LETTERS

The Best 100 I was absolutely elated to see Bighorn Canyon make your Best 100 of Montana list (July- August). Few know about this treasure. I have to correct your statement that Bighorn Lake was created in 1956. In fact, Yellowtail Dam construction began in 1961 and finished in 1967. Also, while the Devils Canyon Overlook is a great view of Bighorn Canyon, it can only be accessed from Wyoming. On the Montana end is an equally terrific view from Pretty Eagle Point above the marina. Thanks for your great magazine.

Doug Hallesy Las Vegas, NV

Let me say up front that I have hugely enjoyed your July-August 2013 issue, and I feel very fortunate to have been a Montana resident my entire life. I have done 60 of the listed items. I see that you have decided to add to the 5 percent of Yellowstone National Park that is in Montana (#73) by annexing about onehalf mile of Wyoming to have the Boiling River as #100. Even the 0.46 nautical mile dip in the official state line below 45 degrees north there barely catches the vault toilet in the parking lot, and the closest soak pool is another 0.38 mile into Wyoming.

Mike Lesnik Fishtail

Best 103? The Best 100 issue sure gave me a few additional bucket list places to visit. Thank you. But visiting the C. M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, listening to a coyote serenade under the stars, or making and drinking cowboy coffee didn’t make the top 100? They’re on my list, and on my wife Lynette’s too.

Wayne Laessig Vacaville, CA Again to pay the price I hope the question of what to do with large carnivores (“More Fangs in the Forest,” SeptemberOctober) was rhetorical. Everyone knows the answer will be to kill them. These beautiful creatures, which are losing their habitat faster than you can say, “Shoot ’em in the head,” will once again pay the price. Humans do not have a privileged access to reality. A bullet through a bear’s heart is the same reality to the bear as a bullet into a person. As a former Montanan, I know the answer can usually be found by following the money. This is no exception. I realize that most of your readers are hunters, but not all of us are.

James Altman Lake City, FL

Roughly 50 percent of our subscribers hunt (defined as having purchased a hunting license at least once in the past three years).

Beckman WMA I wanted to say thank you for a great story on the Beckman Wildlife Management Area (“Beck man’s Big Surprise,” September-October) and to FWP staff and others for making that place a reality. I also wish I could thank Mr. Beckman himself, a heroic example of a humble sportsman and an exemplary conservationist. My hat is forever tipped in admiration.

Kevin Kappenman Bozeman

Sockless I subscribed to your magazine last year because it appeared to offer information that would interest me as a new resident. Soon afterward, I became a big fan because of the photography in each issue. I wasn’t aware of the annual photo issue until the 2013 version arrived. Wow! You knocked my socks off.

Steve Shake Plains Jeff Copeland Missoula

Mr. Copeland is correct about the photos and that improper use of broadcast herbicides can kill nontargeted trees and shrubs. Still, spraying chemicals is sometimes the best option for controlling largescale invasive plant infestations.

Overzealous application Write to us

In the article “Open Space Invaders,” (July-August 2011) where you show before and after photos of Dougherty Mountain Wildlife Management Area, the caption states that sometimes using broadcast herbicides can be the best solution for controlling invasive plants. The problem is that those photos show the effects of biocontrol insects on leafy spurge over time. I know, because I’m an independent biocontrol contractor who, along with Dave Dziak, FWP manager of the WMA, released the insects and took photographs of that very area. In fact, the photos also show dead woody species that were killed by overzealous application of herbicides.

We welcome all your comments, questions, and letters to the editor. We’ll edit letters as needed for accuracy, style, and length. Reach us at Montana Outdoors, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701. Or e-mail us at tdickson@mt.gov.