The Coonhunters Club

Sharptail fun!

2011-12-04T12:51:00.003-07:00

Nash and I have been having pretty good luck with the sharptails. We have a spot where they congregate and we've been getting a couple just about every time we go up there...

Ben

Nash's last morning buck

2011-12-04T12:31:00.003-07:00

Nash got this nice 3x3 the last day of season(November 27). He just shot him right in the yard! :D We've been seeing this deer all year out and about down here in the riverbottoms and that day he made the fatal mistake of stepping out onto our property. One shot from the .30-06, DRT.

Last minute deer!

2011-12-04T12:04:00.004-07:00

On Saturday the 26th, the day before season closed, Dad, Nash and I came rolling in from futilely hunting mulies. We came into our yard and there were mule deer does everywhere so I started looking around for whitetail does because I had an antlerless tag. Sure enough, there were about 25 does out in our field. We bailed out of the truck and I got Dad's Remington 600 .222. We snuck up to our hay stack and I shot a nice fat little deer. It went straight down, didn't even move an inch... :)

New dugout. . . .

2011-11-20T17:39:00.004-07:00

The flood this spring made a big washout in our field. Nash and I concocted an idea and a couple weeks ago and went and notched a dugout into the side of the bank. :) It's pretty dang cool, we've got a fireplace and everything! The haybale has a hole dug in it for storing firewood and such. It's really fun to hang out in!

Ben

A few pics of this fall.....

2011-11-20T17:18:00.005-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted! We've had a pretty good hunting season so far... Nash got a whitetail doe with his recurve bow, Mom got a nice 4x4 mulie, and I got a 6x5 mulie with lots of character... with my Mauser! :)

Now we just need to get Dad and Nash a buck!

Ben

Tuesday 12 mile hike

2011-08-14T19:44:00.007-06:00

On Monday afternoon, Nash and I decided we wanted to walk over to Blood Creek, which is 6 miles one way. So, we put some sandwiches and water in our packs, got two of our dogs, Cap and Sandy, and headed out first thing Tuesday morning. Of course we took rifles, I took Dad's Browning BL-22 and Nash toted my Remington 121. :) Here are a few pics.

LOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640911522273649314" />

We got to Blood Creek, and during the flooding we had during the spring, Blood Creek, which used to be a few puddles mostly, is now a nice sized little creek, with a waterfall. :)

We messed around at the creek for an hour and a half or so. Cap and Sandy were rooting around and then Cap started barking treed up a big cottonwood tree. Then Sandy joined in. We looked around and there were coon tracks and holes in the tree, so we've no doubt there was a coon up there.

Good boy! :)

After that, we packed up and headed for the house. Oh boy, 6 miles in 96 degrees!

All in all, we had a big ol' time! :)

Ben

A few pics of some coon hunting ventures

2011-08-14T19:11:00.005-06:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted but we've been doing some coon hunting and dog training. First, Nash caught two young coons in his box trap. We hoisted them up in a tree and let the pups "tree" them. It was really good for them, because me and Nash went on a hike and Cap started chopping up a cottonwood tree that had coon tracks all around it. :) Here's a few pics.

There's Cap jumping up at them.

And here's Tug.

And then last night, we went out for a few hours to try and tree an ol' ringtail. Unfortunately, the moon was very bright(you could have read a book) and the coons just weren't moving. But, a good time was had by all. :)

Ben

Long time, no post!!!

2011-07-23T18:54:00.004-06:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted! Alot has happened since I did, we had awful flooding, no phone or computer for 33 days in May and June, and we've been on several prairie dog hunts, catfishing excursions, and period scouts since. Oh yeah, Nash and I shot pickup load of carp in our front yard!! Here are some pics. :)

Ben

My K98 is getting close!

2011-05-20T13:17:00.006-06:00

I've been working on my K98 Mauser alot lately, and it's coming along well. I cut off the stock and bondoed the holes from where me and Dad cut out the bolt disassembly and the hole for the old German sling. Then I kryloned it tan and green camo. Now all it needs is a safety, trigger, .220 Swift barrel, drilled and tapped for a scope, bases, and rings and it'll be done!! :D

The pround owner!

That wonderful Mauser claw extractor.

Thanks for looking!

Ben

My flintlock smoothbore is done!!

2011-05-04T11:57:00.005-06:00

Wow, it's been to long since I blogged last! But I have my smoothbore done! I finished browning it and it looks great! It's a Fusil De Chasse .62 caliber, with a 44" Colrain octagon to round barrel, L&R lock, and a heck of a nice stick of walnut! It was assembled "in the white" by Tip Curtis of Tennessee.
Here are some pics.

Of course Nash had to shoot it too!

