Montana Bowhunters Association PO Box 23611 Billings, MT 59104 Return service requested
Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 120 Bozeman, MT 59718
Youth Camps – PAGE 12 Women’s Hunting Social – PAGE 18 40th MBA Convention Highlights – PAGE 20
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THOMAS DOUBTING VOL. 45 #2 Winter 2017
MBA
Regional Representatives
www.mtba.org
MBA officers PRESIDENT
Region 1
Al Kelly
Mike Shephard 351 7th Ave East N., Columbia Falls, MT 59912 ................ 406-250-9806
PO Box 219, Libby, MT 59923 ............................................ 406-293-2900 alman@frontiernet.net
michaelshepard7@gmail.com
Region 2
Neil Maier
Region 3
Brian Koelzer
Barrett Haugan 560 Clovehitch Road Belgrade, MT 59714 ......................... 406-539-0602
16200 Roman Creek Rd Frenchtown, MT 59834 ............... 406-546-6013 nam56@yahoo.com 80 Jansma Lane Manhattan, MT 59741.............................. 406-570-7997 rocknrollbowhunter3@yahoo.com btreasurestate@aol.com
Region 4
Stephen LePage 2574 Divide Rd. Lewistown, MT ....................................... 406-535-5636
Roger Licht
mbaregion4@yahoo.com PO Box 189 Stanford MT 59479.... 406-566-2693 — Cell 406-366-1580 Licht@Roger@yahoo.com
Region 5
Ken Schultz
Richard Lewallen 4234 Audubon Way Drive Billings, MT 59106...................... 406-690-0854
302 Wyoming Ave Billings, MT. 59101 .............................. 406-598-8550 schultzy@iwks.net
Marlon Clapham 4455 Hoover Lane • Stevensville, MT 59870 mbaregion2@gmail.com • 406-777-2408 1ST VICE PRESIDENT
Steve Schindler 134 Sawney Drive • Glasgow, MT 59203 sas@nemont.net • 406-228-9024 2ND VICE PRESIDENT
Mark Schwomeyer 60 Hruska Ln • Lewistown, MT 59457 markschwo@gmail.com • 406-350-0173 TREASURER
Jenn Schneider PO Box 23611 • Billings, MT 59104 mtba@mtba.org • 406-697-7668 SECRETARY
Beckie Doyle P.O. Box 136 • Conner, Mt 59827 mybluewalker@yahoo.com • 406-531-4060
rpdlew@aol.com
Region 6 David Moon Region 7 Region 8
PAST PRESIDENT
97 Aberdeen, Glasgow, MT 59230...................................... 406-942-0659 djmoon9876@gmail.com
Bob Morgan
6963 York Road • Helena, MT 59602 jselkmt@gmail.com • 406-422-6798
P.O. Box 1995 Colstrip, MT 59323...................................... 406-749-0706 robertredface@gmail.com
Jerry Davis
Joelle Selk
725 Middlemas Road, Helena, MT 59602........................... 406-475-2226
MAGAZINE CO-EDITORS
Teri and Al Kelly PO Box 219 • Libby, MT 59923 teray1979@yahoo.com
pipelinejerry@gmail.com
EVEN YEARS
Roger Peffer Seth Rogers
AT LARGE DIRECTORS 2517 9th Ave So., Great Falls, MT 59405 – regorp77@msn.com..........................................406-452-0911 1425 Prickley Pear, Billings, MT 59105 – srogers@lamar.com.............................................406-670-5435
Tim Roberts 2410 Chouteau St, Fort Benton, MT 59442 – timr59442@gmail.com..................................406-220-2051
Lyle Hebel www.pixelelk.com
Liberty Brown Branding Iron Marketing MAGAZINE DESIGN
ODD YEARS
Paul Martin Ray Gross Kent Brown John Grimstad
WEB DESIGNER
110 Sage Lane, Kalispell, MT 59901 - paulhmartin99@gmail.com........................... 406-261-4456
K Design Marketing, Inc.
355 Antelope Drive Dillon, MT 59725 – raygross0144@gmail.com......................... 406-660-1019
1613 South Ave. W. • Missoula, MT 59801 kim@kdesignmarketing.com 406-273-6193
PO Box 160803 Big Sky MT 59716 - kdbrown7@msn.com...................................... 406-321-1059 2031 Poly Drive Billings, MT 59102 – twingrim@bresnan.net................................... 406-252-3620
EDITORIAL COMMENTS The MBA Magazine is a quarterly publication of the MBA and is intended to inform, entertain and educate its members on happenings within the organization and to bowhunting in general.
