Mt Spring 2011

VOL. 38 #3 SPRING 2011

inside this issue: 2011 Convention Information Officer & Regional Reports Woodsman! Woodsman!

Joyous Disappointment

www.mtba.org

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 2 WWW.MTBA.ORG

www.mtba.org

MBA

MBA

Regional onal R Representatives epre p esent e tatives a Region 1

PO Box 219, Libby, MT 59923................................................406-293-2900 alman@frontiernet.net 3160 Airport Road, Kalispel, MT 59901 ................................406-261-4456 paulhm@dishmail.net

Al Kelly Paul Martin

PRESIDENT Jason Tounsley 8630 Longmeadow Dr. • Billings, MT 59106 jtounsley@msn.com • 406-679-1434

1ST VICE PRESIDENT Joelle Selk 6963 York Road • Helena, MT 59602 jselkmt@3riversdbs.net • 406-475-3023

2ND VICE PRESIDENT Jesse Nelson 407 N. Teton • Bozeman, MT 59718 sharpstx@gmail.com • 406-580-1952

TREASURER Jenn Schneider PO Box 23611 • Billings, MT 59104 mtba@mtba.org • 406-697-7668

PAST PRESIDENT Jim Gappa Billings, MT jsgappa@msn.com • 406-655-8263

MAGAZINE EDITOR Denver Bryan 18 Gardner Park Drive • Bozeman, MT 59715 denver@denverbryan.com • 406-539-9272

WEB DESIGNER Tracy Watt, Wordman, LLC tracy@mywordman.com • 406-721-0754

MAGAZINE DESIGN & PUBLICATION K Design Marketing, Inc. Kimberly Kinsinger 15275 Thayer Rd. • Lolo, MT 59847 kim@kdesignmarketing.com • 406-273-6193

Region 2

Jason Widaman Paul Roush II

Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6

Lucas Zemlicka

26 Sheridan Ave., Bozeman MT 59718 . ...............................406-580-9560 lucaszemlicka@hotmail.com

Cliff Garness

Great Falls, MT ....................................................................406-788-9009 obsession_archery@yahoo.com

Ernie McKenzie

Billings, MT......................................................................... 406-690-7110 mbarepr5@hotmail.com

Don Stein

1625 Northern Heights Drive, Havre, MT 59501 ....................406-265-8099 dr.camo@bresnan.net 2885 Old Highway Road,Chinook MT 59523...........................406-357-4119 mweber@itstriangle.com

Mark Weber

Region 7 Region 8

Missoula, MT ........................................................................406-799-9939 region2mbarep@yahoo.com 5106 Mainview Dr., Missoula, MT 59803..................................406-544-2169 montanaarchery@hotmail.com

Rex Rogers

Colstrip, MT ......................................................................406-748 3077 rr_tradbow@yahoo.com

VACANT

AT LARGE DIRECTORS

EVEN YEARS Cory C. Benge Brendan Burns Pete Iacavazzi Levi Johnson Steve Kamps Roger Peffer Steve Schindler Steve Sukut

P.O. Box 10024, Bozeman, MT 59714 – bengebow@yahoo.com.......................................406-220-3337 PO Box 1056, Florence, MT 59833 – Region3mbarep@yahoo.com...................................406-223-3833 Billings, MT – pciacavazzi@hotmail.com ...........................................................................406-599-5786 105 West Main, Winnett, MT 59087 – lkj@midrivers.com.................................................406-366-2247 P.O. Box 192, Lincoln, MT 59639 – kamps@linctel.net ....................................................406-362-4907 2517 9th Ave So Great Falls, MT 59405 – regorp77@msn.com ........................................406-452-0911 134 Sawney Drive,Glasgow, MT 59203 – sas@nemont.net...............................................406-228-9024 900 Hall Terrace, Glasgow, MT 59230 – sksukut@nemont.net..........................................406-228-9898

ODD YEARS Adam Barker Denver Bryan

1020 Valley View Dr., Great Falls, MT 59405 – adam.barker@ge.com ................................406-461-2792 18 Gardner Park Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715 – denver@denverbryan.com ..........................406-539-9272

Ray Gross Mark Seacat

355 Antelope Dr., Dillon, MT 59725 – Ray_gross@bresnan.net.......................................406-683-2046 Bozeman, MT – mark@seacatcreative.com .......................................................................406-570-2190

EDITORIAL COMMENTS The MBA Magazine is a quarterly publication of the MBA and is intended to inform, entertain and educate its members on happenings within the organization and to bowhunting in general.

PUBLICATIONS DATES AND DEADLINES SUMMER ISSUE, DEADLINE, April 15 FALL ISSUE, DEADLINE, July 15 Stories, photos or cartoons should be sent to Denver Bryan, 18 Gardner Park Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715 or email to Denver@denverbryan.com.

All materials are the opinion of the author unless otherwise stated, and are subject to being edited. All photos will be placed in the MBA Photo Album and can be viewed at the annual conventions. Any questions as to policies of the MBA please write the President or Vice President.

MEMBERSHIP INQUIRIES Please send new memberships or renewal memberships to MBA Treasurer, PO Box 23611 Billings, MT 59104 or call 406-697-7668 or ask any member.

Spring 2011

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6

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Jason Tounsley 1ST VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Joelle Selk

7

2nd VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Jesse Nelson SECRETARY/TREASURER’S MESSAGE

Jenn Schneider

8 9 10 10 22 31 38 41 43 47

BULLETIN BOARD LEGISLATIVE REPORT – Joelle Selk REGIONAL NEWS WOODSMAN! WOODSMAN! – Don Thomas 2011 ANNUAL CONVENTION RAFFLE TICKETS JOYOUS DISAPPOINTMENTS – Corey Benge BOWHUNTERS TALK BACK BUSINESS MEMBERS MEMBER GALLERY

About

THE COVER

Upcoming MBA convention speaker Jack Frost took this magnificent Marco Polo ram in the mountains of Tajikistan in September 2000. He arrowed his ram at 55 yards, at 17,000 feet on the eighth day of his hunt. Only a handful of Marco Polo sheep have been taken by modern bowhunters and this may be the largest one taken with a bow.

Moontana

W BOWHUNTER BOWHUNTE R — 4 WWW.MTBA.ORG

EDITOR the from I t’s that time of the year

when most of us are feeling a

bit cooped up or as a friend likes to say, “I got a bad case of the shack nasties.” For a partial cure, jump in your car and come on up to the annual MBA Convention in Kalispell on March 25-27th.

Convention chairman Paul Martin and his crew have worked hard to pull together a convention with some excellent speakers and displays along with many great donated items and archery hunts that will either be auctioned or raffled off. They’ve also secured a great room rate of $49 per night at the Outlaw Inn which is hosting the convention.

Alas, the never ending saga of wolves continues here and in neighboring Idaho and Wyoming. I still believe it’s just a matter of time before we, the states, get back management of gray wolves from the federal government and start managing them at more tolerable levels.

However and until then, we need to keep voicing our displeasure with the current situation of environmental groups and courts holding up wolf management. But please don’t run around claiming that every wolf needs to be shot or that you hate wolves. Blaming wolves for being wolves just feeds into the drama and story line of the ‘big bad hunter’ coming from many so-called environmentalists. Wolves are just doing what wolves do, just as elk will sometimes destroy haystacks in the winter and bucks will rub and kill small backyard trees during the fall rut. The issue here is one of ‘management’ and we’re better off voicing our anger at the environmental groups, who despite both the Bush(Republican) and Obama(Democratic) administrations’ efforts to remove wolves from the Endangered Species list, continue to litigate this issue and hold up a reasonable solution. Probably the best thing we can do is e-mail Senators Baucus (max@baucus.senate.gov) and Tester (senator@tester.senate.gov) because they’re listening and motivated to try and hammer out some sort of an agreement on this issue.

With spring and summer around the corner, I’ve listed all of the archery shoots in Montana that I could locate on the BULLETIN BOARD. If you’ve never attended an outdoor archery shoot you ought to consider doing so. They’re fun and absolutely the best for tuning up your rangeestimating abilities and outdoor shooting skills.

Don’t forget….send me your pics for the MEMBERS GALLERY and letters-to-the-editor for BOWHUNTERS TALK BACK. We can’t print them if we don’t get them. I hope to see many of you at the MBA Convention in Kalispell.

Denver Bryan

WHY EVERY MONTANA BOWHUNTER SHOULD CONSIDER JOINING THE MONTANA BOWHUNTERS ASSOCIATION • The MBA is the organization the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks consults on bowhunting issues that affect Montana bowhunters.

• Montana has the best bowhunting seasons of any of the western states. We are continually working to keep these.

• The MBA is active in the Legislature to protect and fight for our hunting and bowhunting seasons and rights.

• The MBA produces a quarterly magazine informing you of local, state, and national bowhunting issues and events, and publishing great stories and pictures.

• THE MBA NEEDS MEMBER NUMBERS AND YOUR YEARLY DUES TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT WHAT YOU ENJOY EVERY YEAR. ISN’T WHAT YOU ENJOY EVERY FALL WORTH $25 A YEAR TO PROTECT?

•

Worked to get the first archery season started in Montana. Along the way, we’ve increased the seasons to what you enjoy today.

•

Worked to establish archery bear, lion and sheep seasons.

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Worked to establish archery antelope 900 tag and August 15th opener.

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Worked to establish archery only areas and hunting districts.

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Proposed a special archery wolf season and endorsed the highest quota of wolf harvest possible.

•

Actively protects hunting & bowhunting seasons in the Legislature year after year.

•

Defended our archery seasons against the “Crossbows & Muzzleloaders” threats throughout the years.

•

Created the Modified Archer’s permit that now allows those with handicaps to use modified archery equipment to hunt; which kept any need for crossbows out of Montana and defended our archery seasons against other crossbow threats throughout the years.

•

Re-established the archery season after it was left off the regulations one year.

•

Actively works with FWP to protect archery seasons, our resources, and expand archery opportunity in Montana year after year.

Photos by Denver Bryan / Images on the Wildside

What the MBA has done for you?

What can you do for the bowhunting in Montana?

Join the MBA at www.mtba.org to preserve, promote and protect bowhunting.

Spring 2011

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First Vice PRESIDENT’S message “MBA – What Have You Done For Me Lately?”

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PRESIDENT’S

T

message

he 2011 legislative session is in full swing and with over 260 bills being considered and drafted the Legislative Committee is busy to say the least. Joelle has sent out legislative alerts which hopefully the membership has used to stay informed and give their input to the appropriate legislators.

Clearly the MBA does not comment on each piece of legislation. Some are outside the scope of the MBA’s focus and others we do not feel are important enough to comment on out of concern for diluting our voice by constantly speaking on each topic. Still, there are plenty of bills we testify either for or against, either in person or in writing.

One of the most difficult problems we face during both in the Legislative and Tentative Committee is making sure we have clear direction from the membership. The problem stems from the fact that we have very poor participation in the membership surveys. I believe the last survey netted us something less than 30 replies and all but one or two of those were filled out by board members. We have been getting better turn out at most all of the regional meetings and we rely heavily on the input we get but sometimes this is hard to quantify when it comes time for the Board to make a decision.

The MBA is now looking into better membership management software which will help us keep in touch with the membership in a more timely manner with mass e-mails and possibly online surveys. Hopefully, tools like this will make it easier to get feedback and help fill the communication gap.

Regardless of how we get the direction, the MBA will continue to take direction from our membership not from the whims and opinions of the bowhunting community as a whole. The MBA is its members so that is who we will represent.

Montana

Jason Tounsley

BOWHUNTER — 6 WWW.MTBA.ORG

e’re right in the thick of the 62nd Legislative Session and it’s kept us hopping! As many of you know, I serve as the chairman of our legislative committee. So, my free-time has been monopolized by maintaining the watchlist, generating MBA testimony, and attending hearings. I’m actually glad it’s mid-January and I can “get back to work” to finish my RN schooling. Check out my legislative report for information on how to stay up-to-date with our priority bills. I’ll be sending out regular updates to all current members. If you’re reading this and haven’t received a legislative update, it’s because I don’t have an accurate email address for you.

Please send a current address to me so I can keep you apprised!

Among our priority bills is one which will pave the way for bison hunts with archery equipment – exciting, eh? Senators Kendall VanDyk and Joe Balyeat are sponsoring this for us, so send a “thank you” to them when you get a chance. Also on our docket, was HB 173, which aimed to allow lighted nocks on arrows. The bill was tabled in the House Fish, Wildlife, and Parks committee. Committee members felt this decision belonged within Commission authority rather than legislative action.

On a related topic, the MBA has been asked to participate on a Congressional Sportsman Advisory Panel coordinated by Senator John Tester. The Panel will create a bridge between federal legislators and sportsmen in order to assist with drafting effective proposals at the federal level, particularly regarding wolves. We were selected as a member of the group due to our diligence in following the wolf issue and our willingness to partner with other groups to develop solutions to the wolf management deadlock.

This opportunity gives us an active “seat at the table,” and keeps us directly involved with legislation enabling Montana to manage its wolf populations.

We’re continually making efforts to increase and maintain our membership. We’re distributing additional copies of magazines throughout Montana to create greater visibility about what we do. We’re staffing booths at several of the Rocky Mountain Sports Shows in the coming weeks. Drop in, ask questions, tell us about your beefs, and let’s find common ground. If you appreciate what we do, bring a friend and get them signed up!

Finally, I’m organizing the Carp Safari at Canyon Ferry again this year. It’s scheduled for June 11th. We’ve included a registration form in this issue and there is additional information about bowfishing on our website at www.mtba.org. This thing is just about the most fun you can have outside of an established hunting season! It’s a great early summer family activity, so bring all your friends!

