Fruition

The plan was to buy the cheapest boat I could find that still floated and could handle a motor to get us upstream and back. So I searched Craig's List and Helena Classifieds on Facebook and bought a boat for $140. I spent a few bucks on sandpaper, paint, and about $300 on converting my flatbed raft trailer with rollers and a stem with a nose pad. I also borrowed a 9hp motor from John LaRue and then he and his son, Johnny and I tested out the plan.

We drove the boat, (do you drive a boat or ride?) to a big chunk of BLM land along the river and hiked up and over the canyon wall and into a drainage. We spotted a few deer--nothing we wanted to work that hard to get out, and some bighorn sheep. I saw literally, one of the biggest rams I've seen in the wild in that drainage. (See the previous post.) When we got to the bottom of the drainage, a nice buck popped up and Johnny put a great shot on him. One down.

We had left the boat about a mile downstream so I went to get it while John and Johnny took care of the first buck. On my way to the boat, this buck was clueless to his surroundings as he was tearing into a poor willow tree. I walked up to it and well, it's a good buck and it was an easy drag so...

The plan pretty much worked to perfection. We were able to get to some spots where these deer had very little pressure and were not the least bit spooky. We were able to load them up after a reasonable down-hill drag and get back to the truck in less than a half-hour. 

Now I know by writing this, I'm encouraging everyone and their brother to go out and buy a boat and hit some of these spots and that might be true. I'm sure we're not the first to think of it and I'm sure others will try it in the future. A couple things you need to know, however; you can't shoot deer along the river unless they are on BLM or State lands. Even below high water marks, you would need the adjacent landowner's permission. The other thing is you really need to know where the boundaries are. Make sure to bring your GPS and the last things is be safe and wear your PFDs. We were pretty heavily loaded on the way back and had we had to travel upstream, it probably wouldn't have happened. As it was, we hit a wave coming off a bridge abutment and just about swamped the boat. 

So now I have this boat and trailer and it would be a shame to just let it sit, right? Well, the deer hunting wasn't going to be the only use. There are also some spots I'd like to get to for duck hunting. I still have an elk to shoot though and Jill still wants to shoot a deer. With the weather the way it's been, by the time all that happens, I'm not sure there will be any ducks left. I'm serious. The ponds are already locked up and the birds are on the move. We shall see.

Keep 'em where they live...