PUBLICATION DATES AND DEADLINES
FALL ISSUE, DEADLINE, July 15 WINTER ISSUE, DEADLINE, October 15 SPRING ISSUE, DEADLINE, January 15 SUMMER ISSUE, DEADLINE, April 15
Stories, photos, or cartoons should be sent to Al or Teri Kelly at PO Box 23611, Billings, MT 59104 or email teray1979@yahoo.com. All materials are the opinion of the author unless otherwise stated, and are subject to being edited. All photos will be placed in the MBA Photo Ablum and can be viewed at the annual conventions. Any questions as to policies of MBA please write the President. MEMBERSHIP INQURIES
Please send new memberships or renewal memberships to MBA Tresurer, PO Box 23611, Billings, MT 59104 or call 406-697-7668, register online at www.mtba.org or ask a member.
For all those who purchase the plate, the MBEF would like to invite you to send us a photo of your plate on your vehicle. Be creative, include yourself, pets, family, trophies of all sorts, etc.
Photos will be posted on the website. www.mtbowhuntermuseum.org
Winter 2017
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Teri Kelly, with Alyse and Lily Wyman
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t’s hard to believe that by the time you read this it will be November Teri & Al Kelly already. In this issue you’ll see a few great articles and several photos of our younger bowhunters. The MBA put on a couple of great camps for kids and we also have some great harvest photos from our young MBA members as well, which you’ll see in the member gallery. Summer and archery season flew by this year and after passing up a few does and a little buck, I am sad to say I did not fill my tags. However, it was a great season with a few good adventures. One of my best hunts this year with my twin granddaughters Alyse and Lily. Their mom, Amy and big brother Lucas had gone hunting for the day, so the twins and I were hanging out and they wanted to hunt with Grammie. We decided we’d go sit in my blind for a bit. We put on our hunting clothes and loaded up on snacks, because you’ve got to have sufficient snacks to hunt with five year olds, and we headed out on the short trip to the blind. Once there, we saw some turkeys and a few deer in the field while we walked out to the blind so we had to sneak our way in. Surprisingly the twins did pretty well at the sneaking part. The twins love being outside, they camp, they fish and they have been gopher and grouse hunting with their mom, but this was their first trip to hunt in a blind. I didn’t really expect that we would get anything on this trip, but I was hoping that maybe a turkey or something would wander by to provide some excitement and although the birds and deer did hang around, nothing came in very close. Any time spent with my grandbabies is great, and our “hunting trip” wasn’t about just hunting or harvesting something, it was about the time spent with the girls and it was about getting them interested in being there and participating. They soak in every bit of information you give them. We talked about what we would do while we were in the blind and what would happen if anything came into range. We watched diligently for any turkeys or deer while we were in the blind, but needless to say, with two five year olds, not much came close enough to take a shot. Five year olds don’t yet understand the concept of “quiet”. Five year olds also don’t last forever anywhere so when the snacks ran out, it was time to go home. Our great hunting adventure lasted only a few hours, but it was memorable and that’s the point. They’ll remember that we had a lot of fun in the blind and when we go there again we’ll practice being quiet and maybe next time something may come in. Not all kids will grow up to bowhunt, but the chances of them doing so increase when they’ve been introduced to the joy of it by the people in their lives. And even if they don’t grow up to be bowhunters, all kids should learn to appreciate, respect and enjoy the outdoors and they should have every opportunity possible to explore it. Kids and the outdoors go together like peanut butter and jelly and it’s up to us to give them those opportunities.
Twins checking out the action.
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Montana
BOWHUNTER
WWW.MTBA.ORG
Teri Kelly
www.pronghornbows.com 307-234-1824 evenings 2491 West 42nd Street Casper, WY 82604
TABLE OF CONTENTS VOL. 45 #2 Winter 2017
12 PAGE
16 PAGE
18
PAGE
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On the Cover
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Teri Kelly PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Marlon Clahman
VOL. 45 #2
Winter 2017
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1ST VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
SteveSchindler
2ND VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Mark Schwomeyer
DOUBTIN
THOMAGS
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Cover Rick Traeger 2017 Elk
OF MR WIENIE
by Stephen LePage
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WOMEN’S HUNTING SOCIAL THE MONTANA CLIMATE
ASSESSMENT MONTANA FWP LAW
SECRETARY’S MESSAGE
ENFORCEMENT STATS
Becky Doyle
MBN TEEN BOWHUNTER CAMP
14 MBA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 15 THANK YOU’S FROM THE KIDS 16 DOUBTING THOMAS
THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES
6 REGIONAL REPORTS 12 THE MAGRUDER CAMP Youth Camp s – PAGE 12 Wome 40th MBA Co n’s Hunting Social – PAGE 18 nvention High lights – PAGE 20
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20 MBA 40TH CONVENTION &
