Montana Woods N Water Sept 2014 by Montana Woods N Water

September 2014

Publisher’s Notes

What’s Inside

August is finally behind us and the cool nights of September are here…fall is in the air. Antelope hunters are chasing speed goats and bowhunters are back in the woods chasing big bulls and bucks. For those that did not get a bear this spring you got another chance to make it happen…that big bruin is fattening up on any remaining huckleberries. The grouse are also getting plump, and ready for harvest! Fishermen the weather is getting perfect and the waterways have quieted down from all the vacationers so get out there and stretch a line. It is time to fill the freezer and make some memories to get you through the winter. For those hard core turkey hunters that missed an opportunity last spring, the door is once again open to bust that old long beard. All this means rifle season isn’t far off so get those guns out and check them for their accuracy. Not to mention it’s time to get in shape and do some scouting to see if the big boy is still in the area you think he is. For all those that got drawn for the tags you wanted, congratulations. August was filled with mixed emotions for me. The publication is growing with leaps and bounds and everyday meant I was getting closer to chasing a big Montana bull. However, I lost a very good friend that helped me in the planning stages of this publication. Steve Pardee of Plains, MT was stung by a “freaking” bee that took his life. This edition is dedicated to one of my best friends and brothers in Christ. He shared many stories and much advice to this new Montanan. Every time I saw Steve he was wearing bib overalls and it just fit his personality. Steve was the kind of man that just made you smile and laugh when you got around him…he loved life. We ice fished together and picked huckleberries with him and his wife Patty. Steve was always laughing and “Living the Montana Dream”. He was an avid outdoorsman and his wife Patty, his kids and grandkids were the love of his life. Patty was right there with him in their great outdoor adventures. See ya on the other side Steve! Raf Viniard, Publisher Raf@montanawoodsnwater.com

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Hunting Trapping Fishing A Hunter’s Life Smoke Poles Angela Montana Sportsman’s Meds The Next Generation Events Local Celebrities Outdoor Vets Montana Dan Wings & Prayers Talkin’ Trout Camp Fire Talk Shooting Sports Pink Camo

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Publisher: Raf Viniard Managing Editor: Tanya Holzer Field Editor: Mitzi Stonehocker Sales and Marketing National Sales: Alicia Hendry Lake, Mineral & Sanders Counties: Raf Viniard Lincoln County: Kori Erickson Missoula: Vacant Kalispell: Vacant

Pro Staff Writers/Photographers:

Editor’s Notes Montana Woods N Water is excited to announce we are now a FREE publication thanks to our advertising supporters. Subscriptions are available for only $28 a year (you pay only shipping and handling), or you can pick up your free copy at one of our distributors. Please help Montana Woods N Water continue to grow and be offered free to our fellow sportsmen by supporting our advertisers and spreading the word about this awesome Northwest Montana publication. Read on, and keep “Living the Dream!” Tanya Holzer, Managing Editor Tanya@montanawoodsnwater.com

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Angela Gerych Dan Helterline Paul Fielder Toby Bridges Toby Walrath

Pastor Jim Sinclair Zach Butcher Montana Mitzi Sam Martin

Contributing Photographers/Writers: Rebecca Hopkins, DVM; Matt Cockrell; Michelle Freese; Ruth Fenn Special thanks to our proof readers Paul, Andrenia, and Dave & Jan Harvey. Editorial Policy: Montana Woods N Water’s reserves the right to refuse to print any content submitted for publishing that does not include the author’s name, complete mailing address, and/or valid phone number or email address. Anonymous submissions will not be addressed or published.

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HUNTING

Bowhunter Down T

here is nothing like opening morning of bow season for a hardcore bowhunter. You have waited all year for this day with many hours of preparation, planning, scouting and possibly hanging stands. As the daylight slowly creeps into the woods and across the valleys, images slowly start to appear. A bugle, grunt, or a crack of twigs beneath an animal’s feet draws your immediate undivided attention. Your hunting area starts to come alive and your senses are on full alert as you are filled with anticipation of what is about to unfold. As your breathing rate increases, the fresh, cool, crisp fall air fills your lungs. You are soaking it all up and truly “Living the Dream”. You hear what appears to be an animal slowly picking their way through the brush and coming in from behind you. You slowly stand up, grabbing your bow and try to peek at what is coming your way. As you turn to look over your shoulder you feel and hear a crack just under your feet, and realize it is the bottom of your tree stand about to dump you 20 plus feet to the ground. Think it can’t happen to you…think again! It happens to bow and gun hunters every year. If you hunt from an elevated position, make sure it is safe and wear a safety belt at all times. Most accidents occur when entering and exiting a stand. Always have three points of contact while climbing. What other bow hunting injuries could turn an enjoyable day in the woods into a life and death threatening situation? You are in the Montana mountains, so help is likely several hours away. This is a short list, and I am sure you have some things you could add, but these are some of the most common mistakes & injuries that occur while bow hunting. • If traveling in the dark, make sure you have a good light. A stick in the eye or a hard fall is a bad way to start off opening day. Check your bow often to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be. Moving through brush, things can get caught in the cams or cables. Drawing your bow with leaves and sticks stuck in your cams could cause injury from your bow flying apart. If this happens with an arrow sitting on the rest, only time will tell where the broadhead will stop. • Make sure your arrows are stored in a quiver that fully covers and protects your broadheads. Broadheads are

–By Raf Viniard

razor sharp and intended to slice through flesh and bone. If you fall and accidentally cut yourself in the wrong place, you could end up with an injury that could limit your ability to seek help. Or worse, bleed out and die in a matter of minutes. • Always use a haul line to lift and lower your bow when hunting from an elevated position. Place your bow away from the bottom of the stand and off to the side. In the event you do fall from the stand, falling on the bow will only make matters worse. You may survive the fall, but an uncovered arrow may end it. • If you cleared shooting lanes, make sure you cut off any trees even with the ground. Leaving tree stubs cut at an angle is asking for a trip hazard with a pongee stick effect. • If using a climber, make sure the

“

You hear what appears to be an animal slowly picking their way through the brush and coming in from behind you.”

•

bottom and top of the climber are tied together to prevent the bottom platform from beating you to the ground. If using a knife, hatchet, or machete always cut away from your body and watch where you place your other hand or arm. Slow down, and if dark, use a good head lamp. Take plenty of drinking water and be sure to carry a filtration device or other method to purify water sources for drinking. Dehydration will affect your judgment and decision making. When crossing streams or rocky areas, make sure of your footing and use a walking stick to help keep your balance. Test the area before placing your next step. A sprained or broken ankle can be bad news when you’re deep in the mountains, not to mention limit your hunting for the rest of the season. After the shot, do not get in a hurry getting out of your stand. Take your time and remember safety. When following up on a shot do not run after game with an arrow knocked. Always approach downed game from its backside and touch its eye with a

stick to ensure it is dead before grabbing the antlers. If its eye twitches, you need to finish the job. • Be mindful of other game that may pose a threat to you, such as bears, cats, wolves, etc. • Always carry a whistle with you. You can blow a whistle longer than you can yell for help. • Most important of all…let someone know where you are going and when you will be back. Your life just might depend on it. Your family wants you to enjoy yourself but they want you back home safe and in one piece. Search and Rescue do not want to get a call that a bowhunter is down. But if they do, rest assured they will get there as fast as they safely can. Hunt hard but hunt safe!

Rifle season opens October 25th...get ready!

HUNTING

SEPTEMBER 2014

Thinking about

TRAPPING

BEAVER

in September –By Paul C. Fielder

hile preparing for this trapping article, the publisher, Raf, asked me, “What would trappers be doing in September?” My immediate answer was “Thinking about and hunting elk with a bow”. Raf replied, “Wouldn’t they be scouting for beaver colonies and sign of cuttings or something like that?” “Not me,” I said, “Beaver don’t really start cutting and storing up their winter food caches until late fall, nearer to freeze up. Otherwise, the wood tends to sour by late winter if it is under the water too long.” In October and early November, beavers are busy caching their winter food supply. It is then that those “bright” sticks the beaver have chewed the bark off of start showing up along the shorelines. A little searching in an upstream direction will often lead you to good beaver trapping opportunities. (Most sticks don’t float upstream from where a beaver cut or chewed on them.) Once while driving to the airport to pick up my son’s family for a Thanksgiving visit, I caught a quick glance of a few bright beaver sticks through a small opening in the vegetation along a stream. On the way back from the airport, I slowed down and my son verified “good beaver sign” at that spot. We went back the next day, set 5 traps and took 7 beavers out of there in two nights. It was a high elevation location and the small pond the beaver chose froze over later that week. These beaver hadn’t built a very big food cache. That winter ended up being cold and long, and the ice stayed on that area until May. It is likely this beaver colony would have remained trapped under the ice, would have used up their food cache, and starved before the ice opened up. By reducing the colony size, the total colony did not starve. The remaining beavers could survive with their food cache, and the “harvested” beavers did not starve and go to waste. That beaver colony reinforced the idea that if we don’t thin out (harvest) some individuals from wildlife populations, the whole population can suffer. The same scenario occurs with deer populations. If not enough deer are harvested and there are too many deer for the winter range to support (until spring green-up comes), some deer will starve, fawn production will be reduced, and the deer will have overgrazed their winter range. This overgrazed winter range will