It patterns quite well at 25 yards with 60 grs. of #5 shot and 70 grs. of FFg. I'm going to try to get my turkey with it this year. We went yesterday, saw two and heard some gobbling, but they wouldn't cooperate.

~Ben

The Spitfire is here!!

2011-03-25T11:49:00.000-06:00

I got my new Foxpro Spitfire yesterday! I am very pleased with it. It is very well built with some killer sounds. I can't wait to go call some coons and coyotes with it. It has some great features. If this is Foxpro's "low-end" call, I can't imagine what a Fury or Prairie Blaster is like!

Ben

WOO-HOOOO!!!

2011-03-14T22:17:00.001-06:00

I came in 2nd on the Predator Masters.com Hunter of the Year contest! I will shortly be receiving a brand spankin' new FoxPro Spitfire e-call! I can't wait to try it out! The guys on PM are some of the best you can find, I've learned so much over there and made alot of good friends.

Ben

Coyotey down!

2011-02-28T19:39:00.002-07:00

One of our neighbors called Dad and told him there was a coyote in his trash pit. We jumped in the jeep and drove down. We got there and Nash tried to shoot it with the .22( I know, I know) but it didn't go down so I dropped it with the .222. DRT. Nice female coyote. Got her skinned and she's in the freezer. Also went bobcat hunting with the dogs but didn't get anything. Who says Mondays are bad!

Ben

Bobcat DOWN!!

2011-02-18T20:10:00.001-07:00

Today on the way home from town, we checked our bobcat and coyote traps. Me and Nash walked down the hill where there's a little cave where we have a trap. There were bobcat tracks going down the hill, and we were hoping we had it in the cave set. It had walked right over another set we had out but the trap was frozen down. But sure enough, Nash started hollerin "We got a cat!!" I shot it with the K22, and Mom and Dad came down and we got some pictures. First bobcat!! Nice female. Needless to say, we were(and still are) PUMPED!!

Dad was so excited, he's laid a bunch of traps this year, and it all finally came together for him. :)

Ben

Modifications to my shooting sticks

2011-02-16T16:16:00.004-07:00

I have alway been afraid that that the wing nut and bolt would crack if I got them too tight on my 5/8s dowel rod shooting sticks. So last night, I took four casterating bands and stretched them over the tops of the dowels in place of the nut and bolt. They work great! I can't wait to try 'em out!

~Ben

Package in the mail!!

2011-02-04T19:38:00.007-07:00

The prize knife I won for the Predator Masters 2010 Deer photo contest came today! The guy who put together the contest was nice enough to throw in a Leupold cap, The Verminators IV dvd, and a Verminators decal along with the main prize, the custom skinning knife and sheath. My brother Nash, who also had a picture in the contest, was a runner-up, so he gets the cap, and we can share the video and decal! : )

Ben

Fixed up the Preymaster....

2011-02-03T19:12:00.002-07:00

Today I decided to upgrade our Johnny Stewart Preymaster. We had a coffee can and screwed the speaker onto the lid, and put the remote, wire, and sound cards inside the can(see my "Calls" page). But I found a Maxwell House can that had a handle on it so it would be easier to carry. A little bit of Krylon had it looking good. : )

Ben

Shooting sticks

2011-01-15T16:42:00.011-07:00

I made a new pair of shooting sticks out of some 5/8ths dowel rod. I candy-striped them and wrapped some electrical tape in the "V". I've taken them out a time or two now, they're proving their worth.

They are a nice compliment to my main pair, the old stand-by.

The nice thing about the older pair, being thicker, I can fold them out and have a really handy walking stick. But the new ones are nice because they're lighter and easier to grab with thick gloves on and carrying a butt-pad to sit on at your calling stand in the same hand.

You can make your own shooting sticks, bi-fur-pod, whatever you want to call 'em, by getting your instructions on Varmint Al's Hunting Site.

Ben

Dad has to have fun too!

2011-01-08T20:22:00.004-07:00

Late this morning, Dad, who likes to look with binoculars or a spotting scope at the big hill across the road, spotted a coyote on top of the hill laying down. We kind of gave up on it because there wasn't really a good way to go up without getting picked off. We went on with the day but kept our eyes on the coyote. Later in the afternoon, Mom looked through the spotting scope and saw it was limping really bad on it's right front leg! Now that changes everything! Dad, Nash and I got our gear and started after it. Here's a picture of the coyote on the hill, about 1/2 a mile from our living room window. You can see it holding up it's leg.

Long story short we hiked up the hill in knee deep snow, huffin' and puffin'! We got to the top and took a minute to glass, and Dad spotted the yote. It was too far to shoot, so we dashed around the hill and got set up. We got close enough and BAM! he dropped it in it's tracks, DRT!
Here are some pictures.

