For those who call Montana home, it’s probably hard to understand the infatuation a non-resident has with their state; the entire state is a sportsman’s paradise, and for the last several years, I’ve made the pilgrimage. The amount of wildlife you can see on a typical day in Montana rivals the most wild places in the world. Pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule deer, whitetails, elk and more…all in a day. On top of that, between the Bureau of Land Management, National Forest, state land, and Block Management Areas, public opportunity is everywhere. That’s why so many come so far to hunt there.

The last few years we’ve been coming later, trying to catch the mule deer bucks as they enter into the rut. This year was no different, arriving in central Montana right as the rut historically begins. While our first day was uneventful, on day two we were met with an arctic blast. The high for the day peaked at about 0700, with temperatures falling steadily all day. Steady snow and a 50-60 MPH wind made hunting futile. We did chat with a few other hunters that day. They were just finishing up on a Block Management Area that we had permission to hunt the following day. They shared some information on what they’d seen and where. Day three was looking promising.