TRAPPING

SEPTEMBER 2014

have a lower carrying capacity for future years and the health and productivity of the deer population suffers long term. Biologists and conservationists tend to emphasize management of wildlife “populations” whereas preservationists tend to focus on individual animals. Another reply to Raf’s earlier question may have been that I might make up a batch of beaver lure. There are good lures available for sale from a variety of vendors, but I like making my own. Just like making a good shot with a bullet you handloaded yourself, or catching a trout on a fly you tied gives you a feeling of satisfaction – catching critters with lures you made yourself gives that same satisfaction. I think lure making broadens your exposure to the science of trapping. After I skin a beaver, I remove the two castor glands. These are scent glands in the lower abdomen of the beaver carcass, just under the belly flesh. They look like large walnuts. The beaver, Castor canadensis, gets its Latin name from these glands. Some castors are big and full like a large apricot, while some are almost empty and shriveled. I hang and dry the full ones and freeze them until solid. They average about $50/pound. I save the empty and shriveled castors, and grind them up for making my beaver lure. I mix the ground beaver castor with some birch oil, catnip oil (for its sweet minty flavor), rhodium oil (because its high specific gravity tends to bring the scent down to the surface area), and glycerin (to provide a liquid base for the lure that makes it “pasty” and to keep the lure from freezing). I mix about 3-5 drops of each oil into the finely ground castor in a 6-8 ounce jar. Then I mix in enough glycerin to make the lure pasty. It is not rocket science. The mountain men just used the castors for lure. My mix gives me a freeze-proof, low-laying, food, territorial, curiosity lure. When beaver are swimming, their nose is within 2 inches of the water’s surface. I want an oily lure that stays close to the surface of the water or ground. I’ll often coat the end of a stick with my beaver lure and then position the lured stick in the

water with the lured tip above the water. I push the stick into the substrate deep enough so the bottom of the lured part of the stick (farthest from the tip) just touches the water. This allows the lure oils to slowly drip down the stick and send a “chum line” out onto the water’s surface for the beaver to follow. If the beaver has to encounter your trap before reaching the lure stick, you’ve done the job right. Beaver have good noses, and good lure is deadly.

Fielder Tip for fall beaver trapping: I trap some beaver in November, often in conjunction with elk and deer hunting. Their pelts are more prime later in the winter, but I use beaver meat as my preferred bait for trapping predators, so I like to get some fresh trapping bait in November. My tip is, wear some hunter orange when checking your beaver traps. Us trappers like to go along the “Woods N Water” unnoticed as we set and check our traps, but we don’t want to be mistaken for venison.

FISHING

Oh, you mean THAT Rapala With so many styles and colors to choose from, finding the right Rapala could mean the difference between a day of catching fish or a day of casting practice –By Sam Martin

ere in the quiet evening of my twenty-first birthday, I find myself looking back at my angling accomplishments thus far and musings on my introductory years. One memory strikes me in particular as being the most universally applicable and helpful for you dear readers. When my family and I first moved to Montana six years ago –I know, an out of stater, a thousand penance for this sinmy father, brother and I went down to the local outdoor store to try to get an idea of how to catch fish in this state. The portly associate I spoke to gave me a very brief answer to this inquiry, “Why, Rapalas of course.” Wow, I thought, it sure must be easy to catch fish in Montana if one lure can do it all. This foolish thought vanished from my mind as I approached the, no kidding, wall of Rapala hard baits. With dozens of choices, several different variants and a rainbow of colors, what was I to choose? I immediately went home and did several days’ worth of research to find the optimal use of each style of Rapala. What follows are my findings, with a few updates, which I hope will help you as much as it did me. The Original Floating Rapala: This is what most people are referencing when

they say “Rapala” and is responsible for catching more fish than any other lure on the planet. It can be good for most species when twitched along rocky banks, but truly shines for massive trout when trolled at swift speeds and is colored to mimic local forage fish. It only trolls to about five or six feet, so clear water of no more than fifteen feet is optimal. The Skitter Line of Baits: These top water baits come in a variety of models that allow for a wide range of presentations. While the Skitter walk is used for a fast “walk the dog” retrieve, the Skitter 4

pop allows for a stop-and-go style movement that can produce several different kinds of splashing based on prominent conditions. These baits are best used around cover or active schools of baitfish for bass in the early morning and around any kind of vegetation for pike all day. The Raps: This is a big category that contains many diverse forms of lures and must be subdivided. • The Scatter Series: These lures are what I like to call “The Replacements” because they come in both crank bait and stick bait styles, but have extremely erratic actions– hence the name. When fish are following or short striking your hard baits, these

“

the fish to get excited about. • Rattlin’ Rap: This lure is perfect for someone fishing the top of a grass line or through the ice. This is due to the bait’s lack of a lip, allowing it to be ripped in a yo-yo fashion. That’s not to say that straight reeling isn’t effective, but that tactic is often overdone and will usually be ignored by more hesitant fish. • Clackin’ Rap Line: Another replacement style bait. Where other lures have a number of tiny rattles, the Clackers have a single, large piece of shot which provides a wholly unique sound. With a wide variety of models to choose from, these lures can mimic any of their more quiet brethren and

With dozens of choices, several different variants and a rainbow of colors, what was I to choose?”

guys are usually a safe bet as that difference in action can often turn a looker into a biter. Like the difference between a ballet dancer and Elvis, one may look good but the other is moving so crazy you can’t help but be infatuated. • The Shad Series: A cold water mainstay in most of the country, the Shad Series performs best when fish are either timid or lethargic. This is due to its tight wobble and rattleless balsa wood construction. For both walleye and bass, this bait is best fished around rocky cover on a spinning rod with a medium retrieve. Match bill size to the depth fish are holding at. • The X Series: This line of stick baits and top water lures are dubbed “slash baits” and fall into a category similar to the Scatter Series. Where these baits differ from their cousins is in their particular kind of action. Where the Scatter Series has a crazy wobble the “X” baits have an exaggerated side to side “slashing” action. Just like the first set of lures, this series is good when the bite on normal hard baits is tentative, providing a new action for

be fished to whatever the situation requires. The Dives-To Series: A lure close to my heart, the DT’s are the quintessential bass fishing crank bait. Where these lures excel is when fish are hanging around a certain depth and need to be precisely targeted. They come in a vast range of colors and now have a minnow-shaped model perfect for mimicking long, skinny perch. The Trolls-To Series: Same as above, but these baits are able to dive deeper on a long troll line and come in some colors that are great for both walleye and trout. For those of you who like to sit and have a tasty nonalcoholic beverage while you wait for fish, this is your kind of lure. The Minnow Series: The quintessential stick bait. Where the tiny variant of these baits works well for reeling up monster panfish, the longer versions excel at hitting all depths with models ranging from floating to suspending to sinking. There’s not much these lures cannot do.

FISHING |

SEPTEMBER 2014

A HUNTER’S LIFE

A Hunter’s Life

Real hunters sharing a lifetime of hunting adventure. Exclusive interviews with everyday hunters who have blessed us with our hunting heritage –By Toby Walrath

rappers are generally a solitaire breed, hidden in forests or pickup trucks in all types of weather as they go about their own business. But some trappers stick out like a sore thumb, give input at every fur handling or educational gathering they can, and promote trapping ethics at virtually every turn they make. These rare individuals aren't afraid to take a stance. They wear their years on the trap line like a badge of honor and share the love of trapping to anyone who will listen. Although Robert "Bob" Sheppard is a first rate trapper, it's the example he sets for all trappers that makes him stand out. Bob spends every free minute he has standing up for trappers and is known by virtually every wildlife official in Montana. He works hard to articulate his message in a manner that reflects well on trappers everywhere. When I first approached Bob about an interview, he told me there were at least a thousand trappers in Montana alone who might be better to ask. I listened as a voice frequently heard by legislators, senators, Montana FWP personnel and students told a life-long trapper’s story. The wilderness was home for Bob in the early seventy's after two years in Vietnam. October meant gathering up horses and packing in supplies for a long winter deep in the heart of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Around Thanksgiving time, the horses were brought out and a single snowshoe trip deep into the back country severed ties with the modern world until April or May. It was here that Bob

caught his first wolverine while running a beaver line along a remote creek. "I was snowshoeing through the wilderness. I was living in there and I was trapping beaver down in the creeks and chopping a lot of ice, and I only had to go three or four miles one way. Sometime during the day I just started getting a weird feeling and I thought ‘I've been in the mountains too long by myself.' That night I was snowshoeing back, and just got through a couple patches of real dark timber with a big old full moon out there and I was just spooked. I thought I must have just been reading too many stories at night or something. I came back over a little point and I looked over, and out of that dark timber came a wolverine. He was following my tracks. I jumped up and he seen me and I never got a shot at him. In them days you didn't need a special tag or anything and there wasn't a limit on them. So, the next day I went out and he had picked up on me someplace and he was following me all around, but he couldn't really do much with the beaver traps under the ice. So I went over to a little knoll and set a couple traps and I thought, ' I'll get that rascal'. A couple days later I came back and crawled up on there, and it was ten or twelve feet up to this little bench and it overlooked this low ground for half to three quarters of a mile. I came crawling up there and poked my head over and this thing with all these teeth come up and snap! Looked like he was going to bite my nose off! Well, I flipped over backwards and rolled down the hill without even knowing what it was.