It was a little female, looked like this year's pup. She has an old injury that looks like a lion or another coyote got her. Dad's first coyote of the season.

Thanks for looking!

Ben

True Grit

2011-01-02T17:46:00.009-07:00

Wow, the new version of True Grit is awesome! This one is more based on the book than the one with John Wayne. It is great! Jeff Bridges is wonderful as Reuben J "Rooster" Cogburn, and the girl who plays Mattie Ross deserves an Oscar for her performance. : ) Matt Damon as La Bouef is a great foil to Rooster, and is very funny. He is always extolling virtues on "the Sharps carbine" lol. Lucky Ned Pepper is played to perfection, but his Remington 1875 SA steals the show!
All in all, an EXCELLENT movie, I give it 10 stars. Don't go into the theater expecting to see John Wayne spinning his '92 Winchester or you'll be disapointed. Keep an open mind, and you'll love it!

~Ben

Bobcat hunt

2010-12-23T12:11:00.004-07:00

We cut another fresh cat track yesterday. We turned Tug and Cap out, but kept them on leashes because they are still quite green. Both of them, Cap in particular, did great! We found at least four different bobcat tracks and a huge lion track. We hiked a looong time! We didn't tree the cat but had a blast anyway! :) Here are a couple pictures.

From left to right, Tug, Dad, Cap, Me, and Bill. Nash took the picture so he ain't in it.

~Ben

Coyote hunting bag

2010-12-21T10:44:00.002-07:00

I put together a coyote calling pack.

The contents are, from bottom to top, Carver closed-reed distress, NCK cowhorn howler, my compass, a little LED flashlight, handwarmers, and a Winchester skinning knife. : )

~Ben

CCW permit

2010-12-21T10:26:00.004-07:00

Seems a guy gets pulled over by a local policeman. Guy hands the cop his driver's license, insurance verification, plus his concealed carry permit.

"Okay, Mr. Smith," the cop says, "I see your CCW permit. Are you carrying today?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well then, better tell me what you got."

Smith says, "Well, I got a .357 revolver in my inside coat pocket. There's a 9mm semi-auto in the glove box. And, I've got a .22 magnum derringer in my right boot."

"Okay," the cop says. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, back in the trunk, there's an AR15 and a shotgun. That's about it."

"Mr. Smith, are you on your way to or from a gun range...?"

"Nope."

"Well then, what are you afraid of...?"

"Not a d*mn thing..."

~Ben

Been a while!

2010-12-20T21:55:00.006-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I posted! A lot of fun stuff has happened, Dad shot a mulie the last day of season, Nash shot a coyote, etc, etc! :)

We've bird hunted some with our friend Cliff.

Dad and I have been calling alot lately, I missed a yote a few days ago, but that's hunting.

~Ben

The Birthday buck

2010-11-22T10:01:00.005-07:00

Well, sort of! :) Two days before, I should say. I finally got my Mulie yesterday!! Here's the story.
Dad and I have been hitting it hard, so we got out a little late this morning. We had several new inches of snow, so there were tracks everywhere! We got to one of our honeyholes, and Dad said he was going to look off the other side for a change. He came running back to the Jeep saying "Big buck, big buck!!" I grabbed the .30-06 and followed him. We looked over the hill and there he was! I held dead on to his shoulder, and touched it off. It hit right under him, so I jacked another in(please note my blood pressue is rising rapidly!!) and shot him. I would have smoked him right though the boiler room, but the wind took it a bit and it hit in the ribcage. He started walking humped up like they do when they get hit, so me and Dad dashed back to the truck to drive up to where we could get in position for a killing shot. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, he had gone by. But we found good blood and started tracking him. A few times we almost gave up because we wouldn't find good blood, but every time, we found a little bit. We walked for about a mile and a half when Dad said that if he wasn't in the bottom of the next coulee, we would go home and let him lay up and die and come back the next day. As we topped the hill, Dad was like "There he is!" He was laying down, and when he saw us he stood up, and I shot him, he wobbled, and fell like a sack of potatoes!! We were PUMPED!!

Can you say big grin?

We gutted him, and he was jelly on the inside. We headed back home to get Mom and Nash. I walked in and Nash said "Did you get one?" I held up my hands which still had blood on them! Mom and Nash came out and were VERY excited! We got the sled and went up the coulee from a different way, which was all flat so we could drag him out easily. We got there and two golden eagles had plucked some hair off the bucks rear quarter.
We took a few more pictures before we pulled him out.

Thanks for lookin'!

~Ben
_________________________

Big day!!

