Montana Woods N Water December 2015 Print Edition

Publisher’s Notes

By Raf Viniard Don’t forget to support our advertisers and tell them you saw their ad in Montana Woods N Water. Without them this publication would not exist. We need their business for us to stay in business and keep you informed, entertained and educated. Thank you advertisers and our followers for making 2015 a great year!

This issue is jammed packed, in fact we had to add eight pages to get all the pictures posted.

If I missed anyone just drop me an email (see below), sorry. Thanks to everyone that submitted pictures and articles. It is hard to believe hunting season is over and Christmas is just a few days away. Where did this year go? Time for some cat hunting?

Take time this month to count your blessings and to celebrate the holiday’s with family, friends and neighbors. Even if your family is dysfunctional take time to reflect on those people that are important in your life and let them know you appreciate them not with a gift but with your friendship and a kind word.

Our world is crazy right now. I saw a quote by Joel Osteen on the wall at the VFW and thought it was very appropriate. “If you can’t be positive then at least be quiet.” Don’t let things, circumstances or people get under your skin this holiday season there is already enough drama in this world. Life is short, take a deep breathe and feel that mountain air and take in Montana’s beauty. The “Last best Place on Earth!”

I want to thank my church family, friends, neighbors and business associates for their kindness, support and encouraging words and conversation. For all my friends and family here, back east and down south...Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May your holiday season be filled with joy and happiness. Blessings...Raf Viniard

I want to wish all my customers and friends a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Guest Writers This Month: Charles Woolley—Patriot pg. 6 & Alan Clarke—Toys pg. 34 Front Cover Photo Provided By: Bob Hosea aka “The Bob Factor” “Christmas Spirit At Grouse Creek “ Lincoln County, Montana www.thebobfactor.com and Facebook To Contact Us: Montana Woods N Water 171 Clark Creek Loop Plains, Montana 59859 406-407-0612 Email: raf@montanawoodsnwater.com www.montanawoodsnwater.com

What’s Inside Another Packed Issue!

Hunting 2 Local Celebrities 3, 7, 10, 12-14, 16-18, 21, 23, 25-27 Tony Rebo 4 Patriots 6 Trapping 9 Montana Dan 11 Sportsman’s Meditation 15 Chuck Stranahan 19 Next Generation 22, 24, 27 Family & Friends 28 Mountain Memories 32 The Root Cellar 33 Toys 34 Outdoor Veterans 35 Ye Old Watering Hole 36 Inside Back Cover— Ice Fishing Tournament

Staff

Publisher/Editor/Layout/Sales: Raf - 406-407-0612 Field Editor, Lincoln County Kori - 406-293-1478 Director of Social Media Misty - 406-250-4191 Pro Staff Writers This Month: Pastor Jim Sinclair Paul Fielder Dan Helterline Tony Rebo Chuck Stranahan

Editorial Policy: Montana Woods N Water (MWW) reserves the right to refuse to publish any form of content that does not include the author’s name, complete mailing address, and/or valid phone number or e-mail address. Anonymous submissions will not be addressed or published. MWW reserves the right not to publish anything we feel is not in good taste or appropriate. All content, material and graphics designed by Montana Woods N Water are copyrighted.

HUNTING

Post Season Discussion - By Raf Viniard Wow, where did this hunting season go? Spring bear flew by and archery season was just a flash. Rifle season finally got here and in the twinkling of an eye it was over or at least it felt that way. As I watched the sun go down on the last day of rifle season and felt the bulge of unused tags in my pocket I sat in reflection of what I did right and what I did wrong. I am thankful that I did get to hunt more this year than last. Luckily for me I had someone to show me the ropes and orientate me to the area this year. I learned a lot thanks to my mentor and friend George...thanks buddy!

To me, it seemed like more people were hunting this year than last. Maybe it was because I got to get out more this year. With the price of beef and other meats I think more folks need the meat than last year. I also think with the price of gas being lower allowed more folks to hunt than last year. I definitely seen more kids and women hunting this year and for that I am happy to see. As I moved around Northwest Montana putting this publication together I get to hear the success, failures and comments of other sportsmen. Here are some of the things I heard and maybe you agree or disagree but something to ponder as we start to prepare for next year not only with our time but our money. I saw more folks going to eastern Montana where the game is more plentiful, easier to hunt and bigger.

The number one complaint this season was….“Too many wolves!” I heard several folks talk about going back into their old honey holes and finding it void of game. Fellow sportsmen...we have to get behind the trappers and support them not only financially but legislatively. If the lefties and tree huggers succeed in banning trapping on public land you can only imagine the predator problems we will have. Once trapping goes, hunting and/or public land access will be their next objective. Can’t say you was not warned.

This ties in directly with “Too Many Wolves “but I heard this statement many times “There is just no game left and what is out there is small or on private land I heard this from road hunters and walkers alike. I know I covered five miles behind a gate and only saw six deer tracks.

Here is another one, “To many small bucks and bulls being killed. “ As pressure mounts from predators and the hunting public the average hunter to include non-residents will continue to put pressure on future breeding stock whether they are a meat hunter or a hunter that has paid thousands of dollars to come to Montana to hunt a trophy. Many don’t want to go home empty handed...they paid for a tag.

This one probably stirred the most resentment. “To many outfitters .” This can be a hot button issue for many but it all depends on if you depend on the outfitting industry to make or supplement your living. Non-residents do bring dollars to our communities and help local business. If the game population is not better managed it is just a matter of time until non-residents will stop coming to Montana to hunt.

My buddy and I ran into a local outfitter’s client as he slowly climbed a very steep gulch up from the main road. When asked how it was going, he said, “This hunt has been nothing more than a preparatory school for basic training. You could tell he was discouraged from not seeing any trophy animals but running into so many other outfitters and hunters.

Here was another comment often heard, “The gates needs to be open...I am not able to walk like I used to.” As the baby boomers get older I think you will start to hear this more often. Most main roads I traveled to and from my hunting areas was like the Indy 500 with traffic going both ways, so once the gates are closed it creates a tighter hunting environment for everyone, especially road hunters.

Oh, this one was heard more than once, “The state and RMEF are doing a poor job of managing our wildlife.” Some even suggested instead of the shoulder season over on the east side to load up some of those nuisance elk cows and bring them over here rather than just kill them. What do you think?

A sense of worry and concern looms over most sportsmen in this area with the buy out of Plum Creek by Weyerhaeuser. No one really knows how that may affect next season. We will try to keep you posted as we hear things.

If for some reason I am called to the great hunting land on the other side before next season, I had the privilege and opportunity to take in some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and meet some of the greatest sportsman on this earth. I love Montana and I am truly, “Living The Dream!”

Time to get ready for wolf trapping, ice fishing and cat hunting! Send me your comments at Raf@montanawoodsnwater.com.

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HUNTING...A FAMILY AFFAIR Deborah Buckner with her first bull elk. Pictured behind her is Randy her husband and her son Dylan. With a 500 yard shot right thru the lungs the bull only went 30 yds before piling up. She shot it with her Sako 270 wsm with a 140 gr.

Berger bullet. About five minutes after she shot while we were watching for her bull because at the time we didn’t know it was dead, another bull appeared and my Grandpa (Bottom Right w/Deborah) shot it at just over 400 yds. His bull also went only about 30 yds before piling up. He shot his with his 7mm wsm with 168 gr Berger bullet. Best part is both bulls were right above the road on a very steep mountain side so we could drag them out and loaded them whole.

Bottom Left: 10 year old Dylan Buckner with his first buck that he bagged on opening day with one shot at 125 yards using his Sako 270 with a 130 grain Berger bullet. Randy I know this made your day/year...thanks for sharing and keeping the Montana dream alive.

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TONY REBO

My Hunting Trip With Ole and Sven

By Tony Rebo I received a text message in June that I was drawn for a 339 bull tag. I was so excited as I had been applying for six years straight without any luck at drawing a tag. I would spend the next several months preparing for the hunt in mid November.

I arrived in Wolf Creek Montana on November 12th. It was a cold, blowing snow kind of day. I checked into the cabin and unloaded my belongings and prepared for the ten day hunt that was in front of me. First thing was first, and I had to get some local information to the elk and where they might be. It just so happened that right next door to my cabin there were two old boys who resembled hunters. I approached the two cautiously as I didn’t want to act like a newbie to hunting, but then again if they had some good info to finding elk I was all about listening to their story.

I walked up and introduced myself to the two fellows, and the small one stepped up and shook my hand as if he was pumping water from a well. “My name is Ole “said the small fellow “and this here is my partner Sven”.

Sven told Ole “for god sake Ole let go his hand before you dislocate his shoulder” Then Sven grabbed my other hand and he began to pump water.

“Hello young fella, my name is Sven and we are here on an elk hunt”. “We drew 339 bull tags”. “We arrived here in Montana about a week ago”. “We are from Minnesota you know”.

Well it is nice to meet you folks and I would never have guessed where you were from. I was trying not to sound too critical of these two but at the same time in the back of my mind I was wondering what I may have got myself into. I forced myself to ask the question… Have you guys seen anything?

“Well now you know, we just got to hunting the day before yesterday”. “Our other partner Ano he forgot his pack back home and he went back to fetch it” said Ole. Hmm, so he drove back all the way to Minnesota to fetch his gear, and then was going to turn around and come back to hunt. Sounded pretty crazy to me and the fact that he has now been missing for five days may be a sign that he is not returning. Still I felt obligated and had to mention to the boys that their buddy Ano may not be returning.