I just knew it was something with a lot of teeth! I'd caught that wolverine." After shooting it, Bob realized the wolverine was only caught by two toes. "It might have been pretty damned exciting, it was exciting enough as it was but that always stands out in my mind. " These days Bob still loves to run his trap line and jokingly claims he hangs around good trappers in hopes he'll gain knowledge through “osmosis”. His perspective on trapping, politics and education are unique because of his direct involvement in all three aspects. When asked what he likes to trap the most, he was quick to reply, "Anything with four feet and fur! Mostly for coyotes and beaver. Beaver are a really good entryway to a place because they are a lot of work, but I really like them. So when I trap the beaver, it opens up the ground for the rest of the stuff. Skunks are a good one for that too." Bob has been fortunate to trap some of the same private ranches for years, and attributes his success to using sound management principles. "If you're going to be a successful trapper, management is a prime thing. If you can't manage the animals to a certain degree, you're not going to be consistently successful. The more you learn the more you know and the more you find out you don't know." The trap line is not the only place Bob has had to learn to manage . The growing political cloud has spread to Montana. New groups of non-consumptive users are crowding "the last best place" with Continued on page 16. A HUNTER’S LIFE

SEPTEMBER 2014

SMOKE POLES

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let old powder ruin your hunt Saving a buck or two by keeping old powder can end up costing you in the field â&#x20AC;&#x201C;By Toby Bridges

'm sure I don't have to tell you that the cost of shooting has skyrocketed over the past three or four years. No matter what you are shooting or hunting with, the cost has gone up. Muzzleloading is certainly no exception. When I first started to shoot and hunt with a muzzleloader back in 1965, using cast pure lead round balls I produced myself, I could stoke up my old .45 caliber percussion Dixie Gun Works "Kentucky Rifle" for about 15-cents a shot - and even if I bought .440" diameter pre-cast 128-grain balls for the rifle, the cost was still only about 20- to 25-cents per shot. In stark contrast is what the loading components I now load and shoot out of my modern inline ignition rifles can cost. By the time I factor in the price of a charge of a modern black powder substitute, the cost of a plastic sabot and bullet, plus the cost of a No. 209 primer for ignition - depending on the powder, bullet and primer used the modern in-line muzzleloading rifles can set you back anywhere from $1.50 to around $3.00 every time a shot is fired. Much of that cost is for the powder to propel the projectile down the bore and out of the muzzle. Back in 1965, a pound of FFFg black powder cost me a whole $8.00 for a onepound can. Today, that same can of black powder will set the muzzleloading hunter back anywhere from $20 to $25 - and if it has to be ordered and shipped, there will be the additional cost of a $25 "Hazardous Material Permit". That's right, a pound of black powder for the hunting season could end up costing you as much as $45 to $50. That means to load a 100-grain hunting charge, that pound of powder is good for 70 shots. Just for the powder, a traditionally styled muzzleloader stoked up with

SMOKE POLES

SEPTEMBER 2014

traditional black powder can cost between 65- and 70-cents for every shot taken. Black powder can be difficult to find in gun shops these days. For that reason, muzzleloading hunters have turned to modern black powder substitutes - such as Pyrodex, Triple Seven, American Pioneer Powder and Black MZ. Black powder is classified as an "explosive", while the specially formulated substitutes are classified as "flammable solids". The new powders are far safer to store and use, and are far more readily available from retail gun shops. Still, if they have to be shipped in, there is that $25 HAZ-MAT permit - and the retail price of these powders often surpasses that of traditional black powder. The one advantage of the newer powders is that most do burn cleaner than black powder, and typically will allow the muzzleloading hunter to reload two or three times on a morning hunt without having to wipe the fouling from the bore. The downside of the majority of the new black powder substitutes is that, unlike black powder, once the containers are opened and the seal is broken, these powders begin to deteriorate. In other words, it is not advisable to save powder left over from one season to use again next year. In some of my testing, I have found identical charges of Pyrodex to lose close to 30-percent of its velocity from one year to the next. Especially vulnerable to aging are the compressed Pyrodex Pellets, and the Triple Seven Pellets as well. Not only does the level of performance fall off as the powder ages, it also tends to become more erratic and inconsistent. This can make it impossible to shoot good groups. Loose grain FFg and FFFg Triple Seven does stand up much better to a year of storage once the canister has been opened, but if some of the powder is saved yet another year, performance drops off considerably. One modern black powder substitute that defies the aging process just happens to be a Montana product - Blackhorn 209, marketed by Western

Powders of Miles City. It is also the cleanest burning muzzleloader powder available, allowing 50 or more shots before the bore has to be cleaned. The only downside of this powder is that it requires a rifle that utilizes a hot No. 209 primer for ignition. It cannot be ignited by No. 11 percussion caps or the larger winged musket caps. I have one canister that I have been testing for 6 years now. Late each spring, I take the canister of Blackhorn 209 to the range with me and shoot three three-shot groups, plus run a couple of shots across the chronograph. The accuracy has

remained excellent, and I've yet to detect a real loss of velocity from that can of powder - which I first opened in the spring of 2008. With a muzzleloader, you have one really good chance to make a good shot on game. It's not worth trying to save a few bucks using leftover powder from last year, or the year before. Still, these powders, like all loading components, are expensive. My suggestion is, in order to always have fresh powder on hand get with a friend who also muzzle-loads, and split a can of powder shortly before season opens. Another is to practice a bit more before season, and shoot a time or two during season to burn up that powder - or just go out when season ends and experiment with new bullets, sabots or primers to see if your rifle shoots with greater accuracy. Most muzzleloading powders aren't like wine - they don't get better with age. 7

ANGELA MONTANA

Spoil yourself with snacks that won’t spoil This hunting season, load your pack with lightweight snacks that endure the miles –By Angela Gerych

admit that I am not always on top of my game, and I don’t always replenish my hunting pack’s emergency food stash. Does this have anything to do with me being a female? Probably not, but who knows. I’m pretty sure the energy bars I have in my pack are probably around 10 years-old. Yes…really. They probably won’t be very tasty by the time I do end up needing to eat them, but I can handle bad flavor. I just wonder if the bars will even be edible. That got me thinking about switching up my hunting pack food contents to include foods that won’t spoil. That way, I don’t ever have to worry about anything going bad. After some research, I decided I’m going to load up my pack with the following: Twinkies. We've all heard that they never go bad....they may not be the healthiest snack, but still may be a good choice...plus, they are lightweight, too! Honey. Yes, I recently discovered that honey never goes bad, either. Honey can be used for so many things, too, such as using it for a facial -- hey, just because you're at hunting camp doesn't mean you can't still be a girl -- and even using it as a "natural Neosporin" to treat cuts, scrapes and even burns and more. White Rice. From what I’ve concluded during my researching, white rice is just as fresh as it was the day you bought it even 20 years later! If you fear you may not make it back to your camp like you planned, or when you planned, this rice is the perfect never-spoiling pack food. Salt. Yep. Salt will always be good to go. So, keeping a zip lock baggie of it in your pack is a good idea, too, as it can season your white rice! Sugar. If you ever need an energy boost, and you used all your honey to treat your cuts and scrapes, keep some sugar in an airtight package. You can even flavor your water, too.

Fried beaver tail Try everything once, right? –By Angela Gerych

2 Beaver tails 1/4 tsp Pepper 1/2 c Vinegar 1/4 c Butter

1 tbs Salt 1/4 c Sherry or cooking wine 2 tsp Soda 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Sometimes, you just don’t want the same old venison or elk burger for dinner. So, why not try something a little different? Okay, a LOT different! (If you have kids, just don’t tell them what it is!) This recipe is great for trappers, mainly because they might already have a beaver tail from one of their recent catches. For others, talk to your trapper friends and see if they can hook you up with a few beaver tails. I will say that of the few people I have talked to who have tried beaver tail, I was told they haven’t been able to find a recipe to make it worth eating. However, this might just be the one to try! Remember–don’t dis it ‘til you try it! (Hey, I’m being optimistic!)

1/4 c Flour 1 tsp Sugar 1 ts Dry mustard

Skin beaver tails, clean thoroughly and wash well in a solution of salt water. Let soak overnight in cold water to cover, adding 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt to water. The next day, remove from the brine, wash, then cover with solution of 2 teaspoons soda to 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Drain.