Joelle Selk

Legislative:

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n our current situation, the eastern half of Montana is hamstrung with permits and the western half of the state is plagued with a wolf population that is out of our control.

The FWP Commission continues to look at placing more limits on resident sportsman and there was the recent passing of a citizen initiative to do away with outfitter-sponsored tags. A number of bills have been introduced in this legislative session in response to the changes stated above. As a result, resident sportsman may find themselves facing an uncertain future. No matter what your individual opinion is regarding these changes we should all hope they will make a positive impact on our sport. The liberal opportunities Montana sportsman currently have set us apart from other western states where drawing a tag for just one species is the biggest hurdle a sportsman faces. As more changes are proposed, Montana sportsmen need to ask themselves, will these changes improve our existing opportunities or will they continue to take us down the road that other western states have taken leading to increased restrictions of sportsmans’ opportunities?

Jesse Nelson

Joelle Selk, Chair Adam Barker • Steve Kamps Cliff Garness • Jason Widaman Mark Weber • Jesse Nelson • Mark Seacat

Tentative:

Steve Kamps, Chair Adam Barker • Jason Widaman Brendan Burns • Don Stein • Joelle Selk Paul Martin • Rex Rogers Mark Seacat • Jesse Nelson

Financial:

Steve Sukut, Chair Mark Weber • Paul Roush Jenn Schneider

Landowner/Sportsman: Lucas Zemlickas, Chair Cliff Garness • Don Stein Cory Benge

Nominations:

Ernie McKenzie, Chair

Awards:

Pete Iacavazzi, Chair Roger Peffer • Jenn Schneider

Membership:

Steve Schindler, Chair Rex Rogers • Denver Bryan Cory Benge

Merchandise:

SECRETARY/ TREASURERS’

T

message

he “Big Dance” is here! No, nothing to do with basketball, its convention time! I have always looked forward to MBA conventions ever since I was little. Back then it was probably because I got to stay up past my bedtime.

Now I’ve probably gone and ruined it for myself by making it my job. At any rate, it’s amazing to see how each hosting city pulls out all the stops and brings us all together to raise money for the organization that protects the sport we love. Kalispell is shaping up to be a great convention and I hope you’ll all join us there and bring some friends. At the very least, spread some magazines around and sell those raffle tickets. Thanks for your support and we’ll see you in Kalispell!

Jenn Schneider

Paul Roush II, Chair Jenn Schneider • Cliff Garness

Convention 2011:

Paul Martin, Chair Jenn Schneider • Joelle Selk Ernie McKenzie

Magazine:

Denver Bryan, Chair Joelle Selk • Al Kelly Lyle Hebel • Rex Rogers • Steve Sukut

Website:

Jason Widaman, Chair Denver Bryan • Paul Roush Joelle Selk • Rex Rogers • Lyle Hebel

Carp Shoot: Joelle Selk, Chair

Bow-Ed:

Al Kelly, Chair Don Stein

Spring 2011

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B U L L E T I N B OA R D 2011 Montana Archery Shoots Date Feb 19 Feb 20 Feb 20 Feb 26-27 March 13 March 20 April 3 April 9-10 April 17 May 1 June 4-5 June 11 June 12 June 18 June 18 June 18-19 June 18-19 June 25-26 July 2 July 16-17 July 30-31

Host Club Lewistown Bowhunters Lewis & Clark Lewistown Bowhunters Bear Paw Bowmen Sweet Grass Archers Great Falls Archery Marias Valley Archers Mission Valley Archers Bear Paw Bowmen Great Falls Archery Libby Archery MBA Marias Valley Archers Sweet Grass Archers Five Valley Archers Five Valley Archers Makoshika Bowmen Bear Paw Bowmen Mission Valley Archers Great Falls Archery Makoshika Bowmen

MT Location Lewistown Helena Lewistown Havre Chester Great Falls Shelby Polson Havre Great Falls Libby Canyon Ferry Shelby Chester Clearwater Jct Clearwater Jct Makoshika State Park Havre Polson Monarch Makoshika State Park

Barber Ranch Shoot

Shoot Description FITA Progressive Foul Weather Foul Weather 2 day Indoor 3D Outdoor 3D Foul Weather Outdoor Targets 3D Spring Fling Safari Shoot 3D Carp Shoot Outdoor Targets Carp Shoot MBA State Shoot Bear Shoot 3D Barber Ranch 3D Kings Hill Shoot 3D

Contact Ph. # 366-3232 227-7243 366--3232 265-4572 355-4488 788-9009 460-0649 314-0015 265-4572 788-9009 293-8738 422-6798 460-0649 355-4488 544-2169 544-2169 687-3412 265-4572 314-0015 788-9009 687-3412

MBA Winter Regional Meeting Schedule: Region1 - Al Kelly will send out a meeting notification.

Region 2 - Missoula meeting: May 16th at 6 pm at the FWP region 2 office on Spurgin Rd. in Missoula Region 2 - Contact is Jason Widaman.

Region3 - Thursday March 17th at 7:00pm at Wild Joe’s Coffee House in Bozeman. Contact Lucas Zemlicka.

Region 4 - Contact is Cliff Garness.

Region 5 - Will be at 6:30pm at the Billings Rod and Gun Club on March 14th.

Contact is Ernie McKenzie.

Region 6 - Tuesday, March 14, 6:30pm.

Bear Paw Lanes in Havre. Contact is Don Stein.

Region 7 - March 15th @ 6:30pm Wild Things Preserved Taxidermy, 3036 Cheyenne Dr., Colstrip, MT. Contact is Rex Rogers.

Region 8 - TBA – Joelle will send out a meeting notification.

* Regional rep contact info/phone no’s can be found on page one of this magazine.

Shoot in the annual Barber Ranch- 2 Day Archery Club will again be hosting their 13th ery Arch the premier men of Bow one me Paw beca Bear has t the , On June 25 - 26, 2011 er Ranch- 2 Day Archery Shoo Barb our , club l smal a ough Alth of Havre, MT. ly vacation spot for well over 300 beautiful Bear Paw Mountains south , the shoot has become an annual fami mind in fun’ and t adian spor ily ‘fam of ept conc nal event with equal amounts of Can archery events in Montana. With the has become somewhat of an internatio t shoo The year. y ever grow to s shooters and families and continue ral neighboring states. h of anything that closely shooters as well as shooters from seve ie Barber on private land 25 miles sout Bett and k Fran by ed host all is it that the fact the site becomes a “mini city”, with The Barber Ranch Shoot is unique in or amenities on location. Once there, ricity elect ” ce, “fun servi e ral seve phon cell also es, ntain terrain. There are resembles civilization. There are no phon cover approximately four miles of mou that ses e cour Ther four een. over betw set in ts g targe ythin 80 ages 1 to 80 years and ever families becoming one. There are de all classes and all styles, from all free al inclu tion ters tradi Shoo .

This . ings club even the the by in te ided shoots for all to participa free barbeque on Saturday night, prov shooting together and all enjoying a by the club and family members, such ided prov is l mea the are competitors, families and friends of r inde rema to all shooters and their families. The BBQ Baron of beef dinner is provided bers attempt s and bonus prizes. Each year club mem as desserts, salads and drinks. awards, the club offers raffles, door prize and ough this is ions Alth petit . com prize the one wing least at follo , On Sunday afternoon that EVERYONE leaves with re ensu to try to r orde in ible poss donations as eager to donate something, no to solicit as many local and national as most local merchants are more than time the h wort well is it , bers mem club Special sponsors are acknowledged with a tedious and labor intensive effor t by ram and banners around the course site. prog t shoo the in ovement dged owle ackn are s scholarship funds and community impr matter how small. All contribution our shoots are donated to local charities, from eeds Proc r. traile club large the their corporate logos on that you can help us maintain the issues voted on by the members. forward to hearing from you and hope look We . .com men bow rpaw .bea Please check out our website at www e. “family” aspect of the archery experienc

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 8 WWW.MTBA.ORG

LEGISLATIVE REPORT

By Joelle Selk

W

e’ve had a very full plate this session as you’ve seen on the legislative alerts I’ve been emailing. What’s that you say?? You haven’t received our legislative alerts??? Well, that must mean we don’t have current member information for you (including an accurate email address)! Remember, the people that change the world are those who show up and give their input!

As I mentioned in my 1st VP report, HB 173, the lighted nocks bill, was tabled in committee. We’ve also asked for an archery opportunity for bison with SB 184. I’ve chosen not to place a full bill listing here because bill statuses change daily (sometimes hourly). I will throw you a bone, though. You can search for bills relevant to hunting on the LAWS site: http://leg.mt.gov/css/Default.asp Otherwise, you can simply contact one of your MBA buddies for information. If you have any questions regarding a bill’s intent or the MBA’s stance, contact your local MBA representative for clarification and assistance. Our numbers and emails are included in the magazine and on the website: www.mtba.org.

Spring 2011

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MBA

Region 1

regional NEWS

Paul Martin

Region 2

AL KELLY PAUL MARTIN

I

t is that time of year and the legislative committee has been hard at work. When you see these folks give them a high five for all the hard work they put into the process. They are looking out for your best interests as a bowhunter. Let them know that you appreciate it. A great way to show your appreciation would be to get a nonmember friend to sign up. There is power in numbers.

No bowhunting going on in our region yet. Lion hunters have been harvesting some nice cats around Libby. MBA members Fred Sichting and Tyler Bothman have been after them with some success.

That will let a few more deer and elk make it through the winter for us two-legged hunters to put the sneak on next fall.

I talked with a few additional people from our area who are planning to go to the carp safari this spring and I think Libby will have a good camp out there. It’s great fun and good campfire conversation is pretty much the rule. Give it a try this year. Joelle and crew are great hosts of a fine event!

It is also that time of the year to start planning next year’s hunts. Read the regulations, apply for your tags, practice and have fun.

JASON WIDAMAN PAUL ROUSH II

T

he 2010 hunting season is over and ended well especially for the rifle hunters.

Heavy snows and subzero weather during the last week of the season created great circumstances to be successful. With that being said, this spring’s aerial elk counts will be more than interesting. By convention time I should have that data.

At the time of this writing there was news of wolves killing 27 domestic sheep just south of Great Falls; bad news for the east side of Montana. The predators are coming. Sorry about the short report, most of my time has been spent on the upcoming MBA Convention.

I would like to encourage you to put your hunting stories on the new user friendly MBA website, while there check out ‘The Allmost Wolf Bait’ story under recent news. And you can’t miss the awesome color coded raffle tickets with the really cool graphics in this convention issue by Kim of K Design Marketing.

Paul Martin

D

o I stay or do I go? The last of the late season archery seasons have closed and it’s time to start planning your 2011 hunts. Hunter numbers across region 2 were down 30%. The wolves have continued to take their toll on deer and elk populations with no solution in sight.

With the reduced pressure is there still enough game to have a successful hunt?

Or it is it time to look for new areas to hunt? It’s a tough decision to break away from your old honey hole that you’ve had so much success and holds so many good memories.

Luckily, in Montana we have the opportunity to hunt with a general tag during a six week archery season. As our elk numbers in western Montana continue to drop below the elk management plans population objective, those hunt districts will be triggered to become unlimited draw and if they continue to drop it can go to limited permit. Looking 5 years out we could be looking at limited draw for all of western Montana. The next two years will define what bowhunting in Montana will be like in the future. Can we continue

Al Kelly

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 10 WWW.MTBA.ORG

Jason Widaman

to enjoy our flexibility and opportunity?

If the MBA and I have anything to say about it you will. As your regional representative my goal is to increase bowhunting opportunities and reduce or minimize unnecessary regulations. I welcome your input.

The MBA’s strong history of lobbying for our members best interest is the number one reason why I became an MBA member and got involved on the Board.

I couldn’t imagine where bowhunting in Montana would be if it wasn’t for the MBA. We are in the middle of a legislative session and we have numerous bills on the watch-list. Joelle is doing a great job leading the Legislative committee and testifying on behalf of our members.

I always look forward to the convention to break up the long winter months. I have to admit that I’d never heard of our guest speaker Jack Frost. After a quick search I instantly realized that he is a bowhunting legend and has continually fought to protect bowhunting and promote the sport. What a privilege it’s going to be to hear Mr. Frost speak and have a chance to talk to him during the convention. I hope to see everyone at the convention. It’s shaping up to be a great one. If anyone is interested in donating money or merchandise please contact me.

Jason Widaman

Region 4 CLIFF GARNESS

H

appy New Year to everyone and I hope your holiday season was filled with many memories of good times spent with family and friends and that many hunting stories were shared across your table. The New Year means that the convention will soon be upon us, so make your room reservations and come enjoy a great banquet with your “bowhunting family and friends.” In our family, the new year also means a new hunter officially joining camp, though he’s been along as camera

Region 3

Lucas Zemlicka

LUCAS ZEMLICKA

T

his is a busy time of year for the MBA. While putting the finishing touches on the Kalispell convention that’s coming up in March the MBA is already working on the 2012 convention. And with the legislative session going on this year there are plenty of bills out there that are threatening our hunting opportunities. Joelle has created a watch- list of bills that the MBA is continually monitoring and working hard on. Looking through this list of bills I am amazed at how many could negatively affect our hunting in Montana. It doesn’t take long to realize just how important it is that the MBA fight these bills. I know we say it all the time but Montana doesn’t have the best archery seasons in the West because of luck, it’s because of organizations like the MBA. If you are not a member I urge you to sign up and do what you can to protect and enhance what we have going on in Montana.

As chairman of the Landowner/ Sportsman committee I am always looking for ideas to help improve relations between landowners and sportsman. If you have an idea shoot me an e-mail or give me a call. I would love to hear from you. I’m currently in the process of planning a landowner appreciation work day sometime this summer. If you know of a landowner that allows public access, welcomes bowhunters and could use a hand for a day let me know and I will see what we can work out.

man a few times over the last few years. my oldest son, Jake, will be able to hunt this fall and he’s already counting down the days.

