The search for a prize bull begins

SANDERS COUNTY - Thirteen horses, four mules and ten people. That is what it takes to pack in a hunting camp. At least in my experience.

The morning started at 4 a.m. before the sun had the chance to warm the valley.

As I met everyone at Outfitter Jerry Carr’s home, breakfast was in progress. Carr manned the stove, making enough hash browns, eggs and sausages to feed a small army. Coffee brewed constantly as everyone tried to fuel themselves up for the long day to come.

One droopy-eyed helper after another wheeled themselves into the house, fighting back yawns and fatigue.

Once everyone was fed and dosed with ample amounts of caffeine, the real work began.

With the stars still in the sky, the men took to the fields rounding up the horses with headlamps, igniting the dark pasture. The horses were called in, caught and haltered – each one tied to a post, ready to be brushed out and saddled up.

The mules, Shorty, Molly, Clinky, and Red, along with three packhorses, were geared up with two different packsaddles – a cross buck and a decker.

Both saddles are designed with the same purpose, to carry equipment but one features wooden bars to hang the bags on, while another has metal rings that you tie the bags onto.

After the horses were fed grain to keep their energy levels up throughout the day, they were loaded into three different horse trailers.

The journey began to the hunting camp and everyone headed for the same location. A location that will not be named because of the sacredness one instills in their hunting grounds.

As the trailers traveled down the highway system, they got to their turn off and began the descent up. The 13-mile trip up to the destination would take almost one and a half hours, the drivers avoiding whatever bumps they could in the road.

According to wisdom passed on from Carr, one should be able to set a cup of coffee on the dash and not spill it during the trek up.

As we followed the switchbacks higher and higher, the sky opened up and a blanket of fog nestled on top of what would be Plains. The fall-like weather was cool and there was fear of thunderstorms rolling in throughout the day, something that would make the twelve-mile roundtrip journey by horse not as enjoyable.

Slowly but surely, progression was made up the mountain and once the trailhead was reached, the horses and pack mules were removed from their trailers. Behind each horse or mule equipped with a packsaddle, the men laid out the gear that animal would be carrying.

Each mule was packed with 150 to 200 pounds of equipment, with everything from chainsaws to cooking equipment. While laying out the equipment, the loads of gear were hand measured, ensuring that each of the two packs was an even weight. An even weight helps keep the packs on straight while the animal makes its journey to the hunting camp.

After loading the animals with gear, the riders as well as the three hunters from South Dakota, jumped on their horses.

The trip in, a 6-mile ride, started up hill and although, leisurely through most parts, steep terrain and sharp switchbacks caused problems for some.

The bumpy ride caused packs to shift, delaying the trip. After the packs were readjusted, the line once again began to move. The tug and pull of the horses and mules, caused strain on the line holding them together, an issue we’d later have to face in full force.

Carr pointed out numerous rub marks on the trees from bulls rubbing their antlers and it was evident we were entering into a vast elk territory.

As a clearing neared on the right hand side, white tents peered up from the trees and brush – at last, we reached the archery camp.

The tents, set up prior to our trek, were spacious inside. The ground remained all natural with bear grass peaking through and the tent was staked in the middle, providing some head room.

The horses were tied up and the process of unpacking them began. Load after load was taken off the pack animals and moved towards camp as the hunters, John Thoreson, Tom Halberg and Corey Tellinghuisen, readied their tents for what would be the next week of their lives surrounded by wilderness and hopefully plenty of elk.

“It kind of gets in your blood. It’s nice being out here in the woods,” said Halberg about the hunt.

Once the loads were unpacked, and the hunters along with their guides were stationed at camp, the horses and mules were tied back together – creating an even longer line to worry about on the return trip.

With three men manning the 17 horses, as well as one inexperienced editor trekking along, the task of returning all the horses back to where the trailers were parked was a big one.

Only ten feet out of camp, a rope snapped, releasing some of the horses. As Aaron Miller jumped off his horse to retie them, the line of animals halted.

After retying the bowline knot, the journey began once again but did not last long, as the pull snapped yet another line, separating the horses. This would happen about ten more times, until the horses were no longer tied back up together but let loose to follow the rest of the herd.

The ride down was harder then the ride up, at least for me - the rhythm of the horse becoming almost unbearable as the soreness began to sink in. The next six miles would not go by quickly although the spacious views helped keep my mind off of the tenderness I was experiencing.

As the horses made their way down the hill, some became agitated, kicking the ones behind them and causing a jerky chain reaction down the line. Everyone was eager to return to the trailers, load up the horses and call it a day.

Once we reached the trailers, the work was far from over. Already pulling a 13-hour day, the horses needed to be loaded up, transported back (another hour and a half ride), unsaddled, brushed out and fed.

To say the least, the dedication these men showed on their journey to capture that one prized bull elk, is commendable. The adventure becomes much more than a hunt, but an experience that will no doubt be passed on later to family and friends.

Now to only get their hands on that perfect bull to tie all the pieces together into one impressive adventure in the Montana wilderness.