Big Sky Outdoor News & Adventure December 2010

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DECEMBER 2010

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Dress For The Outdoors MFWP W

hen recreating outdoors in Montana one must dress for the weather and the possibility of changing weather conditions.

The safest, and most comfortable, way to dress for outdoor activities in Montana, is in lightweight layers.

When choosing garmets for outdoor activities one should consider the fabric that garmets are made of and how well those garmets will work for the intended activities. When choosing garments for outdoor activities, it’s more about wicking than warmth. Wicking means to pull the moisture away from your body. Choosing your base layer—the layer next to your skin—is one of the most important dressing decisions you can make before heading outdoors to recreate, epecially in the winter. Everything else you’re putting on after that is helping to keep you insulated. If you pick the wrong base layer, you’re still going to be cold when you get wet or when you perspire.

Cotton: The fundamental principle of outdoor clothing—especially winter clothing—is no cotton! A common saying to remember is “cotton kills.” Cotton absorbs perspiration, but it doesn’t take it away from your body. When you’re moving, it’s fine but as soon as you stop, you may become chilled by your wet clothes. Wet makes you feel cold, putting you at greater risk of hypothermia and pulled muscles. The days of the traditional Silk: Silk has always been known for its luxury and comfort. What some people may not know is that also makes a good base layer that will help keep you warm, even when you

perspire. Silk long underwear and turtlenecks are light, thin and breathable, as well as sweat-wicking.

Wool: The composition of wool naturally endows it with high performance qualities for cold weather activities such as warmth and water-repellent. The interior of wool fiber can hold up to 30% of its weight in moisture without the wool fabric feeling damp or clammy, while the exterior is water repelling.

Also, when moisture enters the wool fiber, energy is released in the form of heat which helps keep the outdoor enthusiast warm.

The crimped structure of wool fibers creates fabrics loaded with tiny air spaces which act as nature’s most efficient insulator. It is the air trapped between the wool fibers and not the fibers themselves that keep you warm. Several apparel manufacturers have created wool clothing that doesn’t itch, shrink or smell like a sheep when wet.

Synthetics: Wool has a reputation that it’ll keep you warmer if it does get wet, but synthetics aim to alleviate wetness in the first place. Synthetics dry faster, so they’re good for aerobic or sweaty activities like skiing, kayaking, hiking, or biking. Wool probably holds a little more heat and is a good option for a winter hike. Synthetics covers a wide range of clothing. Polypropylene is another word for polyester. Microfiber technology has led to a smaller fiber that can be woven more densely, making it thermal, wind resistant and can wick moisture away quicker. You can also find clothing with UV protection from the sun and synthetic fleece material that is soft, comfortable, warm, and fast drying.

Ski Trails

wintermt.com

T

he routes described follow the unplowed gravel roads originating at the Polebridge Ranger Station. Access to the area is via county road 486 (the North Fork Road), running north from Columbia Falls to the Canadian boundary. This road is infrequently plowed and skiers should check on local road conditions. Park on the east side of the North Fork Bridge at Polebridge Ranger Station.

Big Prairie: 4 miles round trip Ski this mostly level route from the ranger station through the 1988 burn to a large natural meadow and return. Keep left at both road junctions. Highlights include views of the North Fork of the Flathead River, the Whitefish Range to the west, and the Livingston Range to the east.

Bowman Lake: 12 miles round trip After leaving the ranger station go left at the first junction, then right at the second.

Several hills on this route may be difficult when icy. The reduced forest canopy left by the 1988 burn provides excellent views of the mountains. The route continues through the forest to a spectacular view at the foot of Bowman Lake.

Covey Meadow Loop: 3 miles round trip After leaving the Polebridge Ranger Station go right at the gate for approximately 100 yards, then turn left into the natural meadow. The route circles around to intersect with the Lone Pine Prairie trail at a high bank overlooking the North Fork of the Flathead. This trip offers an excellent outing for families with small children.

Lone Pine Prairie: 6 miles round trip Ski right, at the first road junction north of the ranger station, over low hills to a natural meadow. This route affords views of the river, the mountains, and the 1988 burn. An easy trail leaves from the eastern edge of Lone Pine Prairie to Hidden Meadow (2.4 miles round trip).

Contact information: Glacier National Park PO Box 128 West Glacier, MT 59936 Phone: 406-888-7842 Web: www.nps.gov/glac

Upper Lake McDonald Cross Country Ski Trail

wintermt.com

G

entle terrain, generally ample snow, and easy access to wonderful winter scenery make this the most popular skiing area in the park. From West Glacier, follow the Going-to-the-Sun Road for eight miles along Lake McDonald, to Lake McDonald Lodge, where the winter road closure and parking area are located.

McDonald Falls: 4 miles round trip Ski up the unplowed road 1.8 miles.

Turn left and ski a short distance to the bridge over McDonald Creek for a view of McDonald Falls.

Sacred Dancing Cascade: 5.3 miles round trip Follow the route to McDonald Falls.

Just across the bridge, turn right. Ski upstream one mile along the west bank of McDonald Creek. Cross the foot bridge over the creek. Turn right and follow the unplowed road back to Lake McDonald Lodge.

Avalanche Picnic Area: 11.6 miles round trip The route up the Going-to-the-Sun Road offers easy skiing and good views of McDonald Creek and the mountains surrounding the McDonald Valley. Avalanche Picnic Area is a good destination. Longer trips up the road are possible. The forested valley trails, especially along Sacred Dancing Cascade, are also popular.

Snow conditions may be variable under the trees. Avalanche Lake is a popular destination with some steep narrow sections that can be difficult to ski up or down, especially when icy.

The Trail of the Cedars is generally not good skiing.

Contact information: Glacier National Park PO Box 128 West Glacier, MT 59936 Phone: 406-888-7800 Web: www.nps.gov/glac

DECEMBER 2010

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The Birth Of A Hunting Camp Tradition

BY DIANE TIPTON, MFWP, STATEWIDE INFORMATION OFFICER

S

ome hunters know exactly where they are going to spend at least a portion of their hunting season every year--they are committed to an annual hunting camp.

After 10 or 20 years, these hunters have some amazing photographs and even more outstanding friendships and memories. Hearing them talk makes the rest of us wonder what it would be like and how such a special thing got started.

For a group of wildlife biologists in Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Region 1 the notion of a late season camp to rattle in white-tailed bucks occurred spontaneously in 2000. Someone knew of a cabin in the Thompson Falls area for rent with nearby hunting access on a conservation easement.

“We spend the first eight or nine days of the hunting season and every weekend after that working the check stations,” said Jim Williams, FWP Region 1 wildlife manager in Kalispell.

Taking a few vacation days to hunt once the mechanics of the hunting season are humming along sounded really appealing to these wildlife biologists.

“Our hunting camp is our chance to hunt together, share stories, and reflect on the work we do,” Williams said.

The cabin they rent has separate

accommodations for men and women so the opportunity to participate is equally available.

“We share the expense of the cabin and all our meals are pot luck,” Williams said. “We carpool in and we can hunt from the cabin, or take a short drive for more hunting.”

“Rattling in white-tailed bucks involves a lot of random luck. Usually the deer win because we aren’t the best hunters, but every year someone eventually gets a buck,” Williams said.

Ron Aasheim, FWP Communication and Education bureau manager in Helena, said the elk hunting camp bug bit him many years ago after he and a college buddy came across an outfitter’s hunting camp in the Gallatin mountains.

“We’d hike by each day and see the smoke winding out the chimney of the tent, smell the horses nearby, the elk would be hanging to cool,” he said.

“When we came back by in the evening they’d offer us fresh cookies or hot chocolate.”

Aasheim said it was a revelation to see you could hunt and still be warm and comfortable, and not have to go home that night only to wake up at the crack of dawn to hike in all over again.

Like so many, Aasheim and his

A

fter staffing check stations for most of the hunting season the FWP Region 1 biologists enjoy their vacation time in hunting camp in northwest Montana.

Photo Jim Williams

fraternity brother and fellow hunter, began their hunting camp tradition by sleeping in the back of a suburban.

“One year our water bottles froze, and by then we had a little more discretionary cash. We decided if we were going to do this it was time to get more comfortable,” Aasheim said.

Today they sleep in a wall tent with a carpeted floor. The tent is heated

by a wood stove, the food is good, and somewhere along the line they moved from sleeping on the ground to sleeping on cots.

Aasheim said it is hard to explain in words what sharing a hunting camp with family and friends means to him.

“When we hunt together we are closer than any other time. We talk about things we never talk about otherwise,” he said. “I can’t explain why, it is just a special bond.”

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DECEMBER 2010

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Please support the advertisers you see in this publication and let them know you saw their advertisement in Big Sky Outdoor News & Adventure. Thank you!

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The entire contents is © 2010, all rights reserved. May not be reproduced without prior consent. Nothing can be inserted into this publication without consent. The material and information printed is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by Big Sky Outdoor News & Adventure. Nor does the printed material necessarily express the views of Big Sky Outdoor News & Adventure.

VOLUME 7 Issue 9

DECEMBER 2010

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Ice Fishing Primer

BY DAVE HAGENGRUBER, MFWP

T

o those who have never tried it, ice fishing is sometimes looked upon as an oddity. So too are the practitioners of this sport.

Seen from a distance, the forlorn-looking souls huddled over the ice often evoke feelings mixed with both pity as well as a strange sense of wonder: why would anyone subject themselves to this treatment?

Once you’ve spent a little time on the ice however, you’ll soon see a different picture.

Ice fishing is more than just a way to fill the days between the closing of one open water fishing season and the opening of the next. It is a chance to breathe the cold, clean winter air; to spend quiet time outdoors with family and friends, and to relax and collect one’s thoughts away from the blare of the television and radio.

Just walking on the ice can be a surreal experience, especially when no snow obscures the view of the water below. To be suspended over the depths on a clear pane is an experience to be remembered. However, as in any outdoor activity, safety is a primary concern. A good rule to follow is never to fish alone, and try not to be the first person out on the ice. How much ice is needed to safely support a person? Although variable due to weather and water conditions, about four to six inches is a good rule of thumb.

Once you’ve found a suitable amount of ice covering your favorite lake or pond, the rest is surprisingly simple. Use an ice auger to cut a circular hole in the ice, a scoop will clear the hole of floating ice chips, and a simple rod, lure and bait is all you need to entice the fish.

Most any Montana sporting goods store will have a good selection of equipment for a low initial investment. No fancy electronic gear, boats, or elaborate equipment is needed. Dress in your warmest winter clothing, fill a thermos with hot coffee, chocolate or tea, and bring an empty bucket or old lawn chair to sit on.

Ice anglers are usually a friendly crowd, and the best way for a novice to learn the sport is to respectfully approach other anglers fishing nearby. A few minutes of friendly conversation and observation can often be enough to get you started off in the right direction.

Once you’ve experienced your first taste of success, you may want to experience your first taste of fish caught through the ice. Fortunately, the flavor of fish caught from the cold winter waters is often it’s finest. Keep just enough for a meal soon after you get home, and extend your pleasure from the ice into the kitchen.

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Elk Foundation to Launch Youth Shooting Program A

new initiative to introduce youths and other newcomers to shooting sports, hunting and conservation is set to launch in 2011 powered by a generous donation to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation by Larry and Brenda Potterfield.

The Potterfields, owners of MidwayUSA, the catalog and Internet retailer offering “Just About Everything for Shooting, Reloading, Gunsmithing and Hunting,” contributed $400,000 to RMEF to help launch the new SAFE Challenge.

SAFE is an acronym for Shooting Access For Everyone.

SAFE will introduce young and novice shooters to safe, responsible, enjoyable firearm use, as well as educate newcomers about the hunter’s role in conservation.

“Our goal is to build public understanding and appreciation of guns, shooting and hunting, and ultimately to recruit and welcome 50,000 newcomers into the sporting community,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “With leaders like the Potterfields and MidwayUSA, and their partnership with many dedicated volunteer organizations like ours, I see a bright future for conservation and our hunting heritage.”

Along with the Potterfield’s personal donation, Midway USA has renewed its presenting sponsorship of the RMEF television program on Outdoor Channel; will be the presenting sponsor of the final-night grand banquet with country music artist Clay Walker at the RMEF Convention and Hunting and Fishing Expo in Reno, Nevada, March 3-6, 2011; and is underwriting a firearm for the 2011 RMEF banquet fundraiser program.

Combined support from the Potterfields and MidwayUSA exceeds $625,000 for 2011—amazing generosity that will help RMEF net more dollars for conservation in elk country, said Allen.

“Dad taught me to hunt and fish and I’ve had a lifelong passion for the outdoors since,” said Larry Potterfield, founder and CEO of MidwayUSA. “Brenda and I are excited to partner with RMEF to help train our next generation of hunters and shooters on safe shooting.”

For more info about MidwayUSA, visit www.midwayusa.com or call 1-800-243-3220.