2010-11-14T19:01:00.002-07:00

I hunted pretty much all day today! Dad and I got up early and went after deer, saw a few but no good bucks. When we got back, I went coyote calling for a while, but it was too windy so I came back. I did find a whitetail shed though. A cock pheasant flushed RIGHT in front of me! I had unchambered my 870 before I left my coyote setup so he got away. :( When I got back Nash and I got some guns(he got his Gamo pellet gun and I got my Remington 121 .22) and went down and kicked some brush piles for rabbits. I got mad at myself for not taking my 870 when two cockbirds flushed like 5 yards from us! :( Then me and Nash went coyote calling this afternoon. Didn't see a thing. Heck of a day with nothing but a shed antler, a lost decoy, and three missed opportunities at pheasants to show for it!!

Ben

Fur on the stretcher!

2010-11-07T20:24:00.004-07:00

I finally got my first coyote!! Dad and I woke up this morning and decided to go calling. We drove down to a spot we had bird hunted and just looked great for coyotes. We got there and walked over to a steep bank overlooking a big sagebrush flat. I started off doing interrogation howls on my Kerry Carver howler and Primos Lil' Dog, then after a minute or so I started a ki-yi with the Primos. Then I started up cottontail. After we had been set up ten minutes at the most, Dad said there's a coyote! My heart lept to my throat and I saw him coming on in! I raised up my rifle in my shooting sticks, put the crosshairs on his chest and let him have it! He jumped, spun around, then took off running. I shot at him again but he was bookin' it, and I hit just behind him. We were sure though, that he was dead or dying because we didn't see him go up the hill he was headed for. We walked down, and we found him! I was THRILLED!!

Thanks for looking!

Ben

Nash gets his first buck!!

2010-11-06T12:33:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, we all went deer hunting. My brother Nash and Mom went to one spot, and Dad and I went to another. Me and Dad saw lots of mulies and I passed on a little buck. Nash on the other hand, shot a nice whitetail! His first buck and second deer! We were thrilled!

I'll have Nash dictate the story to me later. :)

~Ben

First pheasant of the season!

2010-11-01T09:46:00.002-06:00

Three days ago, we got a chance to go bird hunting with a guy who has some pretty good dogs. : ) We saw alot of birds, but only shot one. But it was still fun, the dog did GREAT and we just had a blast!
Here I am with my first pheasant of the season.

~Ben

Deer hunting!

2010-10-27T21:29:00.003-06:00

We've been Deer hunting quite a bit lately. : ) We haven't seen any good bucks, just some does. The rut hasn't started yet, so the big boys aren't moving yet. Here are some pictures. : )

~Ben

Been a long time!!

2010-10-27T20:51:00.004-06:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I've blogged! I'm not going to go into detail...if you want the full story, if you look around on Predator Masters, you might find them in the youth or houndsmen forum.
We helped pull out a nice 6x7 bull for a friend. Joe had the perfect hunt, he stalked up to him, and arrowed him! : )

I'm sorry I haven't posted much, but I've been pretty busy! Dad, Nash and I went on a bear hunt in the mountains, but we didn't see any.

Ben

Something cool happened yesterday

2010-09-28T16:15:00.005-06:00

Something funny happened to me yesterday in Billings. Dad, Nash and I were at Home Depot, and just finished loading the truck. Dad had to go back in, so Nash and I were sitting in the truck when the guys who were parked in front of us backed up and asked me if I was "mtcurman" from Predator Masters! I told them I was, and they told me they always see my posts on PM. They also told me that they had Curs too. :) It was really cool! I was shocked that anyone would recognize me, let alone in the biggest city in Montana! :D

Ben

Grrrr...

2010-09-22T10:17:00.001-06:00

Well, I've done it! I've skipped two mondays in a row! : ( Oh well, from now on, I'll do that from time to time.

~Ben

Dove, Rattlesnake, and Snow!!

2010-09-18T16:46:00.005-06:00

Well, several days ago, Nash, Mom and I went dove hunting. : ) It was fun. Mom was walking along when she screamed and said "THERE'S A RATTLESNAKE!!" I pulled up my 12 gauge 870 and BLAM! There was a hole where his head had formerly been. : )

We walked some more and were heading for the truck when Nash spun around and drilled a dove!

And then yesterday, it had been pouring down rain, when all of a sudden, it turned to snow! It was dumping it too!

~Ben

Monday Madness!!!!

2010-09-06T17:41:00.003-06:00

OK, today me, Nash, Cap, and Tug went and played on the hay bales most of the day. : )

Tug smelled a mouse and dug for a while. It was a fun day.

~Ben
Oh yes, I got a "97" (A) on my spelling test.

Mondays : )

2010-09-06T13:30:00.004-06:00

Well, I've seen it on other blogs, so I decided to do it on The Coonhunters Club, where you pick a day and always write about what you did on it. I've picked Monday, which is today, so I'll write about what I did this evening.