Sven replied “no he will be back, however he was headed west when he left”. “He has a sister in Idaho you know”. “She lives down by the river in Lewiston”. “You remember her don’t ya Ole, she walked with the funny limp cause she cut her toes off while chopping wood”. “Oh ya, that was on account because she has the one lazy eye you know” said Ole. “Dats right Ole...I forgot about that, we never knew who she was talking to because she could look at all of us at the same time without so much as moving her head”. “If it wasn’t for the limp she would probably have been good at hunting deer”. “Well any who when Ano gets done visiting he will be back I am sure”.

Ok now I was positive that I had made a mistake by trying to steal hunting secrets. I had no way to get out of this drawn out conversation without the help from a flood or a tornado. Even then I still felt the need to find out if they had indeed seen any elk. So I again asked the question, “Have you boys seen any elk”?

Sven was quick to respond to my question “oh you know it, we walked right up on a heard of four bulls no more than a few feet from us”.

“Did you get a shot at anything”? I rang out.

Ole then gave me the run down on the events that took place that morning; it seems that Ole and Sven would park a truck at the bottom of the mountain each morning. They leave behind a thermos of coffee, and their lunch so that when they arrived at the truck they could have lunch while driving back up to the other truck parked at the top of the mountain. This is a very common practice. So they dropped off the first truck and drove to the top of the mountain in the second truck. They loaded their gear in their packs and headed down the mountain in search of elk. They were about a mile down the mountain when they realized they had forgotten their guns. In all the shuffling around of gear and food they realized they had left their guns in the truck at the bottom of the mountain and not in the truck at the top. Sven then told me that it just seemed closer to walk down to the truck to fetch the guns then it would be to walk back up and drive down to get them. Continued on page 5.

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Sue Hyman of Whitefish, MT with supper on the hoof!

They had to drag this one back up hill for several hundred yards...if only they would run to the road and die...right Sue? Congrats to Sue and her husband !

TONY REBO CONTINUED As the two boys from Minnesota walked down the mountain they crossed a small meadow where four bulls were bedded down. Sven told me they walked right on by and didn’t give any notice to the elk what so ever, so as not to scare them. The elk did jump up and ran away as expected, which Ole thought was rude as they weren’t even going to hunt them at this time. Oh my word I thought I was going to have a heart attack. These two forgot their guns and still hunted down the ridge in order to get their guns and walked through a small heard of bulls. WHO DOES THAT? Well when they reached their truck at the bottom, they had lunch and a cup of hot coffee. It was about four hours later since they first left the top of the mountain. They then drove to the top of the mountain and this time they were happy as they had their guns in hand as they headed back down the mountain for a second time knowing there was elk in the area. They hunted late into the afternoon and arriving at the location where their truck should have been. Well that is except for the fact they drove it to the top of the mountain.

Sven looked at Ole and said “Ole you left the truck at the top of the mountain, why would you do a thing like that”? Ole replied “by golly your right Sven, we kind of have ourselves in a pickle here you know”. “Maybe we could just wait for Ano to show back up and give us a ride back to the top”.

I was standing there not knowing what to say. Ole broke the long silence “you know Sven I think we may be wrong about Ano’s sister having a lazy eye; I think it might have been a glass eye”. “Remember her taking it out to shoot marbles on the playground when we were kids”.

I caught these two young ladies “Oh ya I do, the damn thing rolled funny” said Sven. “She wouldn’t have been much help after all in the deer hunt now would she” said Ole. Ok then fellows. I thanked them for the helpful info I received and headed back to my cabin and started pouring scotch. As I walked away I heard the two of them in unison say “if you need a ride to the top of the mountain tomorrow we are leaving at six”.

I wasn’t able to bag the big bull I had intended to this year, but I did have a great time. Hunting season is now closed, but that is all good as you will catch my next adventure somewhere out on the ice.

Opportunity: To serve our Veterans every day!

over near Plains looking for my doe I was trying to put in the freezer...two days in a row. These ladies use the slow roll method but sure cover some ground. Hope your season ended with success ladies. By the way I love that old 79 Dodge... I think it was?

Karen Sheehan and Danene McNamara both of Plains, MT

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Volunteer Transportation Network, transports Veterans, who may have no other or limited means of transportation, to their Montana VA approved appointments. DAV VTN Volunteers drivers help our Veterans receive the care they have earned.

Our Local area DAV – VTN in Sanders County is in need of more volunteer drivers. We have TWO Vans assigned to this area. One Van located in Thompson Falls and one Van located in Plains.

As a volunteer, the work is very rewarding. The Veterans who receive transportation are grateful.

Requirements for Volunteers are: licensed drivers, over 18 years old.

Contact: Lark Chadwick, 242-0217 Local Area Coordinator, DAV – Volunteer Transportation Network, or Terrie Casey, Chief, Voluntary Service, VA Montana Health Care, Fort Harrison, at

406-447-7345 to receive more information.

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PATRIOTS

Why Do Things Costs So Much?

By Charles Woolley If you read last months article, you would have noted that as of 1972, the US dollar was no longer backed by tangible assets (gold and silver), backed only by the “full faith and credit” of the US Government. Subsequently, the silver coins predating 1964, quickly disappeared from circulation and in the late 1970’s we had double digit inflation, with all commodities, whether food, clothing, housing, fuel, and precious metals rising four-fold in terms of dollars. It cost you about 1% per month to hold onto dollars! In order to stem the inflationary trend the price of gold and silver were artificially manipulated downward to make the dollar look better. Up until then, inflation had been slowly creeping but overall, year to year, you knew what a dollar would buy. In other words, the dollars’ buying power had been relatively stable.

Forward to the year 2000, we saw the Wall Street markets dominated by Exchange Traded Funds (ETF), High Frequency Trading (computerized trading to front-run events and even create specific moves), and the expansion of derivatives (certificates sold as claims on commodities, silver, gold, produce, raw materials etc.).

This was quite an acceleration of events resulting in serial devaluation of the US currency. By 2008, things really picked up steam. Lehman Brothers bankruptcy resulted in a market crash with investors losing up to 30%, the housing bubble pumped up on worthless dollars burst, and the great recession (depression?) started.

In 2009 to 2015, we saw an increase in the US national debt to 18 trillion dollars plus. The Federal Reserve Bank reduced the prime interest rate to ZERO and Quantitative Easing rounds 1-3 were enacted with the trillions of dollars in un-backed bonds used to purchase toxic real estate loans and bail out FOREIGN banks in danger of bankruptcy.

The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed congress, with certain aspects subsequently being determined by the courts to make your deposits the property of the bank and let mega-banks tap the FDIC. Now, if you deposit money in the bank, your reward is to receive close to no interest and if trouble develops, you stand in line behind the “too big to fail” banks as a creditor.

Gold and silver had risen to $1900/ounce gold and $45/ounce silver highlighting the loss of buying power of the dollar. In response the Federal Reserve, the mega-banks, and Wall Street interests colluded to suppress the price of precious metals to below the cost of production to maintain the illusion of perceived value of the dollar.

By 2015, China, Russia, Iran, Brazil, India, and Saudi Arabia start liquidating their holdings of US Treasuries and buy “cheap” gold. The Fed begins talking about instituting negative interest rates here. Capital controls are in place. Have you tried to take more than $3000 in your money out of the bank lately? Want to take more than $3000 cash out of the country on vacation? Good luck!

Derivatives explode from 70 claims for every ounce of gold to 298 claims in a matter of just a few years. If you can foresee financial trouble ahead, you are at least more informed than most of your friends. We’ll finish this discussion next month.

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES Erin Jaynes of Libby, MT poses with ,as she puts it “A STUD” of a whitetail. We agree Erin he is truly a “Stud”. I bet that one gets mounted and placed on the bragging wall huh? Who is the little lady in the picture with you...she is so cute.

Ron Wilks of Kalispell, MT , retired veteran and NRA supporter hasn’t harvested a buck like this since he was a teenager hunting with his Granddad. Great to walk down memory road huh Ron...with all the craziness is this world today there is nothing like Montana mountain air to release the stress. Good job Ron and I am sure your Granddad is smiling form ear to ear right now...saying that’s my boy!

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Business Card Directrory

E-mail: peregrineemb@plainsmt.net

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TRAPPING

Old Dog Learns New Tricks by Paul C Fielder I recently traveled across the country to Maryland and spent time with a good trapper there, learning some new tricks. The Maryland trapper is my son, Josh. He took me out on his raccoon trapline and taught this “old school” boy some new things.

For coons, Josh only uses dog-proof Z-Traps. He says he doubts he’ll ever set another foothold trap for coons because they take too much time to make and re-make foothold sets. He catches a lot of coons with his Z-traps. The trap functions by the coon sticking his paw into the round hold in the trap to get at the bait at the bottom of the hole. The paw sets off a push or pull trigger and a wire clamp is sprung that holds the coon’s paw in the trap. Dogs can’t stick their paws into the hole, thus the dog-proof feature. These traps are real useful around populated areas where dogs might abound.

Josh uses 3-foot lengths of snare wire with a loop on each end (formed with double ferrules) to attach his trap to an anchor point. One end of the wire circles around a small tree or root and threads through the loop at the opposite to anchor the wire to the attachment point. A quick-link is used to connect the swivel at the end of the trap chain to the loop on the end of the wire. A few pieces of bait are dropped down inside the trap, one piece of bait is left on the lip of the trap, the pointy end of the trap is stuck into the ground where a coon is likely to amble by, and a stream of fish oil is squirted from the water to the trap. Total time for Josh to make a Z-trap coon set was about one minute. Josh sets 3 or 4 traps at a good location because coons often travel in groups and several coons may run that creek in the same night.

