It was a real nice last day of January today.  45 degrees and it would have been an awesome day to fly fish.   I am hopefully going wolf hunting or fishing tomorrow, maybe I’ll get lucky and call in one of these fat Montana wolves that have been eating all the deer and elk. 

     Well its super bowl weekend and I am as fat as a xmas goose!  I got out of the shower and was putting on my pants and wondered what the hell?  Then I looked in the mirror and I looked kind of like my buddies wife did two weeks ago before she had her baby this week!  I headed down to our local YMCA and worked out this evening.  I’m trying to get in shape before I start rowing a boat here in a few weeks.

     One thing about guiding for Carl Mann in eastern MT is that you get in good shape, at least I would. When we knocked down the deer we, or I would quarter and pack the deer out.

     I like to walk when I’m hunting muleys.  Sometimes my clients well not so much.  I’d do a lot of walking for them.  For instance I’d leave them behind when they got tired and go try to find a deer for them.  This happened often when I first started guiding. “Ok guys you hang out here for a while and catch your breath, I’m going to the top of the ridge another 300 yards and glass the next coolie” I’d state.  Every time I’d do this it would turn into a colossal mistake.  I’d get to the top of the ridge, start glassing and 125 yards away and nice 170 point plus muley would be feeding in front of me.  I’d run 50 yards down the hill out of sight of the deer and wave my arms, jump up and down, try to get my clients attention to walk up to me and the deer.  They of course would be staring off  downwind in the direction we just came from, not paying attention and wouldn’t see me trying to signal them.  I’d run all the way back to them and try to get them up to where this deer is or was!  Well an hour later we’re at the top of the ridge and the deer was of course gone, he smelled a doe or whatever and was in the next county by the time my guys got in position.  This scenario played out a few times and I vowed to never leave my guys again, and some times if you leave your guys, who are used to traffic and street signs and not sage brush, they would get lost.

     Other guides do their walking with their truck and spot from their truck.  This works pretty well if the country isn’t too broken up but I like to climb into these holes that you can’t see from the two track roads.  “There’s that black truck again”, my client would say pointing up and we’d see it skylining on the ridge.  “Oh yeah that’s Richie you’ll see his truck on top of the next 3 points just keep watching,  don’t worry though he can’t get down here we’re 2 miles from any roads and he won’t walk down here unless he sees a huge buck, but he won’t spot em from that far.  If he did spot one here, we’ll beat him to it” I’d proclaim.  Richie’s truck was everywhere!

      “Hey Richie, man I’m glad the blisters are finally healing on my feet  from walking so much.  How long until your blisters heal on your hands from hanging onto the steering wheel all day”  I’d Ask?  I’m not telling you his reply, it hurts my feelings because even though I’m in shape now, I’m still known as the fat guide!