Wildlife beware…that’s 3 generations of Garness hunters in the field!

there and gets people thinking about the MBA. When bowhunters look at our website, they will be able to see what we stand for and what our accomplishments have been over the years. The MBA is a reason we get to enjoy the seasons and opportunities we have as bowhunters in Montana. Everyone may not agree with everything they see but maybe they’ll find a reason to get involved and join the MBA; and let another bowhunter’s voice be heard.

Many of the archery clubs throughout the state have set their shoot dates for this year and I would ask you folks to submit that information to the MBA so that we can get it put onto the new website.

Speaking of the new website being built, have you tried to log onto www.mtba.org lately? If not, you should as the website is up and on-line, and I must say that it looks fantastic. Everyone who has spent countless hours on designing and making it come to fruition, I thank you for all your hard work.

I would ask each and every one of us from Region 4 to try and get another bowhunter to take a look at our website.

Maybe they won’t become a member right then and there but it gets our name out

Also, the MBA has a new website up and running courtesy of Lyle Hebel. Lyle voluntarily worked for months creating the new website and it looks great. Checkit out next time your cruising the web.

Lucas Zemlicka

If any of you have new email addresses or an address that you would like me to have to keep you updated on the area happenings and information, please get it to me at obession_archery@yahoo.com.

Here is to a New Year and hope to see you all at the banquet in Kalispell.

Cliff Garness Spring 2011

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Region 5

Mark Weber

ERNIE MCKENZIE

W

ow, I can’t believe winter will be winding down shortly. I have always loved winter, but a recent trip to Maui was a real wake up call. The temps, both night and day, were just perfect and there are actually a good number of animals to take after with stick and string. I didn’t get a chance to hunt on this first voyage to the islands, but when I return I will make a point of it.

You should all be proud of the MBA’s legislative committee.

They have been working daily keeping track of what our elected officials have been doing in Helena. It’s been pretty active for sportsman, bowhunting and wildlife management related topics, but I’ll let them talk about it as they are better informed than me. I do want to extend a personal thanks to all of them for taking the time to do this work for us.

I hope to see a lot of you at the convention in Kalispell.

Surely it will be a great time. I know Paul and the guys have wrangled up a boat load of great prizes, raffle items and more HUNTS than have ever been offered!

Lastly, to you region 5 guys.....we are still hoping to find another couple ambitious and enthusiastic bowhunters that want to be MBA Representatives. Please contact myself or Jason Tounsley if you are interested or have any questions.

Ernie McKenzie

Region 6 DON STEIN MARK WEBER

N

ot much has been happening since the snow and cold weather arrived here but the legislature is in session so the action will get hot and heavy in Helena. Many bills are waiting to be introduced that will affect FWP and our hunting opportunities. One such bill is LC578 which contains a section regulating either sex elk permits for archery only season. A tentative proposal by FWP to move the application for antlered deer and elk permits ahead from June 1rst to March 15th is on the table. Comments are due by Feb. 1st. Find out who your senators and representatives are so that you may contact them about any bills that will affect you. I will do my best to update you on important bills as I become aware of them. Stay warm and I hope to see you at the convention in Kalispell.

Don Stein

F

or anyone who hasn’t already noticed, many changes are having an effect on hunting opportunity in Region 6. I believe more are on the way.

I have talked with several members who found out the hard way that getting an archery elk permit for the “Breaks” is no longer a sure backup plan as a second choice. It may not be as a first choice as more and more hunters are displaced from their home areas do to the drastic reduction in elk herds caused by wolves and other factors. Like it or not, we are going to have to share more of out hunting area with more and more hunters.

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 12 WWW.MTBA.ORG

I have already seen a large increase in the numbers of “west siders” that have knocked on my door looking for permission to hunt. Without exception they had come over the mountains as they felt the game populations in their home areas had been wiped out to the point of not wanting to waste their time hunting there anymore. Most were amazed at the quality of hunting in eastern Montana. They will be back and as word spreads I’m sure you can figure out the rest.

Changes are afoot in the management of the CMR. If you did not send in your comments on proposed management plans you are too late. You can still educate yourself to the four options being considered by going on-line to http://www.fws.gov/ cme/planning. Skip to chapter three of the document to go straight to summaries of the four options.

The legislature is in full swing as I write this. Many bills have been introduced that may have a major impact on FWP and hunting in general.

We all owe a huge “Thank You” to 1st Vice President, Joelle Selk, for the effort she puts into the legislative process. I can’t imagine the time she has spent listing, summarizing and tracking important bills as they weave their way through Helena. This is a very busy and important time for the MBA board.

Joelle makes it easier for all of us.

It has been a long winter. Take time to treat yourself to some fun and attend the MBA convention. If you haven’t been to one you’re missing out. It is a great way to meet other bowhunters and find out what is going on in the Montana bowhunting community. See you there.

Mark Weber

Region 7

Rex Rogers

REX ROGERS

G

lobal warming has been piling up around the house and drifting the driveway full so it should be a good year for lion hunting as we have had snow cover since the end of November. Being in great condition from hunting season sure goes away faster than it comes. A couple months ago I was doing 3000 ft elevation hikes a day on foot, now I get winded going to the fridge.

Things are starting to stir with our state legislators in session. See the bills we are following here in the magazine and be ready to contact your Legislators and let them know how you feel. For me, this is some of the most rewarding work the MBA does; helping to shape bowhunting in Montana by participating in the legislative process and actually having our voice heard. Contact your area rep and let him know how you feel on the issues so you can be properly represented.

I continue getting positive feedback from across the country on our magazine.

Encourage friends and family to join the MBA (only $25 per year) and receive the magazine.

It is a great place to advertize with our recently-enlarged circulation. Also come join the MBA on Facebook. The game is always changing…..learn the rules, adapt and win.

Rex Rogers

Spring 2011

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At Large

DIRECTORS ROGER PEFFER

W

olves, wolves, wolves…..

They have sure been dominating the news lately. I was hoping it would take a little longer to happen but wolves are really starting to get around Region 4. Wolves have preyed on two calves in Fergus county and they recently killed 27 sheep near Ulm, a short distance from Great Falls. Elk herds are suffering around the state and the FWP seems to be hamstrung at having any means to manage these critters. The Yellowstone Park elk herd has declined 70% since wolves were introduced in 1995. That is a pretty tremendous drop in a relatively short period of time. We need to be able to manage this species ASAP to maintain viable elk populations in Montana. Let’s hope it happens sooner rather than later. The plummeting elk herds will have a severe impact on recreational opportunity and affect state revenues. Montana cannot afford to have elected officials sit on their hands and not take action on this issue. The economic impact on the state will be too great. Call and write all your elected officials to pursue state management of wolves in Montana.

Some other notes of interest: 1) I will be running the MBA booth at the Rocky Mountain Sports Show in Great Falls, February 4-6th. I hope you manage to stop by, say hello and renew your annual membership. Thanks to any and all that can volunteer to help man the booth to sign up new members and spread the word about our organization.

2) The MBA Convention is coming up March 25-27th and I hope everyone can make it to Kalispell for what I am sure will be a fantastic event. This is a great opportunity to meet old friends, make some new ones and learn something about hunting from various seminars and speakers. There are many great items that will be available through raffles and the auction.

3) FWP is currently conducting harvest surveys. This information is important in accessing harvest levels and setting correct quotas for the next season. Please complete this survey when they call.

4) Smith River permit applications are due Feb 15th. Get your application in if you want an opportunity to float this beautiful, scenic river.

5) The MBA carp shoot will be in June. Grab yourstock of fish arrows now because the local shops tend to run out the closer we get to carp season.

6) If you have any issues that are important to you regarding bowhunting in Montana, please contact your representatives.

We want to hear from you so we can bring your concerns before the board.

Shoot Straight,

Roger Peffer Montana

BOWHUNTER — 14 WWW.MTBA.ORG

Peter Iacavazzi

T

PETER IACAVAZZI

he snow is falling and I’m already into my second cup of coffee. The fire is warm and the winter’s chill seems to be doing its best to slip under my door. Tanner’s at school and I’ve got a morning to myself. I hope everyone had a safe and successful hunting season. It’s hard to believe that another fall has come and gone and convention season is fast upon us. In fact many states are already excepting applications for this autumn’s big game seasons. Time goes by fast. Judging by how quickly my son is growing...time goes by too fast! I hope all of you will take a moment to just enjoy your “time.” Share a cup of coffee with a friend, reflect upon seasons past and smile at those seasons yet to come. As I write these words I can hear my tv in the background, Fox news is airing another story about last week’s shooting tragedy in Arizona. My prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones. I guess some things in this world make little sense. To most of us in Montana, the rest of the world can sometimes seem a world away. But to those families in Arizona, life can never again be the same. Maybe tonight, you can say a prayer for the broken hearted...

God Bless,

Peter Iacavazzi

S

STEVE SCHINDLER

eems like all my DAL Reports start off with the weather, and this one is no different. Winter is here and in full swing and is making mother nature proud. Weather is the most deciding factor in our wildlife herds and broods. Snow is what makes the prairie tick and we need lots of it to flush the creeks and flood the rivers. It is a pain to have to go thru these ordeals but it is a necessary function of how things grow and flourish . So rest assured my friends we won’t have to worry about not having enough water come spring. Of course growing up and living in eastern Montana for 60 years has proven one thing to me, that the rain drops or snowflakes you saw yesterday could be the last one you’ll see for months. So we take it when we get it and call it good. The wildlife in Montana has been dealing with weather for longer than any of us and so far our herds seem to be doing well. Ups and downs of course but we still hunt and we still wear out a significant amount of shoe leather pursuing our passion.

There are things that do have an impact on our herds and broods and it is called the Montana State Legislature. There are some scary bills being proposed by dimwits who really don’t

know anything about how mother nature works. Show me the money is their motto. I hope when you are reading this all the bad bills are long gone and life resumes its natural easy-going course.

One thing I noticed in the last issue of the Montana Bowhunters Magazine was the nearly every area rep and director-at-large report had something to say about wolves, or more specifically something negative to say. I know, I know we all know that wolves have had a negative impact on deer, elk and most everything else that is scratching out a living in Montana.

We have to keep harping about it and it has to be a main topic for our politicians both here in Montana and Washington D.C. Things move slowly but they do move and sometime in the future we will overcome this wolf debacle. Well, enough for now. I do want to commend Paul Martin for his excellent work on the upcoming banquet and annual meeting. It sounds as if Paul is putting together a great function and I hope to see you all there.

Steve Schindler STEVE KAMPS

I

t’s that time of year when many of us are renewing our membership dues for the MBA. This year consider signing your kids up as members of the MBA. It’s only $5 and yet it helps the MBA grow our membership at a very minimal cost.

Both my kids are members, so now the MBA has 3 members in my household at a cost of Steve Kamps only $35/yr for all of us. It’s just another way to help support the MBA and help get your kids more involved in bowhunting.

The Legislative session is up and running as I write this article, and we’ll probably be on the back side of the session when you get this magazine. There are a lot of bills out there that affect hunting and our wildlife in one way or another. If we’ve got your email address, you’ve seen our Watchlist and have received Legislative Alerts on the many of the bills most important to bowhunting. The MBA is one of the most active sportsman’s groups in Montana; watching and testifying in the Legislature for the good of our members and for the good of bowhunting in Montana. Please continue to support the MBA so we can continue to do good work with the Legislature and with FWP. While it’s an “off” year for Fish and Game Tentatives, there are several proposals the Commissioners are looking at and will be deciding on at their February’s Commission meeting. One of the tentatives we were tracking was a proposal to put a 4 year wait on all successful elk tag applicants who drew in a district that had odds that were harder than 1 in 10 to draw. That proposal

was tabled by Commissioners and may be looked at again during their regular season-setting process this coming December.

Another proposal is to have applications due for buck and bull tags in March rather than June 1st each year for both residents and nonresidents. This would change when you have to apply for these tags as well as when you would find out if you were successful in the draw.

With the wolves hammering the elk in the West Fork of the Bitterroot (Hunting District 250), the Commission is also looking at a proposal to go to 25 bull tags in an attempt to turn the plummeting elk numbers around there. They have also petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service through the “10j rule” to be able to take out some of the wolves there due to the severe impacts they are having on the ungulate populations. The sooner we can manage these wolves and all wolves in Montana the better.

The Commission is also looking at putting some restrictions limiting the distance capabilities of muzzleloaders and shotguns in our Weapons Restriction Areas. This is primarily due to safety concerns in these areas and the longer range capabilities of today’s weapons.

As always, we want to know what you think about issues facing bowhunters in Montana. We take our direction from our membership, so if there are issues you feel strongly about, let me or another Board member know about them or attend your local MBA regional meetings. Thanks to all of you for helping keep the MBA strong and be a major force for bowhunters across the state.

Steve Kamps COREY BENGE

T

he snows a melt’n! Not good for this time of year as the lions have started to spend more and more time on their feet and I’m no good at finding a track without snow! I can’t think of anything I like doing more during the winter months than “running cats” or should I say calling my buddies up to run cats for me. Tyler Johnnerson, Brian Koelzer and a few others will always get my calls when I find a track as they are more than willing to help me make it happen.

My feelings about friends running lions for me, since I don’t have dogs, is a fine example of how I’d like to see the Montana Bowhunters Association general membership and the MBA board relationship be. In essence, I hope to see that there is a continued support system between members and board members that will in the end truly represent the wishes of the members.

