Montana Rifle 2016 (aka Trumpkin needs to get in shape)

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

All right! You rotters just had to push me over the edge!

All this talk about mountains and elk, and predatory drive got me worked up into a real conniption fit. I dove into the Montana regs, looking to pull off a hail Mary pass, and boy did II find it! I'm considered a Montana 'Native' because I was born there and have a sibling still in the state. it turns out they recently made the financial burden much smaller for us Chosen Ones to hunt as out of staters, and the wife is already on board with my plan.

So here's the scoop, I have 12 weeks to get a massive list of imperatives checked off, that will make it feasible to hunt Thanksgiving week with a Montana combo tag in me pocket. I won't list em all right now, cause you guys need to absorb the awful reality that I might sweep another photo contest . I intend to turn this thread into an interactive chronicle of this grand adventure.

Steps one, two, and three are already done. I have the wife's blessing, a financially viable tag option, and a brand new pair of Zamberlan boots in the mail!

Steps four through dead elk involve a lot of work, starting with getting in shape. I've been stretching/stress ball massaging my back/legs/neck to start loosening up my office life body. I've also been doing calf raises while using the standing option at my desk during the work week, and did 6 floors of stairs twice on my lunch break today. I have to wrap up various projects before D-day, and get the official stamp of approval from my boss at work, but this IS going down!

Follow along to mock my philosophy behind getting in 'Elk Shape'. Poke fun at me, critique my plans, laugh at my ineptitude, and generally enjoy the slapstick humor that is bound to follow!

Here's a parting image for you.

[currie]

don't over do it with the stress ball and stretching geez, work up to that you don't wanna burn out. lol good luck.

[cohunter14]

Awesome, good for you!

[RAMMONT]

What area are you looking to hunt in?

[Indian Summer]

Just remember that the family member who sponsors your license must accompany you at all times. I never buy that tag because my brother works during the week.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Just remember that the family member who sponsors your license must accompany you at all times. I never buy that tag because my brother works during the week.

Not for native-born Montanan's. I called FWP specifically about this. I was informed that if I have a birth certificate, proof of prior resident hunting licenses, and a direct relative to sponsor me, I can hunt on my own. Anyways, I'm hoping my grandpa will hunt with me anyways!

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

There was a package on my doorstep early this afternoon! I'm about to go walk a couple miles on the treadmill with some weight in the pack. Got to start working these Zamberlans in ASAP.

[RAMMONT]

Either you didn't see my question or you simply choose not to answer.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Either you didn't see my question or you simply choose not to answer.

Oh, I'm sorry! I did see it but forgot to answer.

The truth is, I don't quite know yet where I'll be hunting. Billings will be my touchdown spot, and I may go towards Gardiner, or the Beartooth face, or maybe the little belts. I'm considering the Crazy's as well. Anything within a 3-4 hour radius of Billings can work.

I do apologize for my rudeness. I didn't mean to snub you!

[RAMMONT]

No, I apologize, I wasn't trying to sound butt hurt, I just figured that either you didn't see it or you just didn't want to share where you were going. I asked because I live in Montana.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

No, I apologize, I wasn't trying to sound butt hurt, I just figured that either you didn't see it or you just didn't want to share where you were going. I asked because I live in Montana.

No worries! No offense taken from me!

When I left off the other day I was just going to try out the new boots I'd received in the mail. Holy smokes, these Zamberlans are stiff. I've put a couple miles on them on the treadmill, mixing the incline from 5-15 degrees, and with a 40 lb dumbbell in the backpack. The weight smooths out the stiffness quite a bit. I think I'm going to do just fine with these boots. I may need some aftermarket insoles though.

To make this hunt work there are a lot of loose ends I have to tie together, but the biggest challenges are going to be:

1. Altitude adjustment from Texas to the mountains (i.e. getting in shape). This task is a bit complicated. I have Ulcerative Colitis and it is not a good disease. Feel free to google it, but know it makes working out hard for me. I've used the various (insanely expensive) drugs, and decided I'd rather just manage my symptoms than go on the immune-suppressing ones that are the 'next level' of escalation. The biggest things I'll be doing are trying to work out in some form consistently, and praying for relief from the UC.

2. Picking where I will hunt (this will probably be weather dependent). ***Tool tip: http://map.mtbullypulpit.org/ is the place to go for finding all sorts of neat info about Montana hunting spots. I use it in conjunction with a copy of the hunting regs to cross reference the areas I am interested in*** I will probably line out several hunt plans assuming different weather patterns over the next three months, and make a decision when I get there.