45 YEARS OF THE MBA
22 MBA MEMBERSHIP FORM 23 BUSINESS & CLUB MEMBERS
FWP COMMISSIONER CONTACTS
24 YOUTH MEMBER GALLERY 25 MEMBER GALLERY
by Kim Blaskowski
Winter 2017
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e requested
Return servic
Montana Bowh unters Assoc iation PO Box 23611 Billings, MT 59104
Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 120 Bozeman, MT 59718
OFFICER’S REPORTS PRESIDENT - MARLON CLAPHAM 1ST VICE PRESIDENT - STEVE SCHINDLER 2ND VICE PRESIDENT - MARK SCHWOMEYER TREASURER - JENN SCHNEIDER (NO REPORT) SECRETARY - BECKY DOYLE
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he 2017 Bowhunting Season, regular archery season is winding down. The Youth Hunt is just around the corner along with general season. I certainly hope that everyone has had an enjoyable season so far. The MBA took on some new Marlon Claphman adventures over this past summer. We expanded out to try a few new things to bring the MBA out of the shadows and back into the public eye. We went to several functions where we set up the Shooting Booth for young Bowhunters to try out shooting bows. We recruited a few new members at these events. We have been invited back to all the events for next year as they see how much interest we bring to their functions. As everyone knows we are involved in the Youth Conservation Education Expo, where the MBA and others from the Sheep Foundation, Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Trout Unlimited and a host of other organization partnered to put on a Youth Camp on the River Of No Return at the Magruder Ranger Station. The MBA set up the archery for the kids and Five Valley Archery Club put up a dozen 3D targets for the kids to shoot at for a week. And believe me we shot the heck out of them. We fished and road horses and mules learned about what and how Wildernesses are formed and why they are so important. At the last Convention we introduced a new camp the MBA Youth Bowhunter Camp. Several members and archery clubs stepped with donations and helped with fundraisers to get this camp off the ground. The Doyle’s Beckie, Jerry and Jackie put together an agenda and curriculum, organized the groceries kitchen and camp help. We recruited the guides for each team of campers from our own members who deserve a lot of thanks for working with the youth campers for the week. The guides were Rich Hjort, Larry Rattray, Brad Zink and Jackie Doyle all took time out of their busy summer to be the guides. This camp was a huge success and all the kids wanted to sign up for next year’s camp. Many thanks go out to Neil Mire, Don Helmbrech, Keri Anderson and Dan Eden. Of course, special thanks goes to the landowner who let us hold this camp on their property’s Marvin Wetzstone Family and Lazy Cross Ranch. This camp was focused on hunting elk but we did lots of other activities like treestand safety. Neil and I helped the campers put up their own treestands and shoot from them with all the safety gear. We had several of them that were afraid put on the safety gear and with help we got them up to a hunting height and at least sit there for a spell. The food was good as the campers all had to pitch in and do their share of the meal preparations and of coarse the cleanup as well. We rented 3D targets from the local 4H group to help them with a few bucks to get more targets for their shoots. We set them up along the cow trails in the creek bottom so the campers had to hunt them. And we had several blood trails to follow. We are all ready making plans for the next camp and of coarse there will be a few improvements. We also hope to add a few kids and move the camp date to an earlier time to escape the fires and smoke. We are already deep into the Tentative process and there will be some changes all across the state. If at all possible go to these season setting public meetings to get your input to the Commission. There is a lot of pressure being put on the Bowhunters to let some kind of firearms in our Archery only HD’s and archery seasons. The MBA wants to protect what we have fought for all these years to let this happen. It is one step at a time and soon we have nothing left. The FWP is asking for a compromise to help solve their issues. Here is my take on compromising; both parties have to have something to give of equal value. We have our seasons and archery hunting only areas, a full glass of water so to speak. We sit at the table with our glass full. They come in with nothing to give and ask us for a share of our full glass. Now we have a glass that is ¾ full. Then the next time they come back and ask for another compromise, still with nothing to offer, and sit at the table asking for another share of the glass. Now the glass is less then half full but still this process goes on and soon we have nothing left in our and we have to go to them to try to get back what we given up. I don’t feel that we need to compromise with all these issues in and on the areas and seasons we have fought for, for so long. The convention is just around the corner and a month earlier this year, so make plans to attend early. Region 2 has a bunch of new ideas planed for the fundraisers. Neil will have details in his report and we have been posting a few things on the web sight. Let’s keep trying to get new members on the books and get the MBA growing. We will need numbers in our ranks to succeed in the future. I rambled on long enough so Keep-Em Sharp and Shoot-Em Straight.