Dredge beaver tails in seasoned flour. Melt butter in heavy fry pan and saute tails at low heat until tender. Mix wine with mustard, sugar, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. Add to beaver tails and simmer gently for 10 minutes, basting frequently. From “Northern Cookbook” edited by Eleanor A. Ellis, Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Ottawa 1973.

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Stop by McGowan Mall in Downtown Plains, Montana to visit all these fine retailers. 116 E. Railroad Avenue, Plains, Montana

SPORTSMANS MEDS

Medicine: Yellow jackets –By Pastor Jim Sinclair

t was one of those hot, sultry summer days. You know, too hot to fish, too hot for golf, as the old Mark Chestnut country song goes. I strolled out to check the gauge on my propane tank, and as I approached the tank I swatted at one of those fast flying little yellow bullets. I really didn’t think much about it and just kept walking focused on the task at hand. Ignoring the warning of the previous swat, I grabbed the cover, lifted it high and flopped it over against the tank. The clanging of the cover, coupled with my screech, sent approximately 500 yellow jackets into a buzzing, agitated frenzy. They were not happy campers and were looking to nail who or whatever disturbed them. In less than a second, the yellow jackets were on task. I immediately darted for the open field. Never looking back, I quickly covered 500 yards and one barbed wire fence. I finally decided to look back and reassess the scene of the crime. How I managed to only take two shots, one on the back of the neck and

Medicine: Fight or flight

one on the shoulder, I will never know. It must have been the wind turbulence I left as I departed the area most hastily. That evening I took the sting out of them from 25 feet away with a full can of “Bee Bop”. That’s when I remembered when someone else took the sting out of something we all will face…death. Recently losing two close friends, Chucky Clinkenbeard & Steve Pardee, I gleaned from God’s word where it says in 1 Corinthians 15:55. "O death, where is your sting?” I am so thankful, when we know Jesus as Our Lord and Savior, there is no “sting” in death. In fact, there is no death, we only go from here to Heaven. Yes, it leaves a void and our loved ones miss us. However, when we know the Savior, leaving here is just the beginning. Keep livin the life, Pastor Jim

–By Raf Viniard

his article is hard to write. Like Pastor Jim, Steve Pardee was a very close friend and my heart is saddened by his departure. I had only known him for about a year, but his heart was as big as Montana and he was a great Christian man. He was an avid sportsman that loved to hunt and fish. We spent a couple days wetting a hook and plucking huckleberries with him and his wife. If you think you are immune to bee stings, you might want to rethink that theory. Steve had been stung before with no reaction. However, this one final bee sting was fatal. Yellow jackets are part of the outdoor scene. If you spend enough time outside, it’s not if, but when you get tagged. There is nothing worse than climbing up in a tree stand several feet up and about sunrise you determine you are not alone. Talk about mixed emotions. It really boils down to which is going to hurt worse; the hundreds of stings, or the sudden stop when you hit the ground from trying to swat and get out of the stand at the same time. Only someone who has experienced this dilemma could write or relate to the above scenario. Luckily for me, I am not allergic to them (I think), but they sure make me mad when they pop me…it just freaking hurts! One pop I can live with. Two or more and I am plotting my revenge against these little haters. Last year they were horrible. This year I don’t seem to see near as many, but remember, it only takes one. Maybe the colder winter zapped some of the little yellow belly, striped drones. Rest assured, there are still many millions out there just waiting to commit jihad and sting you as many times as possible. You need to know what to do if you or a companion is stung by these little yellow demons. Yes, there are many home remedies out there, such as chewing tobacco juice, tenderizing salt, ammonia, baking soda and water, mud packs and honey rubs. As a kid I was exposed to all these. I guess they worked. I had other things to do so I soon forgot about the stinging encounter. However, let’s stick with medical recommendations…your life just might depend on it. Unlike a honey bee, a yellow jacket or hornet can sting many times and not lose its stinger. Put distance between you and the

threat. Pay attention to where you are running. A limb up the nose or in the eye is going to leave a bloody mark. The stinger may or may not remain in the skin. If you see the stinger, do not pull it out with your fingers or squeeze it out. The venom sac may still be attached and you will inject yourself with more venom. Instead, use a driver’s license, knife blade (dull preferred) or something similar to scrape it out. Immediately apply ice if available. Most of the time we are in the woods and not close to the house. That is why I carry alcohol pads, Ibuprofen and liquid Benadryl with me in the field. If you are highly allergic to wasp or bee stings, make sure you consult your physician about what to do in the event you are not close to emergency medical treatment when stung. He may prescribe an EpiPen. It only takes one sting to turn a great day into a bad day…so go prepared. If you are stung several times, immediately seek medical help. Allergic reaction can be delayed and possibly life threatening. Yellow Jackets can be in the ground, in a log, a shrub or anywhere they can wiggle their little stinging butts into. When the nest area is disturbed they can be very tenacious and dedicated to inflicting great pain, even at their own peril. Fight or flight are your only choices, but if we are standing side by side I have already made my decision…all I have to do is out run you! Beeee Safe! SPORTSMANS MEDS

SEPTEMBER 2014

Lynch Creek Animal Clinic Alan Marley, V.M.D. Rebecca Hopkins, V.M.D. amarley@blackfoot.net 7273 MT Hwy 200 Plains, MT 59859 406-826-3235 www.lynchcreekanimalclinic.com

NEXT GENERATION

ABOVE: Cree Lulack, age 12, displays a freshwater mussel she pulled from the Thompson River. ABOVE: Jack Cockrell holds up the whopper he caught at Terrace Lake. RIGHT: Jack poses with his dad, Matt, after his dad bagged a nice turkey. We are always looking for photos of the Next Generation enjoying all Montana has to offer. Send your photos to Tanya@montanawoodsnwater.com, subject ‘Next Generation’.

Hooked on Montana How many fish hooks can you find hidden in the pages of Montana Woods N Water? Search each ad to see how sharp your eyes are. Need some help? Check out our website at www.montanawoodsnwater.com, and click on “Hooked on Montana”. Keep your eyes peeled for these hooks, and good luck fishing today!

NEXT GENERATION

SEPTEMBER 2014

Upcoming Events

List your event or happening here for FREE e-mail Tanya@montanawoodsnwater.com September Fridays Troy Farmers Market - 3:30-6pm 20 Robin Jennings Cancer Benefitâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Sponsored by West End ATV Club. Contact Michelle for more information 406-529-2569 October 11 RMEF Banquet - Lakeside Motel and Resort, Trout Creek. Call 406-407-0612 for more information. 25 Opening Day of Rifle Season November 27 NRA Banquet

ABOVE: Teralee Ryan, of Plains, MT belted out the National Anthem like a pro during the Stand Down held at Trout Creek in June. She may not be a veteran but her heart and spirit is that of a true patriot. Teralee is the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Dan Ryan of Plains, MT. Photo left to right: Bob Brown, Dan Ryan, Teralee Ryan, Billy Hill and Senator Jennifer Field

LOCAL CELEBRITIES

RIGHT: Jim Sanderson shows off the bass he reeled in while enjoying an outing with his family near Polson.

ABOVE: Logan Holzhauser of Libby poses with his bull.

RIGHT: Nate and Mckenzi Scofield take a moment to snap a picture with Mckenzi’s whitetail. Send your photos to Tanya@montanawoodsnwater.com, subject ‘Local Celebrities’.

A Hunter’s Life continued from page 6. foreign views. Bob explained his opinion simple. It's a fella that likes to trap and on Montana politics. "What irritates me has spent some time doing it. That's all it the most about the whole politics deal is takes." that in essence what they're trying to do is Trapper education, both in the class that - they have, I'm going to call it a room and in normal day to day life, play a religion, because I firmly believe that's key role in the advancement of the where they're coming from - and they are trapper’s agenda. But it takes hard work trying to force their thoughts, their morals, and dedication. "Thirty years ago you'd their religion down my throat, then trying have played hell convincing me that I to force me to follow that agenda and I would've been in front of so many people have a real problem with that. I feel that as I have been talking about trapping, between them and the media, they are promoting trapping and the aspects of it, infringing upon my own personal rights. I because I just wanted to do my trapping. I don't want to spend my time and money didn't like getting in front of groups going to meetings dealing with legislators never did - still don't. I get a bad case of and senators and Fish and Game people. stage fright. I make up my mind I'm going It just ain't my bag. But somebody's got to to try to get my point across in an do it. I believe if you are going to have articulate and lucid manner - I've had to something worth standing up for, it's work at this, believe me." worth fighting for and you're going to have Bob also shares trapping knowledge with to put the effort forth. That's the reason I fellow trappers and is eager to learn from got into this education program. If you others. "We have a fur handling clinic start educating people it's going to involve every year for our district. It's usually We are always looking for photos of Local Celebrities enjoying all Montana has to offer. you in the politics because they're tied early in January. There's always Send your photos to Tanya@montanawoodsnwater.com, subject ‘Local Celebrities’. hand and glove. Instructors don't have to something you can learn. I think that's a be a John Graham or a Ron Legget. They really great thing, because I wish I had just got to be a trapper, and a trapper is someone show me that when I was 16

younger. If I would have known all of this over the years, particularly back in the 70's and 80's - I would have literally made thousands of dollars, just because I could have handled my fur so much better." Bob also urges new trappers to join an association, because the old guys will help teach the youngsters how to handle fur. "By joining an association you get immediate and direct access to that and I don't know any of them who won't help." Bold and unwavering in his beliefs - the result of fifty years of trapping and educating others–Bob is a shining example of what it takes to promote and protect our proud heritage. We owe a debt of gratitude to these individuals and perhaps a little more involvement on our part. We've all had our chance to learn from men like Bob. Men who lay it on the line everyday and stand up for what they believe in. Thank you Mr. Sheppard.

