This is a fly fishing blog, so I won’t drag this post out. Last weekend I had the opportunity to go antelope hunting with my girlfriend’s dad. I have chased antelope with a bow once before (to great frustration and no success) and was excited to do it with a rifle this time. He and I and the dog pointed the truck east and headed out.
Word on the street was that antelope numbers are way down this year. The once great herds of the ranch we were on have dissipated into a few holdouts here and there. Foot and mouth disease ran wild out here a few years ago and wiped out many of them. But things are coming back and continue to get a little bit better every year.
The scope of eastern Montana was not something I was prepared for. Miles upon endless miles of coulees, rolling hills, creek bottoms, and sagebrush filled the horizon. At one point Lyndon walked me up to a high point to get a look at the scale and size of the ranch. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but the wild. No signs of the outside world appeared anywhere, except for a few ranch buildings. At night it was one of the most complete silences I have ever experienced, and was too peaceful for words to describe.
Whether or not you personally hunt, and regardless of what your views on the subject are, you can’t argue that it is one of the best ways to fill your freezer with fresh, wild, organic meat. We were fortunate enough to fill two tags, which will provide us both with some of the best tasting meat you can find anywhere. Taking your food from field to table, working with it every step of the way, really puts a new perspective on things. Meat doesn’t come from a styrofoam container in the grocery store. It doesn’t just appear neatly wrapped out of nowhere. Doing it yourself, and doing it right, will give you new found respect for food, wildlife, and the way of life we cherish here in Montana.