DECEMBER 2010

Elk Harvest Picks Up in Much of Southwest Montana During Weekend 5 MFWP Elk harvest picked up Biologist. “With the right combination considerably during the fifth weekend of weather conditions and elk of the 2010 general big game season in southwest Montana.

Overall 15.7 percent of hunters checked game through the seven check stations with 203 elk, 54 mule deer, and 17 white-tailed deer.

About 1,747 hunters stopped at a check station.

Across much of the region, elk harvest was well above the 2009 numbers and almost double the six-year average.

Cameron check station south of Ennis saw a whopping 139 elk checked through the station, more than double the number checked in the fifth weekend for any single year from 2004 to 2009. Hunters there also checked six mule deer and 5 white-tailed deer. Twenty-eight percent of hunters there had game.

“The volume of harvest coming through the check station was stunning,” said Julie Cunningham, FWP Madison-Gallatin Wildlife

movements hunters had excellent success.”

“Most of the elk harvested came off private lands,” added Cunningham.

Check stations at Mill Creek west of Butte, Divide south of Butte, and Silver City northwest of Helena all saw good hunter success. Each of those stations checked through ten percent of hunters with game. Almost 16 percent of hunters passing through the Gallatin check station south of Bozeman had game.

“The cold winter weather conditions we’re experiencing in southwest Montana really got big game moving around this past weekend,” said FWP Regional Wildlife Manager Kurt Alt. At this reporting, hunters still have one week to go in the 2010 general big game season, which ends one-half hour after sunset on Sunday, November 28.

DECEMBER 2010

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Bagging Late-Season Waterfowl Bagging late-season birds requires imagination, good equipment, and restraint

BY ANDREW MCKEAN

W

e’ve all done it.

Gotten up late, raced to the refuge with a dozen decoys and hip waders, only to find the parking lot full and the best spots taken.

We’ve watched those guys with the boats and the big spreads get all the shooting, and promised ourselves we’d buy more dekes, invest in a long-range 10 gauge, or maybe join a duck club next year.

Increasingly, this is the reality of waterfowling. Sky-busting morons, decoy-shy birds and competition for the best spots are pushing many of us away from crowded public refuges, making us drive long distances to lonelier refuges and fueling leases to guarantee unpressured waterfowl.

It’s either adjust to the pressure or hunt on Wednesday afternoons, say veterans of the state’s most popular destinations.

“This sounds too basic, but the most important thing is to not go on weekends,” says a hardcore hunter who frequents Canyon Ferry Wildlife

Management Area near Townsend, Mont. “The last couple of times I went on Sundays, I ended up swearing, mostly at myself for being there.”

“But there are underhunted pockets where ducks rest once the shooting starts, and there are good spots that you can have to yourself if you’re willing to hike away from popular parking lots and access points.”

It doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re smart, do your homework, and invest some sweat equity in your hunt, you can still come home with a heavy bag and a good attitude. There are few secret spots, especially for late-season waterfowl kegged up on what little open water remains in Montana. But there are underhunted pockets where ducks rest once the shooting starts,

and there are good spots that you can have to yourself if you’re willing to hike away from popular parking lots and access points. And, in this final month of waterfowling, often the element that can tip the scales in your favor is simple and cheap: practice your calling and ensure that your decoys are realistic.

There’s no substitute for early rising and hard work, but you don’t necessarily need 6 dozen decoys and a $150 hand-tuned call to take limits of ducks or geese. Here are some suggestions for bagging high-pressure birds on even the most popular areas.

of open rivers. Think about places no sane hunter would go. You’ll probably have the spot to yourself.

MINIMAL DECOYING – By this time in the season ducks and geese are pretty wise to hunters’ tricks.

They’ve seen big decoy spreads. Try attracting smaller flocks with just a handful of decoys, especially in pockets of water where birds want to loaf and where they’re not used to seeing hunters.

PASS SHOOT – If you can time your hunt for a morning when the winter wind is whipping, try setting up on a fence line or a low SCOUT – You can have top-dollar decoys and hunt a sweet spot and still pass where the birds will fly to their feeding areas. If you’re in the right get skunked if the birds aren’t there.

You have to put in some time prior to spot — remember, scouting is key — you can take limits of geese the hunt patterning the birds. without ever donning a pair of SOLITUDE IS DEADLY – Get away waders. But skybust at your peril.

The last thing you want is to spend from popular access points and plan to walk—in the inky black well before your morning chasing crippled birds.

Know the limit of your lethal range shooting light—to remote spots and adhere to it.

DECEMBER 2010

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Fly Tying Corner: Smoke Jumper BOB BATES, fedflyfishers.org

T

o me this is an interesting pattern that is not too difficult to tie and it catches fish, both good objectives.

Carolyn Sells tied this fly at the 2009 Washington State Council Fly Fishing Fair, Ellensburg, WA May 1st and 2nd. Carolyn didn’t talk about the history of the pattern while she tied it, so I did an internet search on “Smoke Jumper fly pattern.”

Guess what? Other patterns with the same name showed up. It turns out that Mike Hoiness, Yellowstone Fly Goods, tied the original one as a crippled midge emerger. Yellowstone Fly Goods, Billings, MT is a distributor, and they have marketed their Smoke Jumper for four years to fly shops in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, etc.. Their flies are tied on Tiemco 2488 or DaiRiki 125 hooks with a scud back body, CDC shell back and wing and peacock herl thorax. If you want the see the original check their website and scroll down to Dry Midges & Spinners.

Now back to Carolyn’s Smoke Jumper. Hers is a Hackle Stacker pattern. That is kind of obvious when you look at the fly above. The original Hackle Stacker is a mayfly emerger pattern. Bob Quigley is often cited as the developer of this fly although the technique can also be attributed to Jim Cramer and the late Ned Long. As with any technique that produces great trout catching flies there are many variations for mayflies, midges and other insects.

The springtime websites in Montana and Idaho talk about using it to attract fish feeding on midges. Naturally, they recommend smaller sizes 18 – 20. Your job is to look at the insects trout are feeding on in your favorite stream, and tie the sizes and colors needed.

Fish it like any other dry fly or emerger: Floating line, long leader and drag free float. The smaller flies are hard to see so some anglers string it behind a more visible pattern like a hopper or parachute with a Hi-Viz wing. Then if you see a splash behind the visible pattern, strike gently.

MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT: Hook: Tiemco TMC 2312 sizes 14-22 TMC 200R is OK for smaller sizes Thread: White 14/0 Body: Stretch tubing, micro size Hackle: Grizzly Step 1: Bend the front part of the hook downward a little as shown. Be careful to not damage the hook when you do this. Use smooth jaw pliers or the jaws of the vise.

Serrated jaw pliers can damage the hook so it will break when a nice fish hits. Believe me, I know.

Step 2: Wind thread on hook from eye to the bend you put in shank.

Step 3: Secure Stretch Tubing at the bend you put in the shank, spiral thread tightly rearward to a point over the barb. Spiral thread forward to front of Stretch Tubing and half hitch. Now you can put the thread out of the way on a post, etc. as Carolyn did.

Step 4: Pull the Stretch Tubing tightly, wrap it forward to the bent shank and secure.

Trim excess tubing.

Step 5: With a red permanent marker, paint rear 1/3rd or 1/4th of Stretch Tubing all the way around hook.

Step 6: Use a black permanent marker to paint over some of the red and the rest of the Stretch Tubing.

Survey To Help Kick Off Fort Peck Management Plan Update MFWP

M

FWPs is set to kick off the Fort Peck Reservoir Fisheries Management Plan update with an online public survey.

“To begin the process, we need to gain insight from the public,” said Steve Dalbey, FWP’s Region 6 fisheries manager in Glasgow.

“We’d like hear from the folks who use and enjoy the fishery to learn more about what they think about the current plan, which has been in

place for the past 10 years.”

FWP recently developed a web page with information on the Fort Peck Reservoir Fisheries Management Plan and an online survey aimed at gauging user satisfaction with the current fishery and identifying elements of the plan that could be improved.

For information on the plan, or to take the survey, visit fwp.mt.gov . Click “Fort Peck Management Plan.”

Step 7: Tie a loop of 5X tippet at front of body. Make the loop of the proper length to fit on a gallows tool. (Although not as convenient, Step 10 can be done without a gallows tool. Make the loop short enough so it can be held with the first finger of the left hand, and you will be able to wrap the hackle with the right hand.)

Step 8: Put monofilament loop on gallows tool.

Step 9: Select a hackle with barbs (fibers) of a standard length for the hook size. The barb length should be equal to 1-1/2 times the gap width. Attach to hook in front of monofilament loop with long part of hackle to rear.

Step 10: Wrap hackle 6 turns up and 6 turns down, and secure around monofilament loop.

Step 11: Wind thread to eye. Take loop off gallows tool, and spread loop to move the hackle down to hook.

Step 12: Stroke barbs back, pull monofilament loop forward through the barbs and put a couple of thread wraps over it. Keep barbs out of the way to prevent trapping them, pull the loop hard forward, secure loop and wind thread to eye. Trim excess monofilament loop.

Step 13: Whip finish, trim thread and paint head with black marker.

This pattern is a combination of two other patterns the original Smoke Jumper and the original Hackle Stacker. It catches fish, and the tying technique can be used to tie a variety of patterns including blue wing olives and pale morning duns. You might want to use a smaller material for the body on small flies. Invent your own to solve that special fishing problem. With smaller flies, like 22, 24 and 26, some tiers will use 7X or 8X tippet for the monofilament loop. These patterns catch fish so tie up a few, and go fishing.

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DECEMBER 2010

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Steelhead Float Recipe BY TRAVIS DEBOER The key to a dialed in float rig for steelhead is the right sized float.

Having one that won’t fall apart in a few casts is also key because it will have you fishing more and rigging less. I like to use soft polyethylene dink style floats, but the majority of the ones found in the store are flimsy foreign made hunks of junk (with very few exceptions). It doesn’t get much more American made than your own shop and making your own gives you the option to customize as needed. Below is a formula for making your own floats that are as durable as they can be unique.

BY NEAL M. COTE’

As the cold of winter approaches, it is time to start the ice auger up and get ready for the 2010 ice fishing season. Along with all the rods, reels, and lures, now is the time to get locations on all of your destinations. As well as places to fish, you should also consider a place to stay if you are traveling more than a few hours from home.

What you need: Backer rod – (Polyethylene) it is used for chinking in log cabins. There should be sources all over Montana as well as many on line distributors. I use the 1⁄2 inch and 3⁄4 inch most in** 3-6 inch lengths.

Black bobber straw-black bobber straw like the ones found in commercially made slip floats (any sturdy straw that the rivets will fit will work) A lot of sporting-goods stores carry extras for 10 to 15 cents.

Bamboo BBQ skewer 1/8 aluminum rivets (1/16 to 1/8 in grip range) Plasti-dip- (black) Sold at most hardware stores Acrylic spray paint-White and high vis color like fluorescent pink or orange Steps to building the sweetest float on the river (Slip style) ---BUILD IN WELL VENTILATED AREA! 1)Take desired length of Backer rod and puncture, as centered as possible down the middle with BBQ skewer.

2)Place black bobber straw on the end of the skewer and slide the backer rod onto the straw.

3)Take the pin out of* two rivets leaving you with only the female end sections.

Plan For Ice Fishing Success

4)Slide one rivet piece into one end of the straw.

5)Situate the straw so the end with the rivet is a 1⁄4 in from the end of the backer rod and spay the end with Plasti-Dip. Then pull the straw so the rivet is snug with the end of the Backer rod. This will act as an adhesive keeping the straw in place during abuse on the river.

6)Coat the whole float well with the Plasti-Dip and let dry hanging from the long end of the straw.

7)Then with white spray paint or primer coat the end with the rivet that is to be the top of the float and let dry. (this is where a sweet custom flame pattern can be added).

8)Spray over the dried white paint with the high vis paint of your choice and let dry.

9)Trim the tag end of the straw at half to one inch below the bobber and the float will be done after it cures for a day or two. *for added durability I add the second rivet to the bottom of the straw when rigging.

The rivets keep line from cutting into plastic, which can keep your rig from getting to depth or tear up your line costing you a fish. ** Message for “Johnny Long Bobber”-the smallest float you can get away with using is always best. Less float mass equal’s better bite detection and less drag equal’s better/longer takes. Remember you want to detect the fish not the other way around.

Location, Location, Location Depending on your choice of species and water body choice, always remember to GPS locations that you have fished this summer. While the fish might not still be located in these places, they can give you a good starting point in your search. Points that hold fish in the summer might also still be attractive because of the presence of food and or a spring that while cool in the summer, will be warmer in the winter and still attract fish.

Look a Georgetown Lake as an example. Lots of the best fishing is located around the numerous springs. Also remember, if they are warmer, they will also affect the ice thickness!!!