~Ben

Sage Grouse

2010-09-05T11:16:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, our neighbor Cliff took me and Nash bird hunting. : ) It was pretty fun. Nash shot one Sage Hen. We probably would've got more but the dog scared them all away! Grrrr... Oh well. The bird tasted GREAT!!

~Ben

Driving the tractor

2010-09-01T12:04:00.003-06:00

Yesterday evening Dad let me drive the new Ford tractor today when he was done moving the grater box, bush hog, ect. I've driven tractor alot before, but I hadn't driven this one yet.

Ben

Fencing

2010-09-01T11:15:00.003-06:00

Well, before it got all muddy a few days ago, we were fencing for our neighbor Tom. :) We didn't take many pictures, sorry.

I found this little guy! He is a baby horny toad. :)

~Ben

Muddy, eh?!

2010-08-31T16:03:00.006-06:00

Me and Dad drove into town yesterday and got the Jeep really muddy!!

Ben

WOW!!!!!

2010-08-26T10:19:00.002-06:00

Well, we were down in Billings yesterday, and we went to Cabela's. Well, we were walking around looking at things, when I saw a guy wearing a tan cowboy hat and a lanyard of calls around his neck. About the time I noticed him, one of the employees, went by and shook his hand, and that pretty well sealed the deal. I walked over and asked "Are you Wayne Carlton?" And sure enough it was! He shook my hand and I introduced myself and told him I enjoyed his Bear calling video. He gave me a tip about calling Bears. : ) He was giving a seminar that night at Cabela's.(Dang it we couldn't go!) He autoghraphed a promotional sheet and gave it to me. : ) It was very cool to meet him!

~Ben

Size Comp

2010-08-15T20:12:00.001-06:00

Here's a pic of the rattles from the one we killed today and the one we killed a while back.

~Ben

Heck of a day!

2010-08-15T19:20:00.003-06:00

Well, I ain't posted in a while, but we've had an exciting day!
First, me and Nash went on a hike with the dogs hoping to jump a coon or coyote. : ) We had fun!

Well, we were going along fine, when we couldn't find Tug or Cap anywhere! We called and called and called some more, but we couldn't find them or hear them anywhere. We started home and Tug came up the road behind us. Well, we thought, if Tug's here, Cap will be along. Wrong!! We went on home with Tug, and started looking for Cap. Long story short, he came rolling in about two hours later.

Next, me and Nash were messin around in Cliff's woods while Dad was cutting hay. We were coming out of the bottom when, hissss, buzzz!! A big Prairie Rattler was buzzing like heck and hissing just off the path we both started hollering RATTLER, RATTLER!! Dad, Mom and Cliff came running! Cliff got a pistol, and shot him twice in the head. Dad chopped it off with a shovel, and I cut off the rattles. I cut him open, and Cliff pulled off the skin.

Big day!!

~Ben

More Mules : )

2010-08-05T19:45:00.002-06:00

Here are some more Mule pics... : )

~Ben

More Mule stuff : )

2010-08-03T09:39:00.004-06:00

We rode Slick and Banjo last night for the first time since they got here. It was a BLAST!! We had them walk, trot, and canter. : )

They are great Mules!!

~Ben

HOORAY!! MULES!!

2010-08-02T11:49:00.003-06:00

We got two Mules yesterday!! : ) We love 'em, they are very friendly and good to ride. I'll put some good pics of us riding them later. The Gray Roan is mine, his name is Slick, I'm thinking about renaming him though. The Bay is Nash's, his name is Banjo, Nash renamed him. : )

Me and Nash are so excited!!
~Ben

Fencing

2010-07-29T14:41:00.003-06:00

We've been Fencing for a couple of days, and I don't mean with swords, I mean with barbwire and t-bars. :) We're hoping to get some Mules REAL soon. :)

~Ben

Package in the mail!!!!

2010-07-24T10:25:00.003-06:00

A couple of days ago, we went to the Post Office and I had a nice box from Carver Calls! I won a Howler, Open Reed distress, and Closed Reed distress all out of Spalted Maple from the Turkey hunt stories and pics contest on Predator Masters!!

Sorry for the cruddy pics.

I'm tickled with them!! The Howler can do it all, Female invitation howl, Ki-yi, you name it, and it also has one of Kerry's new boards. : ) The open reed distress is awesome for Rabbit distress, Ki-yi, ect, ect. Same with the closed reed!

~Ben

Pictures

2010-07-24T10:20:00.004-06:00

We took some pics to put in the UMCA yearbook. : )

This is the one we're gonna use.

~Ben

Layin' the smackdown on prairie dogs!!!

2010-07-10T22:43:00.004-06:00

Well, some of our friends, the undersheriff Bill, and his son Garrett, came out today to go p-dog shootin. : ) It was a BLAST!! I got Bill's Howa .22-250 after some looooong ones! I shot on at about 350 yards. It was so much fun!

