“A hunt based only on the trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.”

Fred Bear

Whirlwind of the 2023 Fall

Man, time flies when you are having fun and stay busy. December is here and before we know it Christmas and right after that Calving Season.

I spent most of my time (when not in the gun shop, at the bank or working on the ranch) hunting with my family. Not once did i pick up my bow. Sadly my rifle never left the gun case. Instead my weapon of choice was my new Olympus OM-1 and an amazing Olympus 300mm lens that i picked up "new open box" on ebay. If you know me at all, you will know I am very driven and always on the move. I was amazed how much fun I had. How much i was able to relax and the memories I was able to make by just chilling behind the camera. No rush, no deadlines, no cell phone. Just a chill moment that was quiet and man, what memories they make.

Here are some of the results. Please note, I am nowhere good at this.

Fall 2023 was busy with cattle scattered across Central Montana. These are pictures of fall gather and shipping. Cows and calves looked amazing.

Shot I took gathering with my iphone. Was an beautiful day with a light breeze and a long 9 mile trail back to the corals.

Here is a shot of one of my boys Wylie. Wylie is out of Hitchcock Quarter Horses program located in Central Montana. Hitchcock Quarter Horses is a family operation run by the Hitchcock Family (Mike, Tanya, Chad, Allyson). He has a ton of depth, agility and flat eats up the rough country. We gathered some very rough country and a ton of miles together this fall.

Once the calves we weaned, cows preg-tested we were able to spend a few days hunting. The bulk of these days were spent hunting with Family. I was able to spend some one on one time with my dad earlier in the fall. Here are a few pictures that I was able to take.

I took this shot at well over a mile away of this bull on the mountain during Rut. The picture does no justice as this guy was an absolute STUD. It was a blast to watch him at distance be king of the mountain with his group of cows.

These girls were coming off the mountain wanting to go feed right at dark. Waiting for that lead cow to take the first steps.

A shot I took later this fall. Something about hitting a spot where you can get the early morning sunshine and take a nap.

Later in the fall I was able to hunt with my Dad, brother in law Mike and my Sister Tanya. The rule on the Skogen Ranch is that unless he is a wall hanger, you shoot a doe. You cannot grow mature bucks if you shoot every foundation buck that you see. And a big fat doe fills the freezer and cuts better then any buck during the rut. Once again I was again able to spend time with my family and run the camera.

It is not every day we can get my big sister Tanya to go with, let alone spend it with my dad (Orville), my brother in law (Mike) and me. I did loose my nice set of Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42's to her for a few days, but it was worth it.4

I took this shot at about 1 in the afternoon. This guy was was literally beat. Probably had a very late night chasing girls (I did the same thing in my 20's). It was comical to watch him take a nap and how he was trying to stay awake and kept slipping off for a nap in the sunshine.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures I have taken in 2023. I literally took this picture from my pickup along side the highway. This guy was laying out in a alfalfa field in the afternoon sunshine at about 80 yards off the road. I love the detail the OM-1 picked up.

This is my second favorite shot of 2023. I took this picture when I was checking our yearling heifers. The blur on the bottom is a plank on the fence. There was a small group of does that were eating some of the chopped feed in the bunks and this guy was keeping a eye on them. Probably in love with one or all of them.

Few of the boys hanging out in a tree. Ironically in the tree next to this one was a group of hens. The colors are amazing.

Shot on the river bottom right at daylight.

Taking off!

These three shots I took from my deck at my house. On the river bottom we get quite a few Eagles who winter here and eat the ducks on the river. These shots were from where a doe was dressed in the field. It was fun to watch the Eagles chase off the magpies and their pecking order. Sure did not take them long to clean it up.

These are the other white tail highlights from 2023. I had a blast running my Olympus OM-1 and sharing the experiences with my family. Remember, Hunting is about the experience, the time spent with others, living the moment and giving thanks for the harvest.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me.

Brian