Another good point is that the same location will defiantly look very different from the summer to now with snow and ice covering everything.

Canyon Ferry, Clark Canyon and even Fort Peck will be pretty featureless when covered with snow. GPS can get you to fish producing locations on the best day, and if you are zeroing out, then at least they tell you where you have been so you can start searching for fish in new locations. If you strike pay dirt, drop a waypoint and the next time you can get on the fish that much quicker.

Good lake maps are always nice, you can photo copy them and write notes right on the page. Bathometric are great for locating the target depth range and structure for trout, perch, walleye and pike.

How to get there Now how you get to your fishing location? Do you have a short distance or are you traveling more than 2 hours?

For many of my ice fishing destinations, I will travel at least 2 hours and in some cases more. Road conditions are a major consideration that you always have to stay on top of. Always be ready to drop a plan A if the roads are nasty. Having a plan B lake is a good idea, as is having a place to stop if the conditions get bad and you have to wait for the weather and roads to improve.

Research the motels and restaurants at your destination. Have a good plan, and if you get caught in the weather, you can at least be well fed and warm. Check and recheck weather reports and driving conditions. Make sure to have the right gear in the vehicle in case you get stuck. A snow shovel, tow strap, and chains are all good choices. Don’t forget to have extra clothes and gloves, the ones you are wearing will get wet while digging out! Always leave an explanation of your trip with a close friend or your wife just in case you don’t make it. This will save you when stuck and out of cell service.

Places to go What species of fish do you want to target? Finding the best locations for pike, yellow perch, walleye and trout is pretty easy on paper. Be prepared for more than one and if the pike are not biting, you can move to yellow perch and have the right gear with you to save the trip.

Here is a list of locations worth considering by species: Trout- Georgetown, Canyon Ferry, Clark Canyon, Browns, Hauser, Holter Kokanee- Georgetown, Lake Mary Ronan, Helena Regulating Res., Ashley (continued)

DECEMBER 2010

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FWP Seeks Public Plan (continued) Pike- Noxon, Ft. Peck, Seeley, Dog, Lone Comment On Pine, Flathead River Sloughs Open Water Perch- Canyon Ferry, Hauser, Holter, Lake Mary Ronan, NinePipes, Tiber, Nelson, Fresno Fishing Contests Crow, Walleye- Canyon Ferry, Hauser, Holter, M ontana Fish, Wildlife & Ft. Peck, Tiber, Nelson, Fresno Parks is seeking public comment on fishing contests proposed for the open water season of 2011.

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Information on the proposed contests is on the FWP website at fwp. mt.gov on the Montana Fishing Guide page, or call 406-444-2449.

The public may comment through Dec. 20 in writing to: FWP Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT, 59620, or by e-mail to: npodolinsky@mt.gov.

JESSE OF HELENA WITH HIS FIRST BASS. WAY TO GO JESSE!

There are tons of other locations that I haven’t mentioned, this is where you have to do your homework and find the spots that you feel confident in.

Once you have a plan, done the research and hit the water, hopefully you will have accomplished your goal. If you are like me however, it will take a few bad trips to spell out how important planning is to a successful trip.

If all else fails, you will spend the night in a warm motel bed with good food and friends, and all ready for the next day. Damn fish better be ready, if not, they won’t know what hit them! Good Luck this winter!

Private Pond Permit Renewals Due Feb. 28 MFWP Private pond owners who have 10-year-old fish-stocking permits must renew them by Feb. 28, 2011.

Montana law requires fish-stocking permits to be renewed every 10 years. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks administers pond fish-stocking permits and sends renewal notices to affected pond owners.

Permits that are not renewed become inactive. Renewals cost $10.

Those with pond-stocking permits who do not receive a renewal form in the mail should contact Nancy Podolinsky at 406-444-7319, or by e-mail at npodolinsky@mt.gov . Completed fish-stocking permit renewal forms must be returned to the appropriate FWP regional office.

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Montana Fishing Report

DECEMBER 2010

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Southwest Montana Fishing Report

Brought To You By Missoula

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BY CHRIS MADSEN, (406) 523-9000 e-mail: fishing-115@live.com

BY RYAN ONGLEY (406) 586-0100

B

ig game season has come to an end, and after a warm beginning to the month the weather is actually looking more winter like. I can’t believe December is here. If the cold weather sticks around there may be the opportunity to fish Georgetown when this forecast comes out. Hopefully by Christmas just about all of our water should be hard and the shacks and augers can come out of storage. If ice fishing isn’t your bag, most of our rivers will still offer some good opportunities for trout and whitefish, weather allowing.

First, let’s look at some good early season ice fishing options GEORGETOWN LAKE: In western Montana, the first ice and often the best fishing occurs on Georgetown. While the ice has formed a thin layer along the shore line as I write this, the cold weather will have to stick around for a while to make venturing out onto it’s frozen surface safe.

Most anglers will fish small jigs like Rat Finkees, Nuclear Ants and rocker jigs, tipped with maggots. For added flash try removing the hook from a Swedish Pimple, Kastmaster or Hawger Spoon, and running your jig as a dropper about six inches below the spoon. The flashing spoon will entice the fish in close, where they usually won’t be able to resist the tasty morsel suspended below. Generally the bite is best early in the morning, and

Nymphs and Midges usual hotspots are Piney point, Rainbow point, Denton’s point or the Sunnyside area.

CLEARWATER LAKES CHAIN: The Clearwater lakes will usually start to fish a couple of weeks after Georgetown, first up high on Rainy and Alva, and a bit later on the lower lakes like Salmon, Seeley and Harper’s. There is a lot of water to fish up here, and quite a few species to hunt. For trout, try Rainy, Placid, Harpers or Alva.

Jigging Swedish Pimples, Buckshots or small jigs tipped with maggots is the preferred technique. Sometimes a plain jig head with a chunk of night crawler is all you need. Placid is also home to a good population of Kokanee, which are scrappy fighters on light tackle and readily take a glow hook or small Swedish Pimple tipped with a maggot or corn. If pike are your quarry, Salmon and Seeley have gained quite a reputation in recent years for kicking out some decent specimens through the ice. These toothy denizens are usually taken either by fishing dead smelt or herring on a tip-up, or jigging airplane jigs or Jigging Raps. Either way, dragging ten pounds of angry, slimy, toothy pike through a hole in the ice is world-class sport any way you slice it.

BROWNS LAKE: While not the numbers fishery that Georgetown is, there isn’t a

better place to catch big trout through the ice than Browns. Brown’s lake experts jealously guard their favorite baits and hotspots, but the observant angler will find that the time it takes to get the hang of things up here is well worth the effort.

Try small spoons like Swedish pimple and Buckshots, or Jigging Raps for best success. Baiting with maggots or a bit of night crawler is generally a good idea as well. Carry lots of colors and sizes, and try different combinations until you hit on the right one. Don’t forget to set up a tip up. It may take some time to get it right, but you will be rewarded by trout that are often measured in pounds instead of inches.

For those of you who prefer your water in it’s liquid state, there are still plenty of places to wet a line.

FLATHEAD LAKE: Flathead will rarely freeze much in December, and fishing is often as good as it gets here.

Lake trout cruise very near the shorelines this time of year, and can be caught from the boat or even from shore by the enterprising angler. Cast heavy spoons like Country Miles, Bomber Slabs and Kastmasters, and cover as much water around drop-offs, ledges and shoreline structure as possible. Even though the (continued page 33)

M

erry Christmas everyone.

It’s crazy we’re coming to the end of another year already. Other than midges our hatches are done for the year and I already have dreams of PMD’s and Caddis dancing in my head for next year.

Luckily here in Southwest Montana our area streams and stillwaters give us plenty of angling oppurtunities all winter long to keep our cabin fever at bay. Most of our area waters will fish very similarly throughout the winter. With midges becoming the number one food source.

Nymphing with size #18 to #22 midge pupae patterns trailed behind a larger Stonefly nymph is a great rig on many of our rivers. San Juan Worms, Egg Patterns, and drifting a Sculpin imitation or Bugger are also strong choices throughout the winter months. Key on those softer currents with some good depth. The trout are going to want to expend as little energy as possible throughout the tough winter months. Let’s look at some good bets for the month of December.

UPPER MADISON RIVER: The midge activity has been very strong from Reynold’s down to Lyon’s Bridge most of the fall and it should keep on going throughout the winter. Last winter saw some epic midge activity on many afternoons. (continued on page 17)

DECEMBER 2010

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BY DAVE NEWBORG

North Central Montana Fishing Report Brought To You By Helena

BY DAVE NEWBORG (406) 457-7200 e-mail: fishing167helena@yahoo.com

W

inter came early for the Helena area fisheries this year. A late November snowstorm and early sub zero temperatures have begun building ice early. December should start-up fast for ice fishing. If you can’t wait for safe ice to start winter fishing, grab your rod, some warm waders, a jacket and your favorite fishing vest and head below the dam. As everything is changing over, this time of year is an excellent opportunity to care for your gear. If you’re putting it away, make sure it is properly winterized and clean.

If you are getting ready for ice fishing, now is a great time to replace your line on your reels and tip-ups, change your oil in your quads, and put your tents up at home before heading out to make sure they are in good shape. Don’t forget to go through your checklist to make sure you have fuel, propane, extra jigs, hand-warmers, gloves, a hat and a extra pair of warm clothes and a blanket in your

CANYON FERRY: Ice is building on the South end of the lake and will be the first area expected to see ice fishing for the lake. Typically, the ice will build up throughout December with anglers hitting the ice around the new year. We may be in for a treat this year, with ice building fast enough to allow for an early start. Call the Silos at (406) 266-3100 before heading out for a report on ice conditions. Remember, Safety first!

HAUSER LAKE: Lake conditions will be similar to Canyon Ferry in regards to ice. Ice fishing conditions usually are first seen at the Causeway. Once ice has had enough time to build up to safe levels, try fishing with Hali Jigs tipped with maggots, Swedish Pimples or Jammin’ Jigs.

HOLTER LAKE: Right now is a great time to grab your fly rod or casting rig and head below Hauser Dam. If your fly fishing, grab some San Juan worms and Scuds; don’t forget to pack a few streamers if you want to go after a big one. Bait fisherman shouldn’t have too much trouble finding some hungry fish with the turn in temperatures using crawlers, spinners, or crankbaits.

REGULATING RESERVOIR: This year has proved to be a more productive fishing season for the Regulating Reservoir; anglers have been doing well with Kokanee and even a few Perch. If the trend continues throughout the winter, expect better fishing than we have seen for the last couple of years. Expect ice conditions to be similar to the Causeway as this smaller body of water will freeze up sooner than the larger Reservoirs.

MISSOURI RIVER: As temperatures drop, expect to see less competition on the water. This time of year is a great time to enjoy a fun “Cast and Blast” trip. If you decide to try one of these trips, be sure you are aware of shooting regulations and again, remember Safety is key!

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e all know that bagging a trophy mule deer buck can be tricky.

When you’re hunting in the suburbs trophy deer have a knack for slipping away unseen. While still hunting, archery hunters know what it feels like to have a trophy buck one step ahead of them and never being able to get the deer within range. There are ways to get in close and still buy enough time to draw and take a shot.

The first thing to remember is never look the deer in the eye. Have you ever had the feeling that someone was starring at you? Some call this the, “evil eye look.” Bare skin frightens animals. When a buck is facing in your direction he’ll get an uneasy feeling and become very cautious. It’s like they have a sixth sense making them want to run to avoid danger.

If you have ever looked into a gorilla’s eye at the zoo you understand that uneasy feeling. In addition most animals have hair on their faces not light pink bare skin, this is freighting to your prey also. Use your peripheral vision and look at a nearby stump or weed to prevent the buck from getting

spooky.

Secondly, while you’re stalking a whitetail deer keep in mind that there are probably more deer in the area than the one you’re after. A hunter has to avoid the eyes of the entire herd – not just the eyes of the trophy buck. Once the lead doe spots your movement she’ll sound an alarm for the rest of the herd. Use concealment and cover provided by trees, shrubs, rocks or brush to mask your movement while maneuvering into position for a shot. Even if you have to draw from behind cover or stand up to take the shot stay concealed for as long as possible.

Deer rely on their vision as one of their primary defense mechanisms. If the buck can’t see you then you’re reasonably safe. You also have to fool his nose. If a deer sees you at a distance he may become alarmed, if he hears you in the area he may become alarmed, but if he smells you he is gone. Hugging the ground can help keep your scent from swirling in his direction and may keep the buck (continued next page)

DECEMBER 2010

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Southwest Montana Fishing Report (continued from page 14) With plenty of dry fly opportunities most days. Size #20 to #22’s are the ticket. Carry patterns in gray, black, tan, and olive. For surface activity I love a Zelon Midge or tiny Parachute Adams.

Subsurface Crystal Serendipities, $3 Dips, Zebra Midges, WD-40’s, and Rainbow Warriors are good producers. Between the lakes will also produce well all winter.