LOCAL CELEBRITIES

SEPTEMBER 2014

OUTDOOR VETERANS

Outdoor Veterans –By Raf Viniard & Alicia Hendry Being a veteran myself, with over 20 years of military service, I can attest to the quality of women our armed forces recruit every year. Oftentimes, the general public does not realize how many women proudly serve their country, from fighter pilots to engineers and everything in between. Our military women take their job just as serious as the men do. I worked in Security Forces protecting everything from the President to our nation’s nuclear forces, and it was not uncommon to see enlisted women and women officers carrying a weapon or supporting the overall mission in some way. Women serve our country every day, 365 days a year. Women take the same oath as everyone else and they are willing to shed their blood to protect the greatest country on earth. I am proud of our lady veterans. They are an integral part of keeping America free, and I will proudly stand beside them shoulder to shoulder if needed to defend our nation against any enemy, foreign or domestic. For those past, present and future women veterans, Montana Woods N Water salutes you. Here are a few local Montana ladies that make us proud!

Elizabeth Haagensen

Linda Thomas

Elizabeth is a native Montanan, currently residing in Trout Creek. She proudly served in the US Army from 1996-2000. Elizabeth enjoys the outdoors, whether it is kayaking, hiking, horseback riding or fishing. When she's not outdoors you will find Elizabeth at the Trout Creek post office where she now serves as Postmaster. Apart from her busy life with her family, the post office and the outdoors, Elizabeth is the President of the Trout Creek Community Improvement Association. Elizabeth’s advice for new sportsmen is to make sure you know what you are shooting at before pulling the trigger. Her advice for the next generation is simple–take care and pride in this beautiful place in which we live.

Linda was born and raised in Minnesota, moving to Montana in 1982. She first landed in Superior before finally settling in Trout Creek. According to Linda, many people from Minnesota have transplanted themselves in Montana to escape the mosquitoes and humidity. Linda served between 1966 - 1967 in the U.S. Army as a Combat Medic. Prior to heading to Vietnam, an unfortunate incident forced Linda to leave the military early. However, if given the chance, Linda would go back in a minute and continue serving her country as a Registered Nurse. Over the years Linda has enjoyed hunting deer and elk, though her passion is fishing for perch and bass. Her favorite lures are red and white Rapalas, Daredevils and a Thomas spinner. Linda has endured a lot over the years, but has remained a shining light and an inspiration for those she comes into contact with.

Deborah M. Allen

Elizabeth with her horse Rjike.

Deborah was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, and was raised as a military brat. She moved to Thompson Falls in 1996 after retirement from the military in 1995. She served her country proudly in the

Deborah M. Allen Navy from 1976-1995, with the rank HTC-DV. Her duties included, but were not limited to, performing as a maintenance technician and jack of all trades. Deborah became the third female to be a hull tech, and the first female to become a diver in the Navy. For over ten years, Deborah and her husband raised and hunted Buffalo, but admittedly, she says they were just 3,000 pound pets. Her passion for the outdoors continues today, hunting for elk with her trusty 30.06. Deborah’s advice to new sportsmen is to not be afraid to get out and try your hand at hunting. Try something new every day. Her advice for the next generation was aimed at other women. “Ladies, join the military. There is so much to see and experience all around the world.”

As we recognize our women veterans, there is another group of individuals who, without their support, would have a dramatic impact on the morale and welfare of our country’s service members. Our military spouses are a key factor in maintaining America’s fighting force. Service members are often deployed to the far reaches of the earth or called upon to be away from their families for years, months, weeks or days. The military spouse is left to raise the family, keep the bills paid and maintain a sense of normalcy for her family. The spouses are the unsung heroes of the United States military. The next time you hear about a veteran being deployed, or going off for training, check on the spouse to see if you can serve your country by assisting a military family protecting the lifestyle you so enjoy.

OUTDOOR VETERANS |

SEPTEMBER 2014

MONTANA DAN

Hunting “on your own” in Alaska,

Part 2

With careful planning, hunting Alaska could be your greatest hunting adventure yet –By Dan Helterline

eptember had finally arrived, and after over a year of planning, it was time to load the truck and head north. It was now time to see if all the phone calls, research and preparation would pay off. I had given myself six days to make the 2,400-odd miles to Fairbanks, where I would pick up my hunting partner flying in from Missoula. After getting all of our gear packed, my truck was filled to the gills and I hoped and prayed it would make the trip without any problems. As I pulled out of the driveway at 4 AM, there was much anxiety. I was leaving my wife who was three months pregnant with our first child. There was no turning back. The drive through the Canadian Rockies was nothing short of spectacular. The only way I can describe it is Glacier Park on steroids. My travel north was a leisurely pace that allowed me to take in all the sights and smells. A few days into the trip I drive by a campground advertising showers on their sign. I thought a refreshing shower would be nice, so I turned in. The campground looked almost empty, but the sign said open and I parked and headed into the office. When I asked the attendant how much for a shower, he simply said, “They are only one loony, eh". There was a somewhat uncomfortable pause before I had to ask, "What the heck is a loony?" "It is a dollar coin, eh," he said as he showed me an example. After securing some loonies, I headed to the shower to wash a couple days’ worth of road dust off before continuing on my journey north. That night when I checked in with the home front I was excited to tell my wife I had learned a new word from the Canadian language besides "eh". When I asked her if she knew what a loony was, she simply replied, "Yea, it’s a husband that abandons their pregnant wife to go moose hunting!” What could I say, she had a point. During the long drive I saw an abundant amount of wildlife and scenery more spectacular than I ever could have imagined. The mountains were alive with the brilliant colors of fall, and the high country had a light coating of "termination dust". This is what the season’s first snow is often referred to–signaling the end of fire season and starting what we all live for, hunting season! On day 5 I crossed the Canadian border on what is known as the "top of the world highway," entering back into the U.S. and the great state of Alaska.

John's flight arrived into Fairbanks right on schedule and after gathering up his luggage, we headed to the grocery store to buy two weeks’ worth of food. Once this was accomplished, we drove to Circle Hot Springs where we would meet our bush pilot who would fly us and our gear into the back county. There was a large amount of smoke in the air being produced from some of the large wildfires that were still burning. Alaska had experienced one of its largest fire seasons in history and it wasn't over yet. I wondered how this would affect our trip. I heard there had been a large fire in the drainage we were planning to hunt. We arrived at Circle Air and after meeting with our pilot, Frenchy, divided our gear into two piles for the trip in. Frenchy owned several different planes, but the one we would use for this trip was a Helio Courier turboprop. It was like a Super Cub on steroids, capable of hauling heavy loads into the back country. It had over-sized tundra tires for landing on

remote gravel bars along rivers. The first half of the flight was pretty uneventful, with a light haze of smoke in the air making it difficult to see much below. The pilot did point out that we were flying over Marty Meierotto's trapping cabin. Marty had finally made it big. He was discovered by the History Channel, and is now the star of the TV show "Mountain Men". I had meet Marty several years prior. We both share the same profession in the off season and I had had the pleasure of working with Marty on several occasions. Soon after we flew across the mighty Yukon. The smoke cleared and we flew up the river on our way to locate a suitable gravel bar to land on. It was a good way to scout the river. We saw one log jam that would require a portage and one good sized bull moose wandering along the bank looking for a lonely cow. We were getting close to where we would land and I spotted a large moose shed antler laying perfectly in the middle of a

gravel bar. I quickly made a mental note of its location in hope of finding it later. We quickly unloaded the airplane and let the pilot get on his way so he could return before dark with the second load of our gear. As we were setting up camp at the edge of the gravel bar, John pointed out several piles of large scat and some very large bear tracks. Frenchy returned with our last load of gear just as he had promised, and after unloading, he crawled up into the plane and prepared for his departure. Before he closed the door, his parting words of advice were, "Stay away from the guy’s place that lives down river. He has been known to shoot at guys hunting upstream from his cabin!" He slammed his door shut and revved the engine. After a short run down the gravel bar, he was airborne and gone. All of a sudden it was quiet, and I looked at John and said, "Well here we are, alone in Alaska. Let the adventure begin!" We had, what I thought, was enough MONTANA DAN