We, as board members, have a responsibility to truly represent our members and in doing this must be open minded enough to make a change and not let our personal wants, wishes, feelings or personal agendas cloud our decision making. I’ve stated this before and I will state is again….we are here to represent YOU the general member! However, without your input we can only assume what is on your minds and in turn can only assume how you want us to vote on any particular issue.

continued on page 16

Spring 2011

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At Large

Steve Sukut

DIRECTORS continued from page 15

Now you maybe be asking yourself, how do we do this. How do we convey our wishes to the MBA board and let them know what we want to see happen. The answer is very easy. Send an email, make a call or write a letter. That is all ‘you’ need to do in order to have your voices heard. We as a board want to represent the Montana Bowhunters as an entirety but can only accept votes from our registered members. With that being stated I feel, that we as a board, are also sensitive to our non-members who are also bowhunters here in our wonderful state of Montana. But the best way you can show your support is by joining or renewing your membership and then GET INVOLVED! Believe me, your single vote can make a huge difference.

Membership- The board is running a membership drive and would love to see a drove of new members for this next year. Please do your best to get out there and recruit because it really does make a difference. Also, for those of you who like to win prizes there are some great ones to be given away to the members who bring in the most new recruits to our wonderful organization.

A reminder for those of you who are planning on attending the MBA annual convention. One of the hunts this year will be a whitetail hunt donated by Bob Blair of River Bottom Bucks and yours truly. This is a wonderful hunt with wonderful people on an awesome whitetail property. Take a moment to read “A Joyous Disappointment” in this newsletter as it pretty much sums up this hunt. If you have any additional questions, comments, complaints or concerns please contact me. I look forward to seeing you all at the convention.

Corey Benge Corey Benge

W

STEVE SUKUT

elcome to 2011 bowhunters!

This is going to be a wild ride. The Legislative session is BOOMING as you read these words. There were around 2000 bills submitted, some good ideas and some really bad.

Make sure you read 1st V.P. Joelle Selk’s report for a quick tutorial on what the MBA is doing. There are four or five bills that want to strip the FWP of its’ funding and send our license money to the general fund. The FWP would have to ask the state for money to do anything. Now there’s a stupid idea!

The first thing that would happen would be the loss of all PitmanRobertson matching funds and you can bet that with the FWP stripped of its operating money, game management including all wolf management would suffer greatly. Expect the phone and e-mail trees to be used a bunch and do our future hunters a favor when asked to call your legislator and express your opinion.

On a local note, my area of Montana almost set a record when it came to December snowfall. Right now we have 38.5 inches of snow on the ground, which is 8 inches above what we usually get for the entire winter. If we get normal snowfall in January, February, and March, we could have around five feet of the crap.

This of course, will result in a substantial big game die-off.

The pronghorn herds were starting to recover from questionable management practices which saw the issuing of too many doefawn permits ten years ago, (my humble opinion) and now many of them won’t last the winter. The snow is so deep, and we haven’t had the high winds needed to blow off some of the hill tops, so the antelope have to dig for every bite.

I’ve already spoken of the reduced number of deer on the river bottoms. Right now that looks like a real good thing because if the numbers were high the winter kill would be enormous. Still, many if not most of 2010’s fawn crop will not see spring and many self-starved rutting bucks will have a tough time restoring themselves if these extreme winter conditions continue. The deer will move onto whatever haystack they can find and this will save some, at least until the ranchers get tired of them and start fencing the stackyards.

All in all, it looks pretty bleak. However, I’m not too worried about elk in the Breaks. They seem better equipped to survive tough winters and the weather is typically a little better in the Breaks areas. With the increased competition for Breaks elk archery permits, this is a hunt that Region 6 bowhunters can no longer count on every year. I don’t know of a single eastern Montana bowhunter who treks to the general elk hunting districts if they fail to draw a Breaks elk archery permit. They just hunt deer and antelope, and grumble about the out-of-area hunters flooding the place. This will continue with the wolves in the mountains still enjoying government protection.

I’m heading over to Kalispell for the 2011 MBA convention in March. How about a bunch of you Eastern Montana bowhunters meet me there and we can talk about all this? It’s always a ton of fun, you get to meet some of the best bowhunters in the world and you can give your input and ideas directly to the MBA powers-that-be. Let’s go!!

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 16 WWW.MTBA.ORG

Steve Sukut

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By E. Donnall Thomas Jr.

Who is the woodsman and what is the nature of his craft – woodsmanship?

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 18 WWW.MTBA.ORG

Tre Taylor/Images On The Wildside

ide ages On The Wi lds

The question arose recently as I reviewed a manuscript by my friend and fellow lover of wild places, David Petersen. The essay was only two pages long, but the words woodsman and woodsmanship appeared nearly a dozen times. I was struck by the fact that I could scarcely remember the last time I had seen or heard either term, in print, around the campfire, or during the course of ordinary conversation.

Tre Taylor/Im

Things were different when I was growing up. My father and his friends used both words frequently. To refer to someone as “a real woodsman” was to bestow high compliment… an honorific, by the way, that had nothing to do with numbers of trout caught or grouse shot. And woodsmanship became the craft I practiced almost every time I went outdoors. In rough terms, it meant the parts of my days in the field that didn’t immediately involve a shotgun, fly rod or bow, and my father made sure I understood that these was just as important as the parts that did.

The component skills of woodsmanship as I understood the concept at age 15 included but was not limited to: knots, canoeing, fire starting, tracking, wildlife identification, camp cookery, working with dogs and horses, wading streams, staying dry, preparing fish and game for the table, interpreting and analyzing sign, skinning and stretching pelts, sharpening knives, using an axe and crosscut saw, repairing equipment, map reading, backcountry navigation by dead reckoning and compass, never getting lost and knowing what to do when you did.

Denver Bryan/ Images on the Wildside

Incomplete as it is, this compendium is still instructive. Few of these skills have anything to do with felling trees. Most all take place outside.

Tying flies and reloading shotgun shells were an important part of my childhood too, but they weren’t woodsmanship. The list lacks both the self-consciousness of the modern survivalist movement and the grim determination of the Outward Bound crowd. I saw no reason to kill rabbits with a figure-4 deadfall when I had a perfectly good .22 at home and I enjoyed nature too much to declare it an obstacle to be conquered.

But attitudes and imponderables define woodsmen even better than checklists of skills. Real woodsmen are patient and observant. They are comfortable in the woods alone, and when they are in the company of others their own comfort in the outdoors becomes contagious. They are not competitive; they’d be happy if they caught some fish but they’d be even happier if everyone else did too. They consider the process at least as important as the result. They never ignore an opportunity to learn from what they see and hear, but they know they’ll never learn it all.

This struggling definition begs for examples. No doubt our own frontier offered plenty during the Colonial era . Few personify the meaning of woodsmanship better than Meriwether Lewis and William Clark; certainly, none left a comparable written record. The simple fact that they reached the Pacific and returned alive provides ample measure of their skill, but their Journals document powers of observation and reasoning that would be remarkable for biologists operating in a modern laboratory. Charged

by Jefferson with describing and collecting the biota of the new American West, the expedition’s leaders gave this mission the highest priority save for the well being of their men. In all, they accurately described nearly 300 species of flora and fauna previously unknown to Western science, a remarkable accomplishment for naturalists with no formal training operating under primitive survival conditions. Their Journals practically define woodsmanship at its best.

John James Audubon represents another excellent historical example.

Audubon spent most of his productive years in the field and his periodic returns to civilization served primarily to get him in trouble with everyone from his wife to the law. The research behind his spare, elegant bird portraits involved trekking through more wilderness than any of us will ever see, not to mention more riding and shooting per day than most

continued on page 20

Spring 2011

19—

Denver Bryan/ Images on the Wildside

WOODSMAN! WOODSMAN! continued from page 19 John Wayne westerns. But despite his rough personal edges and the even rougher life he led, Audubon’s Birds of America forever transformed our view of the continent we call home. No studio artist however talented could have accomplished that feat. It took woodsmanship.

Among more recent examples I can think of none better than Col. James Corbett, again with considerable indebtedness to a fine written record: his own superb Man-Eaters of India.

While Corbett attained legendary status as a hunter by ridding northern India of man-eating tigers and leopards responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people, his writing conveys none of the safari swagger that so often taints the dangerous-game genre. Corbett held the great cats in the highest regard and killed them only when they killed human residents of the Himalayan foothills first. Tracking down and dispatching a specific cat roaming across hundreds of square miles of forest, usually alone and lightly armed, was a daunting mission, but Corbett never seemed impressed with his own repeated success. He relied on nothing but his own skills, particularly his powers of observation and personal knowledge of the jungle. At the sight of a human kill, his crime scene analyses demonstrated Holmesian qualities as a bent blade of grass here and a shred of clothing there told him what he needed to know about his quarry. But he always reserved his praise for the cats… and the hill people themselves, for whom he had the utmost respect long before such egalitarian attitudes became popular.

Corbett provided an early personal role model, since my father used to read his stories aloud to me at an age when most kids were lucky to get Winnie the Pooh. His memoirs made me promise myself I would grow up to hunt and travel, and perhaps the ability to inspire others deserves inclusion in our earlier list of defining traits. As my father himself put it, Corbett was a real woodsman.

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 20 WWW.MTBA.ORG

So where have all the woodsmen gone? And why are they disappearing from the pages of the sporting press?

Dave Petersen pointed out one obvious problem when we discussed the matter: the term woodsman lacks gender neutrality.

Let’s get that part straight right off the bat. I grew up in a family that extended equal outdoor opportunities to women and men. It is an accident of language that woodsman and woodsmanship seem to refer to one sex alone. I know a number of women who qualify handily, but that’s the title they’ll have to accept: woodsman, not woodswoman or, God help us, woodsperson.

There’s just no other way to say it.

But the woodsman’s problems go far beyond semantics nowadays. He or she – as far as I will go in that department – is not becoming an anachronism because the woods are disappearing but because our culturally driven relationship to the wild is doing its best to render woodsmanship obsolete. And the ultimate culprit may be the progressive lack of the one commodity our busy culture fails to provide in abundance: time.

For woodsmanship skills cannot be borrowed or bought. They may be inspired by books but they cannot be learned there, even in the best of them. Assimilating new tips from the latest Big Buck publication or outdoor video contributes nothing to the art. In fact, such handy presentations actually detract from the learning process by implication. Real woodsmen know there’s no substitute for time spent in the woods, the only classroom in which one can truly observe, analyze, and learn.

Granted, changing circumstances are partly to blame. It is no longer physically possible to walk, ride, and paddle from Missouri to Oregon and back without crossing a single road. As India’s human population skyrocketed, suitable native habitat for Corbett’s beloved Bengal tigers became limited to game sanctuaries, one of the largest of which now bears his name. But inviting as those epic venues sound in retrospect, they are not necessary to the practice of woodsmanship and their loss, while regrettable, constitutes no excuse.

One August day I was glassing for caribou from a middle-ofnowhere ridge in southwestern Alaska when I realized how little I actually knew about the tundra I’d been tromping across all week.

For the next six hours I remained stationary, moving only a few yards on hands and knees to pee and pick a few berries (and being careful to crawl in opposite directions to perform each task). The groundcover beneath me proved endlessly fascinating as I poked, prodded and examined. What was connected to what? Why was the red stuff red, the green stuff green? Why did bears eat one thing and caribou another? Why wasn’t the tundra a forest, or a field of grass? Those hours passed as quickly as any afternoon I’ve ever spent in the field, even though the caribou never showed up.

Point being, when you’re outside in wild places you can always find something worthy of study, even if it isn’t a tiger.

Travel to Alaska or other remote wilderness locations isn’t essential to such exercises. Opportunities to slow down and observe arise during virtually all outings whether or not they fall

Our collective failure to appreciate woodsmanship these days stems not from failure of opportunity, but from failure of will… specifically, our unwillingness to slow down and become part of the outdoors instead of engaging in a constant effort to extract something tangible from it. As a culture, were just so damn busy…

Need a ready example to define the problem? How about cell phones and computer modems in fishing lodges, a phenomenon I encounter with increasing frequency when I cover angling destinations for various publications. No more wasting free time poking around in tide pools or picking guides’ brains, not in the Age of Information! (Never mind that our times should properly be labeled the Age of Bullshit, a more honest description of most of those beeps and bytes coming down the line.)

We will be starting things up on Friday afternoon with Manufacturer’s row with both local and state bowyers along with a silent auction, and at 6:30 pm board member Roger Peffer will be giving his how to on European skulls. This will be followed by champion elk caller Rocky Jacobson’s bugling seminar. Nonmembers can forgo the $5.00 door charge for the weekend by joining the MBA with a $25.00 annual membership fee. No charge for current members and an excellent time to renew that neglected membership.

Nope, woodsmanship takes time, of which too many of us have – or think we have – too little. Real or imagined, our sense of urgency too often makes us rush right past what should be most important of all. And it’s not just a matter of failure to stop and smell the roses (or the tundra). In our all-consuming hurry, we’ve let fixation upon the result negate the process… a temptation to which no real woodsman would succumb.

Saturday starts with reopening of manufacturer’s row and general members meeting. Board member Al Kelly will be conducting the indoor range for NASP, courtesy of the MBA, with the opportunity for us to try out all those custom bows.

Regional games will start at 11:00 am. There will be a caping seminar followed by an hour and a half Women’s Hunting seminar with Angie Haas-Tenison, Linda Linton, and Donna McDonald. Don’t forget the bugling contest for all classes, so BRING YOUR CALLS, followed by Bob Grey’s seminar on how to make stone arrowheads.

Our guest speaker Dr. John D. “Jack” Frost will give a presentation on The North American 29.