Keep in mind snow depth though and be prepared with either cross country ski’s or snow shoes once conditions dictate to help you with the trek in. Lower in the Varney stretch some great fishing can be had within a short hike of the bridge using the same patterns and tactics.

Evil Eye For Whitetail (continued) from recognizing the outline of your human form or catching your movement. Use an infantry crawl to get in close, and crawl at a slow pace.

If you can stalk a buck without seeing him, it can keep you focused on moving silently and keep your adrenaline surge to a minimum once the buck is in sight.

Cover the most ground while stalking a buck when he is out of sight. Use a landmark to mark his GALLATIN RIVER: The Gallatin is a great winter fishery. It’s close. And the position and stalk up on the landmark solitude one can find with a short walk is from below the position, out of his awesome being that we’re right here in sight – this will allow you to close the Bozeman. There are great pools above and distance more quickly. Even with his below Axtell Bridge as well as some fine eyes blocked pay attention to the side channels to explore. Again midges wind and any sounds you make will rule. Trail one behind a Stone, or because you have not blocked them as Worm Pattern. you did his eyes. The type of sound is also important, a broken stick may get CANYON FERRY: Hopefully by mid his attention, but human voices will to late December we should find some assure you that he won’t be there fishable ice on this great winter fishery. when you come up for the shot. If Perch, Walleye, and Trout are all targeted you can stalk a buck without seeing through the ice. Swedish Pimples, Acme him, it can keep you focused on Kastmasters, and small ice jigs are all moving silently and keep your excellent lures. Tip it with maggots, adrenaline surge to a minimum once a piece of nightcrawler, perch eye, or waxworm. the buck is in sight. All you have to do once your target is within range is HYALITE RESERVOIR: This is always to center your pin sight on the buck’s vital zone and make a clean shot. a good bet for outstanding action after It sounds easy but just add a freezing over. The fish tend to be hungry spooky buck, 5 gallons of adrenaline and aggressive early on in the ice season.

I’d recommend getting up here fast as it more than 20 PSI pressure running gets pounded throughout the winter and through your veins and you know why the fishing gets tougher and tougher as we there are misses and why we brave the get deeper into winter. cold, the dark, the early mornings, and the look of terror when we get home late for dinner, just so we can do it Have a safe and happy holiday season. again next time.

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18 • BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

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DECEMBER 2010

TRAVELER’S CORNER: Diesel Turbo Lifesaver The Diesel Turbo Lifesaver can prevent costly turbo charger and engine damage at the fraction of the cost of a new turbo charger. But that’s not all it can do. It can also control your vehicles climate in the cold of winter or the heat of summer without having your key in the ignition, (especially good for people traveling with pets). The anti-theft security feature will also give you some peace of mind knowing that your truck will always be right where you left it.

T

he Diesel Turbo Lifesaver is a timed base device for cooling your turbocharger (turbo timer). Time is far superior than monitoring a thermocouple (pyrometer)/exhaust gas temperature gauge due to inherent inaccuracies in any thermocouple based system. These inaccuracies can be so severe that when you most need turbo cooling, thermocouple reading devices tend to shut your engine off when the turbo is still hot.

The Diesel Turbo Lifesaver control panel is very easy to use. It has a 3 position switch for user selectable engine run times of 3, 7, or 15 minutes.

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This feature is extremely popular with those who travel with pets.

The Diesel Turbo Lifesaver has two stages of security. Stage one security is always enabled. The internal computer will stop an engine idle cycle any time the brake pedal is depressed. Stage two security is enabled by placing the toggle switch from the CPU (hidden during the installation process) in the on position.

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MONTANA SPORTSMEN FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE OFFICIAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION or join online at www.mt-sfw.org Message From State President Of Montana Sportsmen For Fish And Wildlife T he end of big game season is much like a child who waits for Christmas all year. It come and goes, sometimes in utter disappointment. Like the time Aunt Delores sent the most grotesquely-awful sweater you ever had to wear to school. That is how I feel ever year when big game seasons come to and end. Sometimes it’s the new Bike, other times you get that sweater………

Will it be better next year? Will it be worse? But the season has been great everywhere in Montana this year. Or hadn’t you heard or seen that yet?

Harvest numbers are sharply up all over the state. Nothing but good news, smiles and happy words seem to fall into the media like coins from a slot machine gone Triple-7’s in Vegas. Or so FWP and some news agencies would have you believe. I’m sure it’s happened. I saw the pretty little 12-year old girl who killed a monster 6x7 bull her very first day. I was happy for her.

She won’t appreciate that bull until she’s 40. Or the fellow, who drives down a road, steps out and blasts one. Then there’s that guy, who knows a guy, who has a ranch.

Opening morning, he gets the big bull off the haystack. It happens every year to someone.

But not to most people I know or choose to spend time in the field with. How about you?

But what I didn’t hear on the news or see in the papers, was about the guide who finally had 10 of his clients draw this year and filled only one tag? He’s losing his business. Or the ranchers and

cattlemen who’ve seen the predation cases more than double from this time last year.

Or the one about the Grandfather, father and son, who parked at the same gate they do every year, only to find it posted and painted this year as someone purchased that section.

Or the old-timer’s who swear they’ll find an Elk in the “secret spot” they’ve hunted for 50 years, only to see this time it truly is dry. My personal favorite; the boy who turned 11 this year to meet the new requirement to hunt this season. His dad has taken him afield since he was four. He’s waited 7 years for this fall. Only this year, they haven’t seen an Elk much less a track.

Here’s a good one. The father and son who have a family cabin for years in a special area they dearly love. Both have put in for THAT moose tag for 20+ years. The son draws it this year and they hunt for 3 weeks straight and never see a legal moose. This is where 45” moose used to the norm. And finally, the first two documented stories of sportsmen being accosted by wolves in the field that were publicized. I can assure you it happens a lot more than it’s reported.

And sadly it’s not reported at all for obvious reasons. I heard everyone of these stories from Montanans this season. They are true.

Still seem like the lucky slot machine that is the Montana general season? I beg to differ. I’ve been told time and again this year, how lazy the ranchers are for not tending their stock better and that ALL sportsmen are fat, lazy, rednecks

tethered to their ATV’s and scared to go where the Elk and Moose are. Again, I beg to differ. I’ve been over 30 days in the field this season on foot during archery and rifle and seen it diminish greatly from just 5 years ago. I’m tired of being in the “silent” majority. I hunt and am damn proud to take care of the lands and herds in the off season and try to harvest an animal in season. I’m tired of being treated like a criminal or freak from people back East and the West coast who pour money into fraudulent eco-groups (insert your favorite here) to tell me I don’t have the right to hunt the animals on the lands my money pays for and conserves.

How about you?

However; there are indeed some very positive things happening. SFW, RMEF, SCI and many other Ag and Sportsman groups drafted a letter in support of HB 6028 and the Senate equivalent – SB 3191. They can be found at www.biggameforever.org. For the first time, our congressional delegation has finally listened to Montana’s leading Ag and Sportsmen’s groups to delist the Gray Wolf immediately. The MSU Billings poll showed 70% of Montanan’s want the gray wolf delisted and managed by the state. I guess the people from Connecticut and California couldn’t find the link to vote? We at MT SFW have some nifty ideas once we get our wildlife management back in Montana Lets fix how FWP commissioners are selected. Here’s a novel idea; how about a commissioner must have a valid ALS # for

at least fiver years? Yeah, they have to own hunting or fishing license. I’ll bet quite a few of the people in charge of your wildlife and tasked with preserving your heritage in Helena right now can’t say that. Maybe the Director should be elected by the legislature instead of hand-picked by the Governor. I’m just throwing a few ideas at you here. And why are FWP negotiating with the plaintiffs from the Wolf lawsuit behind closed doors? SFW and SCI were both interveners in that case and none of our folks were privy to any negotiations nor even invited? So how could any deal struck there be truly binding? Seems you’d want input from everyone in the court room, but maybe it’s just me.

It’s not going to get any better unless we take ownership of our natural resources and wildlife. Unless we, the people of Montana, do a better job of managing our public lands, and unless we get in the way of the federal government and tell them to stop. We must hold elected/appointed officials accountable.

If you are subscribe to these ideals, I encourage you to become a member of Montana SFW through the above membership card or our website at www.mt-sfw.org. Every dime raised stays in Montana to fund efforts for our lands and wildlife and to fight predators that now run unchecked thanks to a federal judge.

Bill Merrill - State President Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife

20 • BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

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DECEMBER 2010

The Last Round For Ringnecks

BY S.L. MERRIAM

Good dogs and a good day add up to a good time hunting late season Montana ringnecks.

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he pheasant season had been a good one so far - the bird hatch from the previous spring was good, and that makes up eighty per cent of the birds harvested each fall.

Our opening day hunt separated the young birds from the older ones so after opening weekend we began hunting seasoned survivors. We had to change our tactics – all of the fields, ditches, rows and patches of cover were blocked. Many of the roosters still left alive chose to run rather than fly like their less fortunate brothers.

This wasn’t the end of the season.

The ratio of hens to roosters favored the hens so tracks in the snow were everywhere, but we had to inspect them closely to confirm whether they were rooster or hen tracks then try to dig the birds out of the cover.

The Montana snow cover can give a hunter without a dog some insight as to where the pheasants are in a given area. Pheasants, like chickens and rabbits, walk a lot so if they’re in the area then their tracks will be left in the snow. If we found a rooster track, we would get on it like a pointer knowing there was a rooster at the end of the trail.

We weren’t as successful in the early morning because it was extremely cold.

The pheasants sat tight in their bedding cover until the sun warmed the air and softened the snow. The winds were fierce during the snow storm three days beforehand, but each snow drift has an area where the snow blows off and exposes the ground. Corn dropped by the combine a month earlier served as bait.

Corn is essential for a pheasant to survive in cold weather. The size of the grain and the amount of starch in each kernel enables the birds to process the grain quickly enough to keep the pheasants from freezing or starving.

Many times when cattle are allowed to feed in picked corn fields they eat whole cobs of corn. When they digest the cob the digestive process leaches some of the starch out of the corn. When the corn exits the cow there’s still plenty of nutritional value in the kernel for pheasants to survive on. It is also an easily located food source.

Because pheasants don’t have taste buds the exterior flavor of the corn is not an issue.

Pheasants tend to gather up in flocks amidst the heaviest cover available after heavy snows have flattened many patches of cover that provided productive food sources during the early days of the season. During the late season, winter wheat begins to sprout and provides good forage for pheasants. They can survive taking in limited amounts of water because they can get required moisture from the morning dew and the succulent young wheat plants.

After their morning feeding session they look for a location where they can collect the thermal rays of the sun as they bask in the sun. Look for them sunning themselves at the edge of cover or in the middle of as corn field with cover nearby.

Security cover is a high priority since the birds are highly vulnerable to predators on the wing or on foot.

Use this knowledge as you search for pheasants. Spend your time where feed meets cover. The closer the two are to each other means the more likely the pheasants will survive the winter.

If you are hunting with a dog you are in for a treat. You’ll locate birds easier and faster. Pheasants rarely fall out of the sky dead after being shot. They will probably hit the ground running in search of a hiding place. You’ll probably lose a couple of birds if you are hunting amongst high weeds unless you have a dog that knows how to retrieve injured birds.

A wild pheasant is the most difficult bird for a dog to hunt. He doesn’t follow the rules - he may sit until the dog gets close then put his head down and run! The dog must follow to get back to the scent, but the hunters are still walking slowly through the field. If the dog runs to keep up with the pheasant he gets reprimanded for getting too far ahead of the hunters. If he doesn’t keep up with the birds they will run ahead of the dog and flush out of range.

It’s a great time, a great sport and a great way to end the season. Just remember - if dogs could carry a shotgun then hunters would be out of a job!

DECEMBER 2010

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BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

2011 Pheasants Forever

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22 • BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

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DECEMBER 2010

Ben Guttormson of Bozeman 2009 Archery Antelope taken in SW Montana

Jess Robinson of Butte with his 2009 Bull Elk - Green Score 373

Ryan Pecnick with his 2009 3x4 Whitetail Buck taken near Helena

J.D. Fields of Columbia Falls with his First Elk

Bruce Fox of Florence with his 2009 Antelope

Reyn Leno with his first Whitetail

DECEMBER 2010

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24 • BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

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DECEMBER 2010

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FWP Will Let Pneumonia Run Its Land Trapping Seasons Begin Course In Anaconda Bighorns MFWP December 1 MFWP Montana Fish, Wildlife & Land furbearer trapping Parks (FWP) reports that the pneumonia seasons open December 1 across much outbreak it confirmed in Anaconda area bighorn sheep on August 19 th has spread beyond management control, and wildlife officials say they will let the disease run its course.