Josh has tried several types of dog-proof coon traps, but likes the Z-trap best because they are easy to set with his hands and have a good trigger system. He uses mostly white ones because of their visibility to coons. Where people might happen by, he uses the camo colors.

Josh uses carp for bait that he acquires during summer bow fishing adventures. He cuts the fish into chunks and freezes it in plastic jars until trap setting time. He pre-baits his favorite coon streams. Two 15-pound carp wired to a tree root at the edge of the water leaves a pretty good scent slick for critters to follow up-stream.

Coons caught in Z-traps are alive when the traps are checked. They are simply restrained or held by the trap, sort of like in a handcuff.

When checking his traps, Josh carries a few 220 body-grip traps to dispatch coons. His walking stick has two grooves cut into the end of it that a set 220 fits snuggly onto. He extends the trap on the end of the stick to snap it over the coon’s head. The coon and trap can then be placed in the water to drown the coon while he re-makes the set.

A .22 bullet in the head would be quicker, but Josh would rather not deal with the blood.

While I was with Josh, we set 4 traps in two different locations. The first trap check we caught a male coon in each location, 15 and 12 pounders. We pulled the traps at one location and caught a 14 pound female during the second trap check at the other spot. I asked Josh today by phone if he had any traps out. He said, “Yeah, I got 9 raccoons yesterday and 2 more today.” If there were more raccoons around where I live, I’d be using Z-traps - like my son taught me.

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES-SPIRIT QUEST ARCHERY

Top Row: Kim Friedman with her first antelope taken with a bow at 60 yards and her 2015 Muley Buck.

Second Row: Kim with her Dad, Paul during archery season and Kim with a big Tom she took with her bow this spring.

Third Row: Kevin with his wide 2015 Muley.

Bottom Picture: Kevin with his nice bull he took with a bow. Looks like the Friedman’s freezers are packed and ready for winter. This family can get it done with a bow or rifle...what a team.

If you are ever in Kalispell on the south side stop by and see these folks at Spirit Quest Archery. Top notch operation with a VERY knowledgeable staff. Congratulations!

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MONTANA DAN

Tales from Rooster Swamp

By Dan Helterline

Anyone that has done much pheasant hunting knows first hand that wily ringneck roosters can take cover in some pretty thick nasty cover when pressured by hunters. My favorite pheasant spot on the Flathead Indian Reservation epitomizes this, it contains some of the nastiest pheasant cover I have hunted, this is probably the reason I can always find pheasants there.

The Confederated Salish Kootenai tribe has done a good job creating good pheasant habitat on their reservation, there is a large amount of huntable ground on tribal land that just Vesper & Murdock with a limit or Rooster Swamp Pheasants requires the purchase of a tribal permit to hunt. Not all of it contains pheasants so it takes some legwork to find the “honey holes” that harbor roosters. Most years if I'm willing put in the effort I can usually find a limit of ringnecks in my favorite pheasant spot that I've affectionately come to refer to as “Rooster Swamp”.

This favorite place of mine is several hundred acres of cattails, hawthorn brush, tulle reeds and head high slough grass, all ideal pheasant habitat. If hunted early, the swamp is just that, it has a creek through the middle and multiple potholes that can make navigation through it quite arduous. I've emerged from its midst muddy and wet past my knees but I'm usually rewarded with a few hard earned roosters in my vest. I would not even try to hunt this piece of real estate without the help of a good dog, the cover is thick and head high in places and when you do get lucky enough to connect on a cackling rooster, it inevitably is difficult to find. I have to give my female puddelpointer, Vesper credit, on multiple occasions she has emerged from the cattails or slough grass with a rooster I had all but given up on finding. When hunted early before the swamp freezes up, ducks can be jump shot along the creek or in the numerous potholes, making for a mixed bag of roosters and mallards.

Once the cold weather hits in the later part of the season the swamp freezes up and the hunting becomes easier, the birds are more concentrated and walking through the cover in search of birds becomes less of a chore. Sections of the creek will remain open concentrating the ducks also, when the Northerns start coming through often times the remaining open water will be packed with mallards. Late season roosters have plumage that's beauty is beyond comparison, coupled with their explosive cackling flushes, I have yet to find a game bird that is more exciting to hunt.

When you have days where the birds will hold tight for a pointing dog, hunting can be as good as it gets, on the flip side I've had days where none of the birds will hold, flushing wild out of shotgun range, which can make for a frustrating hunt.

With pheasants being ground nesters, the weather during the spring nesting season is critical on their population, wet springs are lethal to the chicks decreasing survival rates immensely. The weather was in their favor this year, the dry spring allowed a bumper crop of game birds state wide, all the upland species are plentiful across the state. There is a healthy crop of turkey, grouse, Hungarian partridge along with pheasants to pursue this fall. I was talking to one of the ranch owners that has property adjacent to Rooster Swamp and he thought there were more pheasants this year than several of the previous years combined. Pheasant season lasts until the first of the new year giving a bird hunter ample time to get in some quality days in the field, my only problem is the later part on the season competes directly with cat season and wolf trapping, there truly is not enough time in the fall to enjoy everything that Montana has to offer.

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES Deric Colton of Heart Butte, MT put the heat on this nice Mule deer buck. Deric looks like you are eating venison steak this winter and have a nice rack to add to your collection.

Congratulations!

Raymond Morkeberg of Troy, MT with a hefty beamed Mule deer buck he took in Turner, MT. Makes for a nice gun rack Raymond...good job.

Thank you for sharing!

John Graf of Alberton, MT was nominated by Adam Andrews to be entered in the Montana Woods N Water local celebrity hot box. Sorry John, but that is a nice bull that needs to be shared...now will you share where you killed it...just kidding! Thanks Adam for the picture and John congratulations on a trophy bull. Nice looking rifle too!

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES CONTINUED

Brian Kimball of Kalispell, MT with this nice public land Muley. Brian I bet soap and water can’t wash that smile off your face. One heck of a Muley keep smiling you did good! Congrats!

Pictured Top and Below: Caleb Wengard of Noxon, MT with a “twofer”. During his hunting trip to central MT he took this awesome, Mule deer buck of a life time and round off the hunt with a nice cow elk.

Caleb I will trade you some venison backstraps for some GPS coordinates!

Mason Hoffman of Libby, MT with a gorgeous 6 X 6 Montana Whitetail. That’s going to look good on your wall Mason.

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES CONTINUED Photos to Left: Tristen and Woody of Columbia Falls with a couple of bragging right bucks. Can I have you guys horseshoe when you are done with it? You guys have had a awesome year!

Congratulations!

Photo to Right: Aidan Kaasa of Malta, MT with her first year mule deer.

Nice gun rack Aidan. You go girl!

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SPORTSMAN’S MEDITATION

Where’s Your Home?

By Pastor Jim Sinclair It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, My friend Dave Adams and I took off for the high country to put a tag on a big buck, Late November is the time when you see a doe you usually have a buck not far behind. We traveled road after road, over hill and dale and finally saw six or seven flatheads (doe).

After six hours of driving we headed for the barn. Well as it turns out we should have never left town, all the deer are in the city limits...it was crawling with deer. Dave and I conversed, “They’re not supposed to be here, don’t they know they are supposed to live “Out There”. This did remind me of another hunting excursion that I was on with my lovely wife, two or three years back.

Same scenario, we had drove all morning, hadn’t seen a thing, well two squirrels but couldn’t put horns on either one. I finally said, are you ready for some lunch, she said yeah, lunch sounds good. So we drove a few more miles, got out sat down, I was just about to take a bite, when I looked up and there was a nice 3x4 buck looking at me from four feet away, I almost dropped my hamburger, that’s when the waitress said “Boy there’s a nice one.” I couldn’t believe it, then I’m telling the entire lunch gathering “He doesn’t belong here, this place is not his home, it’s out there!”

Of course I couldn’t help but reflect, The good book is pretty clear on this one, it says, in 1 st Peter 2 verse 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (KJV) In other words, I don’t live here, I am a stranger just passing through, we are aliens to this world and there is a better one coming, John 14 :3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (KJV) Never forget, this is not your “City limits” Heaven is our home. Keep Livin the life ! Pastor Jim.

Pictured Left: Everyone this is Jonboy Southworth of Harlowton, MT. Yep, you guessed right ...this young man brought that deer home in the trunk of the car.

Tim Gibson said he pulled up to the house with the horns sticking out of the trunk and was proud as a peacock.

Now that is a country boy!

Congratulations Jonboy that is something to be very proud of...do we want to know what else you have brought home in that trunk?

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Jay Von Heeder of Plains, MT bagged this nice Muley close to home. What a picture and a view.

Congratulations Jay. I can’t tell who is more excited you or your Dad!

LOCAL CELEBRITIES CONTINUED Pictured Left: Hadassah Miller with this awesome 4 X 4 whitetail. Her mother Naomi Pesicka sentus this picture...I think your Mother is very proud of you. Thanks Mom for sharing and congratulations Hadassah.

Pictured Right: Brittney Herman with a dandy buck and meat for the freezer. Britney there is not many that hunt with a lever action gun anymore...good job. Lever guns have brought down a many animals over the years. Thank you for sharing your memories and keeping the lever action guns in the field.