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Marlon Clapham WWW.MTBA.ORG
Jerry Davis, Chair Steve Schindler • Ray Gross • Mike Shepard Marlon Clapham
Ray Gross, Chair Paul Martin • Mark Schwomeyer • Steve Schindler John Grimstad • Kent Brown • Marlon Clapham
Message
Montana
Legislative: Tentatives:
President’s
MBA Committees
Financial:
Jerry Davis, Chair Jenn Schneider • Seth Rogers Ray Gross • Neil Maier
Landowner/Sportsman:
Mark Schwomeyer, Chair David Moon • Neil Maier • Bob Morgan Barrett Haugan • Tim Roberts
Nominations:Steve Schindler
Steve Schindler, Chair Al Kelly • Paul Martin
Awards:
Roger Peffer, Chair Al Kelly • Steve Schindler • Rich Lewallen Mike Shepard • Marlon Clapham
Membership:
Chair, vacant Jenn Schneider • Seth Rogers • Ray Gross Kent Brown • Barrett Haugan John Grimstad • Tim Roberts Joelle Selk – Membership Assistant
Convention 2018-Region 2:
Neil Maier, Chair Beckie Doyle • Brian Koelzer Marlon Clapham
Convention 2019-Region 4 NStephen LePage, Chair To be determined
Magazine:
Al & Teri Kelly, Co-Chairs Steve Schindler • Roger Peffer • Joelle Selk Brian Koelzer • Jerry Davis
Website:
Liberty Brown • Jenn Schneider • Lyle Hebel
Carp Shoot:
Joelle Selk, Chair Roger Licht • Stephen LePage
Bow-Ed:
Al Kelly, Chair Brain Koelzer • Bob Morgan • Mark Schwomeyer David Moon • Ray Gross • Marlon Clapham
Youth Membership:
Becky Doyle, Chair • Roger Licht This is a new committee and will involve the youth from every region for their input. All area reps. will try to recruit youth from their region to get involved with the MBA’s decision making process. This will mostly be done through the e-mail contacts. They may want to attend the Board Meeting on occasion and we can get them ready for the future. We will try to keep their ages from 16 to 25 or so. Reg. 1 – Vacant Reg. 2 – Jackie Doyle, Callie Stevens Reg. 3 – Vacant Reg. 4 – Vacant Reg. 5 – Vacant Reg. 6 – Vacant Reg. 7 – Vacant Reg. 8 – Vacant
Steve Schindler
OFFICER REPORTS
Second Vice President’s Report
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ell that’s a wrap! Every year September seems to vanish into thin air. There were several bowhunters connecting with game this fall. I on the other did not. Congratulations to all who were successful on filling your tags. It looks like we will have plenty of options for our trophy display at this year’s banquet. As of sunset tonight I have officially switched from elk to whitetail mode. With the leaves turning, the crisp mornings and necks starting to swell I am looking forward to some tree-stand time. Scrapes and rutting buck activity is already starting to take place in the middle of October. Other than that everything is pretty normal here in good ole Lewistown. I hope you all have a great rest of the season with friends and family, and happy holidays. O yeah, only 46 more days til lion season!
First Vice President’s Report
Mark Schwomeyer
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ong range shooting is going to be our death nail, both rifle and bowhunting. There, now you know how I feel about it. What distance do you hunt at is a question you have to ask yourself. Years ago a friend of mine asked for my opinion on what caliber his friend should get for his deer rifle, He was fairly new to hunting and wanted to buy a rifle to hunt big mule deer bucks with. I calmly said without hesitation get yourself a 30-30. Well I got two strange looks and I’m sure they pretty much thought I had lost my mind. I explained to them that it all depends on what distance you want to learn to hunt at. If you were to start out with a 7mm mag you might not learn when you crest a hill you don’t skyline yourself or in other words alert the mule deer buck you want to shoot even though he maybe a 500 yards away. In essence you are hunting at 500 yards, with the 30-30 you learn to hunt close under a 100 yards maybe even closer. You learn to use the wind, don’t skyline yourself and be quiet. All bowhunting skills, But now in bowhunting we are experiencing ex 7mm mag hunters who are now hunting with bow and arrow. Their hunting distance is shorter than the rifle they use to tote but still a pretty fair distance. It’s always been my thought that the longer the shot, the more things that could go wrong after the release. If you can shoot 2 inch groups at 75 yards that is pretty impressive and you should be congratulated and even patted on the back, BUT once you release the arrow you are no longer in charge of the outcome, what happens if the animal takes a step just a small step well you now have a gut shot, that’s not anywhere close to good in anybody’s book. In my opinion we have to really give this some serious thought. On the other hand I’ve heard it said at a longer distance you have less chance of spooking the animal because of bow noise or movement or anything you may do to spook an animal that is very close. I think that is a valid argument albeit it’s pretty flimsy excuse for not being able to get close. One thing I hope we never forget is that bowhunting is a close range sport. Granted that concept derived of the equipment we had years ago. But there still are reasons that are as valid today as there were in 1970 or 1960. The target moves when we are hunting and nobody can anticipate the movement. There is no doubt the effective range of a Bowhunter has increased over the years but how far is too far. I believe the ranges advised in the National Bowhunter education course holds just as true today as it did way back when it was first written, 20 to 30 yards in forested country and 30 to 40 yards in open country. Now I realize these are pin point accuracy ranges with today’s equipment, but they were derived with consideration to what could go wrong, and that is simply that after the release, we are no longer in charge of the outcome.
Steve Schindler
Secretary’s Message
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’d like to thank everyone who supported this year’s Teen Bowhunting Camp. We had a wonderful time sharing information and stories with all the attendees. What a great group of young bowhunters! Some of them have harvested more than I have so far this year with my bow and that I’m absolutely okay with that! Congratulations to you all and I look forward to hearing your stories! Get your hunt on!