FWP killed sick sheep this fall in an attempt to eradicate the infection before it spread to healthy sheep. But, officials decided last week to cease further culling efforts after evidence mounted that the pneumonia was already widespread.

There are no known vaccines to prevent the usually fatal pneumonia in wild sheep, or medications that can be practically applied to prevent the death of sick individuals. Instead, potential relief lies in protecting healthy animals from exposure.

“We’re finding sick sheep in almost every group of sheep we locate,” said FWP Wildlife Biologist, Ray Vinkey. “We have no evidence that bands of healthy sheep still exist that we could protect by killing sick sheep. For all practical purposes, it looks like the whole population is exposed.”

Now it’s a matter of conserving every animal that might survive the infection, according to FWP Regional Wildlife Manager, Mike Thompson.

“It was worth a try to see if we could eradicate the disease early on, when we still had hope that it hadn’t spread very far,” said Thompson. “But now we can’t tell the difference between sheep that will die and sheep that might survive. So, there’s nothing to gain by killing more sheep.”

FWP killed 44 sheep from August 19 th through November 3 rd in the Anaconda herd where 297 animals were observed during a March 25, 2010 helicopter survey of the population. FWP has documented losses of over 90 percent

due to pneumonia in extreme cases in other herds historically, and an initial loss of 60 percent after letting pneumonia run its course in the Upper Rock Creek herd earlier this year.

The Anaconda herd suffered a pneumonia die-off of 54 percent between 1991 and 1992, and a decline of another 19 percent by 1993.

“With these pneumonia events we also see high lamb mortality for several years afterward,” Thompson said.

“That really slows the population’s recovery.”

FWP only counted seven lambs in the Anaconda population in the spring of 1994, and only three in 1995, before lamb survival rates returned to normal, according to FWP records. Similarly, FWP has been able to locate only one lamb this fall in the Upper Rock Creek herd, in the aftermath of that outbreak.

Vinkey plans to continue monitoring the outbreak as it plays out over the coming weeks.

“I’m concerned that we are not seeing as many bighorn as we should at this time of year,” he said. “When the rut and the snow bring more of the sheep to the winter range we will have a better idea of how many sheep still have a fighting chance at survival.”

of Montana for bobcat, marten, fisher, and wolverine. Trappers after bobcat and wolverine must have purchased their license by November 30th.

For bobcat, each Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks region has a specific quota as well as a per-trapper limit. The total quota for Montana is 2,175 bobcats. Trappers must personally report their bobcat harvest to FWP within 24 hours, and must present the pelt for tagging within 10 days after harvest. Bobcats may also be hunted with or without the use of dogs; the same reporting and tagging requirements apply. The season extends until quotas are reached or through February 15 in Regions 1, 2, and 3, and through March 1 in Regions 4, 5, 6, and 7.

For marten, trappers must personally present marten pelts to a FWP representative for tagging within 10 days of the close of the season. The marten trapping season extends until February 15 in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

For fisher and wolverine, very restricted trapping seasons exist. The total fisher quota is seven, and only open in Regions 1 and 2. The wolverine quota is five, and open only in three of four wolverine management units. Both species have female sub quotas. Special restrictions exist for trappers pursuing land furbearers in Regions 1

and 2 to avoid incidental capture of lynx.

Regulated trapping in Montana is managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks through scientifically based regulations that sustain furbearer populations. FWP and the FWP Commission continually review and refine those regulations to ensure the use of best management practices for trapping activities.

Licensed trappers also provide FWP with important information that assists with wildlife management programs across the state.

Trapping has been underway since Nov. 1 for water species including muskrat, mink, beaver, and otter. Now that pelts are prime, trappers are also pursuing predator and nongame species such as coyote and red fox. See the Montana furbearer and trapping regulations online at fwp.mt.gov . Click “Trapping in Montana.”

DECEMBER 2010

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BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

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Hunting And Conservation News

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Cold, Snow Keep Many South Central Montana Hunters Home MFWP F

or the first three weekends of the 2010 Montana general big-game season, unseasonable warmth was blamed for keeping the numbers of hunters in the field and animals harvested at historic lows. Weather again was credited with low hunter numbers in south central Montana over the weekend, but this time cold and snow were the culprit. “ The temperature started out at a refreshing -14 degrees in the morning and warmed all the way up to a toasty 0 degrees around 2 p.m.” at Big Timber, FWP wildlife biologist Justin Paugh said.

The 103 hunters who stopped at the Big Timber check station comprise the lowest number for the fifth weekend of the general season since at least 2003, when FWP started keeping comprehensive statistics.

The cold kept some hunters in their vehicles instead of the woods and prairies, Paugh said. However, those who ventured away from the roadways reported that game was moving and highly visible in the 6-7 inches of new snow. Of bucks checked, 95 percent of mule deer and 88 percent of the white-tailed deer were 2.5 years old or older.

At the Lavina check station, FWP wildlife biologist Jay Newell said the temperature started at -17 at sunrise Sunday and stayed below 0 all day. “Hunters responded by staying home, making this the slowest Sunday on record at the check station,” he said. The harvest numbers also set a record low, with only 43 animals brought to the check station.

Through the first five weekends of the season, mule deer harvest is down 45.2 percent from the long-term average and white-tailed deer harvest is down 34.1 percent. Elk harvest is the sole bright spot, up 25.1 percent from the long-term average, Newell said.

Fast turn arounds

What Do Hunters Do For Conservation? USFWS A lot. The sale of hunting licenses, tags, and stamps is the primary source of funding for most state wildlife conservation efforts.

By respecting seasons and limits, purchasing all required licences, and paying federal excise taxes on hunting equipment and ammunition, individual hunters make a big contribution towards ensuring the future of many species of wildlife and habitat for the future. By paying the Federal excise tax on hunting equipment, hunters are contributing hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation programs that benefit many wildlife species, both hunted and non- hunted.

Each year, nearly $200 million in hunters’ federal excise taxes are distributed to State agencies to support wildlife management programs, the purchase of lands open to hunters, and hunter education and safety classes. Proceeds from the Federal Duck Stamp, a required purchase for migratory waterfowl hunters, have purchased more than five million acres of habitat for the refuge system (2005 statistics only); lands that support waterfowl and many other wildlife species, and are usually open to hunting.

Local hunting clubs and national conservation organizations work to protect the future of wildlife by setting aside thousands of acres of habitat and speaking up for conservation in our national and state capitals.

Turkey Hunting Trends

USFWS

Turkey Hunting in 2006: An Analysis of Hunter Demographics, Trends, and Economic Impacts; Addendum to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation

M

ore than 2.5 million Americans ages 16 years or older hunted wild turkey in 2006. That’s just one of many findings in the Wild Turkey Hunting addendum to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The report provides the latest demographics, economic effects, state-by-state analysis and other statistical research pertaining to the sport. Some highlights in the report include: Trends: Participation in wild turkey hunting has increased 15% from 1996 to 2006. This is due in large part to ambitious wild turkey restoration efforts by state, federal, and nongovernmental conservation organizations.

State-by-state analysis: Pennsylvania has the most wild turkey hunters (369 thousand) and Tennessee has the highest proportion (36%) of hunters pursuing wild turkeys.

Economic Effects: Turkey hunters spent $1.6 billion in 2006 and their spending rippled through the U.S. economy generating $4.1 billion in economic output and supporting over 37, 000 jobs.

26 • BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

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BIGFORK ANNUAL FLATHEAD LAKE POLAR BEAR PLUNGE: 1/1 The Polar Bear Plunge is every January 1st, 2:00pm at the Raven Brew Pub in Woods Bay on Flathead Lake. It is a family event to welcome the New Year with a chilling dip. Spectators are welcome also.

Bring your suit, towel, camera and good humor.

Costumes are encouraged. Parade is at 1:45pm, from the Raven. Phone: 406-837-2836

BOZEMAN GUN AND HUNTING TROPHY SHOW: 12/10 - 12/12

The Gun and Hunting Trophy Show offers hunting firearms, western collectibles, antiques, and western and wildlife art for sale or trade. Big game trophy displays and Boone and Crockett scoring by Fish, Wildlife and Parks are part of the show, which features 300 booths with collectors from across the United States. Held at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. Phone: 406-580-5458

MISSOULA FIRST NIGHT MISSOULA: 12/31 First Night Missoula is an annual community New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts. Hundreds of performing, visual and literary artists showcase their diverse talents in more than 100 events throughout Missoula. This spirited, cultural celebration is open to the entire community and is alcohol and drug free.

Phone: 406-532-3240

NEIHART SKI & PHOTOS WITH SANTA: 12/18

Each year, Santa takes a break from his busy schedule to hit the slopes at Showdown. He will be skiing and visiting with folks from 11:00am - 2:00pm. Catch up with him on the slopes or at the base lodge. A great opportunity for some wintery family photos with the man in red.

Phone: 406-236-5522

WEST YELLOWSTONE RODEO RUN SLED DOG RACES: 12/16 - 12/18

The Rodeo Run Sled Dog Races is a two-day sled dog race in West Yellowstone. This race attracts entrants ranging from novices to Iditarod veterans. Meet the mushers on Thursday from 3:00pm to 5:00pm outside Compete in a 5K or 10K ski race benefit. Registration the Wild West Pizzeria. Races start at 9:00am Friday and is from 10:30am to 12:00pm. Race starts at 1:00pm. Saturday. Spectators can watch the race at the starting line in town or at any designated checkpoints along the trail.

Race entry fee is $10 per person. All proceeds go to Phone: 406-646-4988 the Middlefork Quick Response Unit. Special room rates are available. Held at the Izaak Walton Inn. Phone: 406-888-5700 WHITEHALL

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HAMILTON WINTER GUN SHOW: 12/3 - 12/5

One of the older gun shows in the state, running continuously for over 28 years. We stress guns, knives and old west memorabilia and antiques. A family event. Held at the Senior Citizens Center on the corner of Adirondac and North 4th.

Phone: 406-633-2206

LEWISTOWN POLAR RUN: 12/4, 12/11, 12/17, 12/18

Ride to the North Pole with Santa. Polar Runs departure 5:00pm and 7:30pm. Train boards one hour before departure. The Charlie Russell Chew-Choo boarding site is located 10 miles northwest of Lewistown just past the Spring Creek Trestle. Drive north on Highway 191 for 2 miles, turn left on the Highway 426 for 8 miles.

Phone: 406-535-5436

LINCOLN NEW YEAR SNOWMOBILE POKER RUN: 1/1

Sign up at the Snow Warriors Clubhouse to ride a variety of Lincoln’s well groomed trails. Cash prizes are awarded for high, 2nd and low poker hand and many door prizes are available as well. Free coffee, cocoa and cookies will be available. With 250 miles of groomed trails and lots of play areas, Lincoln is a great place to ride. Most of the winter trails can be accessed by snowmobile right from town. Early and late season riders may need to trailer 3 to 6 miles from town. Phone: 406-362-3334

HOLIDAY CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF LEWIS AND CLARK CAVERNS: 12/18 - 12/20 & 12/27 - 12/29

Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park offers candlelight tours in December, weather permitting. See the cave as the original discoverers did, by candlelight. These guided tours take 2 hours and require a 2 mile round trip walk.

Visitors should be prepared to hike outside in winter time conditions to the mouth of the cave. Be prepared for snow and cold temperatures. Reservations are required.

Admission is $15.00 for adults and $8.00 for children.

Candles and lanterns are provided with the cost of the tour. Phone: 406-287-3541

Events To Support WILDLIFE MULE DEER FOUNDATION 2/19/2011 Conrad Clinton Denney 406-289-0968

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION 01/22/11 Polson Mission Valley Big Game Banquet Kelly Kost 406-240-1325 02/12/11 Kalispell Flathead Valley Chapter Big Game Banquet Tim Wold 406-212-7249 02/19/11 Billings Beartooth Big Game Banquet Scott Westphal 406-266-3042

DECEMBER 2010

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BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

• 27

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Length: 25.1 miles of marked and groomed trails Trail Beginning: Beaver Creek Trail End: Dry Creek Area Contact information: Helena National Forest 1569 US Highway 200 Lincoln, MT 59639 Phone: 406-362-7000 Web: www.fs.fed.us/r1/helena/ Directions: Route can be accessed from town of Lincoln. Ride west of town approximately 1 mile, then north on Forest Road 4106.

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Rocky Mountain States F&G To Stock Steelhead In The Boise River

PHOTO IDAHO FISH AND GAME

I

daho Fish and Game stocked about 250 steelhead in the Boise River on Wednesday afternoon, November 10, the first of at least three planned stocking efforts.

The fish will be stocked between the Glenwood Bridge and Barber Park; additional fish will be released in subsequent weeks.

Because the proportion of steelhead returning this year spent two years in the ocean, rather than one, the nine pound average fish in the return is greater than last year. Because fish released will be older and larger, the transport truck may not be able to haul quite as many per load as in recent years, but the larger fish should add to the excitement generated by the fishery.

