My Montana Elk Hunt Turns Into a SOS Rescue

Each year, I vanish into the Lewis and Clark National Forest on an elk hunt for my birthday. It is something I look forward to all year. Fresh air. No cell service. A break from the noise. But this year hit different. Most of the old crew has aged out of hunting, so the mountains seemed a little more empty. It was just me, my 14-year-old nephew, my 13-year-old son and a whole lotta country that doesn't care how tough you think you are.

A New Truck And A Bad Idea

My brother tosses me the keys to his brand-new 2025 Ford F-250 Black Widow Edition. He assured me that chains were in the back if the going got tough. We woke up to 10 inches of fresh snow and drove to an outlook and glassed at first light. We located a giant herd of elk miles away and heading towards public ground. Perfect. We had a plan. We had a mission. But we had no business driving alone across the treacherous landscape in that much snow.

Things Went Sideways

We dropped into one of my sketchy spots I found in previous seasons. The sort of place where your gut says "NO" and your head says "But there are elk over there." Regardless, we made it to the top.

After we failed on a stalk, we attempted to ease off the mountain. It had gotten warmer since we first drove up the mountain. Things were getting slick. The truck was like driving on roller skates. We slipped sideways and even slid backwards, but ultimately we got to the creek drainage below. That’s when the wheels fell off. Or at least like they could. We ended up spinning out and skidding sideways down the hill. Two kids in the truck. My brother's brand new pickup. Not exactly calming. I needed to think about how to safely get us out of this situation, or we may be spending the night in the truck.

Saved By a Feature I Didn't Remember Using

I could not find the chains. Not a single one. So I hit the satellite SOS button on my phone. To be honest, I had no idea it would work that deep in the backcountry. But it did. Four and a half hours later, we were visited by a retired local we know as "Ranger Rick." He threw me tire chains like a pit crew. None fit. He then asked if I’d tried lowering tire pressure. I had. Years ago. Somehow forgot that little trick. Using a bullet to poke the tire stems, we went from 65 PSI to maybe about 20, making the tire have more surface area. Just like magic, the truck just crawled out like it was no issue.

The Punchline

We got back to civilization. And that is when my nephew discovered the chains in the pickup’s bed. The ones that we were scrounging around for, within hours of searching. So yeah. Successful rescue. Unsuccessful elk hunt. But a weekend that we will talk about the rest of our lives.

Bottom line: Do go out into the forest alone and without proper precautions. Let people know where you are heading. Tire chains and a shovel are essential for anyone travelling off-road during a Montana winter. Also, your cell phone can still save you, even when you are far from cell service.