You will have opportunities to buy raffle tickets to win 4 different hunts and during the banquet you will be able to bid on a twelve day Africa hunt for two hunters and two non-hunters donated by Mr. Willem Frost of Matlabas Game Hunters, and a five day Illinois Trophy Whitetail deer hunt donated by Riverbottom Bucks and Cory Benge. Other live auction items include framed wildlife prints, a bronze head study of an elk, and many other items. There will be numerous categories of raffle items, door prizes, and various games. Sunday mornings Bowhunter Education Breakfast and FWP’s Region 1 head biologist Jim Williams seminar will conclude the presentations.

Hence my disillusionment with tournament fishing, record books, and most all that accompanies them. The idea of reducing any outdoor experience to a matter of inches, pounds, medals or plaques on the wall runs contrary to the concept of woodsmanship.

Not to suggest that I don’t enjoy killing large animals or catching large fish… but the problem solving and process of discovery prior to the catching or killing have always mattered more to me than the results themselves. In the age of instant media gratification, that’s a hard concept to convey in a thirty-minute television slot, minus commercials.

But I’ve always been an optimist, and I like to think that woodsmanship’s core values will prevail in the end. The process begins at home of course, in which respect I acknowledge my own good fortune. But we in the outdoor media need to assume our share of responsibility and leadership. Big bucks do not automatically make good stories. This season’s Ten Hottest Tips cannot replace woods time. And the latest offerings from the Product Review section are no substitute for woodsmanship.

Fortunately, not all outdoor media sources have forgotten these principles.

So let us make a collective vow this season: to move more slowly, take more time, pay more attention, use less stuff, and remember the wisdom of those who came before us. That’s all real woodsmanship requires.

Author Don Thomas

Author’s note - Longtime MBA member Don Thomas’s 17 outdoor books are available through the website www.donthomasbooks.com.

I would like to thank everyone for their help and support and Mr. Dyrk Eddie for his assistance in acquiring such a great speaker Dr. John D. “Jack” Frost.

See you there.

2011 Kalispell Convention Chairman Paul Martin

33rdAnnual Convention

I would like to invite everyone to our Bowhunters weekend at the 33rd Annual Convention and Banquet taking place at the Outlaw Inn here in Kalispell on March 25, 26, 27, 2011.

Montana Bowhunter Association

under the rubric of hunting and fishing. I try to spend at least some time poking around outside almost every day. Granted, I may invent some specific excuse — deer tracks, the camera, fresh morels, my life list of birds – but most days I’ll settle for anything.

I classify these limited excursions as woods time. It’s cheaper than psychotherapy and has fewer side effects than Prozac. Works better, too.

Spring 2011

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33rdAnnual Convention Montana Bowhunter Association

POLICY AND PROCEDURE INFORMATION REGARDING MBA AWARDS The MBA standardized the process for nominating candidates for the Bowhunter of the Year, Richard Conklin, and Special Achievement Awards. Below you will find the form we will use. Please use this form by cutting it out of the newsletter. You may also attach a separate sheet; just be sure to include all the items that are asked for on the form.

The nominations are due to Peter Iacavazzi, pciacavazzi@hotmail.com or call 406-599-5786. by March 12, 2011 with all the information.

The deadline is important because the nominations will be sent to the members of the awards committee so that they have time before the convention to cast their votes. We then need to get names on the awards.

The awards are important to the people receiving them. This form will ensure that the integrity of the award is upheld for future recipients. I am sure many of you know members who are worthy of one or more of the four prestigious awards. However, these people will never receive the awards unless someone makes the effort to nominate them.

BOWHUNTER OF THE YEAR This award is given annually at the MBA banquet. It is confined to members who have been in good standing with the MBA during the 12 month period prior to the issuance of the award. The Bowhunter of the Year Award is basically an award recognizing “success” and may, but does not have to be, in the form of a kill. This “success” may be the taking of one outstanding animal, or the aggregate of various species taken, or “success” in the form of a particularly difficult achievement relating to the bowhunting experience.

When an individual is to be considered as a candidate for the Bowhunter of the Year Award, all aspects of this success should be considered. Fair chase must play a large part in considering this “success”. The totality of the circumstances should also be considered, meaning the individual’s experience, handicaps, advantages, the difficulty of the hunt and the overall attitude of the candidate.

Any member of the MBA may nominate someone else or himself/ herself as a candidate, though the respective reps are encouraged to locate candidates within their area. The nomination should be submitted on the form (found below) or on a reasonable facsimile. The form should include a detailed account of why this individual is deserving and any verification of the success that is available.

The “success” need not have occurred during the past 12 month period. It could have occurred at any 22 WWW.MTBA.ORG BOWHUNTER time in the— candidate’s bowhunting

Montana

career. The candidate may be nominated year after year for the same success, though actual issuance of the Bowhunter of the Year Award can only be given once for any one success.

All nominations will be brought before the Awards Committee. The secret vote will be taken within this body. The majority of the committee determines the Award.

RICHARD CONKLIN AWARD This award was established as a “service” award. This award, which is not necessarily an annual award, is given only when an MBA member is due the recognition for outstanding work or accomplishment in the field of service to the MBA and the sport of bowhunting.

The procedure for giving this award is the same as the Bowhunter of the Year Award, with the exception that the vote will not be taken. The awards committee, along with the First Vice President, will through mutual agreement, by the majority of this body in attendance, decide if a candidate is to be the recipient of the award. Nominations should be submitted on the form below.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Over the years it has become apparent that various individuals have been due recognition that does not necessarily fall within the realm of the two prior awards. This award or commendation is dictated depending on the circum-

stances and though, more often than not, does not have to be given to an MBA member.

When an individual is due such recognition, his or her name and action should be forwarded to the award committee chairman in the same manner as the Bowhunter of the Year Award and the Conklin Award nominations. The committee will discuss these nominations at the same time as the other awards. This issuance of this award is on the approval of the majority of the awards committee.

PAUL SCHAFER AWARD This award is similar to the Bowhunter of the Year Award, but is only awarded to persons seventeen years old and younger. Ethics will play a large role in this award, as this is how Paul Schafer would have wanted it.

So if you know of a young person deserving of this award, please send the information in.

MBA LITERATURE AWARD This award goes to the MBA member whose story in the Montana Bowhunter Magazine is chosen as the best of the year. The MBA magazine committee, in conjunction with the Awards committee, will choose the winner, but will consider all input and nominations from all MBA members. This is an annual award.

NOMINATIONS FOR BOWHUNTER OF THE YEAR AWARD RICHARD CONKLIN AWARD SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PAUL SCHAFER AWARD & MBA LITERATURE AWARD Name:___________________________________________________________________

Address:_________________________________________________________________ City:_____________________________ State of Candidate:________Zip:___________ Award:

Bowhunter of the Year Award Richard Conklin Award Special Achievement Paul Schafer Award

Specifics: (Please describe in as great a detail as possible, on a separate sheet of paper, the reason this candidate should receive the above checked award. Please type or print legibly.)

Name of Nominator: ______________________________________________________ Address of Nominator:_____________________________________________________ Send to: Peter Iacavazzi pciacavazzi@hotmail.com 406-599-5786

Forms must be received no later than March 12, 2011

Montana Bowhunter Association

BANQUET INFORMATION Early Registration Information

Please register early… it helps us plan on the number of people attending, so that we have enough food and activities for everyone. Go to www.mtba.org to register online or fill out a form and return with your payment by March 12, 2011. Your tickets will be held for you at the registration desk at the convention.

All pre-registered ticket holders will be entered into FIVE drawings for prizes of $100.00 worth of raffle tickets!

Non-MBA members will be charged $5.00 admission.

33rd Annual Convention March 25, 26,& 27, 2011 PRE REGISTER (Before March 12th)

Get registered before March 12,2011 & save a bunch of cash on a Great Banquet & Dinner! $45/ person $75/couple GENERAL REGISTRATION (After March 12th)

$55/person $85/couple

33rd

ANNUAL CONVENTION Outlaw Inn 1701 Hwy. 93 on the south end of town

Kalispell, MT 59101 (406) 755-6100 or Fax (406) 752-2950 We secured a great room price of $49 per night for people attending the convention, no limits on the rooms.

Pets are allowed for an additional $15 per day.

PHOTO CONTEST Please bring your favorite pictures, matted and/or framed for display and judging.

We are featuring 3 categories:

HARVEST • NON-HARVEST OUTDOOR FUN

Register online or download a form and mail.

Send check or Money order to: PO Box 23611 Billings, MT 59104

DINNER MENU Prime Rib or Baked Halibut (with wild rice) Assorted Salads, Seasonal Vegetables, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Warm Roll and Butter, and Chef’s Choice Dessert All items Served with Coffee and Iced Tea

SATURDAY NIGHT CHILDCARE A $5 donation per child for the evening from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Dinner, snacks and games will be provided.

Call Diann Baier at 406-261-3641

inners will be considered for MBA magazine covers.

These photos are enjoyed by all of our convention Wguests — let’s make it our best photo display ever!

Judging will be people’s choice.

Contact Jenn Schneider at 406-697-7668 for more information.

BOWHUNTERS! Don’t forget to bring your trophies, shed antlers and hunting/bragging snap shots to bedisplayed at the Convention!

We all enjoy seeing them and hearing the stories.

Please have your name and any vital stats recorded with your photo for everyone to enjoy.

Contact Ronny Nail at 406-862-4509 or Paul Martin at 406-261-4456 for more information

33rdAnnual Convention

Prizes will be awarded for the top 3 in each category.

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33rdAnnual Convention Bowhunter Association Montana Mo M on o

33rd ANNUAL

CONVENTION

2011 RAFFLE ITEMS TENT RAFFLE $5 ea. Or 6 for $25 Package deal 10’ X 12’ canvas tent Frame included

FRIDAY – March 25 10:00 am-4:00 pm

MBA Board Meeting

11:00 am-6:30 pm Manufacturer’s Row & Registration Opens and Closes 3:00-6:00 pm First Silent Auction Starts and Ends 6:15-9:15 pm Second Silent Auction Starts and Ends

Little Amigo stove DEFENSE RAFFLE $2 ea. Or 6 for $10 3500 w gas generator 3D target Big Game Boss tree stand Eberlestock X2 back pack

6:30-7:00 pm Roger Peffer “How to” on European Skull Mounts 7:00-9:00 pm Regional Games Start and Ends 7:15-8:30 pm Rocky Jacobson from Bugling Bull Game Call Seminar 9:15 pm Silent Auction Ends and Social Hour Starts

SATURDAY – March 26 8:00 -10:00 am General Membership Meeting 9:00 am-5:30 pm

Manufacturer’s Row and Registration Opens and Closes

9:00 am-5:30 pm Silent Auction Starts and Ends 10:15-11:00 am Caping Seminar by Glacier Fur Dressing Inc. 11:00 am-3:30 pm Regional Games Start and End 11:15 am-12:45 pm Women’s Hunting Seminar with Angie Hass-Tenison, Linda Linton, and Donna McDonald 1:00-2:00 pm Bugling contest for all classes 2:15-3:15 pm Bob Gray’s Seminar on How to Make Arrow Heads

CONSERVATION RAFFLE $2 ea. Or 6 for $10 T2 Double Bull Blind Mystery Ranch longbow back pack Garmin eTrex Vista H GPS One Dozen Easton Axis 400 arrows LEGISLATIVE RAFFLE $2 ea. Or 6 for $10 Game Cart Swivel Seat tree stand Sitka Flash 20 in Optifade Large water proof duffle bag w\zipper BOW RAFFLE $2 ea. Or 6 for $10 Dan Toelke longbow Schafer Silvertip bow Bears Paw longbow Pronghorn 3piece longbow PSE Brute Lite 70# 25to30in. Compound

3:30-4:00 pm Dr. John D. (Jack Frost) Presentation 5:30 pm Manufacturer’s Row Closes and Social Hour Begins 5:30 pm Silent Auction Ends 6:00 pm Dinner is served and Banquet begins 10:00 pm Banquet Ends

SATURDAY – March 27 8:15-9:45 am 9:00-10:00 am 9:0 0am-12:00 pm 9:30-10:00 am

Bowhunter Education Breakfast

LADIES RAFFLE $2 ea. Or 6 for $10 Alpine Archery Compound bow $650.

Temper-pedic pillow Temper-pedic pillow MT Silversmith bracelet One Dozen wood arrows YOUTH RAFFLE $1 ea. Or 6 for $5 Diamond Razor Compound w\ Boondocks

FWP’s Jim Williams Presentation on Migrations

package 19 to 29in. 30 to 60#

Registration and Manufacturer’s Row Opens and Closes

Hoyt 20# Recurve package

Recap Meeting with 2011 Convention Committee and

Hoyt 20# Recurve package Free Trophy Scull cleaning

2012 Convention Committee 12:00 pm 12:

Convention Ends

AAdmission too the the convention con will be $5 for nonmembers, free if you sign up at registration.

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 24 WWW.MTBA.ORG

Ticket sheets are on page!!! magazine.

Donors of these items will be listed on display at the convention and in the next MBA magazine.

Thank you, Donors, for your support!!

Elections will be held at our General membership meeting in Kalispell. You will receive your official ballot in the mail.

Please do not fill out and send in this sample ballot.

PO Box 23611 • Billings, MT 59104 or bring it to the meeting.

2nd Vice President

All Members Vote

_____ Jesse Nelson

___________________Write In

Secretary

All Members Vote

_____ Jenn Schneider

___________________Write In

Vote for 1

Vote for 1

T .

O L Region 2 L A B LE P M Region 3 SA

Vote for 1 - Only Region 2 Members ___________________Write In

Vote for 1 - Only Region 3 Members

_____ Mark Renner

2011 Convention Indoor Range!!

This year the convention will feature an indoor shooting range, provided by the MBA and the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). There will be some times set aside for NASP certified instruction, run by Al Kelly, for some of the young or inexperienced archers, and “Open Range” times where anyone can shoot and try out various bows from Manufactures row! Who knows, we might even have to have a little shooting contest with the LongCurve!