Besides a fishing license, anglers hoping to tangle with one of the hatchery steelhead need a $12.75 steelhead permit, good for 20 fish. Though required in other steelhead waters, barbless hooks are not required for Boise River steelhead angling.

All steelhead stocked in the Boise River will lack an adipose fin - the small fin normally found immediately behind the dorsal fin. Boise River anglers catching a rainbow trout longer than 20 inches that lacks an adipose fin should consider the fish a steelhead.

Any steelhead caught by an angler not holding a steelhead permit must immediately be returned to the water.

Steelhead limits on the Boise River are three fish per day, nine in possession and 20 for the fall season.

The fish are A-run hatchery steelhead, returning to the Oxbow Hatchery fish trap below Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River, owned and funded by Idaho Power Co. Many of the

BY ED MITCHELL returning steelhead will be collected as broodstock for the steelhead hatchery program at Oxbow Hatchery as part of Idaho Power’s mitigation.

“We’re hopeful that this year’s hatchery steelhead run will easily allow Oxbow Hatchery personnel to fill their broodstock needs,” Fish and Game anadromous fish coordinator Sam Sharr said. “Any additional hatchery fish collected at the fish trap will be divided among Idaho Fish and Game, the treaty tribes and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.”

For more information regarding the Boise River steelhead release, contact the Fish and Game Nampa office at 208-465-8465 or check the department’s Web site at http://fishandgame.idaho. gov/cms/fish/steelhead/.

Chinook Salmon

By Jim Lukens

I

t’s as much a hallmark of the changing seasons in central Idaho as the coloring of the leaves and the drop in temperatures.

Adult Chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, return to local waters after their multi-year journey to the ocean and come back to lay eggs to complete their life cycle.

During the spring, adult Chinook begin their migration back to central Idaho from the Pacific Ocean. These fish migrate up to 900 miles and climb more than a mile in elevation to return to their natal spawning streams. Spawning occurs in late August and early September.

Time is short for migrating Chinook as all adult salmon die shortly after spawning. The young fish emerge from the spawning gravels the following spring and usually stay in fresh water for 18 months before traveling downstream to the ocean. Chinook typically spend one to three years at sea before returning to natal streams to spawn. For more than 50 years, Idaho Fish and Game has been conducting annual surveys of Chinook salmon spawning in the Lemhi River. For five weeks each fall, the agency’s fisheries biologists walk the upper length of the river, counting salmon and mapping their redds or “nest” sites. Redds are easy to spot. The large fish scour out a depression in the gravel to create what looks like white horseshoe-shaped nurseries into which their eggs are deposited.

The reason for counting redds is to track the progress of the spawning salmon and to gauge the health of the local population.

This fall in the upper Lemhi River above the confluence of Hayden Creek, Fish and Game personnel counted 90 redds, which translates to about 207 spawning adult Chinook salmon. In contrast, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when redd counts were first conducted in the Lemhi River, the average number of redds was 929 per year or roughly 2,137 spawning adult Chinook salmon per year.

Although these fish still face many hurdles in rebounding to historical numbers, improvements are being made, particularly with help from private landowners. Habitat improvement projects, such as fencing along the Lemhi River corridor, have helped increase the amount of quality habitat for juvenile salmon by providing more cover from predators and increasing food availability.

Fish screens have also helped protect migrating juvenile salmon from being diverted into irrigation ditches.

Reconnecting tributary streams to the main Lemhi River, as done recently at Big Timber Creek, increased the amount of habitat available for fish and also the amount of the flow into the river, thereby improving spawning conditions for adults and rearing habitat for juvenile salmon.

These efforts have a big impact on improving the viability of the Chinook salmon populations. As these efforts and many others successfully improve the Lemhi River watershed, the hope is that Chinook salmon can once again return in robust numbers.

2011 Bear Seasons Passed By State Game Commission S

tabilizing black bear numbers across 75.5 percent of New Mexico is the goal of the 2011-2014 hunting strategy adopted by the New Mexico State Game Commission during its Oct. 28 meeting.

Black bears in New Mexico are managed under a zone system. There are 6 zones statewide, with several subzones.

Stabilization of the population is the goal in zones 1, 2A, 3, 4A, 4B, 5, 6A, and 6B.In the other zones (2B, 2C, and 6C), the goal will be to decrease the population of black bears. by 20 percent over four years.

Department biologists say the bear population has grown over the last six years when a more conservative harvest limit was in place. Under the new strategy, the statewide total sustainable mortality will be 677 bears (296 females) in 2011, 664 bears (290 females) in 2012, 652 bears (284 females) in 2013, and 641 bears (278 females) in 2014.

The total mortality includes bears killed by cars and bears moved out of areas where they have contact with dense human populations. As late as Thursday, Nov. 4, bears were reported in Albuquerque.

Each zone will close when the harvest is within 10 percent of that zone’s sustainable harvest limit The Department of Game and Fish tracks the harvest by requiring bear hides be tagged within five days of the bears being killed.

Late-season Elk Licenses Grabbed In Seconds

W

ith thousands of license buyers logged onto the Department of Game and Fish website, it took only seconds for 525 late-season elk licenses to be reserved in early November when they went on sale.

There were 200 antlerless elk licenses available for hunters using any legal sporting arm, and 325 licenses for archery hunters.

Once a license is reserved, the purchasers have 15 minutes to complete the transaction before the license is made available to other purchasers.

DECEMBER 2010

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Rocky Mountain States Cheyenne Angler Catches New Record Tiger Trout

Bighorn Sheep Transplant iger trout Scheduled For Seminoe Mountains areTcontinuing Another 20 bighorn sheep from

Oregon will call Wyoming’s Seminoe Mountains home if upcoming trapping/ transplant operations proceed as planned.

According to WGFD bighorn sheep coordinator Kevin Hurley, the new transplant will supplement 20 Oregon sheep released Dec. 2, 2009, in the Seminoes along with 12 bighorns from the Devil’s Canyon area above Lovell released Jan. 3, 2010. Hurley said the sheep released last year are doing well and at least a dozen lambs were documented this spring from last winter’s transplant.

Typically, biologists try to get a 3:1 (ewes:rams) gender mixture for transplanted bighorn sheep. Last year’s transplant from Oregon’s lower Deschutes River comprised 15 ewes and five rams; rams transplanted are generally young animals ranging from 1-4 years old. Game managers will be looking for a similar mixture in this year’s transplant.

Hurley said that much of the success to date in the Seminoe herd is likely due to a better match of habitat types of transplanted sheep to the habitat available in the Seminoe Mountains. This year, the sheep will come from the lower John Day River area in north-central Oregon. The sheep will be net gunned from a helicopter and then transferred to specially modified horse trailers for the 900-mile nonstop ride to Wyoming. If capture operations go as anticipated, the sheep will be released in their new home around Dec. 2.

To help the sheep get a jump start on their new home, coyote control will be done before the release with the assistance

of USDA APHIS Wildlife Services and the Carbon County Predator Management District, with funding provided by Wyoming’s Animal Damage Management Board and the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation. “This will help the sheep avoid predation until they become familiar with their new surroundings,” Hurley said.

Years ago, sheep from the Whiskey Mountain herd near Dubois were transplanted to the Seminoes, but didn’t do as well as anticipated, probably due to significant differences in elevation, precipitation and vegetation between Whiskey Mountain and the Seminoes.

“With the Oregon sheep, we are trying to do a better job matching source sheep to target habitat,” Hurley said. “The Whiskey Mountain sheep were from alpine habitat, but the Oregon sheep are from areas more similar to the Seminoes. The lambing period of the Oregon sheep will more closely coincide with the peak green-up of vegetation in the Seminoe Mountains.” Hurley said that with the green-up occurring at lambing time, nutrition is better for ewes, resulting in improved lactation and subsequent lamb recruitment and survival.

The majority of the transplanted bighorns will again be radio-collared with store-on-board GPS collars. This will allow biologists to closely monitor these released sheep to better determine seasonal and daily movement patterns and habitat preferences.

“Funding for the project has been provided by numerous partners,” said Lander regional wildlife management coordinator Tom Ryder. “

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USFWS Rejection Of Wyoming Wolf Management Plan Was Arbitrary And Capricious Wyoming Wolf Coalition

to grow in High Savery Reservoir as evidenced by a new record caught last week by Cheyenne angler Mel Huff.

Huff’s fish weighed 5.12 lbs., breaking the old record by more than a pound. The old record was 4 lbs. 1 oz. and was set this past June.

Huff was fishing November 3, trolling a Rapala when the fish hit. After a 15-minute fight, he had the new state record in the boat. The only other fish he caught that day was a 12-inch brook trout.

Huff is not a newcomer to High Savery and has fished the reservoir a half dozen times over the past few years. After measuring the fish at nearly 24 inches, with a girth of 12.25 inches, Huff suspected he might have a new record.

The previous record was 22.5 inches long with a girth of 11.5 inches. The fish was verified by Laramie fisheries biologist Lee McDonald For the past few years, new tiger trout records are almost an annual occurrence from High Savery as the reservoir is the only public water in the state that has been stocked with tiger trout. High Savery is a relatively new impoundment located 30 miles south of Rawlins and was first stocked with tiger trout in 2005. It has been stocked every year since that time. Tiger trout are a sterile cross between a brown and a brook trout.

Rules for submitting a fish for state record consideration are on the Game and Fish website http://gf.state.wy.us. A listing of state record fish is also on the site.

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U.S. District Judge Johnson:

I

n a Nov. 18, 2010 ruling, United States District Judge Alan Johnson ruled that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) rejection of the Wyoming Wolf Management plan was arbitrary and capricious. The court remanded the issue back to the USFWS to fix.

“We are pleased with the decision,” Harriet Hageman, attorney for the Wyoming Wolf Coalition, stated. “We have felt all along the USFWS actions weren’t based on science.”

The Wyoming Wolf Coalition is a petitioner-intervenor in the case of the State of Wyoming v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The deal from the beginning was that the gray wolf would be introduced into and managed in the Yellowstone area,” Hageman continued. “The FWS rejection of the Wyoming Wolf Management plan was an effort to force Wyoming to adopt a management plan that ensures that the wolves move throughout the State. That is directly contrary to everything that the FWS told us when they brought the wolves into Yellowstone.”

Judge Johnson wrote in his ruling: “There is no scientific or commercial data that suggest the state’s dual classification of wolves, in and of itself, cannot meet, accomplish, and maintain the identified recovery goals in the GYA, including northwestern Wyoming.”

He continued in his writing: “.... the agency’s requirement that the trophy game management area, rather than that portion of northwestern Wyoming (including the GYA recovery area) necessary to facilitate movement and ensure dispersal of wolves so as to preserve genetic connectivity and to (continued page 33)

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Make A Habit Of Being Unpredictable

By Bobby Smith

W

In the Rockies big bucks like this pattern hunters as hunters pattern deer. This 7 year old buck had enough seasons under his belt to stay away from hunters by patterning their activities. The author put a chink in his armor when he was in the buck territory outside his normal hour of the day. Remember people patterning deer, is not a one way trait.

e’re all creatures of habit.

In fact, I could be the national poster boy for being a creature of habit. I have a daily routine that I stick to - my alarm sounds at 5:30 AM and I roll out of bed, brush my teeth, get dressed and head to the kitchen to pick up my keys, sun glasses and lunch box.

I leave the house at 5:50 and stop at the same convenience store for a bottle of water and two cinnamon rolls. I take the same route each morning and after checking my watch I can usually tell if I’m making good time on the road. I arrive at work at 6:50 AM, and by 4:00 PM I’m on the way home. I usually see the same cars at the same points along the road which leads me to believe that I’m not the only one who maintains a schedule or routine.

We’re all creatures of habit although some of us follow our routines more diligently than others. There is one place where I try to mix things up, and that’s in the “deer woods”.

See if this scenario sounds familiar.

Most of us start the season off in our favorite stand. Deer sightings are exciting during the first few weeks of the season, but then it seems like fewer and fewer deer use the area as the season wears on. After a while sightings become fewer and farther between.

Many hunters think that the deer have been harassed or shot at which makes them resort to a nocturnal pattern. That’s always a possibility especially if you’re still seeing deer sign in the area. While you’re trying to figure out the deer’s new travel patterns you ask yourself if it’s possible that the deer have patterned you. Have they learned your habits, or figured out your pattern and learned the “safe” times to use the area? Don’t get discouraged - there are some things you can do to rectify the problem.

One of the first things you can do to keep deer from learning your habit pattern is not “over hunting” your stand site. We all have favorite stand sites which are our favorites for a number of reasons. Each time we enter the woods we leave some evidence that a human visited the area. We leave a scent trail or we alter the surroundings just enough so that deer become aware of the change.

Deer live in the woods all year long and they’re attuned to changes in their environment.