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES CONTINUED Pictured Left: George Nass of Baldy Mountain Outfitters with his first cat of the season. His side kicks Moss, Red and Chief treed this 149.50 lb. male lion.

Great way to start the season George I think the dogs are warmed up and ready now. That cat’s diet didn’t consist of field mice and rabbits. Congrats and thanks to Billy James of PA for helping us control our predator population. A elk calf sleeps a little better tonight.

Pictured Right: Michael Tatum’s side kick Alfie with a nice drake mallard he retrieved from a Clark Fork River outing. Alfie was adopted from TRACS out of Thompson Falls several years ago. Looking good Alfie...now if only you can train Michael to go get that bird next time.

Pictured Left: Jennifer Fielder of Thompson Falls, MT with this dandy 4 X 4. That ought to keep Paul and you fed for the winter. I won’t even mention the nice cow elk that now graces your freezer walls.

Congratulations Senator Fielder...we love to see our elected officials “Living The Dream!” and packing a gun.

Pictured Right: Chad Villegas of Missoula with a nice 5 X 5...Chad you got to get more freezer space or eat faster. Now the decision is will it be elk or venison tonight?

Good job Chad...congrats!

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES CONTINUED

Pictured Above: Brant Nass of Plains, MT with this tall 4 X 4 Muley. I do believe that is bigger than your Dad’s! Chip off the old block, eh?

Good job Brant!

Montana Big Bone - Family Style Left to Right: Isaiah Joner, Kyle McKee and Caleb Joner smile from ear to ear and they celebrate Kyle’s (center) harvest of a Mack Daddy” bull from Sanders County, MT. Caleb Joner (right) was home on leave from the Air Force. He is stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona and is a Metal Fabrication Specialist. Thanks for your service Caleb and congratulations Kyle on getting that bull of a life time. Isaiah (left) they couldn’t have done it without you. Nothing like two brothers and a cousin making it happen…good job guys!

Marissa Nass of Plains, MT with a Whitetail for the freezer. Must be that lucky hat you are wearing...we load them up with luck before we hand them out. Next year we will double the amount in yours for that big elk you were after.

Pictured Above: Keaton Jones of Plains, MT with a big doe for the freezer. Keaton I think it was your camouflage leggings that made this harvest possible. Where can we get a pair of those?

Congratulations!

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CHUCK STRANAHAN

Simple Gifts by Chuck Stranahan When I got up one Christmas morning, when I was not yet in my teens, I found an unwrapped Remington bolt action .22 rifle under the Christmas tree.

I didn’t have to ask who it was for. I knew. And what that gift meant, in terms of the confidence my dad had in me, and the anticipation that I would grow into the responsibility that ownership of such a firearm signified, made a statement that lasted longer than the thrill of discovering it that Christmas morning.

On another Christmas, when I was in my second year of college, there was a fly rod – a top-of-the-line Shakespeare, that cost a couple of day’s wages for a workingman in that era. I wanted that rod and dad knew it, although I didn’t expect him to gift me with it. And there was more behind the giving than the father’s desire to please his son.

My dad knew, then, how important fishing was to me. There had been discussions in the years before that Christmas, when he spoke to me in clear and firm tones about responsibility, and how fishing had to come after certain things. I had to get my priorities in order.

His family came to America from Ireland several generations earlier, and I was the first in his lineage to attend college. He considered my education to be of utmost importance. And dad also knew from his own life that there had to be balance, time set aside from the selfdisciplines and hardships of life, to refresh and nourish the soul.

That Christmas he figured his earlier lectures on responsibility had finally taken hold, and he was seeing them bear fruit as I got serious about my studies and ambitions after school. He was hopeful for my future and believed in me. And so he gave me that fly rod.

The simple gifts quite often are the most meaningful. Such a gift need not be expensive or represent a small sacrifice, as that rod did. But a simple gift, in the sense that I’m thinking here, stands for more than itself. It tells the recipient some very important things: that you are loved, and you are known. Your heart’s desires are important to me. I believe in you.

And, there is a wisdom in simple giving.

I think of the first Christmas gifts, the gifts the Magi bore to Christ.

We also call the Magi the wise men; yet we tend to think too little about their wisdom. They knew life; they understood. One knew that poverty enslaves even kings; he gave gold. Another knew that the aroma of life often isn’t sweet and needs to be covered; he gave the fragrant oil, frankincense. The third knew that death waits for all who live; he gave the embalming spice, myrrh.

And for all their wisdom, these wise men couldn’t foresee how their gifts would play out in the life of Christ. Continued on page 20.

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CHUCK STRANAHAN CONTINUED This year my gifts undoubtedly won’t bear the significance for my sons or my wife what the gold, frankincense, and myrrh did for the young Christ child; but I’ve tried to be wise in the giving, nonetheless. I don’t expect them to have the lifelong influence that a .22 rifle did for me; nor do I expect my gifts to fulfill the desire of a heart, the way mine was fulfilled with that fine fly rod.

Nonetheless, there will be careful thought, consideration, and love behind the giving. There will even be a wee bit of sacrifice – enough to make the giving all the sweeter.

You never know when such a gift will hit the jackpot. My wife Jan is my best fishing buddy. Her joy and enthusiasm on the stream are contagious. That’s a gift in itself.

Early in our marriage I gave her an aluminum fly box, one with individual compartments and individual lids. The box is a quality knockoff of an expensive box, one that I couldn’t afford at the time. I could probably afford one now, but there are reasons why I don’t expect to upgrade any time soon.

I had enough left, that Christmas, to have the box engraved with her name and the inscription, “For my best fishing buddy.” Those words brought a tear when she first read them. That fly box is still her favorite.

My mom nurtured my love of outdoor writing by renewing my subscription to Field and Stream magazine every year from the time I was twelve until she died. Those magazines carried original stories by Ernest Hemingway, Robert Ruark, Corey Ford, and my heroes, Ted Trueblood and Al McClaine. I read every one, cover-to-cover, when it arrived.

Considering how my life turned out, that subscription had enormous influence. I majored in English in college, and while I’m not a Trueblood or a McClaine, I aspired to write when I read their work while I was growing up.

Every Christmas that we spent with mom after my dad’s passing, she gave me a box of shotgun shells – always high-base #6’s to feed into my double gun. She made it her business to find out what I shot the most. Some years, those were the only shells.

Mom was in no way a hunter, nor did she fish. She was too proper for any of that, and when I was a kid she railed against the muddy messes my hunting and fishing brought into her well-kept house. But she went beyond her own sense of propriety and neatness as part of her giving. There was love, wisdom, and her own brand of sacrifice in what she gave – shotgun shells and outdoor magazines.

They changed my life – and those were simple gifts.

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES CONTINUED Pictured Left: Wesley Randolph of Plains, MT. I met Wes at the gun range and he was telling me how in all the years he had been in Montana he had yet to get an elk. Looks like your luck changed there Wes! Congratulations and we thank you for sharing...it gives us folks that hasn’t killed an elk yet hope and inspiration. Good job!

Pictured Above: Rob Yoder of Noxon, MT with this “Hoss” of a mule deer! Way to go Rob, what’s your secret to finding those big boys? Thanks for sharing your success with our readers.

Mike Norman with a HUGE 6 X7X1 Yaak, MT whitetail. It green scored 168.5. Note the drop tine. Mike I think this is the biggest whitetail photo we have had come in.

Thanks for sharing...we love looking at big bone!

Congratulations!

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NEXT GENERATION Michael Hochstetler, age 11 took advantage of the new apprentice law and bagged himself a rutting Mule deer buck. Pictured Left: Jon Hochstetler with Michael.

Pictured Below Michael grins from ear to ear. Michael did Jon or Chris make you share those back straps?

Darby’s fish!

Pictured Left: Jake Calloway of Superior, MT with one of the most beautiful pictures I think we have received this year. Jake congratulations...are you ready to go cat hunting?

Pictured Above: Greg Tatum of Plains with his first muskrat. Greg’s Dad Michael Tatum of Plains, MT has been busy this season teaching his boys how to “Live the Montana Dream”. I think Greg may be a future long line trapper.

Way to go Greg...you going to make yourself some houseshoes out of those rats you are catching?

Pictured Right: Trent Riddel closed the season with a “Trifecta” with the harvest of a bull, a bear and now a buck. If you recall last month we told the story of him killing an awesome bull elk called in by his brother.

I think we are seeing a future guide in the making! Trent you are the man!

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LOCAL CELBRITIES CONTINUED Pictured Left: Drew Baker of Phillipsburg, MT with a nice bull.

Drew is an avid fly fisherman and just had shoulder surgery recently but that did not keep from following his outdoor passion.

They say you can’t keep a good man down...I believe Drew fits that bill. Congrats Drew! Send us some of those fly fishing pictures.

Pictured Right: Steven Hale of Plains, MT with a fine specimen of a Montana Whitetail. Ladies and gentlemen this is how a Montana cowboy gets it done. Looks like you might have got a little wet getting that one out Steven?

Pictured Right: Galen Good of Noxon, MT with a awesome Montana Ram of a lifetime. This ram was taken in the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness. Nothing but bragging rights there Galen. Awesome job and congratulations!

Pictured Left: Stacey Calloway of Superior, MT with a hard earned elk. Don’t worry about the size of the antlers Stacey...at least you won’t be eating elk tag soup like a lot of us! Congrats and thanks for bringing that boy of yours up in the woods!