Becky Doyle
Becky Doyle
Winter 2017
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Neil Maier
REGIONAL REPORTS REGION 1 AL KELLY MIKE SHEPHARD (NO REPORT)
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REGION 2 NEIL MAIER DON HELMBRECHT (NO REPORT) REGION 3 BRIAN KOELZER BARRETT HAUGEN
REGION 5 RICHARD LEWALLEN KEN SCHULTZ REGION 6 DAVID MOON (NO REPORT) REGION 7 BOB MORGAN REGION 8 JERRY DAVIS Al Kelly
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AL KELLY MIKE SHEPHARD Hello Friends, ope everyone had a great season. Don’t forget to send in your stories and pictures please, we are always in need of material for the magazine. There have been some nice bulls taken during bow season here in Lincoln County. The wolves are not getting them all. Go Humans!!! There is still a lot of hunting to be done many seasons left to participate in, so get outside and enjoy. I used to say, oh well there is always next year, but the reality of it is, there will not always be a next year, so make them all count. Many of us have to work but we all need to take the time to enjoy the beautiful country and opportunity available to us here in Montana. Til’ we meet again, Happy hunting,
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Al Kelly 6
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WWW.MTBA.ORG
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NEIL MAIER DON HELMBRECHT
o all Bowhunter Education (BHE) Instructors and Montana Bowhunter Association (MBA) Members. First, a little history about the Bowhunter Education program. In 1978, the Montana Bowhunter Association (MBA) started teaching voluntary bowhunter education. There was a core group of people that were taught by Bill Wadsworth. This group then went all over the state recruiting and training new instructors. In 1987, the legislature passed a law making BHE mandatory and gave the program responsibility to Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP). Initially, anyone under 18 was required to take bowhunter education. The law changed in 1991, making bowhunter education mandatory for all first-time Montana bowhunters. From the beginning, the MBA was the leader in the number of instructors that were teaching bowhunter education. Since that time, MBA membership participation as volunteer instructors has dropped off. It would be interesting to know how many of the state’s current BHE instructors are also MBA members. The need to recruit new instructors is increasing every day as we age out and finding new instructors becomes more difficult. So, to the crux of the problem; I am wondering why, in the last few years, the Missoula and Bitterroot area BHE field courses are seeing more online students traveling from other areas of the state. Some are driving up to 300 miles to our field courses. In 2016, just in the Missoula area, we had 126 classroom students and 244 online students for the Missoula field course. About 100 of these online students were from other areas of the state because they could not find a field course in their area or had only one opportunity to get a local field course. State wide numbers for the last 7 years are as follows: Year Classroom Online Total 2011 1011 652 1663 2012 1245 830 2075 2013 1741 961 2702 2014 1721 1209 2930 2015 1794 1377 3171 2016 1448 1286 2734 2017 615 376 991 this is up to May 2017 This is nearly a 1 to 1 ratio, yet Missoula is nearly 2 to 1 of online students to classroom students. We are getting almost half of the online students from other areas of the state. I am sure they attend not because we are better instructors, but because there are several areas that either don’t offer field courses or don’t offer enough field courses to meet the local need. Recently, I have heard some instructor’s state they will not offer a field course for online students. In the early days of the online BHE course, the online instruction was not up to par and students
did not do well on the test. Since that time, many instructors have reviewed the online course, noted deficiencies, and suggested changes; most of which have been instituted. Since then, I have found online students do very well on knowledge spot checks. It is my understanding that some of the principal reasons the MBA pushed for mandatory BHE was to ensure the survival of our chosen method of take, share Montana bowhunting values, impart better hunter ethics, reduce wound loss, and improve the overall public perception of archery hunting. The MBA felt strongly that the best way to accomplish this was through a face-to-face learning experience with students, which is why we retain the field course for online students. But, keep in mind many states offer an online only course (no field course required) that is recognized and accepted nationwide for certification. In light of the growing number of online only courses offered by other states, it is very disheartening to hear other instructors refusing to offer field courses for our online students, or not offering enough to fill the need. By refusing to offer any or sufficient field courses, we are driving our residents to the online only courses in other states. Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota, to name a few, allow non-residents to be certified in their state and receive a bowhunter certification card recognized in Montana. Montana has reciprocity with all the other states and Canadian Provinces that teach the NBEF course (online or in person). We cannot stop this, and the word is getting out and spreading that many instructors will not offer field courses to online students. So, we are in-turn driving them to these online only courses. And, South Dakota will certify 12-year-olds, Idaho will certify 10-year-olds and Nebraska will certify 14-year-olds in their online only courses. If there are short comings in the online curriculum, then make constructive criticism and suggestions for changes to improve it. Don’t criticize to be critical and think the online program will go away; it won’t. In fact, it is becoming more popular because it fits the pace and schedule of our students. Let’s make the online course better for students and offer a field course to help fill in the gap where the online course is lacking. Don’t push it off to other areas to fill the gap that is created by a void of offerings in certain areas. If you are offering a field course for online students, then great! Evaluate the total number of online students versus the number of classroom students in your area. You may need to increase the number of online class field courses to fill the need. The demographics have shifted. We need to offer more field courses for online students. Let’s not throw away an opportunity to teach online students what they need to know.