Their survival depends on it. If we constantly go in and out of their core area they are bound to detect us at some point. The more we go into the woods the more likely it is that deer will detect our presence and adjust their travel patterns accordingly. By varying our stand locations and hunting different areas we not only minimize our chances of being busted, but we may find another area that is just as productive as our favorite stand.

I recommend using portable stands and hunting the same area from different locations. Moving your stand location by 50 yards may be just enough to keep deer unaware of our presence. By using a portable stand a hunter can pack up and find another location if his primary area goes cold. A hunter’s mobility and flexibility is more limited when hunting from a permanent stand location. The hunter who is mobile will enjoy greater success compared to a hunter who is unable to move his stand location to accommodate changes in deer behavior.

I also recommend changing the way you enter and exit you hunting area.

Try to locate alternate routes where you can access your stand while maintaining the wind in your favor. This may force you to take the long way walking into the stand, but it will be worth it when you’re able to keep hunting an area long after other hunters give up and call it quits. Use terrain, cover and concealment to ingress and egress from your stand location, and be stealthy.

We need to be ultra-cautious about our own travel patterns, actions and movements. The more we know about the deer in our area and their normal habit patterns the easier it becomes to enter their core area without being detected. If we enter their area the same way each time then we become more predictable and the deer will alter their movement pattern to avoid human contact. The more we change our approach or mix up the way we hunt then the less likely it is that we’ll be patterned.

While there is nothing wrong with having a set schedule or routine in our daily lives having a predictable pattern in our hunting area is a sure way to be busted and taken out of the game.

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Calling For Order In Wolf Debate BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB M any hunters are rightfully angry that a federal judge has put the gray wolf back under federal protection based on legal technicalities. Taking management away from state authorities allows wolves to multiply and spread. Wolves are already so plentiful they are cutting down herds of elk, moose, and deer, and are also killing livestock and pets. Wolves need to be controlled and we must continue toward that goal in an orderly fashion.

We sportsmen want to bring wolves under state management because this will sustain wolves, control the problems that wolves cause, and protect wolves from poachers. To do so, we look forward to working with other affected citizens, government, and other allies to clear up the legal technicalities and finalize the transfer to state management. This way wolves will be managed the same way as other wildlife based on the best available science with protections against illegal killing.

State management of wolves is best for the wolves and people, and wolf populations are so large now that the time is past due.

State management will be the best deal wolves have ever had. Wolves have never been managed sustainably in the lower 48 states. State and federal governments purposefully eradicated wolves, and then restored them under complete federal protection.

This full protection has restored wolf numbers far beyond recovery goals: all 6 states with gray wolves in the lower 48 have at least doubled the number of wolves beyond their recovery goals. Idaho is at least 8 times over

its goal. There are about 3,000 wolves in Minnesota, 600 each in Wisconsin and Michigan, at least 800 wolves in Idaho, 500 in Montana, and 300 in Wyoming.

Switching to state management will not be easy: federal and state managers have tried it 3 times in the last 7 years, having each effort struck down either because the law was fuzzy on how it could happen or too strict about why it cannot. These interpretations in federal district court are the latest examples of judges second-guessing government experts – an error for which the next highest appeals court has admonished its judges.

To achieve state management, hunters need to turn their anger into passion, speak up, and ask for hard but fair commitments from state and federal government. We need passion the way Theodore Roosevelt had passion in creating American conservation, which is our legacy and heritage to perpetuate.

We need to stay in the arena of debate and decision and stay out of the bogs of blame and bad-mouthing. It is self-defeating to blame or antagonize federal and state officials. They agree with us on what needs to happen and we need their help. We need hard commitments from them to try new approaches within current law and, ideally, to change law and policy to close loopholes.

This complex task is already underway through a cooperative partnership between the state and federal governments. The Obama Administration has already filed an appeal of the recent federal court ruling. States have petitioned for greater management authority.

Legislators from Montana, Wyoming and

Idaho have begun meeting to devise a solution and have invited the federal government’s participation. We appreciate these straight-up attempts that demonstrate the resolve of our government. We acknowledge the sovereign authority of each state to manage its own laws and budgets.

Finally, as we seek hard commitments from government, we also need to draw a hard line for ourselves: we are sportsmen, not wolf-haters. Statements on the Internet about poaching wolves are an affront to the American conservation ethic.

Illegal killing is wrong, self-defeating, and exactly opposite of how sportsmen created conservation and the privilege of ethical hunting in the first place. Hunters in America fought poachers and pushed for laws to regulate hunting. Later, sportsmen paid fees and taxes on our own licenses and equipment to fund wildlife restoration that brought wildlife back to abundance, including the game we hunt. Ours is a history of self-restraint and respect for wildlife.

Today we are asking for wolves to be brought under modern state management.

We will pursue this goal with the diligence we take to hunting itself, working professionally with the agencies, seeking allies, and pushing forward the policies that will prevent this tragedy from happening again with other wildlife.

Boone and Crockett Club Lowell E. Baier, President Dallas Safari Club Ben F. Carter III, Executive Director Mule Deer Foundation Miles O. Moretti, President/CEO

Pope and Young Club Roger Atwood, President Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation M. David Allen, President/CEO Safari Club International and Safari Club International Foundation Dr. Larry Rudolph, President

Wild Sheep Foundation Gray N. Thornton, President/CEO Wildlife Management Institute Steven A. Williams, President

DECEMBER 2010

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USFWS Rejection Of Wyoming Wolf Management Plan Was Arbitrary And Capricious (continued from page 29) ensure that self sustaining populations will be maintained above recovery goals, is arbitrary and capricious and should be set aside.”

In the order Judge Johnson remanded the matter back to the USFWS saying the agency should determine: “...whether the proposed regulatory framework ensures the conservation and protection of gray wolves in an approved trophy game area in northwestern Wyoming as required by the Endangered Species Act, and to analyze in this context the defense of property and wolf depredation laws in considering whether the management plan is an adequate regulatory mechanism.”

It is now up to the USFWS to determine if they will appeal the decision. If they appeal, the case would go before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 2004, 27 different associations, including agriculture, wildlife interests and county government joined together to form the “Wolf Coalition.”

“Wildlife interests, county governments and agriculture have come together recognizing the need to protect livestock and the depleted wildlife populations,” Hageman stated. “This broad diversity of organizations shows the significant impacts wolf introduction is having on Wyoming citizens.”

Western Montana Fishing Report (continued from page 14) the year, fishing for them in December can be excellent as well, as these fish prepare to head downriver or up the Flathead River.

Fish can be caught from the boat, or off of Polson Bridge itself. Jigging spoons, grubs or whitefish flies tipped with maggots will be the best way to fill the smoker one last time.

AREA RIVERS: Our local rivers will still fish very well at times throughout the month.

December is the beginning of the winter season for the big rivers in Montana and with that come some regulation changes. Be sure to read the regs before you head to your favorite river to check on bait and catch limit restrictions.

Ideally you’ll want to pick a day when the air temperature is above freezing, and fish the warmest part of the day. Concentrate your efforts on holding water that is slower than what you would fish in the summer, and fish more deliberately as well, as trout won’t move a long ways to eat in water this cold, so precise drifts will be key. Often times a number of drifts through the same spot are necessary to coax a fish to bite. Expect most of the action to be subsurface, but you can do surprisingly well some times nymphing San Juan Worms, glo bugs and small bead head nymphs. The bite will not generally last very long, but a couple of hours standing in thirty four degree water is generally enough to take the edge off your fishing jones.

Wherever you go this month, remember that winter in Montana can be dangerous, so stay warm, safe and smart. Fish with a partner, and make sure someone back home knows where you are.

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DECEMBER 2010

Rocky Mountain Trophy

Big Game Records BOONE and CROCKETT CLU LUB B

®

www.booneandcrockettclub.com Jack L. Morey Cougar 14-11/16 Carbon County, WY. 2008

3. Honoring the Animal Outstanding trophies produced naturally deserve to be recorded and respected in the most prestigious annals of big game hunting. Any true hunter’s sense of pride and satisfaction will be even more fulfilling and longer lasting if his or her quarry and the place where it lived are appropriately recognized, too.

5 Reasons to Enter Your Trophy in Boone and Crockett Records Boone and Crockett Club

C

ongratulations! You finally killed that trophy specimen that eluded you for many seasons and countless hunts. You made celebratory stops at your buddy’s house and then the local meat processor. The taxidermist is next.

But, unlike your previous hunts, this time there’s another consideration—entering your trophy into the Boone and Crockett Club’s records book.

The Boone and Crockett Club records program is the only North American harvest data system that collects information on all species of free-ranging native North American big game taken in fair chase.

Getting listed in the world’s most distinguished hunting-records book involves official measuring, paperwork and a $40 processing fee, all detailed at www.boone-crockett.org, but the rewards are considerable for you personally as well as for hunting overall and the future of conservation.

Here are five reasons to enter your trophy in Boone and Crockett records: 1. Archiving Conservation History Under the leadership of Boone and

Crockett Club founder Theodore Roosevelt, the Club’s system of scoring big-game trophies originated in 1906 (official records date back to 1830) as a means of recording details on species thought to be disappearing due to rampant habitat loss and unregulated hunting.

Science-based conservation efforts, led and funded by license-buying hunters, brought those species from vanishing to flourishing. Today, a Boone and Crockett trophy is a classic gauge of modern conservation success—and an important reminder of the ongoing need for habitat and wildlife stewardship.

2. Improving Future Management Because they represent fully mature specimens, Boone and Crockett records are an important indicator of the age structure and breeding fitness of a herd, as well as an indicator of habitat quality. For biologists and professional wildlife managers, the presence and production of trophy animals suggests optimum overall herd health; their absence may suggest that refined management strategies are warranted.

Records build a timeline of both positive and negative trends in conservation practices and are used to chart future actions.

4. Discrediting Hunting’s Critics Those who oppose hunting often claim that hunting reverses natural selection, because unlike wild predators, human hunters often seek out the largest specimens. This, according to erroneous rhetoric, will artificially stunt game populations. However, the facts speak differently. Boone and Crockett Club trophy entries have increased 400 percent over the past 30 years, which means trophy-class animals actually are more plentiful now than ever before. This single statistic is an ongoing tribute to the professionals who manage wildlife and the hunters who participate in that management. Even more important, by being the only published reference of trophies taken in fair chase, such data counters other rhetoric being spun by anti-hunters to an uninformed public that sportsmen have become just a lawless bunch of wildlife killers.

5. Establishing Official Bragging Rights Less than one percent of all sportsmen will take a Boone and Crockett-qualifying trophy in their lifetime. An accepted entry absolutely signifies the highest accomplishment in big game hunting—the legal, ethical, fair-chase harvest of a free ranging specimen that stands as an ultimate representation of its species.

World-class trophy mounts are celebrated and passed down from one generation to the next. However, always remember that, over time, the more enduring story will be less about how you harvested your trophy, and more about how that remarkable animal got there in the first place— through the efforts of sportsmen!

Stemple Pass Ski Trail

wintermt.com

T

he Stemple Pass Ski Trails are a system of 4 basic ungroomed connected ski trail loops that provide opportunities for beginner and intermediate cross-country skiing.

2 km of easiest, 20 km of more difficult, 10 km of most difficult trail. Parking available for 40 vehicles.

Stemple Pass sits on the Continental Divide and the skier should be prepared for rapidly changing weather.

There is an outhouse available at the trailhead, but no other facilities.

Trail information and ski rentals are available in Helena from Bob Ward & Sons at 3323 Dredge Drive off of North Montana or phone 406-443-2138.

Length: 14 miles Trail Begins: Parking, Stemple Pass Trail Ends: Loop Contact information: Helena National Forest 1569 US Highway 200 Lincoln, MT 59639 Phone: 406-362-7000 Directions: Travel south from Lincoln on Forest Road 601 (Poor man Creek Road) approximately 16 miles south and east to Stemple Pass. Located 37 miles north of Helena.

DECEMBER 2010

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Lolo Mom Extreme Huntress Finalist

By Mark Ward

while at the same time giving birth to three boys!

“My husband has been real supportive and of course it helps that he loves to hunt too”. Hanneman and her husband hunt together and the boys accompany her on many of her hunts. “I will go on trips by myself like to Africa but I really like my boys er name is Amy to come along with me to share the Hanneman. She is a mother of three boys ages 5, 3, and almost 2. She lives outdoor experience with them,” added Hanneman “ and it also is a great way in Lolo Montana with her husband to start teaching them the skills for Robert, a fireman. I know what you hunting and outdoor survival”. As are thinking. Sounds like the mother newborns the boys have been tucked and family that live next door. And inside a baby backpack hunting with it sure could be, until you take into account what Hanneman does for fun. their mom for big game. The boys also come in handy to keep Hanneman She hunts. in shape. “I like to pack two of them, That’s not the amazing part one on my back, the other on my chest of this story. What is amazing is she as I walk up to the M,” she said. And took hunting up 8 years ago after when she isn’t packing the kids up a being introduced to hunting by her husband and now she is a fanatic. Her mountain side Hanneman runs 6 miles a day. All of this training comes in self-described addiction for hunting has landed her as one of ten finalists in handy when Hanneman’s hunts take the national Extreme Huntress contest her to places like Wyoming, where at 10,000 feet elevation she harvested a put on by Primal Adventure and 30 inch mule deer. sponsored by Prois Hunting Apparel.