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NEXT GENERATION CONTINUED

Dad’s Final Wish Shannon Strawn of Plains, MT with a buck sent from her Dad in heaven. Shannon recently lost her father, Ronald Strawn, on November 8th, 2015. Ronald was a Vietnam Veteran who lost his battle with agent orange. Ron was one heck of a man and one heck of a Marine. He was a very highly decorated vet who was a sniper in Vietnam. Before he passed he was very intent on this hunting season being the one Shannon took her first big buck. She's never been picky, because it's all about putting meat in the freezer. That being the case, all she's shot has been spikes and fork horns. Steven Hale, the contributor of this picture and article said, “So paying respects to her father, I wanted to carry on our conversation and make sure she got a nice buck that she can really be proud of. I took her out and in memory of her father, she got the big one. “ Shannon congratulations on a beautiful buck and I am very sure your Dad is very proud of you.

Steven thanks for making this little lady’s dreams come true and honoring her father’s wishes. You have a very kind heart!

Pictured Below: Michael Johnson of Thompson Falls with a very impressive Mule Deer. Michael looks like you showed your Dad how it is done.

Good job, beautiful animal!

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LOCAL CELEBRITIES CONTINUED

Elizabeth Wormwood of Trout Creek, MT smiling ear to ear with her Bull Elk and Big Muley Buck. Mr. Wormwood I see she finally let you kill something! The ladies are making it happen this year! Congratulations to the Wormwoods...you guys smoked it this year with some beautiful animals.

Angela Montana with her first trapped beaver. According to that smile you are having a blast. You are a true Outdoor Woman. Thanks for keeping the trapping tradition alive! Congratulations Angela!

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Michael Freeman of Kalispell with this well earned 5 X 5 Whitetail. We caught Mike hiking out...he looked a little tired. When we found him.

Good job Michael and congratulations.

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NEXT GENERATION & LOCAL CELEBRITY

Jason Muniz of Libby, MT with his first buck. For you hunters that hate to walk this young man was born with Spina Bifida and walks with crutches and leg braces and he still put the smack down on this dandy buck with his .243. Jason we are all so proud of you and your accomplishments. You are the man! Chip off the old block huh? Thanks Mom and Dad for sharing!

Ian Donaldson of Great Falls takes his first elk. Ian I am sure that was a great feeling. You made a memory that will be with you for a lifetime. Awesome picture, you need to frame that and thank you for sharing it with us. Congratulations

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FAMILY & FRIENDS Publishers' Note: We ran the first part of this story back in October but space did not allow us to run part 2 in November.

Rather than having you go back and dig out your October issue and for those that may not have a copy or don’t want to read it on line I decided to re-run the story in it’s entirety this month. Enjoy.

HUNTING ROGER’S RANCH by Paul C Fielder My best hunts (plural) have been on a ranch in far eastern Montana. Today, I learned that my friend, Roger, who grew up on and owned that ranch passed away. As I tearfully conveyed my sorrow to his wife Paula, I reflected on the many extraordinary hunts that I enjoyed at Roger’s ranch.

My first hunt at Roger’s ranch was with my neighbor John in 1984. He had an antelope tag and I had tags for a buck and two antlerless deer. Roger suggested that John and I set up my wall tent down in the dry creek bottom, two miles east of his house. Roger’s dad had taught him not to graze cattle in the creek bottoms because the cattle would need them to survive the really bad winters that came along every few Left to right: Chuck Berry, Gary Donabauer, Paul Fielder and Josh years. The day before the season opener, I went Fielder scouting in one of the “badlands” parts of Roger’s 36 section ranch. It was Heaven. I’d spot deer and put on a sneak to see how close I could get. I got within easy shooting range of many shooters during that “practice day”.

The following day, I ended up stalking a group of three mule deer bucks and took the largest one, a 3x4 with antlers that I was happy with. In following days, Roger showed us around the ranch in his truck. John got a nice antelope buck and I harvested a mule deer and a whitetail doe. Riding around Roger’s ranch in his truck was an adventure. Roger was a good horseman and he drove his trucks with the same expectations. The mechanic in town said of him, “Roger’s a great person, but don’t ride in a truck with him. He’s hard on trucks”.

The following year, I returned to Roger’s ranch with my friend Gary. We had antelope tags and Gary had three antlerless deer tags. We put the wall tent in the same place down in the creek bottom. Roger came by the camp and took us out on the ranch (in his truck) looking for antelope. We spotted antelope in the distance and Roger said that he thought he knew where they were going. Roger left me in one area and drove off with Gary toward where the antelope were heading. After a while, Roger’s truck came back and a wide-eyed Gary jumped out of the passenger door and actually kissed the ground. I’ve heard Gary tell the story of that “60 MPH sneak” often and his eyes still get wide during the telling. Roger liked camp visits around the fire in the evenings and telling stories. I never heard him cuss. He used the word “junk” a lot instead of a cuss word. We filled the antelope and deer tags in due time and chased sharp-tails, but mostly we enjoyed our time there. Gary and I were the only people allowed to hunt on those 36 sections that week.

After several years of not drawing a permit, I returned to Rogers’ ranch with Gary, our friend Chuck, and my 15 year old son Josh (some weeks in life are more important than school). Josh and I stayed in my wall tent and Gary and Chuck in a camper. Later that winter, while waiting at a bus stop, some kids told Josh that they were freezing. Josh said “No. I spent a week in a wall tent in eastern Montana and it was 20 degrees every night. I know what freezing is, and this ain’t it.”

That year was a good year for sharp-tail grouse at Roger’s. But it was a muddy year.

We’d drive to the part of the ranch where we’d hunt deer that morning and try to get back to camp before the sun thawed the county roads out. I got stuck in the middle of the road twice. Then we’d hunt sharp-tails in the middle of the day. The CRP lands sections were full of sharp-tails. Without a dog, we put in a lot of miles on our feet and some sharp-tails in our bags. Continued on page 29.

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FAMILY & FRIENDS CONTINUED Gary and Chuck hunted together and each got a buck, Gary’s being especially nice. Josh and I spotted and made a good sneak on a group of deer. I convinced Josh to take the buck, which didn’t turn out as big as we thought. Still, it was his biggest deer at that time and he made a fine shot. A few days later, Josh, Gary, and I were walking separate finger ridges in the badlands when they saw me drop to the ground, lay my hunting pack in front of me, and wait. They glassed out in front of me and saw nothing. Ka-Boom. They still saw nothing.

Ka-Boom, again. Way out in front of me they saw deer on a far ridge. At the third shot they, saw a big buck hit the ground. We always seemed to get the deer out of those badlands without much trouble, but I’m sure I forget all the grunting and sweat at the time. The end result was a good hunting camp photo.

The following year, Josh and I returned to Roger’s ranch, each with a deer tag. I figured that I got a good buck the previous year and this year I wanted to put Josh in position for a good buck. We camped in the usual creek bottom and the next morning hunted separate finger ridges in a badlands part of the ranch. As I eased over a ridgeline, I spotted what looked like a big deer way off to the north, bedded down under an ancient juniper. After much belly crawling over open ground and sneaking through gullies, I eased into a small rock outcrop 200 yards from the deer. Even with my 10x binoculars I could not clearly see the antler configuration of this very big bodied deer because the antler color was the same as the gnarly, dead juniper branches it was laying under. The deer was laying in the shade facing north, down the canyon with the every present wind coming from the west. I backed out of that canyon to the south, hugging the low ground where I could and belly crawling when I had to, and went in search of Josh. I finally found him where he was hunting. He asked if I saw anything and I told him, “Just one deer, but I think you should come take a look at him”. He asked if I thought it would still be there and I told him I wouldn’t have left that deer there if I didn’t think so. We did the low sneak and belly crawl back to the rock outcrop 200 yards from where the buck was still bedded. The buck was still facing down the canyon with his rump towards us and his head and neck up. I told Josh, “Your .243 is dead on at 200 yards. We’re 200 yards away. Your only shot is a head or neck shot”. He said he couldn’t see how many points were in the antlers.

“Look at the size of that deer’s body. The antler size will be there, trust me. Just take your time”. Josh folded up his hat and placed it on the rock in front of him and rested his rifle on the hat. At Josh’s shot, the buck’s head slapped the ground in front of it and the body never moved. Not a leg kicked. No movement at all. We watched that buck through our scopes for two minutes before we walked up to it.

There lay a very nice, heavy beamed buck for that country shot squarely in the back of the neck. After field dressing it and flagging the location, we hiked back towards camp to get pack frames. Roger met us along the way and after our description of where the buck lay he said he thought he could get his truck to that area, and told us to get in. Sure enough, Roger did get his truck in and out of the gullies and to within about 100 feet of that deer, and later he got his truck back out of there again. After helping us load Josh’s buck into the back of his truck, Roger said “That’s about as big a deer as they get around here.” I tell Josh that this is a story of a father’s love, because I still had my deer tag to fill, but I had gone back and found him for this buck.

A few days later, we saw a good buck and some does near the upper end of one of the badland’s canyons, but we spooked them. The following evening, we put a stalk on the canyon with Josh coming in from the lower end and me belly crawling into the upper end. I lay there watching does until finally, the buck walked out from behind a dirt knob. I took the easy 100 yard shot from a prone position with my rifle resting on my hunting pack. I heard the bullet hit. The deer bolted to the left, heading down the canyon. I went to the point of impact and saw no sign of blood or hair, just the tracks in the hard dirt of a deer that was making tracks in a hurry. I headed in that direction, looking for sign of a hit deer.