After several hours and lots of dead dawgs, we headed back to the house where Mom had fixed us some AWESOME Buffalo backstraps!

Thanks for looking!

~Ben

Prairie Dawg fun!!!!

2010-06-25T14:42:00.003-06:00

Well, me and Nash went p-dog shooting the other day. It was a lot of fun!! I got four and he got two. We were shooting a Browning BL-22.

~Ben

BRANDINGS OF THIS YEAR

2010-06-11T16:19:00.009-06:00

Here are pics of all the brandings we went to this spring. :)

The first one. We went to this one at our friends the Lunds, Tye, Ray-Anne, and Kody.

The second one we went to at our friends the Harris', Bill and Vicki.

The third one was another at the Lunds.

And last and not least, another at the Harris'. It was fun because me and Nash got to ride horses all day long with our friend Cole. :) :)

Fresh Rocky Mountain Oysters! They were GOOD!! :D

Brandings are FUN!!
Thanks for lookin'!

~Ben

New call

2010-06-11T15:27:00.001-06:00

I made a new howler today! Check it out on my other blog, Musselshell Custom Calls, to see it. :)

~Ben

BUFFALO!!!

2010-06-07T21:39:00.004-06:00

Well,I haven't posted for a while because we've been busy! We've been trying to get to go to a ranch that has buffalo across the river and shoot one for meat for several months. Last week,the rancher called and she said it was now or never because she was gonna be busy after that day! We jumped in the F350 and roared over there! It's in an absolutley gorgeous spot in the Missouri River breaks. We got there,jumped in her pickup and drove to where the buffalo were. We got over and picked one out,it was probably a 2 year old bull. She said for Dad to shoot him whenever he got the shot. Dad then dropped him with his .30-06! We drove right up to him and started to gut him. Here are some pics...
They're an awesome animal!! We got back to the ranch house,loaded him into our pickup,hosed him,put ice in him,drank a coke and went home to butcher him! We go home late,so we decided to just butcher him in the morning.
We've been having great food!!

Thanks for lookin'!
~Ben

New blog!!

2010-05-19T15:56:00.002-06:00

Well,I made another blog specially for my custom calls. : )
I can't get the link to work so just type this in the address bar.
http://mussellshellcustomcalls.blogspot.com
~Ben

Two toms down for the count!!!

2010-05-17T20:48:00.007-06:00

Hey y'all!
Yesterday we got home from town around one o'clock. Mom was out hanging up clothes on the line when she said she heard and saw some turkeys gobbling!! Me and Dad jumped in our camo,grabbed our guns,jumped in the Toyota and headed to where she saw them. I had my eyes peeled on the hillside when I saw them walking along! Dad pulled over and we got out. We squirted up the hill and got in position. Dad clucked at them,and they gobbled right back! I saw one through a cedar bush and I almost lost it!!! I asked Dad if I should shoot,but he said wait for a minute for him to come out in the open. I waited and out he came!! I let the Wingmaster roar!! Dad ran over the little rise and clucked at the other one. The turkey gobbled and Dad let 'im have it!! Two big ol' thunder chickens down within 30 seconds!! We high-fived and while the toms flapped it out,we cut out our tags and taped them on their legs. :)
Here's a picture of me and my bird.

Here's Dad and his bird.

Here I am packing mine out.

We got home and Mom and Nash were soooo happy for us!! Mom wanted a few pics of her with the birds. :)
Here they are.

Today I skinned and cut all the crap meat off of the fan,beard and legs and salted them so I can make wall mount out of it. :)
Thanks for readin'!!
~Ben

No more hunters ed

2010-04-28T09:39:00.003-06:00

Well,yesterday was the last day of hunters ed. : ) We went out and shot and did stuff like that,which was MUCH more fun than sittin' in a classroom all day!
Here are the happy graduates!
From left to right: Asa, Colby, Me, Kody, and Nash.

~Ben

BRANDING!

2010-04-28T09:33:00.002-06:00

Well,we went to a branding at a neighboring ranch yesterday. I was the guy who vaccinated the calves. I will put more of a story up later. : )

~Ben

Hunters Ed

2010-04-20T21:14:00.001-06:00

Well, my little brother Nash and I had our first day of Montana Hunters Ed today. I took it in Indiana a long time ago, but I wanted to do it here also. : ) So far it's been really fun.
~Ben

Hip Hip HOORAY!!

2010-04-20T20:11:00.001-06:00

Yeah! The toneboards I ordered came today! Now my calls will sound great!!
~Ben

NEW COYOTE CALL!!!!!!!