The ten Extreme Huntress “A friend of mine told me finalists were selected by a panel of about the contest and I thought with six judges, but now the winner will be what I have accomplished hunting decided by a popular that I might have a good chance to win so I entered”, said Hanneman. In on-line vote. Voting ends at the end of December. The winner is awarded a the last six hunting seasons she has hunting trip to New Zealand. The hunt harvested elk, mule deer, whitetail will be filmed and shown on Primal deer, antelope, black bear, wart hog, Adventures with Tom Opre. To cast blesbeck and coyotes with a rifle. your vote log onto Not bad for a woman in a www.montanaoutdoor.com and click male dominated sport, but she didn’t on the link to Extreme Huntress. stop there. Hanneman then decided last year to take up bow hunting.

“It’s been great. I have harvested a whitetail deer, black bear, zebra, blesback, and impala with a bow”, added Hanneman, “and November I went to hunt Blacktail in Oregon with Mark Ward is known as the Captain of my muzzleloader”. the Montana Outdoor Radio Show heard That makes sense for an statewide every Saturday from 6am - 8am.

Extreme Huntress because every year Log onto: Hanneman applies for tags in 13 states www.montanaoutdoor.com to find a radio while still buying any over the counter station in your area. You can also read his tag in Montana that she can. All this weekly column in the Thursday hunting success in the last six years Missoulian Outdoor section.

•

BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

• 35

Mark Your Calendar!

OPEN HOUSE

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Don’t miss our Open House December 2nd or Ladies Night December 9th

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FULL PARTS & SERVICE DEPARTMENTS © 2010 Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc. All rights reserved,®, ™ Trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products or its affiliates. Products are distributed in the United States (US) by BRP US Inc. Offers valid in the US at participating Ski-Doo® dealers on new and unused 2010 and 2011 Ski-Doo snowmobile (excluding racing models and spring-only units) purchased, delivered and registered between now and December 15th, 2010. Offer valid on 2010 models: *Up to $800 rebate (rebate amount depends on the model purchased). Offer valid on 2011 eligible models: Option 1: +NO Down Payment, NO interest, NO Payment for 6 months: On a purchase made November 1, 2010, your down payment is $0: no interest charge until May 1, 2011 and no payments until June 1, 2011. Thereafter, 60 consecutive monthly payments. Annual percentage rate is 13.95% (Annual percentage rate subject to increase after promotional period.) The above financing program is offered by Sheffield Financial, a Division of BB&T Financial, FSB. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $40,000. Subject to credit approval. Not all consumers may qualify for financing offer. Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on credit worthiness. Other financing offers available. Financing promotions void where prohibited. BRP is not responsible for any errors, changes or actions related to financing provided by Sheffield Financial OR Option 2: ++2-year engine coverage: 1 year BRP limited warranty plus 1 year BRP extended service terms on the engine. Subject to a 50$ deductible. Promotions are subject to termination or change at any time without notice. See your participating Ski-Doo dealer for all details.

Offer may not be assigned, traded, sold or combined with any other offer unless expressly stated herein. Offer void where restricted or otherwise prohibited by law.

BRP reserves the right, at any time, to discontinue or changes specifications, prices, designs, features, models or equipment without incurring any obligation. Always consult your snowmobile dealer when selecting a snowmobile for your particular needs and carefully read and pay special attention to your Operatorʼs Guide, Safety Video, Safety Handbook and the safety labeling on your snowmobile. Always ride responsibly and safely. Always wear appropriate clothing, including a helmet.

Always observe applicable local laws and regulations. Donʼt drink and drive.

36 • BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

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ON-LINE AT www.bigskyoutdoornews.net

DECEMBER 2010

ABSOLUTELY THE EASIEST WAY TO MOVE GAME, PACKS, TRAVERSE ROUGH COUNTRY AND GO AROUND GATES

Continue To Your Favorite Hunting Area Behind The Gate & Carry No Weight

“The Easy Way Out...& Back”

No Trail...In rough terrain... with a big Buck.

Garnet Winter Recreation Trails visitmt.com

I

OUR CUSTOMERS SAY IT ALL! I have used ‘Neet-Kart’ during the past three Montana hunting seasons.

The cart easily allowed me to transport three 150 pound plus elk halves on three 2-mile round trips in one day by myself. The cart when loaded is a breeze to balance and walks right over downed trees and rocks with minimal effort. On eastern Montana hunts for deer and antelope, the sealant-filled tire tubes performed in cactus and thorn country without any flats. Big game animals can be hauled cross-country faster with ..Neet Kart.’ than with a horse. I wish I had the cart 30 years ago. Doug Bolender. Kalispell. MT NEET KART - The unique 2-wheel in-line concept, a “people-powered ATV!” THE ADVANTAGES: -Save your back -Carry no weight -Affordably priced THE VERSATILITY: -Compact storage -Carry out your trophy -Haul Camp Gear -Emergency uses -Farm & ranch jobs -Environmentally friendly A PERFECT COMPANION TO ATV.

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n January, the 31.5-mile Garnet National Winter Recreation Trail is open for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. Visitors can rent two rustic cabins in the Garnet Ghost Town for overnight stays (reservations necessary for cabin rental). A major attraction along the trails is the Garnet Ghost Town. The ghost town is located 11 miles south of the parking lot off Montana Highway 200.

The elevation here ranges from 4,200 to 7,000 feet.

Season: 1/1 - 4/30 Contact information: Mailing Address: Bureau of Land Management 3255 Fort Missoula Road Missoula, MT 59801 Phone: 406-329-3914 Alternate Phone: 406-494-5059 Web: www.garnetghosttown.org

Activities offered: Cross-Country Skiing History Nature Sightseeing Snowmobiling Snowshoeing Wildlife Viewing

Directions: Garnet area trails can be reached by taking State Highway 200, 30 miles east of Missoula to the trailhead and parking lot along the Garnet Range Road. The National Winter Recreation Trail can also be reached 7 miles west of Drummond on the old US Highway 10 (Frontage Road), then 10 miles north on the Bear Gulch Road.

Brackett Creek/Fairy Lake Road Ski And Snowmobile Trails visitmt.com The Brackett Creek/Fairy Contact information: Lake Road Ski and Snowmobile Trails Mailing Address: are shared with snowmobiles. The snowmobile trail is 15 miles of marked and groomed trails.

Activities offered: Cross-Country Skiing Hiking Nature Area Picnicking Snowmobiling Wildlife Viewing Winter Sports

Gallatin National Forest 3710 Fallon Street, Suite C Bozeman, MT 59718 Phone: 406-522-2520 Fax: 406-522-2528 Web: www.fs.fed.us/r1/gallatin/ Directions: Brackett Creek/Fairy Lake Road Ski and Snowmobile Trails is located 20 miles north of Bozeman off Highway 86.

DECEMBER 2010

•

ON-LINE AT www.bigskyoutdoornews.net

•

BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

Honda Generators Portable Home Back up Power With a Brain Lightweight

Special Financing Available:

No Interest if paid in full within 12 months!

Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the purchase balance is not paid in full within the promotional period or if you make a late payment.*

Honda Portable Power Systems offer homeowners a superior home back-up alternative.

Now, when the power goes out, you can count on your Honda generator and HP2S to be at the ready.

More time to pay!

Low minimum monthly payments No annual fee and no prepayment penalties*

1000W Generator •PARALLEL OPERATION CAPABILITY •2 YEAR RESIDENTIAL WARRANTY •RUN TIME ON ONE TANKFUL: 8.3HRS.@1/4 LOAD •NOISE LEVEL: 59DB @RATED LOAD •DRY WEIGHT: 29 LBS. #EU1000IA2

• 37

2000W Inverter Generator

Home back-up power designed to offer an uninterruptible power source for your family

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Automatic power management makes HP2S easy and convenient to use

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Allows your Honda generator to perform like a unit 20 - 50% bigger

2000W GENERATOR

3000W Generator •SINGLE CYLINDER, OVERHEAD VALVE, AIR-COOLED •3 YEAR RESIDENTIAL WARRANTY •RECOIL, ELECTRIC START •RUN TIME ON ONE TANKFUL: 7.2 HRS @RATED LOAD •NOISE LEVEL: 58DB @RATED LOAD •134 LBS. #EU3000IS

Portable power means you can take it with you for other activities

*Financing Details *The Honda Power Equipment Visa® credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Financial National Bank. Special terms apply to purchases charged with approved credit at participating merchants. Regular minimum monthly payments are required during the promotional period. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date at the regular APR if the purchase balance is not paid in full within the promotional period or if you make a late payment. For newly opened accounts, the regular APR is 27.99%. The APR may vary. The APR is given as of 8/22/2010. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the minimum interest charge will be $1.00. If you use the card for cash advances, the cash advance fee is 5% of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $10.00. Offer expires 12/31/2010.

Financing provided by Wells Fargo Financial National Bank, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo Financial.* Wells Fargo Financial is an affiliate of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.**

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www.honda.com Read the owner’s manual before operating Honda Power Equipment. Connection of a generator to house power requires a transfer device to avoid possible injury to power company personnel. Consult a qualified electrician. Not all dealers carry all products.

Consult your local Yellow Pages. © 2010 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

38 • BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

•

ON-LINE AT www.bigskyoutdoornews.net

Holiday Shopping Headquarters Gear Up For Everything Outdoors

DECEMBER 2010

Top Winter Picks From Bob Ward & Sons Columbia Men’s Heat Elite Jacket This is a warm, technical fleece jacket with the

new revolutionary Omni Heat lining. We can attest to the fact that it REALLY WORKS! Whether you`re bombing through tight-knit glades or making a mad dash for the summit before the storm hits, warmth is good; bulk is not.

Thanks to space-age heat retention technology, you get a lightweight fleece that you can wear like a big bad parka.

The North Face Women’s Thunder Jacket

#WM6365

T

his jacket is athlete tested, expedition proven, but with style! The ultimate, ultra-lightweight down jacket for outdoor athletes to sport in freezing conditions, the Thunder Jacket also serves as a stellar insulating layer in even colder weather. #AGUL

Emu Women’s Stinger Hi Sheepskin Boots T

hese boots are made from the finest Australian sheepskin and are one of the most technically advanced sheepskin boots in the market today. They feature an anatomically correct sheepskin lined removable insole moulded heel cup and a dual layered EVA and rubber outsole.

Tubbs Flex Snowshoes

There are three series, (Trek, NRG,

and Alp) for men and women. The cool thing is the “flex” tail, so that these snowshoes actually bend when you step down on them, which makes them much, much more comfortable to walk in. You almost don’t notice you have snowshoes on.

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Men’s Flex TRK Ladies’ Flex NRG #X10008124 #X090120 Ladies’ Flex Alp #X090130

Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool T

his is the #1 Leatherman multi-tool by far! The most popular full-size Leatherman tool is now better than ever, with larger knives, stronger pliers, longer wire cutters and all-locking blades. The new Leatherman Wave is an essential piece of equipment for most any job or adventure.

#830037

Vortex Optics T

his is a fairly new hunting optics company (binoculars, rifle scopes and spotting scopes), but they have become extremely popular. They are a great quality optics for very reasonable prices. You get a lot of bang for your buck with Vortex!

Vortex Crossfire 4-12x40 V-Plex Rifle Scope #CRF04P

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SPORTING GOODS, MONTANA STYLE

Vortex Viper 8x42 Full Size Binoculars #VPR08VX

All products shown are available at Bob Ward & Sons or online at www.bobwards.com.

DECEMBER 2010

•

ON-LINE AT www.bigskyoutdoornews.net

•

BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

• 39

The Perfect Gift for the Outdoorsman on your list

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(406) 728-3220 (406) 586-4381 (406) 443-2138 (406) 494-4452 (406) 363-6204

40 • BIG SKY OUTDOOR NEWS & ADVENTURE

•

ON-LINE AT www.bigskyoutdoornews.net

DECEMBER 2010

•Choose Carhartt for clothes that work as hard as you do •Choose Quality Supply for the largest selection of Carhartt in Western Montana Long Sleeved Pocket Tee

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Sandstone Detroit Jacket

· Blanket lined body · Quilt-nylon lined sleeves · Snap-adjustable cuffs & waist #J97

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· Thermal lining for warmth

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Due to the fact that this advertisement is not prepared by the retailer, all items may not be available on demand due to prior demands or manufacturerʼs shipping issues. If at all possible, a substitute may be suggested by the retailer. Pictures and actual items may vary.