REGIONAL REPORTS More than one instructor has made the statement: “would you go hunting and feel safe in the woods with an online student?” Phrased differently, “Why are you in the woods with an online only student that YOU missed the opportunity to make better, safer, more ethical with your knowledge?” Many areas in Montana could use more instructors to help with the number of people needing to take BHE courses. Over the last six years, Montana has seen almost a 90% increase in people wanting to bow hunt. As a group, we need to meet the challenge of the times we live in by embracing the online culture and focus on providing the best quality learning experience we can in our field courses. Hopefully, doing so will encourage Montanans to take our course and reject the online only options offered by other states. Like the line in the movie “If you build it they will come.” Let’s build it! At the rate we (instructors, the state, and FWP) are going with the falling number of instructors, complaints to FWP, and the FWP commissioners, the program will be forced, as South Dakota was, to make Bowhunter Education an online only option with no field course requirement. Let’s not let this happen! Up to 250 people that want to bow hunt, have taken the online course from other states because they couldn’t find a Montana field course. As instructors, we need to step forward and be the instructors we claim to be or, we will lose the opportunity to slow the tide of people that are taking other states online courses.
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BRIAN KOELZER BARRETT HAUGAN
ith the setting of the sun this evening as I draft this article, archery season 2017 has officially come to a close. It was definitely a season of extremes this fall. Heat, fires, rain, wind and then lots of snow, made for a truck full of gear, nothing like elk hunting in the snow one day then rubbing sunscreen on my nose the next. By the time you all read this the whitetails should be feeling frisky and out looking for love. Hopefully the subzero temps can stay at bay until after Dec 1. It seems with each passing year I like the cold a little less and the warm a little more! When we first start hunting it seems the focus is on harvesting an animal and the little things along the way aren’t really noticed. After 25 years of hunting exclusively with a bow I’m finding that the definition of success for me has shifted from harvesting an animal to embracing the whole hunting experience. Just today I went out with my wife, her sister, our two year old niece, and my dad to move a couple whitetail stands and enjoy the beautiful 60 degree fall day. Three generations out setting ladder stands and sharing the excitement and
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The Missoula gang has one hell of a convention planned this year so mark your calendars and save the date! Be safe out there and good luck to everyone still in the woods!
Brian Koelzer
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017 has been one of the toughest hunting seasons of all my years. I hope everyone else did very well. The season started off with an unsuccessful spring Brown Bear hunt in Alaska that left me with some great memories and new ideas for my next attempt. I then spent 10 Days chasing Dall sheep in August not tuning up a legal Ram. My Brother Ben and I averaged 10-15 miles a day looking. Again I brought back some great new knowledge of hunting these amazing animals in some of the most amazing country I have ever seen. From there September and October, right up to the 15th turned into one of the toughest Elk seasons I have ever experienced. I don’t know if it was the Eclipse, maybe the Harvest Moon being late into October this year? I’m just not sure why the elk where so off this year. However, I learned a lot of new techniques from new hunting buddies and gained a bunch of new friendships from around the country. I never consider an unsuccessful tag filling an unsuccessful hunt. If you think about what hunting brings to your life when you have a successful hunt, you should really think about what it does for your life at work or in your home when you aren’t successful. Hunting has taught me Patience, Persistence, Drive, Motivation, important decision making skills, when to wait and when to be aggressive. All of which are in the moment; with nothing more than a moment to make those decisions. Most importantly it makes you reevaluate your failures and turn them into success on your next opportunities. Every hunt teaches me something as long as I’m paying attention. I truly believe hunting does way more for our personal lives than you think. I hope everyone learned something this season. Good “Luck” on your next adventure!
Barrett Haugan
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STEPHEN LEPAGE ROGER LICHT
Brian Koelzer anticipation of hunts to come was as fun as anything I’ve done all season!