TROPHY SCORING CONTEST

There will be no duplicate ballots!

Montana Bowhunter Association Nominations

_____ Jason Hollis

___________________Write In

Individual & 2-person team competitions.

For information on the Trophy Judging Competition, contact Ronny L. Nail (406) 862-4509

NOTICE TO MBA DIRECTORS & MEMBERS OF ANNUAL MEETING Notice is given to all of annual meeting of MBA members at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana, Billings, Montana, starting at 8:00 a.m.

Agenda with topics to be discussed is listed below.

Members will have the opportunity give input on current issues, and to bring new topics to be discussed at that time.

Proxies for directors will not be accepted, but all directors are expected to attend.

All members are encouraged to attend the meeting and participate.

MBA General Meeting Discussion Items

_____ Brad Zink

Vote for 1 - Only Region 5 Members ___________________Write In

At Large Directors (Odd Years) _____ Lyle Hebel _____ Adam Barker _____ Denver Bryan _____ Ray Gross _____ Mark Seacat

Vote for 5 - All Members ___________________Write In ___________________Write In ___________________Write In ___________________Write In ___________________Write In

1. Either mail your official ballot to MBA Treasurer or bring to the Banquet.

2. Only one ballot will be sent per membership, example, family membership 1 vote.

3. Ballots will be publically opened and counted by the election committee at the 2011 Convention.

4. There will be no duplicated ballots allowed, all ballots will be color coded.

5. The vote tally of the election committee will be final and binding.

1. Call to Order (Jason) 2. Reading of Previous General Meeting Minutes (Jenn) 3. Reading of Financial Statement (Jenn) 4. Board of Director’s Open Seat 2nd Vice President - Jesse Nelson Sectretary - Jenn Schneider Region 2 - Jason Hollis Region 3 - Mark Renner Region 5 - Brad Zink Odd Year DALs: • Lyle Hebel • Adam Barker • Denver Bryan • Ray Gross • Mark Sesacat 5. Committee Reports • Convention Committee (Paul) (a) 2011 Convention Update (b) 2012 Convention Update • Membership Committee (Steve Schindler) (a) Membership Drive (b) Renewals (c) Delinquent List

Magazine Committee (Denver Bryan) (a) Suggestions to make our website better • Website Committee (Lyle Hebel) (a) Suggestions to make our website better • Tentative Committee (Steve Kamps) (a) MBA position on these last FWP Tentatives • Legislative Committee (Joelle) (a) Involving our Members (b) E-mail list • Merchandise (Jenn) (a) Ideas for merchandise • Awards Committee (Pete) • General Board Discussion: • Next Board Meeting (Jim) (a) Date, Place • Adjournment •

33rdAnnual Convention

Date: March 26, 2010 8:00 a.m. • Outlaw Inn, Kalispell, Montana

Region 5

Montana Bowhunter Association

MBA SAMPLE BALLOT

Spring 2011

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33rdAnnual Convention nt Bowhunter Association Montana M on

CONVENTION SPEAKERS JACK FROST Jack Frost has been bowhunting for over fifty years.

He is currently the only person who has taken at least one of all 29 North American big game species AND has them all documented in the Pope and Young Recordbook. He has hunted in 26 different states and on all six continents.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Pope and Young Club and the National Bowhunter Education Foundation. He has written numerous magazine articles as well as a chapter in the latest Pope and Young Whitetail Record book.

ANGIE HAAS-TENNISON My favorite times of the year are fall for hunting season and spring for shed hunting. I have not missed a hunting season since before I have memories. It’s in my blood. I live and breathe the outdoors. I thank the Lord that I was given the opportunity to be born and raised in wonderful northwest Montana.

This has allowed me the priviledge to be able to hunt a number of big game animals right out my back door. I have harvested many animals over the years, and have passed on even more. Throughout my life I have held the hunting season as my most beloved activity. In high school I wouldn’t play any sports that interfered with scouting or hunting. As I got older I chose jobs based off of which ones would accommodate my vacation requests which were always saved for September through November. My husband even proposed on the side of a mountain while we were glassing a herd of elk. Our wedding was planned for early fall so that we could be archery hunting for our honeymoon. With both of my pregnancies I went on shed hunting trips while 9 months pregnant. I hiked more than 20 miles a day even with my due date less than a week away. I won’t let anything stop me from enjoying the sport that I love.

My children’s first words were “buck” and “elk.” My daughter could even bugle and cow call before she was a year old.

LINDA LINTON

ROCKY JACOBSON • Designer and Inventor of the Palate Plate Diaphram • Owner of Bugling Bull Game Call LLC since 1993 • 3 - Time RMEF World Champion elk caller • King’s Outdoor gear elk expert • Numerous local and state elk calling championships • Co-Hos Co-Host Explorer’s Big Game Journal TV Show • Published ubllish hed e El Elk Hunting writer in various publications • Accomp Accomplished mp plish shed B Bow Hunter in U.S., Canada, and Africa

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 26 WWW.MTBA.ORG

Ms. Linton has been hunting since she was 20. She lived off the land with her husband eating whatever they grew, fished or hunted from 1979-1981 in Elko, Nevada (the mecca of gold, fishing and hunting),until she moved to Washington DC for a brief 2 years in Pres. Reagan’s first term. Linda has hunted in Nevada, Argentina and subSaharan Africa. Linda started bow hunting in 2009 when she discovered she could no longer draw a mule deer tag in her home state for rifle hunting. Always thinking bow hunting would be too strenuous, she discovered it brought her to a different level one where she could definitely continue her mantra of “Preserving the Balance.”. After wkg for attys 18 years, she received her JD in 1994 and practices in California and Nevada. She has been able to put in her large TWO CENTS as a member of the Legal Task Force for Safari Club International which deals with litigation such as wolf mgmt issues and ESA. She is a life member of NBU, SCI and has been a member of Rocky Mountain Elk Fndn, MDF and other wildlife groups such as Women of the Four Winds, a group of women who love “hunting.” Her clients in environmental litigation include those with issues regarding wildlife habitat, conservation, water rights, domestic animal issues, guides, outfitters, hunters, ranchers, irrigation companies, cities, counties, land developers and EPA.

Donna Tate McDonald has been a licensed outfitter with the state of Montana since 1989. Since then she has been the owner and operator of Upper Canyon Outfitters, a wellrecognized guest ranch in western Montana which was homesteaded in 1910 by Donna’s grandfather.

Mrs. McDonald has been on the Montana State Outfitters and Guides Association (MOGA) Board of Directors for eighteen years, serving as the first woman President of MOGA in 2008 and 2009.

Donna McDonald have served for over six years on the Governors appointed Private Land/Public Wildlife Council, a council of citizens representing the interests of hunters, landowners, and outfitters. This position appointed her with developing solutions and legislation which addresses issues involving hunting and fishing access in Montana. Donna has been involved in several major legislative accomplishments.

Mrs. McDonald has also served on the Western Montana Resource Advisory Council for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from 2001 -2006, providing advice and expertise on public land management to the U.S. Department of the Interior as the council of Montana outfitting. Donna is currently on the Ruby Water Shed Council a group that is involved to develop community collaboration and to share information, education and concerns for the future of the Ruby Valley.

Staying involved in preserving Montana’s outdoor heritage is one of Donna’s most passionate goals. Aside from her major preservation accomplishments, Mrs. McDonald helped organized Big Hearts under the Big Sky. This charitable partnership program provides military service men and women, children who face the challenge of a life threatening illness, and women who suffer the challenges of breast cancer the opportunity to enjoy Montana outdoors at no cost. http://www.bigheartsmt.org/ Linda Linton

33rdAnnual Convention

Mrs. Donna McDonald has for years shared her knowledge and her passion for the outdoors, by offering hands on classes and guiding. Donna especially enjoys introducing women into the outdoors, helping with horsemanship and sportsmanship, both in hunting and fishing.

Montana Bowhunter Association

DONNA TATE MCDONALD

FIVE VALLEYS ARCHERY CLUB AND MONTANA BOWHUNTERS ASSOCIATION

4th Annual Montana State Bowhunters Championship JUNE 19 , 2011 40 3-D Targets : 2 – 20 Target Courses ONE ARROW PER TARGET - FIELD TIPS ONLY NO BROADHEADS. NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED ON COURSECONCESSIONS AVAILABLE

BY PARDS TUMMY TEASERS Located at CLEARWATER JUNCTION: 45 miles east of Missoula on Hwy 200.

NO DOGS ALLOWED ON THE COURSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trophies awarded to the top 3 places in each class.

With 1st Place receiving Championship BUCKLE. NO RANGE FINDERS. BINOCULARS OK. SCORING WILL BE 11/10/8/5. NO MULLIGENS!!!!!

SHOT GUN START SATURDAY, 7:00 A.M. SCORECARDS MUST BE IN BY 4:00 P.M. ADULT DIVISION/YOUNG ADULT/YOUTH DIVISIONS (1) Unlimited Freestyle - moveable sights, pro target equipment (2) Bowhunter Freestyle - Release and fixed sights (3) Bowhunter Freestyle Limited - Fingers and fixed sights (4) Compound Bare Bow - fingers only, no sights (5) Recurve - fingers only, no sights (6) Longbow - fingers only, no sights (7) Primitive-fingers only, no sights ALL Shooters must be a member of the Montana Bowhunter Association, you can sign up at the shoot.

DIVISION Adult (18 & Older) Young Adult (14 -17)

FEE $18.00 $18.00

Youth (10-13) Cubs (9 & under) with adult

$15.00 FREE

For more information call Paul Roush, (406) 544-2169 or EMAIL at fvac@LIVE.COM 27—

Spring 2011

33rdAnnual Convention nt Bowhunter Association Montana M on

LIVE AUCTION & RAFFLE HUNT DESCRIPTIONS Hunt #1 - Live Auction US $6000 credit towards a twelve day bowhunting safari for plains game by two hunters and two non-hunters in the malariafree Matlabas Bushveldt, Limpopo province, South Africa – day of arrival and departure included (i.e. 12 days and 11 nights).

The $6000 credit will be applied towards the total of the daily fees and the trophy fees. Should the hunting party consist of fewer than the four people to whom this hunt is made available, or if the duration is less than the 12 days offered, the amount of the credit will be adjusted accordingly.

This hunt is available in 2011, on a mutually agreed date between 15 March and 30 October. The daily rates include all accommodation, meals, laundry, services of a professional hunter, trackers and skinners as well as trophy preparation and delivery to shipper/ taxidermist in Pretoria or Johannesburg.

Transportation to/from Johannesburg International Airport is excluded – cost $300 per couple.

This safari may be extended for additional days and/or for additional hunters and non-hunters. A maximum of four hunters plus their non-hunting spouses/family can be accommodated.

This hunt is not exchangeable for other goods and/or services.

Species that may be hunted include blue wildebeest, bushbuck, bush duiker, Cape eland, gemsbok, kudu, plains zebra, nyala, red hartebeest, steenbok, waterbuck, giraffe, caracal, black-backed jackal, vervet monkey and chachma baboon. Tsessebe and sable may also be available. Prices are listed on our website www. matlabas.co.za/hunting.

There are no licenses or permits required for plains game, but permits for small cats, monkeys and baboons need to be obtained prior to the hunt if any of the members of the party wishes to hunt these species. A Conservation Levy of US$10 per animal taken will be charged and will go to the Conservation Fund of the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa.

This is one of South Africa’s prime bowhunting destinations.

The specie variety and the trophy quality are excellent. Go to www.outfittersrating.com to see how hunters rate this outfitter.

Meals are mostly traditional South African Bushveldt cuisine and of a very high standard. Venison is regularly served.

Soft drinks and table wine is included, but all other alcoholic beverages/liquor are excluded.

The lodge consists of 4 thatched rooms and 2 en suite Meru type safari tents. Other features include a separate lounge with satellite TV, a unique wildlife and natural history CD and video

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 28 WWW.MTBA.ORG

library, swimming pool, fully equipped kitchen, daily cleaning services and a laundry service. Basic toiletries and towels are provided. Excursions and other activities for non-hunters as well as tours and/or photographic safaris at the end of the hunting safari are also available. Fishing, scuba diving and/ or wing shooting is also available prior to or after the hunting safari. Details will be provided on request.

References are listed on the website, www.matlabas.co.za/ hunting, and members are welcome to contact them for views and opninions.

This is a 100% donation to Montana Bowhunters Association.

DONATION VALUE: $ 6000 DONOR INFORMATION: Matlabas Game Hunters P.O.Box 1559, Lephalale, 0555 South Africa Contact person: Willem or Flippie Frost E-mail:info@matlabas.co.za Web: www.matlabas.co.za Tel: (27) 829000227 (mobile) (27) 14 7790969 (lodge) (27) 11 6794664 (Johannesburg residence) Fax: (27) 14 7790969 (27) 866576353

Hunt #2 Tickets $15.00 ea., 5 for $60.00 OR 8 for $90.00 50/50 deal.

This is a six day bear hunt by Kutawagan Outfitters in Canada.

DONATION VALUE: $2,800.00 www.kutawagan.com

Tickets $10.00 ea., 5 for $40.00 OR 8 for $60.00 50/50 deal.

2011 Six day guided Bow hunt for One hunter for Canadian Moose with lodging & meals.

Number of Hunters: 1 Number of Days: 6 Number of Nights: 7 Year: Fall 2011 Lodging: Yes. Tent camp.

Food: Yes. Game: Canadian Moose Weapon: Archery This will be a fully guided hunt; transportation while hunting will be provided. Winners should contact the outfitter within 14 days of winning hunt package to arrange details. Hunt has possibilities of various upgrades.