3. coordinating with my Grandpa to get all my gear together in one location. Some of my stuff is still with him in Montana, and it'll require me to be meticulous in my gear lists.

Well, that's all I have for today, fellas. Glad to see a couple elk have been iced so far!

[RAMMONT]

I have IBS and that can complicate my hunting but UC is far worse and harder to manage, I salute you for your dedication.

They are predicting an inch or two of snow this Sunday/Monday down to 6000 feet in the MacDonald pass area, it'll probably melt pretty quickly but it shows how the temperatures are starting to dip down.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Discovered this evening that swimming can be a ridiculous workout! Cripes. I thought I was gonna lose my dinner for a bit there.

I'm trying to focus on two things for training, given the short notice: boot miles with weighted pack, and cardio (technically I should also talk about the stretching of minor muscle groups via lots of stretching/balance training but it just doesn't sound very sexy).

Do any of you guys have an interest in hearing about how I approach Montana from a map/tag perspective?

[GoGriz1234]

Do any of you guys have an interest in hearing about how I approach Montana from a map/tag perspective?

I would be intrested - do tell.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Well, I bought a plane ticket. It is time to make the rest of it fall into place!
I've been rushed all week so this is going to come in multiple parts. Today's post is just giving you an idea of the maps I use. I'll talk next time about the rationale behind my hunt planning.

The Maps/Resources:
http://map.mtbullypulpit.org/ - This map provides decent satellite imagery, a good idea of public/private lands, and most importantly, the hunting districts as pertaining to deer and elk.

http://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral/ - Here is the official land ownership map. I go here for fine details on particular parcels which I want to know about. Road access is part of this as well. Is it public? Private? Someone who I can call and ask for permission to hunt?

Google Earth - Duh! I've heard some fellows prefer Bing maps, and I won't argue too much with them. It boils down to what YOU get comfortable using.

http://www.hillmap.com/ - This map is specifically for seeing the steepness of slopes visually. If you are good with topo maps, it isn't necessary, but this gives me a heat map o steepness.

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/regulations/default.html - Here is the home of all Montana hunting regulations. Important stuff here!

[six]

Glad your back love reading your posts. Good luck in Montana.

[juglow]

Following and good luck Good info.!
Go grab a high altitude training mask or cheaper option...a dust mask filtered with extra fabric to further restrict airflow and work yourself up to interval training between sprinting and walking. Not being in shape can kill your hunt.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Good grief, time flies these days. I was supposed to update you guys almost three weeks ago!

I've been getting back into shooting my longbow the last 3-4 weeks. September 2017 will be go time for the rut I hope.

For this year's hunt I am still considering my hunting options, but that is at least partly based on whether my grandpa talks his way onto some private land or not.

Now, regarding how I pick an area to hunt... If I want to kill an elk, any old elk, I have a lot of options. The truth is that any mountain range in Montana holds somewhere between decent and excellent numbers of elk. So, I can look at the regulations to find units which are "Either Sex" , and "OTC" then cross reference that against a map to make sure there's good hunting access to the area. I'd then pick which range to explore, and start doing the heavy duty topo map work. The issue with this is that it can run you smack dab into the middle of an orange army! After all, where do you think the locals go to fill their freezers, if not the lower, easy to access, "if it's brown it's down" areas ?

Now in that last sentence above the emphasis needs to be on "CAN"... as in, you can still hunt those units but there needs to be some ground rules.

1. No road hunters allowed, so no maze of roads allowed
2. Good food for the elk nearby, and by nearby I just mean anywhere within a few miles. Elk will travel a LONG ways between bedding and feeding areas at night if they feel pressured. Elk have to eat a whole lot come Thanksgiving, so if there are good mountains, with wheat fields below, you have yourself a potential gold mine! Big open basins in the back country will also hold grass, especially if they burned a few years ago. And elk WILL paw through a foot and a half of snow before deciding it's time to head to lower elevation.
3. The biggest thing I am looking for as I plan this hunt is thick nasty bedding areas, on top of super steep hills, within a mile or two of the trail head. The steep stuff weeds out the less willing and the trail lures the hot-to-trot He-Men hunters deep into the back country and away from my elk! Meanwhile, the thick nasty stuff lets the big bulls feel safe, and the proximity to trail head usually suggests there are fields for the elk to ravage within a leisurely night's walk. A mile might not seem like much, but remember I am hunting late season. I'm hoping snow has already forced the elk a good ways down from the high country. In years with less snow, I adapt, and look to head higher and deeper.

Anyways, that probably seems really generic to y'all, but it is what I've got tonight.