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hat a long hot summer and fall; never seen a bowhunting season where there weren’t any bugs in the breaks. I write this sitting in my tree stand, hard to remember how many years I been doing this, I feel like a kid again hunting fishing and camping. Like me, times have changed but one thing that hasn’t is your heart pounding when a bull elk is bugling in the willows and coming closer; maybe a little closer next year. This summer was pretty quiet lots of shoots and youth camps, my hats off to all the volunteers. Convention is just around the corner if you haven’t been to one lately try and make it to Fairmont Hot Springs for lots of family fun and the waters great. Hope everybody had a good bow season with old friends and new ones. God bless our troops,
Roger Licht
Stephen LePage
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nother archery season is in the books, but if you are anything like me you are looking forward to bowhunting deer during the rut. I hope everyone has had time to get out and chase some critters around. I had a fun season hunting with my family, we created some great new memories that I will not soon forget. In addition, my family has incorporated a new aspect into our bowhunting lives in order to ethically improve our recovery rates, please see “The Fantastic Adventures of Mr. Wienie.” (page 17)
Stephen LePage
Dan Moore
Barrett Haugan
Winter 2017
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KEN SCULTZ RICHARD LEWALLEN Greetings everyone! sure hope everyone had a very successful and safe fall archery hunting season. There’s nothing like getting out and taking time to enjoy this beautiful state and getting in some exercise and fresh air. I want to take some time and introduce myself a little. My name is Ken Schultz and I have had the honor of being selected to be the Region 5 representative. I want to thank John Grimstad for visiting with me about this opportunity. I have been living in Montana for the past 25 years and prior to that I spent 10 years in Wyoming. I was born and raised my first 20 years on a farm and ranch in central North Dakota and I’ve been hunting with my dad and brothers since a very young age and can’t think of any better way to build comradery with friends and family. I fell in Love with Archery hunting when I moved to Montana and have had many awesome experiences big game hunting. I have made many numerous friends like you who love archery hunting as much as I do. I feel it is very critical that we do everything we can to preserve that privilege. I am truly excited to be a part of an awesome organization like MBA and will do my very best to represent all of you in Region 5. Before I close, I would like to take a minute to ask all of you to keep a very close friend of mine Gerry and his family in your thoughts and prayers. He is battling some severe medical issues and we are all praying and believing for a miracle to happen! He is one of the true mentors and hunting buddies in my life and has taught me so much about hunting and the ethics of hunting. He is one the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and always willing to go out of his way to help with anything and take someone and/or their family hunting.
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We love ya Buddy!!!!
Ken Scultz
Richard Lewallen
marked the last drop of blood and started making extended circles looking for sign. I knew with the amount of blood loss, it was unlikely the bull would recover. I was naturally feeling quite discouraged. I looked down the mountainside and saw my father who was hunting in the area walk out of the forest about 300 yards away. I walked down to him and I talked to him about what had happened. He had more experience hunting in this area than I had. He knew there was a large elk bedding area on the side of the mountain just ahead of where the blood trail ended. He thought there was a good chance the bull would be bedded there. We walked up there and carefully made our way through the bedding area in a grid search manner using our binoculars as we went. I was slightly in front so I could get a second shot if necessary. We finally spotted the bull which had expired in his bed next to a drop off on the lower edge of the bedding area. We were able to cut the bull In two pieces and hang it up in a tree to cool. We found the bull about a half mile from the last drop of blood. It was a huge relief to have recovered the bull that day. It was a huge help to have a partner to help in the recovery effort. It made a big difference knowing the topography of the area as well. I was also very fortunate to have enough daylight to complete the task. Having a partner also increases the chance of being able to take a second shot if necessary. Happy hunting
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everal years ago I was hunting elk in western Montana. One morning I ran into a herd of elk in the timber moving up the mountain side with a 5 x 5 bull following at the rear. The bull stopped and I had a broadside shot at 40 yards. I saw and heard the arrow hit a little bit low in the chest. I waited 45 minutes and then started to follow. I located the blood trail and followed for 150 yards to a bed that had an 18 inch pool of blood in it. I then waited another 30 minutes then followed the blood trail again to two more beds within the next 400 yards. It was very dry and tracking conditions were difficult. The blood trail continued across an open grassy south facing slope contouring around the mountain side for half a mile. As I reached an area of intermittent pine trees, the blood trail stopped. I
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Richard Lewallen
Bob Morgan
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had a great hunting adventure with my son and grandson the end of September. They came down from Bozeman, got to Colstrip at 1 o’clock in the morning. We all slept a few hours and got up at 4 o’clock. Trucks were both loaded and we headed for our camp. We finally had a little rain down in the forest around Ashland and a friend give us a heads up of where he had seen some elk the morning before. We got there before daybreak and got ready, we walked about 400 yards and then we heard a bull bugling, but no yellow brown seen that morning. It was really steep territory right there where we were and we headed down the road a little ways and set up camp. As we walked out of the tent next morning we heard bugling, which put smiles on our faces. It was not quite daylight yet when we headed down a steep and somewhat rocky drainage; there we found a good place to cross the fence at the bottom then headed to the scrub juniper on the slope above the fields. The bugling was coming from the fields in front and to the left of us. I had hunted this country lots of times but my son and