Other Information: This hunt lists at $4,500. plus licenses and tax. The Alberta Moose Season runs from late August to the end of October. There are no applications for licenses required and a moose license is $800. and available from the outfitter. A $25. bowhunting license is required as well.

Fly to Edmonton Alberta for pick up, or if driving directions to camp will be mailed to you. www.silverfoxoutfitters.com

Hunt #4 - Live Auction — 50/50 deal.

Sponsored by Cory Benge www.riverbottombucks.com

Hunt #6 Tickets $5.00 ea. OR 6 for $25.00 Archery Elk Hunt Jack Creek Preserve - Ennis, Montana The opportunity to spend six days and five nights archery hunting for elk near Ennis, Montana on the Jack Creek Preserve is available to youth, women, or men over the age of 65, generously donated by the Jack Creek Preserve Foundation. The Jack Creek Preserve consists of 5,000 acres set aside to conserve and protect wildlife and its habitat and to provide archery hunting and conservation educational opportunities for youth. This area borders the Lee Metcalf Wilderness and is in the heart of elk country.

Eligibility: A youth hunter must be between the ages of 12 and 19 (as of the year in which license is applied for), and must be accompanied by a parent or other adult. Up to two additional family members or friends may accompany the youth hunter at no extra charge. Any woman archer is eligible, as is any man over the age of 65.

This self-guided hunt will take place during archery season, 2011. Bulls taken on the preserve average 330, with a 385 bulls taken in 2008! Orientation to the property will be provided to the winning hunter Saturday afternoon prior to beginning the hunt. Accommodations include the use of a rustic cabin on the preserve. The cabin is equipped with necessary cooking tools, bunks, and propane lanterns.

There is no electricity or running water, so you’ll have to bring water, along with your meals for the week. You are also responsible for your own transportation.

(For non- residents: if tag is not drawn in 2011, may apply again in 2012.)

The hunt is donated by the Jack Creek Preserve Foundation. The winner must contact Katie Alvin, Executive Director for the JCPF, for final arrangements. Phone (406) 995-7550, email at katie@jackcreekpreserve.org.

Fair market value of the donated hunt is $6000. Profits from raffle ticket sales will be split with the MB 50/50.

Hunt #5 Tickets $5.00 ea., 5 for $20.00 OR 8 for $30.00 Texas hunt for one whitetail deer, one hen turkey, one hogs, and varmints. This is a 3 day unguided hunt and lodging, with the option of a second hunter paying full price or additional non-hunter paying $100.00. Hunt willl take place December 17, 18, & 19, 2011.

The value of the hunt is $650.00 License and tags are not inc. and are $310.00 The winner of the hunt will contact Kevin Burleson of Heart of Texas Bowhunting by March 31, 2011 and confirm hunting dates.

HEART OF TEXAS BOWHUNTING P.O. BOX 467, BALLINGER, TX 76821 325-660-7819 www.heartoftexasbowhunting.com

MBA Convention Speaker Jack Frost with a nice bull elk that he took on the Jack Creek Preserve in 2008.

33rdAnnual Convention

Illinois Whitetail Hunt donated by River Bottom Buck is a 5 day hunt. All accommodations are included. Value is $2,500.00 not included are the license and permit which is approximately $550.00

Montana Bowhunter Association

Hunt #3

Spring 2011

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(406) 721-5857

TOYOTA

CULVER’S 2302 MCDONALD AVE. • MISSOULA, MT 59801-7305

CHARLES CULVER President

We are handling the hunt and raffle tickets a little different this year in order to save a bunch of money for our organization (members).

Thanks Paul Martin

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RAFFLE TICKETS Need not be a member to purchase raffle tickets We understand that not everyone can make it to the convention in Kalispell, so here is your chance to apply for 4 great hunts and 7 different categories of raffle tickets.

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37—

Spring 2011

Photo by Don & Lori Thomas

By Cory Benge

C

ome late May, I always start daydreaming about big Illinois whitetail bucks. I’ve done so every year since I moved here to God’s Country, Montana.

I even have a reminder listed in my day-planner that

simply reads, “Apply Illinois!” No other directions are needed. The application deadline usually falls somewhere in June or July and I NEVER miss it. Having grown up hunting the Illinois river bottoms, I’m aware of the great whitetail genetics that are found there.

Montana

BOWHUNTER BO HUNTER — 38 WWW.MTBA.ORG

When the application deadline for 2007 came, I applied as always but then came the phone call. My friend Bob Blair called to let me know that he had decided to turn his Illinois farm into a whitetail outfitting business.

I was devastated because this piece of property is as good a place as there is for hunting whitetail deer. I know this place like the back of my hand due to the 20 plus years that I have hunted it. I was devastated because I thought that my ‘honey hole’ was about to be ‘drained’ of the whitetail honey it held.

I reluctantly yet honestly told Bob that I was excited for him and I knew that hunters would love his operation, although it would take a few years and a lot of cooperation from neighboring landowners and hunters to get the place to its prime. He told me he would love any suggestions that I might have. Again, I reluctantly told him that I would do all I could to assist him to the best of my ability. Then, with a long sigh I hung up the phone, held my head in my hands and said to myself, “Ugh, my whitetail hunting just got a lot tougher.”

Some time later, I called Bob and asked him how things were going with his food plots and stand placements. He was full of excitement just like a kid in a candy store and he went on and on about all the plots and treestand sites that he was working on. Soon, I began to realize that my disappointment might actually turn to joy and an even better whitetail hunting location could be emerging before my eyes.

In 2008, I arrived in Illinois and was welcomed by my family. Then, after a brief “Hello” and “I missed you” followed by “I love you,” I was on my way to my treestand. My family probably didn’t even hear me leave the house but they would know that I had gone deer hunting! I drove as fast as I could, obeying the speed limit I think, and soon arrived a Bob and Marsha Blair’s place; my adoptive surrogate parents. We chatted a while and then sensing my energy and anticipation, Bob asked me if I was going to hunt. Hunt? Ha, I was already in the Polaris Ranger waiting on him to take me to my stand.

As we rode to the stand I could tell that Bob and his partner had been busy because the food plots looked great. As a matter of fact, they were already receiving attention from many hungry whitetails that were feeding on their succulent plants. I could hardly believe my eyes and felt like I was on a new farm that I had never stepped foot on before.

My second day of hunting there was exciting to say the least. After sitting my treestand for less than 30 minutes, I heard something off in the distance. Hunting whitetail deer for over 25 years has taught me at least one thing; that I know what a deer sounds like walking, trotting or running through the oak forests of central Illinois. My ears told me that ‘ole big boy’ was on his way, pushing a doe in front of him and coming my way. And come he did, from the left, to the center and then to the right.

It seemed as if he was in constant motion until he stopped dead broadside only 36 yards away. I drew my Bowtech General, placed the pin and turned loose my A/C/C tipped with a deadly G5 100grn Striker. “Smoke baby!”

Yeah, I said, “Smoke!” And that is exactly what was soon coming out of my ears because I had just plainly missed a buck that would probably have conservatively scored at least 165 B&C! Over the course of the next 8 days I never had another chance at a ‘shooter’ and 2008 turned into the first year in nearly 10 years that I didn’t shoot a really good whitetail buck. I was devastated to say the least.

Denver Bryan/ Images

on the Wildside

Denver Bryan/ Images on the Wildside

I thought that my ‘honey hole’ was about to be ‘drained’ of the whitetail honey it held.

continued on page 40

Spring 2011

39—

Denver Bryan/ Images on the Wildside

Joyous Disappointments continued on page 39 Fast forward to November 2009…. I arrived once again at the Blair’s River Bottom Bucks farm with much anticipation for they had their deer management program down pat and things were looking even better than the previous year. In the dark morning hours of November 5th I again found myself on the steps of their warm cabin nestled alongside a little piece of heaven.

Bob answered the door and he immediately heard me say, “This year is definitely going to be different than last year.”

Soon we were off to the same stand where I had missed the big buck a year earlier. I climbed into it once again with anticipation and excitement. As the crimson glow of the sunrise started to peak over the crest of the oak ridges, my pulse quickened and I was thankful just to again be a part of this experience. As if on cue, I looked to my left and there stood a nice 8 point buck feeding in the food plot. A few minutes later he was joined by a few more deer. Things were good and getting better I thought.

As it turned out, I ended up seeing 4 bucks and some more does that morning but didn’t have any opportunities for a shot.

The next morning I hunted another stand that Bob and I had hung and brushed out the afternoon before, just 30 yards from the tree that I had hunted before. I had perfect shooting lanes alongside the lush food plot; 17 acres of the ‘good stuff’ whitetail desire. Anticipation filled my body and the morning just ‘felt right.’ But that would change. After sitting the stand for a short hour I looked up to see a doe running by with and a flash of brown on her heals! Much to my dismay it became apparent that what was chasing her was a hound and not a buck.

I sat and watched the whole thing with a wrinkled brow. The doe far outran the tongue-dragging hound who soon gave up the chase and headed back in the direction he had come.

Several feelings passed through my mind as I sat, waited and tried to continue to look on the positive side of the morning hunt. Although disappointed, I knew that I had to stay in my stand. To take my mind off the hunt I text messaged to my mother and asked how my son, Cashton, was doing. Grandma’s

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 40 WWW.MTBA.ORG

reply was along the usual lines, “He’s wonderful as usual, we’re at Starbucks, heading home soon, get a big one.” I smiled as I put my phone back in my pocket and looked up to see a brown flash in the same spot where the hound had disappeared a few moments earlier. Only now the brown figure was a mature buck and he was looking over the field for a ‘girlfriend.’

My heart raced and my blood pressure rose.

“This is getting good,” I thought and immediately reached for my rattling antlers. Tink, tink, clank, clank! Enough! After only a few rattles the buck on full alert looked in my direction and then started heading my way. I slowly placed the antlers over a limb and grabbed my bow. As the buck walked along he kept searching for competitors that he assumed were nearby. Within a minute, the buck closed the initial 160 yards that separated us to 50 yards and then stopped.

Moments passed and then as if on a string the buck walked to the edge of the field and stopped maybe 30 yards away in my shooting lane. All I could think about was how I didn’t want this to be a replay of 2008. I held my pin behind his shoulder and squeezed and squeezed and it happened.

WHACK! After my shot the buck jumped and ran 40 yards in the opposite direction. Oh no I thought. Not again! Then he slowly turned and started walking. I immediately grabbed my binoculars and looked him over. No way did I miss that buck but I could see no blood on his left side where the arrow should have hit. Frantically, I used my binoculars to search the ground where my arrow should be as it would tell the story. I soon spotted it and much to my relief the yellow wraps and blazer vanes of the arrow where now orange which could only mean one thing; a good hit! When I looked over at the buck again he began to sway and stubble and soon fell to the ground. He never stood again and a few moments later I was standing over a great Illionois buck with a joyous feeling in my heart.

I would like to thank Bob and Marsha Blair or River Bottom Bucks for allowing me to continue to pursue my passion for hunting whitetails on their farm. The Blairs are two people who I have considered family for the past 27 years and I will always hold them dear to my heart. They are two of the most honest, hardworking and friendly people you will ever meet and whoever draws the donated River Bottom Buck hunt at the MBA convention in March will be one lucky hunter.

Author Cory Benge

For more information on River Bottom Bucks go to www. riverbottombucks.com or contact Cory Benge at www.bengebow. com or bengebow@yahoo.com

BOWHUNTERS

talk back

BIGHORN SHEEP Reply to Dr. Mealer’s recent letter-to-the-editor on Montana bighorn sheep management.

Indians managed the area of Yellowstone National Park for at least 10,000 years with fire and hunting. A remnant bighorn herd survives there. In recent decades it has faced major disease die-offs, severe forage competition, disturbance by tourists and an on-going high predator population saga.

We can still do an excellent job of managing bighorn sheep in Montana and much has been accomplished with them since the 1950’s when Faye Couey reported the first study of the bighorn sheep in the Sun River area.

My M.S. research on the bighorns and their range relationships in Sun Canyon was the second study in Montana in 1964-65.

Transplanting of bighorns in Montana had little success in the early 1960’s and Wynn Freeman, Chief of Wildlife Management, asked me to help them determine the problems in 1966. We discussed previous work and I drew up some simple guidelines which were quite successful and are basically still in use. Put 25 or 30 bighorns in winter on winter range in the transplant area which has the basic requirements for all seasons and then supplement them a year or two later with a similar size transplant.

Many new herds were established and the transplanting program which is on-going resulted in an additional 3,000 bighorns in the state since 1966.

Throughout my 48 years of work as a wildlife research and management biologist, cattle rancher, general outfitter, wildlife writer and even prior to that owning domestic sheep from age 5 till 21 on ranches, I found that if you treat ranchers right, they will most likely do the same to you.

Calling hard working Montana ranchers, who often have been in business for generations, welfare ranchers, is a very poor policy.

As for the Greenhorn Mountains bighorn sheep, I originated the idea for the transplant and worked five years with others to make it happen.

Things have not turned out as well as we hoped and following are some of the reasons: A die-off from contact with domestic sheep has not happened.

The biggest problem as I see it is that the local wildlife management biologist never wanted the bighorn sheep. He has done very little to fulfill his part of the agreement which was supposed to include frequent monitoring of the 36 radio marked animals, population surveys, land use records and annual reports. He has gone on record in writing saying that we should declare them non-viable and perhaps move the remaining ones.

He stated that there were only about 30 left. In 2009 we did a citizen survey after the hunting season and came up with 50 bighorns. I was not

able to make the survey this year but a local Ph.D. biologist friend saw 34 one day this past fall from the Ruby River road.

