled up and rolled my window down and was greeted with a big smile. The man had been trying to fill a cow elk tag and had gotten his truck stuck. I told him to get in and we would go pull him out.
We continued up the road, talking with the man, and we drove past a set of tracks. I stopped and backed up to look at them. Sure enough, there were two cow moose standing on the edge of the timber. We all jumped out of the truck and made our way off the road. Cortney had one shot at 273 yards. She squeezed the trigger and made a perfect shot. The man was very excited, saying, “You hit it! I heard it!” The moose went into the timber, so Cortney and I wanted to follow it to make sure it was down for good. We followed the tracks and blood trail into the timber where we found the moose. One perfectly placed lung shot was all that was needed.
The 2020 hunting season was one we will always remember. From all the hard work and dedication we put into the season, I would say we had an excellent success story. The best part of it all was being able to share these memories with great friends. We look forward to more opportunities to get out and explore. I look forward to many more years of hunting and spending time outside with my wife making memories.
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