Josh came quickly from down-canyon. I asked if he saw the buck going down the canyon. Nope. Does and fawns, but no buck. We searched during quickly fading light and finally found the buck two feet below the surrounding ground in the very head of where erosion first started forming a gully. It was almost dark. I started field dressing the deer, holding a maglight in my mouth, when Josh offered me his headlamp. Right there I moved into the modern era. I had thought they were just for miners.

Continued on page 30.

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FAMILY & FRIENDS CONTINUED Green vest picture here. Chuck and I hunted Roger’s Ranch several years later. We’d taken off nine days for the hunt, but it was over too quick. The first afternoon we spotted a buck a long way off, Chuck watched as I made a good stalk and a one-shot, assassin-type kill. The next morning, I told Chuck not to shoot that 2nd buck. But, after spotting it from about a mile away and sneaking on it and foot racing it over 4 barbed wire fences, he just couldn’t pass up that 5x4 when we got within 50 yards of it. We spend an extra day helping Roger with some chores that needed doing and then headed home too early.

Possibly the best hunt that I was part of at Roger’s ranch happened a few years later with Gary and Chuck. It was also the last time we hunted Roger’s Ranch.

On a late November afternoon, we three were driving down a ranch road for an evening hunt and spotted a pretty nice buck and a doe way off in the middle of a freshly plowed field. At the sound of the truck, they both laid down low to the ground and stretched their necks out in a furrow. They were deer old enough to be smart. Gary kept on driving without altering speed, until we went over a hill. He stopped the truck and Chuck and I exited with our packs and rifles. The plan was for Chuck and I to move into position to the south of the deer while Gary turned around and went back way beyond the deer to try to make a sneak from the north. Chuck headed to an area SE of the plowed field and I headed for a spot SW of the deer. I belly crawled over a low ridge with the sun hanging low in the afternoon sky behind me. The deer were still lying in the furrow towards the middle of a big plowed field. I belly crawled a long way until I came onto a rocky rise covered with ground juniper and settled in to watch the deer through binoculars and see what might happen. What a nice buck. All of the bucks we ever harvested from Roger’s ranch were mule deer, but this was the nicest white-tail I’d ever seen there. Too bad he was too far away. Well, how far was he?

I started estimating distances. One hundred yards from me to the fence line. Another hundred to the tumbleweed in the field. Still another hundred to the yellow grass and probably a bit over another 100 yards to the deer. I’ve loaded my own bullets for my 7mm RemMag since 1977 and keep the trajectory calculations for my load taped to the side of my rifle scope. At 425 yards I’d have to hold about 24 inches high, about one deer’s body depth. Resting my rifle on my hunting pack and lying in a prone position, I looked through the scope to see how it looked. I felt rock solid! The buck was laying facing to my right a little so I was looking at his front right shoulder. I nestled down into the ground juniper a little more, held the cross-hairs one body depth above the front arm-pit of the buck, let out half a breath and slowly applied pressure to the trigger. The gun went off and I watched through the scope as both deer jumped up and the doe bounded to the east with the buck running, not bounding, behind her. I didn’t consider try to throw a second shot after him. It was too far for a hurried, running shot at a really nice animal. I’d had my chance and taken my best shot already. As the buck got toward the edge of the plowed field, it suddenly lay down again and stretched out its’ head to the ground. Hmmm, I’d seen this before. As I continued watching, his head fell to the side, one antler in the dirt and one in the air.

When Gary, Chuck, and I met at the deer, they kiddingly started giving me a hard time about taking such a long shot. I told them I don’t like taking such long shots, but I couldn’t get any closer and I felt had a good, rock solid shooting position. Confidence in my gun, my hand load, and a good estimate of the distance was the only reason I took that shot. The bullet dropped in perfectly behind the right front shoulder.

The next day, Gary and Chuck went off deer hunting and I decided to try calling coyotes to the east of where I shot the whitetail. While walking toward a likely calling spot, I paced off the distance from where I had shot from to where the buck was. Using the length of my pace, I calculated 457 yards. It’s better to be lucky than good.

I set up to call coyotes on top of a high knob with a lot of ground juniper. To the east and south I could see about a mile. Some brushy bottoms criss crossed the low grass landscape.

Dressed all in camo, I sat in the low juniper with my .243 across my lap and started making sounds like a dying rabbit. Way out to the east, seemingly a half mile away a light colored blur came streaking out of a draw, heading straight towards me. It was a coyote. As it got closer, a second coyote came out of the same ravine and was also streaking towards me. As the first coyote got to a ravine about 100 yards in front of me it hesitated before dropping down into the ravine and then continued racing toward the hill I was sitting atop. I had figured it would stop to try to relocate the sound. Continued on page 31.

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FAMILY & FRIENDS CONTINUED Nope. It was too close now, and I lost sight of it below the curve of the hill I was on. I re-focused on the second coyote that was following the path of the first one, and concentrated my aim at the top of the ravine. Just like the first coyote, the second one hesitated at the top of the ravine before dropping down into it. But, during that hesitation, my rifle ended that coyote’s day. Suddenly, a third coyote broke out of that ravine below me and started racing away across the open country. At about 200-250 yards I shot a bullet out in front of the racing coyote and miraculously, the coyote ran right into the bullet. Predictably, the excitement level was high. I felt that I was surrounded by coyotes and needed to get reloaded. But that was it. My first try at calling coyotes got me two nice big, pale, eastern Montana coyotes. I found an old cedar fence post and hung coyotes at each end so I was equally yoked and walked out to the nearest road where I met Gary and Chuck returning from their deer hunt.

The next day at camp, as I was preparing to skin the two coyotes, I heard turkeys. There was a flock of turkeys working their way up the creek bottom. I quickly retrieved a gun, got in amongst some trees, and got quiet. As the flocked worked its way through the trees, I picked out a big one and added a turkey to the game cleaning chores.

Later that day, Gary and Chuck came driving back into camp. Gary had shot at a big mule deer buck that was standing on the top edge of a deeply eroded ravine. At the shot, the buck dropped out of sight. When they went to look for it at the bottom of the drop-off, they couldn’t find any blood or sign of the deer. Not knowing where it could have gone, they looked up towards where it fell from. There in a narrow eroded crevice in the dirt bank, the dead buck was hanging from its 5x4 antlers which had wedged in the narrow crevice.

They climbed to the top of the dirt bank and using a rope and a lot of pulling and tugging, they got the deer un-wedged and to the bottom where they field dressed it. They then went to Roger’s house for an idea about how best to get the deer out of that area. Roger was gone but his wife Paula suggested they use Roger’s “tote-goat” to transport the deer out of the ravine. We returned to the ravine, tied the deer on the tote-goat, and one guy steered and the other two held things upright until we got to the truck. So far we had one big whitetail, one big mule deer, two coyotes, and a turkey down but Chuck’s buck tag still to fill.

I told, Chuck, I was having a good and lucky hunt, so tomorrow we’d go down by the abandoned house and I’d try to rattle him in a buck.

The next dawn, Chuck and I were in a cottonwood bottom area looking for a place to rattle from. We’d seen whitetails in this area and the rut was going heavy. I moved toward an abandoned home site that was built up against a cut bank. The house roof gave me an idea and I found a 2x10 plank that reached from the cut bank to the lower edge of the roof. I convinced Chuck that we could use the roof as a hunt platform and hunt from there. We traversed the plank onto the roof and moved up to the peak of the roof and lay down. The roof was covered with old warn composition shingles and the grit on the shingles was real loose and acted like ball bearing, trying to roll us down the roof. So we held onto the peak of the roof with our hands and tried to dig our toes in with me on the left of Chuck and his rifle.

I started rattling a set of antlers to sound like two sparring bucks. Within minutes we saw a deer moving through the cottonwoods 150 yards in front of us, but we couldn’t see antlers and it didn’t seem to heading towards us anyway.. After a few more disappointing rattle sessions, and hanging onto the peak of the roof for dear life, something made me glance over my left shoulder. There standing about 75 yards behind us was a doe and a good buck. I nudged Chuck, motioned with my eyes and head and he got the message. “Don’t move”, he told me as he shifted and laid his rifle on top of my hunting back, still strapped to my back. I held my breath, closed my eyes, and tried to close my ears while still hanging on to the peak of the roof. Ka-boom, and the buck went In memory of Roger Fuchs owner of down. We exchanged congratulations about the success of our hunting platform and I got up and started down the roof towards the cut bank behind the building. Rather than re-cross the the Rogers Ranch. Thanks for the 2x10 plank, I just jumped from the roof to the nearby cut bank. Except, when I landed on the memories Roger. bank, it gave away a little and I fell backward into the back of the still solid house. WOW! The impact of the back of my head on the back of that house made quite an impression on me. The stars came back out. Thankfully, that as hard as Chuck was laughing, he didn’t fall off the roof and land on me.

When we visited Roger’s Ranch to hunt, we’d always bring boxes of apples, salmon, halibut and other trade goods not found in eastern Montana. When Roger and Paula visited our camp, we shared whatever we had with them. But, our fine experiences there always kept us in their debt. Roger had an accident on the ranch shortly after that fall and developed health issues.

He and Paula eventually sold their ranch and moved into a town. Gary, Chuck, Josh, and I all have picture albums and trophies that are the result of Roger and Paula allowing us the privilege of hunting on the land where he grew up. It was land that he welcomed us to like family, drove us around on to show it to us, and shared his stories about. God made few finer men than my friend Roger.