2010-04-16T20:59:00.001-06:00

I got a new coyote call today! I really like!! It's an open reed. I'll put some pics up later. : )
~Ben

Grrrrrr...

2010-04-07T10:33:00.001-06:00

Well,we didn't get any. I don't know what we're doing wrong. We ain't got a single coyote all year.
~Ben

I can't wait!

2010-04-06T21:50:00.001-06:00

I can't wait! Tomorrow,me and Dad are going coyote calling first thing in the morning. Hopefully we'll call one(or 10!)in for a shot!
~Ben

New coyote call!!

2010-04-06T11:55:00.002-06:00

I got an awesome little whitetail and springbuck custom coyote call yesterday from one of the great guys on Predator Masters Forums! It makes really good rabbit distress. : )

Thank you Billy aka WSMBUCK!!
~Ben

Big coon hunting extravaganza!!!!

2010-04-04T19:30:00.008-06:00

Well,it's been a big weekend!! Trevor,who has a pup from our litter,and Taylor his friend,came out on friday to go coon hunting.
Day 1.
Well they got here and got kind of settled in,and them,my brother Nash and I went over to the river to go catfishing. We didn't catch squat,I caught two goldeneye and Nash caught some tiny catfish,but no keepers. Once we were done fishing,Trevor,Taylor and I went up the river a little way to wade around. Trevor and Taylor got all wet,and Trevor sat down in the 45 degree water!!

Well,we went back to the house,ate supper and started gearing up to go out hunting. We got Cap Rountree,who is my pup,Tug,Nash's pup,Trigger,Trevor's pup,Sandy,the mother dog,and Luna,Trevor's Black and Tan hound. We drove over to where we were going to hunt. We started walking with Sandy and all the pups loose,and Luna on a leash. We had gone a while and stopped to take a break,when we heard Sandy sound her treed bark! We let her get it treed good and hard before we started over. We got there,and Dad had us tie up all the dogs because he was going to walk the coon down,which means he was going shoot right around it and graze it in the butt with .22 CB Caps to make it get mad and come down. Well he did,and come down it did!! That fat ol' coon came barreling out of the tree mad enough to sizzel spit!! It came down,and the dogs where about to have a stroke they were so excited!! We turned 'em loose,and they grabbed that coon and they all became a rolling,snarling,yelping,roaring ball of fur!! They got to the river and were fighting around out in the water. The coon sort of got away from them for a minute,so Dad tried to shoot it. The bullet must of hit the water because it didn't really stop it. We got up to a shallow spot and Trevor and Taylor,(who had been filming the whole time)ran across with a big stick and whacked the coon two good ones!! They came victoriously back across soaked to the bone!! The pups couldn't get enough of that coon!! Sorry I don't have any pics,bummer. We headed back in the general direction of the truck. Sandy treed in a den tree,but we didn't see anything though. We headed back to the house to warm up and dry up before heading back out. We went back out but didn't get anything.

From left to right: Nash and Tug,me and Cap,Dad,Trevor and Trigger,Taylor,and you can sort of see Sandy.

Day 2.
Well,we were are bushed from being out so late,so we got up pretty late. We decided to go fishing again. Trevor caught a dandy Sauger,I wish I had a picture of it. We ate supper and went out again. We went to a different spot this time,and it took a looooong time to get there. We had probably been out a couple of hours when Sandy barked treed! We went over to he and found the coon,and tried to walk him out again,but accidentally KILLED IT AND IT GOT LODGED ON A BRANCH. We were really bummed out. We left that tree. We walked some more when Sandy treed again! We went up to her and looked and looked but didn't see a coon. We about to leave when Trevor said that he saw it! We went and looked,and sure enough it was a coon's tail! Dad shot it and as soon as it hit the ground all dogs were on it!! We pulled them back after a generous ammount of,"Oh,good boy,good girl!!" It was a nice sow.

Oh,here are some of the dogs fighting the coon.

We got REALLY tired walking the 5 miles or so back to the truck. We got plenty of breaks in!

We got to a big field,the last big obstacle before the trucks. We finally got to the trucks and got the dogs loaded up and headed home. We got home and watched the video that Taylor shot of the coon fight. It was COOL!! I wish I could get it on here.

Day 3.
Well,day 3 was easter,and Trevor's Mom and Dad were coming to pick him and Taylor up. Here is a picture of Taylor,Trevor,Trigger and the coons.

We had A LOT of fun,Taylor and Trevor were really glad they came out,and the pups are becoming great coon dogs. Thanks for reading. : )
~Ben

Puppy pictures

2010-04-01T18:26:00.004-06:00

Here are some puppy pictures from over the summer. :) As you can see from some of my other posts,they've grown A LOT!!

Hooray!