SEPTEMBER 2014

MONTANA DAN

time left to go look for the moose antlers I had spotted from the air. Alaska law does not allow you to hunt the same day as airborne, so I figured this would be a

several sloughs. We waded the river and climbed up on the bluff until we reached a spot that offered a good panoramic view. I had been told by several people that

“

I quickly picked out a landmark in order to intercept this bull before descending to the river, and we quickly waded back across.” productive way to spend the rest of the evening. The hike to find the antlers took longer than expected, but we found them just before dark. The trip back to camp was a little concerning since it was now dark and we still had a ways to go to reach the tent. Our flashlights finally found it though, and thankfully we didn’t see Ms. Griz and her little sidekick. The next morning, after a good breakfast, we assembled the rafts and hunted the area surrounding camp for a day. I tried calling from several locations but got no response and we decided to head downstream the next morning. We broke camp and shoved off the next morning as planned, with high hopes of finding our first moose downstream. A float hunt can be a lot of work–breaking and resetting camp daily takes a lot of time and effort. One of the advantages of float hunting is being able to see new country. There is always the anticipation of what lies around the next bend. We arrived at the mouth of a tributary about lunch time, quickly made camp on the opposite bank and grabbed a bite to eat. We planned to hunt up the side drainage directly across from camp. It was an easy wade in hip boots since the river was at a historic low. Later this would prove to be our nemesis. The side drainage proved to be unproductive so we retreated back towards camp and planned on hunting a little further downstream during the evening hunt. Below camp was a nice looking point that looked like a good place to call from. Calling bull moose in the rut takes patience. Unlike elk, moose calls are somewhat more subtle and do not carry like the bugle of a rut-crazed bull elk. Moose also take their time coming into a challenger, so it pays to wait around in the area after calling. Often times a bull will come quietly sauntering in unannounced, even after you have finished with your calls. I called for about an hour from the bend in the river using a combination of grunts and raking trees with my birch bark call. While we were waiting for a response, I noticed a small bluff opposite our location that would get us up above the riverside vegetation and offer a good view of the large flat that contained

MONTANA DAN

SEPTEMBER 2014

moose this time of year are easy to spot. Usually they have just finished rubbing the velvet from their antlers and they are almost white in color, making them stand out like a set of headlights. I had just begun to glass when there he was. I quickly exclaimed, “Holly s%$t John, there is a bull right there! Just like everyone had said, a pair of headlights, slowly heading in our direction!” We watched this bull through our bino’s for a short period to determine if he was legal and still heading our direction. In this Game Management Unit (GMU) the bull moose had to be 50 plus inches or have a

instead lifted his head and started running my direction. His course would take him about 40 yards from my location, and I quickly chambered another round and shot again as he was quartering towards me. This shot also had little visible effect. He was almost beside me when I fired my third round into him as he passed broadside. All I remember seeing in the scope was hair. Luckily, this shot found its mark and the bull dropped immediately, his momentum driving his massive snout a foot deep into the soft tundra. I stood there in a mild state of shock. It took a while for the events to sink in. It was only day two of the hunt and I had my Alaska moose! John quickly came up from behind me and immediately said, "Man, Dan. He is a dandy!” In all of the excitement, John had thought the moose was going to overrun me, so he dropped the camera and prepared to reach for his rifle in my defense. He had failed to capture the final shot on film, but still managed to get some pretty impressive footage. They say the work starts once your

“

I tried coaxing him out with a grunt, which only enraged him. He immediately went to raking a tree with his massive antlers, causing the top of the tree to whip violently from side to side.”

minimum of four brow tines on one side to be legal for harvest. I quickly picked out a land mark in order to intercept this bull before descending to the river, and we quickly waded back across. We had scarcely made it half way to our land mark and I could see the tips of his antlers coming towards me. I found a small tree to rest on and prepared to make my stand. The bull also stopped to make his stand, and hung up behind some small trees at about 75 yards away. I tried coaxing him out with a grunt which only enraged him. He immediately went to raking a tree with his massive antlers, causing the top of the tree to whip violently from side to side. If there ever was a chance of getting "buck fever," this was it. I had to concentrate on staying calm and not losing it. John was a ways behind me with the video camera, and I didn't want him to catch me messing up on film! The bull finally emerged from the small patch of trees, walking right towards me with his head lowered and his larger-than-life antlers swaying side to side. The only shot I had was to shoot between his antlers and hit him in the spine. If on target, he should drop in his tracks. At the crack of my 300 WSM, the bull didn't drop but

bull is down, and nothing could be truer with a bull moose. Luckily, we did not violate any of the cardinal rules of moose hunting in Alaska. First, never shoot a moose standing in water. Second, never shoot a moose more than one mile from your mode of transportation, in our case the river. Lastly, never shoot two moose in the same day. John is a professional veterinarian, so dismembering animals is second nature. With his expertise, we had the moose skinned, quartered and ready for transport in no time. There was a convenient little backwater in the river only 75 yards away, so it was a short haul to get all the meat and antlers down where they could be loaded into the raft. It was dark by the time we made it back to camp so we celebrated with a beer and quick freeze dried dinner before hitting the sack. The next morning we awoke to a heavy coating of frost on everything. I prepared a well-deserved breakfast of moose loins and we had a splash of whiskey in our coffee to help take off the chill. After breakfast we broke camp and eased down to load up my moose and head down river in search of a bull for John. We were making some awesome memories and we weren’t done yet. 23

WINGS & PRAYERS

Wings & Prayers

Our fellow sportsmen that leave on wings to their next great hunt, and those that need our prayers –By Raf Viniard

Steven “Steve” Pardee Writing an obituary is never easy and it is even harder the closer you are to the person. On August 9, 2014, Steven “Steve” Pardee of Plains, Montana got his wings. His departure was not only a shock to his family and friends, but the entire community. Steve’s trademarks were his bib coveralls, and that huge grin that just made you feel you had known him for years. Even though a tiny bee took this big man down, he will live in my memory and in those that knew him personally as the man with a “big heart” and always there to lend a hand. Steve loved the Lord and his family with all his physical being. Steve loved to hunt and fish as his photo shows. We had a lot of fun on the ice that day, and his ribbing of this old southern boy standing on a large ice cube with a lot of white stuff laying at my feet will always be etched in my memory every time I pass Finley Flats. Steve and his wife Patty were tough competition when it came to Huckleberry picking, but we managed to hold our own with them on our first ever Montana huckleberry picking this summer. As we joked about bears and other things sitting in a wet huckleberry patch picking huckleberries, little did I realize that next summer’s huckleberry picking adventure will have new meaning. Steve you are our “Huckleberry” and we will see you on the other side.

Mr. & Mrs. Toby Bridges Our prayers and thoughts are with one of our staff writers Toby Bridges. His wife suffered a double brain aneurysm and had to be life flighted to Seattle for emergency surgery. Toby may be a little hard to reach, so please be patient as he works through his family emergency.

WINGS & PRAYERS

SEPTEMBER 2014

My favorite “watering holes” Fall is just around the corner, and with it comes a whole new world of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. Grouse season is just days away, as is archery season, black bear hunting, salmon snagging, and one of my favorites–trout fishing. Northern Montana has some of the best fall trout fishing available. Rivers and streams are at low levels, which means easy access. The ‘hoppers are out, as well as plenty of other insects that attract big rainbows. I am going to share with you some of my favorite fishing spots and secrets for great success if you want to experience some awesome trout fishing. In the fall, the days get shorter and the evenings tend to cool off much earlier than in August. Trout will move out of deep holes when the sun sets and their shadows are not as visible to overhead predators. I also feel that as the night air drops in temperature on the blistering hot days, the fish become more aggressive in their feeding habits. I have had great success for hours just after dark.

–By Tony Rebo

TALKIN’ TROUT

rainbows. Be careful though, the bull trout have the same feeding habits. If you should hook into a bull trout be mindful of the many rules involved in handling these fish. Once during the salmon snagging season, I was down below the Kootenai Falls snagging salmon and noticed some large rainbows were stacked up in the same hole enjoying the salmon snack. I quickly tied on a Rapala and in less than one hour I landed 11 rainbows weighing between 10 and 20 pounds. The Kootenai River provides plenty of great spots to catch fish. Search out deep holes to fish during the heat of the day and check out the shorelines in the early evenings. Well, I am off to enjoy the fall and all that it brings. Happy fishing and good luck!