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MOUNTAIN MEMORIES

Montana Mountain Girl by Raf Viniard I love my job! I get to meet lovely ladies like Carol Cady. When I first met Carol you just sensed this lady has lived the Montana dream. She knows her hunting, fishing and trapping and has one story after another to share.

I could, listen to her stories for hours. She doesn’t look her age and she still packs a rifle and loves to hunt . In the summer she will have a fishing pole in her hand. She even used to trap. She plays the mandolin and as I hear it she is very good at it. She has owned Mountain Meadows for 35 years which is located on the east side of Libby, MT. She has two grown children, John Baenen who lives in Cordova, Alaska and a daughter Amy Lynn Siefke who lives in Kalispell, Montana. Both of her kids love the outdoors and are avid hunters and fishermen. Wonder where they got that from Carol? She has a brother, John R. Wilson that lives in Alaska as well. I think we need to interview Amy and John to hear some of the really good stories on Carol...what you guys think?

When she was about 6 years old she moved from Great Falls, MT to Libby and has lived in Libby since then. Carol is the daughter of the late Bob and Harriet Wilson. She grew up hunting, fishing and trapping. Her Dad was her mentor. Carol says, “I just love the fall, you get that anticipation thing going on.” Carol went on to say, “I grew up in a pretty strict home and basically boys were somewhat offlimits...but “Here are some guns and fishing poles, go out an play. I could do anything I wanted in the woods. My first love affair was with the outdoors. I could go outdoors anytime I wanted and of course I did. So, all through my life whether to enjoy it or just get away and clear ones mind, the outdoors always did the trick. It becomes in your soul and spirit thing. My Dad would take me on his trap line when I was young. We trapped a lot of beaver, muskrat, coyotes and bobcats. Then of course there was the skinning and stretching. How a young girl even got into that sort of thing even puzzles me. I had a great father that made everything seem like fun, he never got mad, he was very patient. The years have flown by but I’m here to say that same spirit still embodies oneself. I used to say you could drop me out of a plane blind folded and I could take the blindfold off and know where I was, Lincoln county that is.”

Over the next few months we are going to take a walk back in time and have Carol tell us about some of her adventures, hunting, fishing and trapping. Yes, she is still obsessed with being in the outdoors. All you have to do is walk in her business and start talking hunting, fishing and days gone by and she is a plethora of information. Let’s take a walk down memory lane with some pictures from Carol and the year is 1972 when she was a younger filly.

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us over the next few months. By the way, Carol has a LOT of pictures!

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THE ROOT CELLAR

Can It! By Raf Viniard This is a new section we will be having each month sharing ideas on what some may call “prepping”...I call it “country living”. Hunting season is over and the meat has ben cut up and put in a freezer.

Some take it to a local meat processor but that can get expensive quick.

Instead of freezing all your meat and possibly losing it to a freezer going out or the power being off for long periods of time here is a recipe for canning, venison, elk or beef. I haven’t tried it on bear yet but it is on my to do lists.

Get a Ball canning book or look on the Internet to learn the basics of canning and how to safely use a pressure cooker. Here is what you will need.

Ball Canning Book One hind quarter or equivalent meat.

One to two cases of wide mouth pint canning jars.

McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning Bacon grease drippings or fatty bacon pieces Beef broth Trim meat of fat, the leaner the better. Cut into 1-2 inch cubes and sit aside Wash and dry jars thoroughly even if new.

Drop a dollop (Approximately a tablespoon) of bacon grease into bottom of jar being careful not to hit the jar rim. Keep that rim clean Stuff meat into jar until full...it will shrink after canning.

Sprinkle one tablespoon McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning over meat.

Pour beef broth to within 1/2 inch of top of jar.

Burp the jar by releasing any air pockets trapped in the meat. Use the handle of a spoon if you don’t have a canning tool made just for this.

Place hot lids on jars and loosely tighten rings onto the jars. Set in canner according to instructions.

Carefully remove jars from canner and listen for the pop indicating they have sealed. Let cool, tighten lids and store in dark cool location. Before eating make sure the lid is still tightly sealed and has not popped back up. When ready to eat, simply pop the lid off and reheat...it is already fully cooked. Add additional seasonings to your taste. Great for breakfast lunch or supper. You can eat it right out of the jar. If you have any questions give us a call or Google canning venison on the Internet. Enjoy!

GIFT IDEA

GUNRACS by Raf Viniard How many of you while riding the roads hunting, stick your rifle with the barrel pointed down in the floor board? First it is bad news for the end of your barrel and secondly if you did have an accidental discharge you might need a new transmission. How many of you have it sitting in the floor board with the barrel pointing up? Better unless you are the guy riding in the back seat...makes one a little nervous. How many of you lay it on the dash? Good idea until you start up that steep hill and it slides/rolls back in your lap knocking over your drink and creating a hornets nest response to try and catch it before it knocks your scope out of whack, thus driving off the side of the mountain or hitting that big pine tree head on. Not to mention the possible scratches on your dash or gun. How many of you have a gun rack in your back window? Not many...that is old school. How many put them in a gun case in the back seat? Great idea and in fact probably the safest and protects the gun the best. However, have you ever tried to get that zipper undone as that elk heads up the mountain side or try to dig it out from underneath all the other stuff that has it has been piled on it.

Glenn Devolder has patented a gun rest that simply slides down into your existing headrest of the drivers and passenger seat. Glenn maybe a disabled U.S. Army Vietnam Vet but his brain is still as sharp as a tack. He designed and patented this GUNRACS system himself out of necessity. Him being an avid hunter himself found a need for this type of gun rack. The GUNRACS are fabricated from sturdy metal except for the coating on the arms that hold the gun. It is fully adjustable to any vehicle with headrest. Still confused look at the diagram to the left. He is offering a special on these new GUNRACS this month for only $99.99. They are regularly $149.99. They can hold from 1-3 guns depending on what you order. Very easy to install yourself. You can store guns in the GUNRACS either on the front or back side depending on how you install them. No holes to drill in your vehicle or tying to your seat.. Give Glenn a call if you have any additional questions or need more information. Place your order today in time for Christmas. 406-826-5689 Email: wacko_mt@yahoo.com

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TOYS

Be A Snow Man or Woman by Alan Clarke

By Have you been outside lately? BRRR!!! It is that time of year when I have to keep at least a small fire burning in the stove 24 hours a day to keep the house warm, and what is that on my windshield EVERY morning…an ice rink?

Up on the mountains the blanket of white is slowly creeping towards the valley, then receding, then getting lower yet again. We are starting to get some flurries, and a skiff now and then in town and a spot or two in the shade that is sticking around. While hunting over the past weekends, we had to hike through it to get to our favorite spot by the pond where the deer come to water and when we got there, the pond was slushy, and had a fresh thin layer of white on it too. All of this must mean something right?

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!!!

In the motorsports world, we have a variety of items for you to be able to enjoy the season of cold and snow, and look good doing it. With brands like Polaris, Yamaha, Camoplast track systems, Klim, Goretex and more, how can you go wrong?

Personal Gear Let’s be honest, one of the best manufactures of outdoor winter apparel is Klim!!! Klim is a Western, USA(Rigby, ID), based company with un-paralleled drive for perfection and a website claiming: “DRIVEN BY THE CONTINUAL FEEDBACK AND INPUT FROM DEDICATED TEST PILOTS AND PASSIONATE CUSTOMERS, KLIM STRIVES TO DO ONE THING ABOVE ALL—IMPROVE YOUR RIDING EXPERIENCE WITHOUT COMPROMISE... KLIM TECHNICAL RIDING GEAR IS THE GLOBAL LEADER IN DESIGNING, DEVELOPING AND MANUFACTURING THE MOST ADVANCED MOTOR SPORTS APPAREL FOR THE SNOWMOBILE AND MOTORCYCLE RIDER. UTILIZING THE WORLD’S HIGHEST TECHNOLOGIES IN WATERPROOF, BREATHABLE, DURABLE AND COMFORTABLE MATERIALS, KLIM BUILDS GEAR FOR THE MOST DEMANDING RIDERS.” Klim offers everything from base layers, to full bibs, goggles to boots, and helmets to shovels…and even though they are a little more pricey, you will not be disappointed with the quality and functionality of their products.

Most of the machine manufactures, including Polaris, Yamaha, and Skidoo, will have their own line of apparel and gear for you to choose from also, and based on your personal preference, they may work better for you in fit, color, or budget and will still be great quality. Most importantly in the winter months…BE PREPARED! Use layers, over dress, and bring extra. You can always throw your extras in a bag, or a friends bag, or leave them on the side of the trail…you don’t have the ability to add layers if you don’t bring them with you.

You know as well as I do, winter sports are extreme, and we are able to use the snow as a way to get into areas that roads may not let us get into…you are either deep in the back country, or trying to get to the top of the tallest chute you can find. When you are doing extreme sports a long way from home, you need to pack for extremes. Here are some essentials you may not think of when you are in that rush to get ready to head out. You and everyone in your party should carry an avalanche beacon, probe, and shovel so that if someone does get caught and buried they can be found quickly and efficiently, first aid kit(with fire starter), backpack(or other form of holding bag for some extra socks or some other dry layers and w ater/food), sunscreen, lotion, lip balm, tinted goggles and/or sunglasses You may also want to think about a way to hold some extra gas for your machine, so you don’t get stranded in the back country…even a few miles in the winter is a long way to try to walk through the snow and cold…especially at night, when you are tired after a long day of riding and playing.

