OFFICER’S REPORTS
PRESIDENT - STEPHEN LEPAGE 1ST VICE PRESIDENT - BRIAN KOELZER 2ND VICE PRESIDENT - MARK SCHWOMEYER (NO REPORT) TREASURER - CLAUDIA DAVIS SECRETARY - JERRY DAVIS
H
ey everyone, I hope this finds you all happy and healthy! As we tiptoed into 2021 I was cautiously optimistic that we would start seeing some relaxation of restrictions (regaining of common sense) and I believe it’s happening but unfortunately not soon enough for us to have our convention. As the chairperson for this year’s event scheduled at Fairmont, I was excited about the weekend we had planned. It’s certainly been too long! Your newsletter is coming out later than normal due to my ongoing discussion with the Silverbow County health dept. They told me to hold out until February because they thought gathering restrictions might change. They didn’t. As per my last conversation with them, they said they wouldn’t approve our event. Too many people and we had to guarantee there would be no social interaction . . . Legislatively it’s already been a busy session and we’re barely a month into it. A lot of stuff blowing around that isn’t really great, unfortunately. Thanks to everyone that took the time to write or call your senators. I keep hearing that hunter numbers are falling around the country and they may be but it’s not the case here in the 406. 2018 saw 2,182 folks complete bowhunter ed, 2019 saw 2,292, and 2020 there was a staggering 6,915! I can’t blame them that the best place to social distance is in the woods. For those of us that have spent our whole life trying to social distance out in the woods it definitely felt a little crowded out there this year. They say the only thing constant in life is change. For better or worse we can’t stop it but must learn to adapt. It’s better to be a coyote than a dodo bird. Thanks to all of you that care enough about bowhunting to be a member of this fine group. Looking forward to warmer weather, bears, and turkeys!
President’s
L
Message
ion season, as always, has been wrought with poor weather and breakdowns. As of this writing, we have had one decent snow and with that, we went out in search of cat tracks. Of course, as soon as we found a set of lion tracks, my side-by-side broke down in an inaccessible part of our land. This hunt quickly became a get home and plan a retrieval mission. We had to wait several days until the snow melted so we could get back to the rig with another ATV. To my frustration, in the days that had passed between breakdown and repair, several lions had approached and walked around the Polaris Ranger. As of this writing, I have been out twice, both times I have cut lion tracks, and both times I have broken down. I have yet to tree a lion. My family was able to volunteer for a bighorn sheep capture and reintroduction that was sponsored by the Montana Bowhunters Association. You can see photos and a brief summary of the process in this issue, entitled “Your MBA at Work.” I attended the December 10th FWP Commission meeting to express our position on FWP’s proposal to remove the 80% let-off requirement for compound bows. After the MBA survey of our membership, it was evident that the vast majority of our members wanted to keep this requirement in place. The commission agreed with us and voted to keep the 80% maximum let-off. I know the Bozeman guys are working hard on the banquet plans at Fairmont Hot Springs. After last year’s cancelation, I am really looking forward to catching up with everyone and hearing two years’ worth of bowhunting stories. I would also encourage any of you who are interested in becoming more involved with the MBA to run for one of our open board of directors’ positions. I know we have a few openings for regional representatives and several director-at-large positions that are vacant. To get your name on the ballot, please contact Vice-President Brian Koelzer and he will explain what the position entails as well as the steps required to get your name on the ballot. Sincerely,
Stephen LePage
4
Montana
BOWHUNTER
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First Vice President’s Report
Brian Koelzer
