The Year's first rifle hunt

It took me a few days to get these pictures up, but last Wednesday, Clint and I got to go out and chase some speed goats. The weather was superb and it was so good to have the whole day to spend with him.

The area that we hunted has (in the past) proven to have a huge population of antelope. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to be the case when we got out there. After scouting for a couple hours, we were able to find two critters bedded down on an open hillside (about a mile from where we were) As we were making our plan of attack, they got up and disappeared over the hill. So, we hightailed it up after them, and then spotted them shortly after we came over the rise. Their attention was focused on some other people that were heading up a different draw, so we were able to belly crawl into a closer position. We ended up having to belly crawl for quite some time because the grass was so high that we couldn't get a clear shot.

Realizing that we were as close as we were going to get, Clint got creative and took a great shot. After we had determined his shot was good, I was able to sneak up to a higher position and take a shot at the other one. Spirits were high as we realized we had two nice critters on the ground!!!

It was a great hunt and the scenery was phenomenal. It is an area that is nestled right up against the Little Belt Mountains, so you feel that you could look up on the ridge and see elk any time!!! (and by the way, the forklift had a great time!!!)

Of course Clint had to go back to Butte, so I got to process the two critters!!! Oh well, it is a labor of love!

The day after the hunt, Perry (my step dad) and my Grandma Loree arrived from Washington with a load of goodies! It was great to see them and we even made it out to the River Property to enjoy the afternoon!