- Location
- Saskatchewan
I just spent a thoroughly enjoyable week hunting turkeys for the very first time south across the "medicine line" in Montana. The welcoming hospitality of the folks there really warmed my heart.
On our way, a young gas station attendant asked what a couple of Canadians were doing towing a trailer south so early in the spring, and when he heard turkey hunting he phoned ahead to the next town, calling a resident he knew with turkeys in his yard. Introduced us on the phone and wished us best of luck.
The first night at our destination, a barmaid asked what we were up to and then sent over her husband to our table. A young federal Game Warden, he proceeded to share turkey stories and advice, he drew us maps of all his best spots and gave us the names of local ranchers. He invited us to meet his boss the next morning at their office, she gave us more advice and locations to try.
Later we knocked on the doors of a half dozen ranch houses, all gave us permission to hunt and most were very cheerful about it. But our host rancher went out of his way to please. Montana hospitality at its finest! The conversation went something like this:
"So you boys want to hunt turkeys on my ranch? Sure! come up to the house I'll give you some maps of my place. You want a beer? I have a good campsite in mind, is your trailer self-contained? you need power, a phone? my house is never locked if you need something, I'll show you... "
We passed up the town turkeys, hunted hard on the ranches for four days, called stalked and chased turkeys up and down some very steep coulees and through pine forests and across the prairie, got frustrated and humbled by the birds and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. On the last day I called a tom across nearly a half mile of semi open country, and shot my very first turkey at about 26 steps. What a wonderful experience!
THANK YOU USA and Montana for being such wonderful neighbours. You really know how to show a couple of guys from Saskatchewan a good time!
On our way, a young gas station attendant asked what a couple of Canadians were doing towing a trailer south so early in the spring, and when he heard turkey hunting he phoned ahead to the next town, calling a resident he knew with turkeys in his yard. Introduced us on the phone and wished us best of luck.
The first night at our destination, a barmaid asked what we were up to and then sent over her husband to our table. A young federal Game Warden, he proceeded to share turkey stories and advice, he drew us maps of all his best spots and gave us the names of local ranchers. He invited us to meet his boss the next morning at their office, she gave us more advice and locations to try.
Later we knocked on the doors of a half dozen ranch houses, all gave us permission to hunt and most were very cheerful about it. But our host rancher went out of his way to please. Montana hospitality at its finest! The conversation went something like this:
"So you boys want to hunt turkeys on my ranch? Sure! come up to the house I'll give you some maps of my place. You want a beer? I have a good campsite in mind, is your trailer self-contained? you need power, a phone? my house is never locked if you need something, I'll show you... "
We passed up the town turkeys, hunted hard on the ranches for four days, called stalked and chased turkeys up and down some very steep coulees and through pine forests and across the prairie, got frustrated and humbled by the birds and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. On the last day I called a tom across nearly a half mile of semi open country, and shot my very first turkey at about 26 steps. What a wonderful experience!
THANK YOU USA and Montana for being such wonderful neighbours. You really know how to show a couple of guys from Saskatchewan a good time!