Watering Hole #1: The Bull River The Bull River in the fall will produce some fun with big browns. The river is easy to access and moves very slow. I recommend a small boat or flotation device for the best access. Even a float tube is easy and will get you out in the river where fishing is the best. Make your casts along the grassy shoreline and you will find the big brown trout hiding just under the grass. Grasshoppers work miracles; a big ‘hopper is a great way to attract 5 lb. browns that will take you for a ride on a lightweight fly rod. For those of you who fish with something other than a fly rod, I recommend Water Hole #2. Watering Hole #2: The Kootenai River My favorite spot on the Kootenai River is below the Libby Dam. About one to two hours after dark, the water starts to boil with fish. The big trout move into shallow water and feed next to the shoreline. The turbines in the dam produce some of the best chum for these big rainbows. Small salmon pass through the turbines and parts will be floating in the river. I try to mimic this natural bait by using a J11 Rapala. The belly needs to be white but the top of the Rapala can be just about any color. I like to use blue. Letting these big Rapalas drift in the river will produce big

Tony holds a rainbow trout he pulled out of the Kootenai River just below the Libby Dam–one of Tony’s favorite “watering holes”.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will conduct Wolf Trapping Certification classes in Kalispell and Missoula during September. The Kalispell class will be at the FWP headquarters at 490 North Meridian Road on Saturday, September 27, 9am -2pm. The Missoula class will be at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation building on Sunday, September 28, 9am-2pm. A one-time certification class is required for all wolf trappers in Montana. People already certified do not need to take the class again. Another wolf trapper certification class will be held at the Fairgrounds in Kalispell on Saturday, December 6. Online registration for these and other wolf trapping classes is required for all participants at fwp.mt.gov under the “Education” tab. Contact your local FWP office for more information.

TALKIN’ TROUT |

SEPTEMBER 2014

CAMP FIRE TALK

Corn crib chaos –By Raf Viniard

y cousin and I were a couple of young teenagers with girls on the mind more than school or work. However, our weekend coon hunting episodes were planned to take place before we picked up our dates later that night. We did have our priorities. Our two black and tans (Lil Ann & Old Dan) and a cur/blue tick cross named Rocky were all business and loved coon hunting as much as us. An old, crafty coon could care less about our tight schedule with the girls and enjoyed testing our dogs and their tracking ability. Most of the time, within an hour or two, we had caught our limit of two coons and were headed to town to meet the girls. The sun took forever going down that afternoon as we slowly drove the old gravel road checking out the local creeks for coon tracks and scat. The last creek we came to had always given us at least one good coon. Coons love water and can usually be found denning nearby. As soon as the latch was released on the dog box, the dogs knew what to do. Within minutes the first dog, Lil Ann, started to chop (short quick barks) and then Rocky let out a long bay…the chase was on! Rather than strike out after the dogs, we sat on the tailgate of the truck talking, listening to the sweet music of the hounds and sipping an ice cold Mountain Dew in a real glass bottle. Conversations ranged from girls to drag racing and everything in between. Most green horn coon hunters take off after the dogs as soon as they strike, and after about a mile of stumbling around, end up right back near the truck scratched, bruised, wet and looking worse than the dogs. The dogs didn’t seem to be getting any closer or treed, so we decided to start walking in the last direction we heard them. Our dogs very seldom got out of hearing range so we were a little concerned. We finally heard them bayed and treed, but it was really muffled like they were a long way off. We picked up

CAMP FIRE TALK

SEPTEMBER 2014

our pace with headlamps bobbing about here and there in the pitch black. Opinions were babbled between steps like, “They must be treed in the ground,” or “They could be in a big tree with a hole at the base.” With every other step one of us was encouraging the dogs with “Get em boy”, “Stay on him”, “Talk to me!” and a variety of other coon hunting jargon. This was the days before GPS and other tracking devices. We were poor country boys and could not have afforded the technology anyway. Our dogs were trained to hunt close and we knew each ones distinct barks, bays and vocals. The closer we got we realized they were near an old home place that had burned many years ago and all that was left was an old corn crib. Corn cribs were used to store ear corn with the husk still on it. We

had to cross a huge corn field that had already been picked. Running through corn stubble is like having four feet moving in four different directions. Out of breath, we get to the corn crib and it was sealed up tight with a piece of tin nailed over the door instead of an actual door. The dogs were positive the coon was in there. There is nothing worse than a lying coon dog except maybe a corn raiding raccoon. We found no holes where the coon could have crawled in. These dogs were convinced it was in that corn crib…us, not so sure! With a little bit of country boy ingenuity and a good pocket knife, we were able to pull the corner of the tin back enough that I could slip into the crib. Keep in mind it is pitch black and corn was stacked to

within a foot of the raftered tin roof. As I slithered in and around the corn, I shined my light in every nook and cranny and no coon. I couldn’t even catch a scent of where an old boar coon had marked his turf. I told my cousin to hand me Rocky…he hated a coon more than all of us combined, this fight would be over quick if there was one in there. Bad move. As soon as Rocky was inside he went straight to the far corner of the eight by eight corn crib and started growling, barking and digging in the corn. Corn cobs about beat me to death and dust filled the tight little space. When he dug the coon out of the corn, the fight was on and they quickly blocked my escape. Of course, my cousin, wanting to make sure the coon did not escape, held the tin shut so none of us could escape. Between the growls, barks, hisses and thumping of my head against the rafters, I could hear my cousin “sicking” both me and Rocky on the coon. I saw absolutely nothing funny about my situation. Things were getting very ugly very fast. As I reached for my .22 pistol on my side, I realized it had fallen out in the corn. Corn dust filled the tight space and darkened the beam of my light to where I couldn’t see more than a foot in front of me. I reached for my Buck knife on my side and decided the coon had to go. I looked down on the corn cobs and I could see specks of blood, but wasn’t sure which one of us was bleeding worse. I finally found the source of all the hissing. He was as mad as a cat taking his first bath, biting and scratching at anything within a foot of his nose. Trying to hold the dog back and keep my hand away from the coons pearly whites, I finally saw an opportunity and lunged at him with my knife. Contact! Rocky finished the job with one good bite around his mid-section. As I crawled out of the crib, bruised, scratched, poked and bitten, I glanced at my watch. We were late for our dates. As I picked up the small raccoon it only added insult to injury. He wasn’t even big enough to have made a good coon skin cap. Maybe the girls would understand. After all, I did have the battle scars to show for it.

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SHOOTING SPORTS

Is your shooting rig ready? Getting your rifles ready for another awesome Montana hunting season –By Matt Cockrell, MC Gunsmithing

unting season will be upon us soon, and it’s time to dig your trusty rifle out of the closet or gun cabinet. If you are like most people, after last hunting season, you wiped the gun down with an oily rag and put it up for the winter. Now, it’s time to do some simple maintenance in preparation for the coming season. In this article I will cover simple maintenance, as well as give some pointers on how to sight your rifle. As a gunsmith, these are some of the questions and problems I see come through my shop. First, I like to clean the bore with a good quality solvent. Sweets 7.62, Montana Extreme Copper Solvent, and Butch’s Bore Shine are quality solvents I

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On rifles without a floor plate this front screw is located about 6 inches from the screw at the rear of the trigger guard, towards the muzzle of the rifle. These screws need to be tight. Don’t try to twist the heads off, but they should be more than finger tight. Some rifles have a third screw located at the front of the trigger guard, between the two screws mentioned. It is important for this screw to be tightened only lightly. Too much torque on this screw can put the receiver in a bind and effect accuracy. Winchester Model 70’s and Ruger M77 have this middle screw and can be seen when the floor plate is opened. It is also a good idea to check your scope mounts. Hold the rifle in one hand

with your support hand to help control recoil. Once the gun is solid and you are comfortable, it’s time to fire a shot. If your first shot isn’t quite where you think it should be, don’t panic. It is common for the first shot from a clean barrel to shoot differently. Also, you may be a little rusty since you likely haven’t fired your rifle since last season! Note my subtle hint to get out and practice! A common mistake is to adjust the scope after one shot, then again after the next, getting more frustrated each time. I call this “chasing the shot”. It’s tempting to do this to save time and ammo, but in the long run, will cost you more of both. After the first shot, fire two more giving the gun time to cool

It’s a great feeling heading out on a hunt knowing your rifle is in good working order and perfectly sighted in. Confidence in your shooting rig is very important.” use often. A good one-piece, coated cleaning rod is the next thing you will need. I know, they seem expensive, but a quality rod will last several lifetimes. You will also want 100% cotton patches. Don’t cut up your old dirty sock or t-shirt! It’s no fun getting a homemade patch wedged in your barrel, then trying to figure out how to remove it. I know from personal experience in my early years! It is also important to use the right jag. This is the brass piece that screws to the end of your cleaning rod. Use a pointed jag, not a slotted style. From here, follow the instructions on the bottle of cleaning solvent and swab your barrel. Most solvents recommend swabbing the bore with several wet patches and letting the barrel soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Swab the bore with 3 or 4 dry patches. These patches should look bluish in color. This is from the solvent dissolving the copper fouling in the barrel. Repeat the soaking and drying process until the dry patches come out clean. At this point, I like to run a lightly oiled patch down the bore, leaving a very fine film of oil. Synthetic motor oil like Mobile 5-20 or 30 weight works great, and I use it on the outside of the gun as well. Next, check the receiver screws. These are the two screws found on the underside of the stock and hold the barreled action in place. The first of these screws is located at the back of the trigger guard. The next is at the front of the floor plate.