Other factors which have harmed these bighorn sheep include wolves and mountain lions preying on them, some have been killed by vehicles, and no special efforts are made to control the competing elk herd numbering at least 600 on the west face of the Greenhorns where the bighorns winter. The mule deer are almost gone so there is little competition for food but no deer buffer from predation.

In northern Montana some work has been done with controlled burns to improve bighorn range through removal of some of the encroaching conifers and similar work is ongoing in Wyoming. It would help if that was done in the Greenhorn Range on winter range and also to provide more open corridors to the high elevation summer range. Bighorns do best where they have at least 300 yards of visibility to watch for predators. Bighorns need steep escape cover and relatively low snow depths.

Both domestic and wild sheep easily die when stressed. While some disease can be passed by domestic sheep, the die-offs this year throughout Montana including the Sun River can’t all be attributed to that as in a number of cases there was no domestic sheep contact. I have noted in the Sun River that the bighorns die when too many bighorns and elk inhabit the same winter range.

I tried to keep the elk numbers low on bighorn ranges there but that went by the wayside after I left and a major die-off occurred about 1984. I and other bighorn workers believe that wet, cold springs such as the one in 2010 contribute a large stress to the bighorns and cause sickness.

Regarding Bighorn Mountain in the Gravelly Range on which Dr. Mealer stressed he wants a bighorn herd, it is 10,275 feet high and only summer range for bighorns in the past. Winter range is the key to maintaining bighorn populations.

Some of the groups Dr. Mealer seems to be affiliated with want to run ranchers off the land in many states. I do not believe that Montana bowhunters are helping their access to private land by allowing such untrue information in their magazine. Claiming that the highly experienced and hard working sheep herders, two with each band, are allowing expensive domestic sheep to escape, contact bighorns etc. is pure rubbish. The ranching families involved are known nation-wide and throughout Montana for their excellent management practices. They are very hard working, educated, intelligent people who should not be belittled in your magazine. They have been much better to work with than the local FWP biologist and some Montana and Idaho groups who are trying to destroy ranching. I requested that the ranchers and herders have authority to kill any bighorns which try to mingle with the domestic sheep.

We do not want potential carriers of infection going back to the wild herds and the ranchers don’t want wild rams breeding their ewes. So far mingling has never been found in 10 years.

Establishment of future bighorn populations depends on cooperation from all involved. Most of the best areas already have bighorns.

Allen Schallenberger, Wildlife Biologist and MBA member

AUCTION - JUNE 7, 2011 - DARBY, MONTANA Bitterroot National Forest Outfitting Business will be sold at public auction.

Overnight and day use hunting and summer operation, elk, deer, mountain lion and bear.

Also selling surplus livestock, 20-30 outfitter/mountain broke pack mules, riding mules & saddle horses, horse trailers, wall tents, pack saddles, riding saddles, wood stoves, packing gear, camp gear and equipment and much more.

For complete details, USDA Forest Service information and bidder business packet please visit www.riverswestauction.com or call Jason at 406-239-3529

Spring 2011

41—

REGIONAL SUPERVISORS OF THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS Region 1, Kalispell Jim Satterfield 406-752-5501 jsatterfield@mt.gov Region 2, Missoula Mack Long 406-542-5500 mlong@mt.gov Region 3, Bozeman Pat Flowers 406-994-4042 pflowers@mt.gov Region 4, Great Falls Gary Bertellotti 406-454-5840 gbertellotti@mt.gov Region 5, Billings Gerry Hammond 406-247-2940 ghammond@mt.gov Region 6, Glasgow Pat Gunderson 406-228-3700 pgunderson@mt.gov Region 7, Miles City Bryce Christensen 406-234-0900 bchristensen@mt.gov WILDLIFE MANAGERS OF THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS Region 1, Kalispell Jim Williams 406-751-4585 jiwilliams@mt.gov Region 2, Missoula Mike Thompson 406-542-5516 mthompson@mt.gov Region 3, Bozeman Kurt Alt 406-994-4942 kalt@mt.gov Region 4, Great Falls Graham Taylor 406-454-5860 gtaylor@mt.gov Region 5, Billings Ray Mule’ 406-247-2960 rmule@mt.gov Region 6, Glasgow Kelvin Johnson 406-228-3710 kjohnson@mt.gov Region 7, Miles City John Ensign 406-232-0921 jensign@mt.gov Senator Jon Tester Email: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/ Senator Max Baucus Email: baucus@baucus.senate.gov Representative Denny Rehberg Email: denny.rehberg@mail.house.gov To view upcoming proposed legislation, go to the LAWS website at http://laws.leg.state.mt.us/pls/laws05/LAW0200W$.startup>

MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS COMMISSIONERS Joe Maurier, FWP Director PO Box 20071 Helena, MT 59620-0701 (406) 444-3186 jmaurier@mt.gov DISTRICT 3 Ron Moody 109 Bach Lewistown, MT 59457 (406) 538-2698

DISTRICT 1 Bob Ream 521 Clark St. Helena, MT 59601 (406) 461- 3202 DISTRICT 4 Willie Doll PO Box 1142 Malta, MT59538 (406) 658-2120

DISTRICT 2 Dan Vermillion, 315 East Lewis Livingston, MT 59047 (406) 222-0624 DISTRICT 5 Shane Colton, Chair 304 Yellowstone Billings, MT 59101 (406) 259-9986

Commissioner’s clearinghouse e-mail address: fwpcomm@mt.gov

CLUB AFFILIATIONS ARCHER’S ROOST PO Box 429 • Hardin, MT 59034 BEAR PAW BOWMEN 11865 Hwy 2 East • Havre, MT 59501 www.bearpawbowmen.com FIVE VALLEYS ARCHERY CLUB PO Box 5083 • Missoula, MT 59806 FLATHEAD VALLEY ARCHERS PO Box 5083 • Kalispell, MT 59903 GREAT FALLS ARCHERY CLUB PO Box 3653 • Great Falls, MT 59403 www.greatfallsarchery.com LEWIS & CLARK ARCHERS PO Box 6271 • Helena, MT 59604 www.lewisandclarkarchers.com MAKOSHIKA BOWMEN PO Box 781 • Glendive, MT 59330 MONTANA ARCHERY ASSOCIATION 4205 Lewis Ave • Great Falls, MT 59405 www.montanaarchery.org SILVER BOW ARCHERS PO Box 3843 • Butte, MT 59701

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BOWHUNTER — 42 WWW.MTBA.ORG

BUSINESS MEMBERS

Become a Business Member of the MBA and be listed on this page every issue!

For membership visit www.mtba.org.

Active as of February 2011 24/7 MUSCLE & FITNESS

Kelly Kimzey

ARCHER’S ROOST

Steven Battaglia

ATLAS CHIROPRACTIC

Dr. Tony Nieter

435 South Atlantic

Dillon

MT

59725

406-925-3485

PO Box 429

Hardin

MT

59034

406-672-5945

46 Village Loop Rd

Kalispell

MT

59901

406-253-7027

BE THE DECOY

Mark Renner

PO Box 5151

Bozeman

MT

59717

www.bethedeccoy.com

BIG SKY ARCHERY

William Farris

120 Pollywog Lane

Belgrade

MT

59714

www.bigskyarchery.com

BRUCE’S QUICKLUBE

Bruce Metcalf

1111 E Front St

Butte

MT

59701

406-782-6124

2710 Broadwater Ave

Helena

MT

59602

406-449-3111

84 Williams Drive

Dillon

MT

59725

406-380-0986

PO Box 9936

Kalispell

MT

59904

406-752-6116

BUFFALO JUMP ARCHERY

Judy Adams

C. DOUGLAS WEBB

C. Douglas Webb

CROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

M & L Layne

DAHL WHOLESALE

Chris Dahl

PO Box 384

Drummond

MT

59832

406-449-1517

DR. CAMO

Don Stein

1625 Northern Heights Dr

Havre

MT

59501

406-265-8099

FIRST CLASS OUTDOORS, LLC

10 Grassy Flat Rd

Roundup

MT

59072

661-317-0001

FIVE VALLEYS ARCHERY CLUB

PO Box 5083

Missoula

MT

59806

406-544-2169

FLATHEAD VALLEY ARCHERS

PO Box 1282

Kalispell

MT

59903

5348 Florence Carlton Loop Florence

MT

59833

406-273-2210

1105 Spurgin Ct

Missoula

MT

59804

406-327-4800

GREAT FALLS ARCHERY CLUB Rick Maynard/President

PO Box 3653

Great Falls

MT

59403

406-453-1158

K DESIGN MARKETING, INC.

15275 Thayer Rd.

Lolo

MT

59847

406-273-6193

LEWIS & CLARK ARCHERS

PO Box 6271

Helena

MT

59604

LIBBY ARCHERY CLUB

PO Box 755

Libby

MT

59923

MAKOSHIKA BOWMEN

PO Box 781

Glendive

MT

59330

MONTANA HISTORICAL SOC LIBRARY

PO Box 201201

Helena

MT

59620

POLSON AMBULANCE, INC.

Tim Brester, Eric Henslin

PO Box 838

Polson

MT

59860

406-883-5778

PROGHORN CUSTOM BOWS

Herb Meland

2491 W 42nd St

Casper

WY

82604

307-234-1824

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION David Allen

5705 Grant Creek Road

Missoula

MT

59808

406-523-4500

ROYAL ELK SEWING

703 Goldenwest

Belgrade

MT

59714

406-388-9780

3312 Rome Lane

Stevensville

MT

59870

406-370-5311

1299 Fort Ellis Road

Bozeman

MT

59715

406-924-4494

31345 Lost Creek Lane

Ronan

MT

59864

406-676-5150

3170 MT Hwy

Philllipsburg

MT

59858

406-859-0297

1865 Hwy 2 E

Havre

MT

59501

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Dan Tracey

2214 Tschache Lane

Bozeman

MT

59715

406-586-0100

Bernie & Dorothy Smith

3036 Cheyenne Drive

Colstrip

MT

59323

406-748-4119

John Wilson

945 Lorraine St

Billings

MT

59105

406-256-4909

Rich Wormington

280 HWY 14A E

Lovell

WY

82431

307-548-6292

GAME TRAILS WILDLIFE STUDIO GARRAMONE BUILDERS

SIMMONS SHARKS

Steve Brett Don Garramone

Sam & Kim Kinsinger

Marvin Hansen Dave & Brandy Oligee

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Joe Esparza

TOELKE TRADITIONAL ARCHERY

Dan Toelke

TROPHY’S ONLY TAXIDERMY WESTERN TRAILER & MARINE SALES

Clyde Thomas, Jr.

WHOLESALE SPORTS #144 BOZEMAN WILD THINGS PRESERVED TAXIDERMY WILSON BUILT CONSTRUCTION YELLOWSTONE BOWS

406-377-1572

Spring 2011

43—

MBA Fall Photo Contest Winner MBA member CHRIS BLASKOWSKI hunting mountain goats in the high country of British Columbia

by Kim Blaskowski

Do you enjoy bowhunting and our bowhunting seasons in Montana?

Join the MBA to preserve, promote and protect bowhunting!

What the MBA offers you: Expanded hunting opportunities through working with FWP and commissioners to preserve and expand bowhunting seasons Unified voice during legislative sessions to protect seasons and access programs while opposing efforts which seek to limit the role of FWP in managing wildlife Fellowship with others who are interested in shaping the future of bowhunting Quarterly magazine keeping you informed on local, state, and national bowhunting issues, bowhunter education, events, and great hunting stories

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP One Year $25.00 Three Years $67.00 Life $500.00

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OVERSEAS MEMBERSHIP Add $10.00 a year to membership choice for added mailing costs

Join Today!

Visit the MBA website at: www.mtba.org

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 44 WWW.MTBA.ORG

Memberships run January 1 to December 31 each year.

H

unting the Rez will showcase four different tribes in each issue. Each issue will be jam packed full of information pertaining to hunting in Indian Country. Editorial features promote successful hunting and fishing that benefits the enjoyment of the sport for the year-round enthusiast.

r 4QFDJBMJ[FE JOGPSNBUJPO PO FBDI SFTFWBUJPO JO UIF 6 4 BOE $BOBEB r ăF CFTU JO XIFSF UP IPX UP BOE XIFO UP information about hunting and fishing in Indian Country

White Mountain Apache Tribe Trophy Bull Elk r )VOUJOH FUIJDT PO 5SJCBM MBOET r 1SPEVDU SFWJFXT r $POTFSWBUJPO OFXT r )VOUJOH UFDIOJRVFT r 6TFGVM 2 " T BOE OFXT BCPVU XIFSF UP Ä‘OE UIF best hunting and fishing spots in Indian Country r 0VUEPPS BEWFOUVSF TUPSJFT r $PNNFOUBSZ BOE BEWJDF GSPN FYQFSUT r )FMQGVM UJQT UP IFMQ ZPV IPOF ZPVS TLJMMT r 5FDIOJDBM JOGPSNBUJPO BCPVU IBCJUBU

Oglala Sioux Nation Trophy Antelope

Spring 2011

45—

Montana

BOWHUNTER — 46 WWW.MTBA.ORG

JOEY NELSON with a great bull in 2009.

LEVI JOHNSON knows speedgoats.

STEVE TYLINSKi with another nice whitetail buck.

KEEGAN LINSOE with his first archery turkey.

MBA Life-Member RONNY NAIL wich a nice mulie buck.

RICK TRAEGER used a homemade decoy with great success.

MBA members BRIDGER and SAGE KAMPS enjoyed helping Dad fill the freezer in 2010.

MIKE LLOYD shot this turkey in the Bitterroot Valley spring of 2010.

JAY ROBERSON with a great black bear.

Spring 2011

47—

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