TREASURER’S MESSAGE

Treasurer’sMessage

What a summer so far! Lots of hot temperatures and now smoke. Montana might not be the vacation destination in the future, but we will always be the bowhunter’s destination in the fall. Because we have the greatest bowhunting season anywhere . . . or so I am told!

We had some excitement when our ten-year-old grandson, Hudson, came to visit and to try out his new bowfishing outfit. He missed the Carp Safari because he is an exceptionally good baseball player and had a tournament that weekend. (Proud Grandma) He got a taste for bowfishing last year at the Safari and Grandpa bought him a bow and reel for his birthday. Our daughter, Jessica, and Hudson headed out to Goose Bay on Canyon Ferry Lake with Grandpa Jerry around noon on a very hot day. Hudson and Jessica each got two carp. Hudson caught a large pregnant female and was very excited. Jessica so wanted to get a third fish, just to beat Hudson. But even after we all went back out around 7 pm no new fish were caught. What a great way to introduce your grandkids to the bow and arrow.

We are at the end of our fiscal year and again we spent more than we took in. Luckily, we are able to weather these lean times. We were still able to produce our wonderful quarterly magazine and sponsor a few shooting events, and provide adaptive equipment. We spent a lot of time, but hardly any money on fighting for our archery season during the legislative session. All our members and officers are very generous and donate their time and travel expenses to show up and stand up for what we all cherish.

We gained some new members from all parts of our state, due to our hard fought battles. If you are reading this and are not a member, please fill out the membership form and join us. You will not regret being a part of a wonderful organization dedicated to Montana bowhunting. If all goes well, I’ll see you at the banquet in the spring of 2022. Claudia Davis

Blast

from the Past

Blast From The Past | 1983, 1984

This issue of Blast From The Past covers 1983 and 1984. 1983 Lee Pool was the MBA President serving in his last year.

It was an FWP Tentative year and the MBA submitted 3 proposals to the FWP Commission. 1 – A Big Horn Sheep archery HD boarding HD 216 on the north side. They were trying to get 9 archery-only permits for any legal ram. 2 – We tried to get a Mountain Goat archery-only permit in a portion of HD 240 south. First preference was for Tin Cup, Rock Creek, and Lost Horse. Asking for 15 permits. The second preference was in Saw Tooth and Roaring Lion asking for 10 permits there. 3 – We were trying to gain an archery-only permit for Antelope in HD 400, 500, 600, and 700 starting with the opener of the general Archery Season until the Rifle General Season opens. It would give bowhunters 3 weeks prior to the general season and unlimited tags for bowhunters.

The 1983 Convention was held in Lewistown at the Yogo Inn. Tickets sold for a whopping $14.50 and Hotels in the area cost ranged from $16.00 per night up to $43.00 per night.

Calvin Coziak from Idaho was the guest speaker.

The first Shoulder Hunt for elk was held in HD 261 in the Bitterroot. Hunting started September 10th

One big ranch where no hunting was allowed harbored the local elk through the general season then after the season the elk would move to surrounding ranches causing damage. (Sound familiar) 1984 Lee Pool started the year as President until the elections at the Convention. G.L. “Buck” Damone was elected as our new MBA President.

The 1984 Convention was held In Butte at the Copper King Inn. Gene and Barry Wensel gave a seminar on hunting Rutting Whitetails. Dwight Schuh had Bugling for elk seminar. Randle Byers from the P&Y Records Chairman and MR James from Bowhunter Mag. and G Fred Asbell were all in attendance.

The MBA membership had reached 1142 and was expecting to reach 1500 in the next few years.

As far as the 1983 Tentative Proposals proposed by the MBA went as follows. The Antelope archery-only season was granted and the new season archery-only would start in 1984.

The Big Horn Sheep archery-only season was met with a lot of discussion all across the state. Both FWP and General Rifle hunters along with several other groups all wanting a special season for one weapon or another. As the meeting wore on it was felt that there were only just so many days for a hunting seasons. With so many different groups wanting a piece of those days all groups felt it best to leave things as they are. The Bowhunters would have lost opportunity during the Archery Season making room for everyone else. It was in the best interest pull the proposal off the table.

No idea what happened to the goat proposal, it was not mentioned in any of the newsletters.

This next segment came from a letter written by Henry Schwenke.

The letter covered the first time the Montana Bowhunters Association formed back in the early 1950s, Henry joined in 1956. He wrote that in those early years the bowhunters were limited to hunt only deer and they had to wear red clothing too! In 1957, Joe McNutt, the current President, went to the Legislature to get all big-game animals to be included with archery equipment and in the archery season. The bill passed the House Committee but only antelope and elk would be allowed. It moved to the Fish and Game Committee and they killed it. The Billings Club, Sidney Bowhunters, and the Silver Bowmen of Butte sent a bunch of guys to Helena to meet with the Committee and they got it up for a second vote in the Senate and it passed with only two senators voting no. The Governor signed the bill into law to include antelope and elk in the archery season.

The first two seasons were only two weeks in the western part and one month in the eastern part of the state. With a lot of letter writing and a new proposal to make the season the same across the state. More letters the MBA got on the agenda to wear camo clothing instead of the red.

In 1958 the two state’s archery clubs merged. One was the target archers and the other were the Montana Bowhunters Association. The target archers more or less took over the organization, and the bowhunters took a back seat until 1972 when Bob Savage organized our founding fathers and revived todays Montana Bowhunters Association.

How’s that for some history not many of us can recall, as most of us weren’t born yet.

Hope you enjoyed this bit of history. Marlon Clapham