2010-04-01T18:07:00.000-06:00

Me and Dad went to town yesterday,and we got a dremel tool! That means I can start in big time on custom call making! :)
~Ben

Some random pics from my first year in Montana

2010-04-01T17:25:00.003-06:00

Here are some pictures from our first year in Montana. The elk and mulie aren't mine or my brother's,each one we were helping a friend gut and pull out. :)

~Ben

I'm PUMPED!!!!!!!!

2010-04-01T17:22:00.002-06:00

Ooooohhh, I'm getting PUMPED!!! A friend how has a Mountain Cur pup from us, is coming down with a buddy to go coon hunting with us. I can't wait!!
~Ben

New shooting sticks

2010-03-30T14:29:00.001-06:00

I made some new shooting sticks.

I like them pretty well!!!

~Ben

Had a little fun

2010-03-30T10:59:00.003-06:00

Mom and Dad went on their morning walk,and Sandy,our mountain cur,treed a squirrel. They got back and we loaded Cap and Tug up into the Toyota and went over there. We got there and pummeled him with BBs trying to get him to come down. He wouldn't come out and wouldn't come out so Dad was getting ready to go get my brothers Gamo pellet rifle,when he stopped and we decided to let the squirrel go because he might be the "stud squirrel" in our neighborhood so to say. We don't have very many squirrels here. It was fun to let the pups out to see one up a tree though.
~Ben

My favorite coyote call

2010-03-25T22:09:00.002-06:00

This is my favorite predator call. It is a R&R RR1 open reed predator call. I like it a lot! It is extremely versitile,I use it it for everything from fawn distress to lonesome howl.

~Ben

Tore up!!

2010-03-25T12:31:00.001-06:00

Oh, I'm tore up!! I want to start making custom predator calls, but the toneboards I ordered ain't come yet! Oh well, hopefully they are at the post office waiting. :)
~Ben

Finally!

2010-03-25T11:13:00.001-06:00

Well, I got The Coonhunters Club looking the way I like it!! I'm really pleased.
Ben

Ain't a little pup anymore.

2010-03-24T15:56:00.003-06:00

My mountain cur pup Cap is growing up fast!! He's a good boy. I had fun playing with him today. He's looking like he's going to be a good hunting dog.

Ben

Spring thaw

2010-03-05T09:00:00.006-07:00

Well it's been getting up to about 50 degrees here the last several days, and it is a sloppy mess!! A few days ago our neighbor started to drive across the river in his big four wheel drive tractor. BAD idea!! The ice has been melting and the river is very high and fast, with ice heading down the river at high rates of speed! Anyway, he started across and he was gone for a while,so Dad hopped in his jeep and went down to see what happened. He had gotten the tractor stuck in an ice jam and the water. Dad picked him up, and started for the house. Well, our neighbor got his big Dodge, and we got our big Ford, and we all went down to pull out the tractor. We got down there and it was stuck bad. We chained our trucks together and chained the tractor to the trucks. While our neighbor was chaining up the tractor, he fell up to his chest in that icy water!!!!! It looked veeeeery cold! We got it al chained up though, and commenced to pullin'!! We pulled and pulled, and one of the chains broke. We got it fixed back up and pulled some more. Finally, we got it out. Here are some pictures.

Well, the next day, we went over to look at the river. The ice was all piled up, and we wanted to see it. It was very cool!

Some of that ice was thick!!
Yesterday, the river backed up, and we went over to our woods to look at it. We couldn't have a fire down there now!!

That's all for now, Ben.

Winter Base-Camp

2010-02-25T11:58:00.005-07:00

My brother Nash and I went down into our woods yesterday and set up a day-camp. It was a lot of fun, we've done this several times before in REALLY cold weather, about 10 above to 5 below. It was a lot warmer this time, about 40 degrees. Here are some pictures.

Ben

Our trip to the city

2010-02-22T13:06:00.004-07:00

We went to Great Falls the other day, and we got a lot of ice on our truck!!

On our way back to our house, we saw two coyotes! It REALLY put me in the the mood to go 'yote calling!

There were also several mulies. They were acting kind of strange, they kept looking over their backs.

Dang, I can't wait till deer and elk season!!

Going to town

2010-02-18T12:04:00.001-07:00

Well, Dad and I are going to town, and we're going to look for lion tracks.

Welcome y'all!

2010-02-17T14:32:00.003-07:00

Howdy and welcome!
I've been wanting to do this for quite some time now, so here it goes!

I live in Montana with my mom, dad and brother. I like to hunt, shoot, fish, and I'm starting to trap. Well, actually, anything that has to do with the outdoors is for me! I have a Mountain Cur pup named Cap Rountree, and I'm intending to train him to hunt coons, bobcats, and mountain lions. Here's a pic of me and Cap.

That's all for now.