and grasp the scope with your other. Try to slide the scope forward and back, as well as side to side. Be firm, but don’t try to bend the scope into a horse shoe! If you feel any movement, your scope mounts are loose and need to be tightened. Retighten the screws in the scope bases as well as the scope rings. A rifle hanging in the back window of your truck or strapped to your ATV may not be the best thing for its accuracy. A little preventative maintenance, proper care and a simple check before opening day may allow you to kill that trophy of a lifetime. Once everything looks good on the rifle, it’s time to head to the range. It is best to sight in from a solid shooting bench. I prefer sand bags under the front end of the stock behind the sling swivel, and a bag under the rear of the stock. The idea is to make the gun as steady as possible to eliminate as much human error as possible. The bag at the rear should be gripped by your support hand. For right-handed shooters, this means the left hand. This bag is used to move the gun around. Squeeze the bag to move the cross hairs down, relax the grip to move up, and slide side to side for left and right adjustment. On hard kicking rifles, it is best to grip the front of the stock

between shots, 30 seconds to a minute depending on ambient air temperature. If it is hot outside, barrel cool down may take longer. Look at your group and make adjustments as needed. Once you have made the adjustment, fire three more shots. With any luck you are ready to go hunting. If not, one more scope adjustment and three shot groups may be needed. Remember to always use the same ammo to sight in as you hunt with. Not all brands and bullet weights shoot the same. Sometimes even lot numbers can make a difference in grouping. With these simple steps, getting your rifle zeroed for hunting season can be pretty easy. It’s a great feeling heading out on a hunt knowing your rifle is in good working order and perfectly sighted in. Confidence in your shooting rig is very important. If you are not sure, contact your local gunsmith for further guidance. Good luck, and straight shooting!

SHOOTING SPORTS

SEPTEMBER 2014

Horse sense –By Rebecca Hopkins, DVM

t’s September and hunting season is just around the corner. It’s time to start thinking about how to get prepared for the big outdoors so that you can have your best season yet. And though getting that monster buck might be the biggest thing on your mind right now, your trip will be the most enjoyable if all the little things go well too. One thing that may not be at the top of your prep list is getting your 4-legged companion ready. Packing in and out of the mountains is much more convenient when your horse is rip-raring to go. So, what does it take? First, consider your horse’s general health. How often has he been ridden this summer, or has he just stood around the pasture and gotten plump on lush, green alfalfa? If he hasn’t done much since last fall, you may want to put a few shorter trail rides under his belt before asking him to haul hundreds of pounds of gear up a mountain. The air is thinner up there, so it’s going to put a lot of stress on his lungs to keep up with his body’s oxygen demand. Start slow and work up, it’ll save both of you stress on your way up the mountain. Second, everyone knows that a horse is nothing without its feet. Make sure your horse’s feet have seen a farrier within a few months of your grand mountain adventures. You don’t want a few cracks at the toe turning into longer, deeper cracks that damage the hoof wall integrity, or an overgrown toe leading to laminitis. Be sure to have hooves trimmed up at least a couple weeks in advance of your adventures because, though a good trim job should improve your horse’s gait, occasionally the correction leads to some temporary lameness. Third, practice loading your horse in a trailer and teach him to ground tie; get him used to walking through mud, stepping over logs and wading through streams. When you’re up in the mountains, injuries can be very serious, even life threatening. A good horse that keeps its calm when the leaves blow and the wolves howl is a real benefit. Often you don’t appreciate a steady mount as much as when you are dealing with an emergency situation as the result of a fractious

animal. Prevention of injuries is optimal, but if you run into a situation in which your horse is injured, remember, keep calm. In case of major blood loss, apply pressure to the affected area to try to get the blood stopped, and then seek medical attention as soon as possible. In fact, you might want to think about entering your local veterinarian’s number into your cell phone so that you know where to find it when you need it. Another thing to think about before you hit the trails this fall is making sure you have gear that fits properly. If your horse is going to haul you all the way up the mountain, I’m sure you’d both prefer a comfortable ride. And with that, be sure to check around your horse’s girth before you saddle up to look for any wounds that may cause your horse discomfort when saddled. If you’ve ever had a rug burn, you can only imagine it must feel at least as bad when your horse gets a saddle sore. Last, but not least, it’s good to make sure your horse is up on his yearly vaccinations. Mosquitoborne diseases can be encountered any time those annoying little buzzing insects choose to feed upon your horse; so be sure that he is protected from viruses including West Nile and Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis. Tetanus is also a risk for any horse that has a wound. Clostridial spores live in the soil and are just waiting to take up residence in a nice oxygen-poor wound where they can start producing tetanus toxin. Additionally, rabies vaccination should not be neglected. Your horse may encounter various wild animals along the trail and, since rabies can be transmitted by any mammal, maintaining vaccination status is of particular importance. So, now that you’ve considered some of the things that will keep you and your horse safe in the great mountains of Montana, it’s time to get up and get working. A little prep work now can save you a lot of headache later. This way, when you’re out in the mountains you can keep your focus on the important things, like tracking that big cat. Good luck out there!

I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse. –Ronald Reagan

PINK CAMO

The lady dances with bears –By Marilyn Mitzi Stonehocker

Okay, I admit a lady dancing with a bear sounds like a circus act from long ago. Actually, this is a true story that did happen to a very good friend of mine; her name is Patti. On the farm she and her husband Wally lived on, an apple orchard was nearby. In the fall when the apples were ripe and ready for harvest, the bears that lived in the forest would come in and “raid” the crop. One particular year, a young black bear became overly friendly and ventured near the barns and the home. As fall progressed and the crop was eaten, he started coming to the yard looking for other edible items. The house Patti and Wally lived in was built over an open garage to park one small vehicle. The entrance to the garage was entered from outside, or by dark steep stairs from the house. On several occasions the bear was seen near the open garage. Patti was aware of the bear and careful when she was outside in the evenings. On this particular October day, Patti was tired. She was in her nightgown when she heard a noise in the garage. Patti and her dogs went to investigate the noise as her husband was already asleep and she did not want to wake him up. As she neared the car, she became aware she was not alone. The hair on her neck stood up, the room closed in and fear over took her. Timidly, she put her arm out to reach for the door handle. Instead she encountered a furry chest! In shock, she raised her arm to further explore the area and indeed she was in dance formation and the dance started. First, one step back then two

steps forward, all in slow motion. No words were spoken, no music played and the quiet that surrounded her dancing partner and herself was as if time stood still. The dance ended as the couple found the other to be adverse and the situation unfavorable. Patti let out a blood curdling scream, the bear let out a loud grunt and each tried to maneuver their way out of the small area. To make matters worse, the two dogs got tangled in her nightgown as they both were frantically barking and trying to run back upstairs. Wally came running down the stairs after hearing his wife scream, more shouting, more screaming and a lot more growling and grunting, then all was quiet. Woman and bear for one short moment shared what few ever experience, a dance of a life time. When I first heard the story, I admit I laughed so hard I could not breathe. I also became aware man and beast living in close quarters was something to be aware of and to take certain precautions. I don’t agree with our local FWP bear specialist on this issue. Chasing a bear with a tin can and a stick to bang it with is not my idea of having a brain in your head. I do agree reasonable yard and garbage picked up is being a responsible partner with wildlife. I imagine the bear went on to live a full life and maybe each fall smiles at the memory of his dance with the lady who lived near Hot Springs, Montana. Patti remembers; she can smile now and tell her grandchildren about her dance with a bear.

Huntresses I am a woman, and I hunt. Hunting has been a part of my life and I am proud of my ability’s and accomplishments. My early training came from my mother, a saucy “little” lady whose credits come from Ed McGivern, fastest quick draw artist on the rifle and pistol ranges and clay pigeon tournaments of Montana. For years, women of the West like Annie Oakley, Belle Starr, and Calamity Jane were known for their abilities with a gun. My mother, Meta Koch McDowell could have been listed right alongside them. Hunting was important to my mother, and the skills I learned from her remain my inspiration; the reasons for hunting are her legacy and I hunt to honor her memory. I was taught at an early age that shooting a gun was important and the first step to becoming a hunter. Many hours were spent target shooting. Then came days of hiking the back country seeking elk, deer and bear and other big game. Walking down memory lane brings back the sweet taste of the past and a hope for the future. Each fall my daughter and I hunt. We savor the smells of early morning, the quiet compelling, the hunt invigorating and the harvest rewarding. Yes, women who shoot and hunt are blessed in

– By Montana Mitzi ways beyond imagination. Time passes; and as women advance in hunting and shooting, we can offer our expertise from other angles of life and enrich the experience that was once thought to be out of reach for us. We have invaded a man’s world and we love it! My mother was one of the women who paved the way for today’s women who hunt. She passed the baton to me, and it has become important for me to encourage my three granddaughters to enjoy this sport as well. Shooting and hunting are important to my happiness and my growth as a woman from Montana. Younger days fade and old age becomes reality. Being a Montana woman is all about hunting; it will be important till I take my last breath. It was for my mother, and it will be for me.

PINK CAMO |

SEPTEMBER 2014