Machines Snowmobiles: The sky is the limit…no really, stop by your local dealer and grab a snowmobile video, or go to YouTube and look up snowmobile chute climb and you will see what I mean.

In my opinion, the Polaris 800 PRO-RMK with the new Axys Chassis fits the bill for the best overall deep snow mountain sled. And with the 2016 Polaris PRO-RMK 800-155” coming in at 408lbs.(dry weight) stock…it is the lightest sled on the market. Polaris also offers ”lock and ride” accessories to make carrying gear a breeze, and oh yea, NO MORE BUNGEES! If you are looking for great longevity and performance, maybe the Yamaha SRViper M-TX is for you. Yamaha’s offering is 4 stroke. It is supremely reliable, and doesn’t require quite the same babying as a 2 stroke motor, but is little heavier at 640(dry weight). This machine has a factory Mountain Performance Industries (MPI)Turbo option…pumping this machine up to 180hp. This combination nicely compensates for the added weight, not to mention that this one won’t lose the HP’s as it gains altitude. This machine will get you to the top of any hill.

Timbersled: Now owned by Polaris Industries, traction is gaining on this new sport hybrid. Timbersled is another Western, USA(Ponderay, ID) company. The company was started in 2001 and their “Mountain Horse snow bike conversion system is the undisputed market leader in sales and performance”. This outfit seems to be the best of both worlds. You get to go to the extreme in the snow, climb hills, go in between some of the tightest trees, side hill, and see some of the best back country. The best part about this is you get to use your dirt bike, and if feels just like being on your dirt bike. If you are looking for the HP, overall power, and stance of a snowmobile…then ride a snowmobile, but if you want the best overall handling, and accessibility go with the Timbersled. Some of the best bikes to outfit would be a Kawaskai KX450, Yamaha-YZ450 or WR450(with competition kit), and KTM has several great models that work well with these kits; including the 300XC, 450SX-F, 450XC-F or the 500XCW. Remember, you can stop into our stores in Hamilton (Hamilton Polaris/KTM) or Libby (Montana Power Products) to schedule a demo ride and try out the latest and greatest from Timbersled.

Continued on page 35.

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TOYS CONTINUED ATV/UTV Tracks: The best on the market is Camso…formerly Camoplast. Camoplast recently merged with Solideal to create Camso and they are coining themselves as the “Road Free Company”. The Camoplast company started making enhanced tracks for snowmobiles in 1982 and since has create some proprietary products such as ATV/UTV tracks, compact equipment tracks, and agricultural equipment tracks. We can put them on everything from a Polaris Sportsman 570 to a Yamaha Grizzly 700 to a Polaris Ranger or RZR. We even recently put a set of tracks on a Kawasaki Mule PRO-FXT. Some of these vehicles require the use of forward a-arms, or if you are using a plow…a plow extension as the tracks add overall length to the machine. You will also notice a considerable increase in the height of a unit with a track kit on it. Some of the benefits are the ability to go almost anywhere, through water, up hill, down hill, over the mountains and through the woods to Grandma’s house, while doing it in a machine that looks like a beast and acts like one too. You will want to keep the unit in 4x4/AWD all the time with tracks on it, and electronic power steering (EPS) is not required, but it helps and is recommended. You do have to give a little with this option as it will gear down your machine and you could lose up to 40% of your top speed. Tracks can also be considered expensive, with ATV tracks starting around $3900 and UTV tracks starting around $5,000, but when you look at the overall performance of the machine without them, and then with them, the gain is much more than the cost.

As I write this, the snow is coming down here in Ronan, and I hung Christmas lights on the visitors center this morning. I talked to the guys in Libby and they have almost 4” on the ground, and I am sure Hamilton is starting to get the flurries. As we get ready for Christmas, keep the ones you love close to you and don’t forget to open your hearts and doors to your friends, neighbors, and those in need. Heck you might even find a new riding buddy. Don’t let winter get you down. Go out and have fun! Find the best combination of power and usefulness for what your passion is and enjoy the season.

From all of us at Ronan Power Products, Montana Power Products, and Hamilton Polaris/KTM – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

OUTDOOR VETERANS

Veterans and community members got together on 7 November to party and win prizes. With a half of beef, a Savage 270 rifle, hundreds of dollars worth of tangible raffle prizes such as groceries from McGowan’s Grocery and fuel from Plains Sinclair it was a packed event. Coupled the chance to win something sprinkled with plenty of libations and great music by Dark Horse it just made the party more fun. According to Joe Eisenbrandt the Quartermaster for VFW Post 3596 the event was a huge success. Joe said, “We have these type events not only for everyone to have fun but more importantly to raise money to assist Veterans Service Work, Scholarships and Community Activities.”

The VFW Needs Your Support on Two Other Fundraisers The VFW is currently selling green light bulbs to support the “Greenlight A Vet” program. Simply stop by the VFW and purchase a bulb. Place one or more green bulb(s) in your outside porch light to show your support.

Bulbs are $2.50 each. Profits from this money raising event goes to help needy veterans in the local area. Go to www.greenlightavet.com to learn more or stop by the Plains VFW to get additional details and pickup your bulbs.

They are also selling red T-shirts to support Red Shirt Fridays. Wear your red shirt to show you support our service members every Friday when you can. T-Shirts are $15.00 each and can also be picked up at the Plains VFW or any VFW member like the light bulbs. To learn more about this program go to http://redshirtfridays.org.

AS YOU HEAD OFF TO YOUR CHRISTMAS CHURCH SERVICES, GATHER AROUND THE CHRISTMAS DINNER TABLE OR AROUND THE FAMILY CHRISTMAS TREE PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AIRMAN AND FIRST RESPONDERS EITHER PROTECTING YOUR FREEDOM FAR FROM HOME OR PROTECTING AND SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES. WE TRULY APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU DO. THANK YOU & MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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YE OLD WATERING HOLE

The Halfway House by Raf Viniard My favorite drive in the entire NW Montana is from Plains to the Yaak via highway 200, 56, 2 and 508. However, it can be a long trip...probably because I am constantly “dilly dallying” trying to take in all the beauty and watch for game. The Halfway House is about halfway for me to stop and get some lunch, wet my whistle an catch up on the local happenings.

However, the Halfway House was not named after my travel patterns.

The Halfway House was established in 1945. It was at one time the Talmadge Service Station. It has gone through many owners and some modifications and its colorful history precedes it.

Halfway between Highway 200 (Noxon) and Highway 2 (Troy) going up Highway 56 you will find this little spot in the road across from Bull Lake and if you are traveling to fast will pass it before you know it. However to the west end of Lincoln and Sanders Counties and to the locals this is the place to hang out. Great food, good service and friendly chatter for everyone. Local and nonresident sportsmen alike come here to...let’s say replenish.

The first thing you notice when you go inside is the beautiful old oak bar on your left. If the old bar could talk I am sure it would tell some tales that don’t need to be told. The bar was originally built in St. Louis, MO and is over 100 years old. It was bought by a bar in Plains, MT. Prohibition came along and the bar was re-painted green. It was later moved to storage in Thompson Falls and restored in the 60’s. A story is told that many years ago the old bar was a witness to a shooting right where it sits today. A gentleman was tending bar and some words were exchanged between him and a patron that had consumed a little to much liquid attitude. From the way I heard it the drunk was coming over the bar with some ugly intentions towards the bar tender. The bar tender pulled out a double barrel shotgun and let both barrels go sending Feeks into the middle of the floor dead as a door nail. I am sure there is more to this story but this is all I could find out.

So how did the Halfway House get its name. Back in the early days logs were pulled by teams of horse on sleds/skids and wagons from Noxon to Troy. This trip took four days and the Halfway House was the mid point to rest the horses and the loggers could wet their whistle and get a bite to eat before continuing on to Troy or vice versa. Amazing after all these years I do the same thing...just glad I don’t have to deal with a team of horses and it take me four days to get there.

So what is the Halfway House like now. It just came under new ownership (Jason & Jennifer Williams and Laura and David Cooper pictured left) in June of 2014.

They have spent a lot of money upgrading the kitchen, introducing live entertainment and are well known for their Bull Lake Burgers, BJ’s Garage Pizza and best of all their Friday steak night starting at 5:00 PM. $14.00 New York Strip and $18.00 Ribeyes.

The place is very clean and has big screen TVs so you can watch the games...they have a NFL TV package that most football fanatics would be jealous of. Couple that with FREE WiFi and the huge wood burning stove that adds that final ambience. A hint of wood smoke waffles across the room and the warmth of the stove settles you right into a relaxed mood. Need to spend the night? They have free camping (no hook ups). The owners go out of their way to ensure your visit is everything you expect and then some. Their winter hours are from 11-9 during the weekdays (Sun-Thurs) and 11-10 Friday, Saturday If you are coming out for steak night get there early...tables fill up fast and when the steaks are gone you might be trying one of their famous Burgers or Pizza.

Like to fish...they are situated right across from Bull Lake and will be having two summer fishing tournaments. Is ice fishing your game…check out their ad on the next page...it is going to be a fun filled weekend so don’t miss it. Pick up a copy of their event schedule or check them out on Facebook for more information. Call 406-295-4358 to speak to the owners or if Pictured Above: Steve Munyan (Top), Mike Casey and Joan you have any questions. Remember, don’t argue with the bartender...it didn’t work out Stockton (Bottom) are regulars that will make you feel right at home. to well for the last guy!

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