grandson had not. They were moving too fast for grandpa so I told them to go ahead and I would meet them at the next fence. I found a good place to call from and was headed downhill a little, when I heard a funny noise behind me and to the left. I looked and saw a cinnamon black bear. I hollered at the bear, “Get out of here!” Then I remembered, oh yeah I got a bear license. The bear was standing with his left paw up on the tree looking at me. When I hollered he went up the tree about 10 feet I knocked and arrow, but shot a little high. Up the tree the bear went. By now the bear was clicking his teeth and making some kind of moaning noise. I’ve never been around bears much but it looked like a nice bear, ears looked small and body looked decent. After another shot the now the bear is 20 some yards up in the tree and I made a good shot that connected. The bear went higher in the tree again. Meanwhile my son and grandson had come by and heard me shoot and heard the noise the bear was making. However, they didn’t know what it was. My grandson said, Dad, Dad, There’s a bear in the tree. Bradley, replied, I think the noise is
REGIONAL REPORTS
coming from the ground. Unknown to me, they moved closer, sat down and observed. At first they didn’t know it was me but they figured it out. Suddenly, I remembered my son and grandson should be close, so I cow called them. I also tried to call them on the radio and finally they just said we’re right here, and they were about 40 yards away watching the whole scene. They had heard the bear growling and snapping his teeth, and they also heard when I shot my bow. Those boys have good ears, I’d say. Meanwhile the bear was getting pretty restless, and soon fell out of the tree. We each told our version of what had just happen. This hunting adventure will live on for years and years as it’s told over and over by my son, grandson and me. My grandson was shooting the selfbow that he made at the first Annual Selfbow Jamboree this summer. What a joy to be out in God’s creation with family or friends. On a different note I had bought the archery deer hunt in Alberta Canada. I’d like to thank Colin and Mandy Paly from Northern Edge Outfitters for donating the Whitetail hunt Bob deer Morgan to the Montana Bowhunters Association. I didn’t get a heavy, brown antlered buck, like all those on Colin’s wall, but it was quite an adventure for me. Hope everyone has a great adventure this hunting season. Bob Morgan: 406-749-0706. Give me a call.
“But you loved me anyway” Sidewalk Prophets
Bob Morgan
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his week (Sept. 24-30) some news stories were reported that I found somewhat unsettling. First there was the reporting that Secretary of Interior Zinke is pursuing major changes within Interior. That in itself is not unsettling and may well be needed, but the quote associated with Secretary Zinke was unsettling. In that quote Zinke states that “I got 30% of the crew that’s not loyal to the flag.” Having served in the Department of Interior for about 7 ½ years I can absolutely state that Mr. Zinke either does not know his crew or that he is simply playing politics in an effort to garner support for his attempt at running for the senate or the governor. I am not sure nor do I care. This remark was simply incorrect and divisive. Though we do not always agree with the Department of Interior’s decisions we must understand that they are only the tool of the United States Congress. Interior is mandated to operate following rules that have been promulgated from Laws that the US Congress has passed. Yes there are always going the be varying interpretations of what those rules require which can lead to conflicts between Interior and citizens, but to call Interior employees unpatriotic does not benefit anyone and it is simply a lie. His comments are demoralizing for those that work for him. They do no good in ensuring our Federal Public lands are managed for the benefit of the public and in fact will probably lead to more dysfunctionality within the various departments. The next story I read was about a U of M legal analysis titled “Fish and Wildlife Management on Federal Land: Debunking State Supremacy”. This 2 year study was commissioned by the U.S. Forest
Service who has now disavowed it. The study investigates the issue of who owns and controls wildlife on federal lands, state fish and game departments or federal land managers. The study references 126 pages of Supreme Court citings, legislative history, and various case studies to support the argument that “the U.S. Constitution grants the federal government vast authority to manage its lands and wildlife resources”. It also challenges the North American Model of wildlife management. This is a very troubling finding, as it leads some to think that the Federal Government alone should be the managers of our fish and wildlife. Though the U.S. Forest Service has disavowed the analysis this study will still provide ammunition to those that wish to remove a state fish and game department’s management authority in order to obtain exclusive rights to public fish and wildlife on federal public lands. A very troubling study that we will have to keep an eye on. Then there was another story about Secretary Zinke. In that article it was reported that Secretary Zinke has decided not to eliminate or decrease the size of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and has also recommended monument status of the Badger Two Medicine area. This is great for Montana but it appears at the same time Sec. Zinke has also recommended reducing the size and or allowing natural resource extraction in monuments within other states. I am not sure but it appears that Sec. Zinke may be playing politics with this issue. It appears he may be playing favorites with Montana (good for us right now). Rumors are that in 2018 he will run to represent Montana in the Senate or in 2020 he will be a candidate for governor in Montana. Like I said I am happy that he is taking actions to protect Montana public lands I am concerned that he has done this solely for political reasons and I worry that under future Interior Secretaries we in Montana may see retribution. Enough of politics, I hope that you all had a successful archery season. Success can come in many colors and for me, though I haven’t harvested an animal yet, it has been successful. I managed to pull a sneak to within 28 yards in very dry conditions on a mature bull that was bedded down without him knowing I was there. Of course I screwed up my opportunity for the shot but just getting that close undetected was a great success for me. Of course the season isn’t over and who knows.
Jerry Davis
Brad and Trey Morgan
Winter 2017
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AT LARGE DIRECTOR’S REPORTS ROGER PEFFER SETH ROGERS (NO REPORT) TIM ROBERTS (NO REPORT) PAUL MARTIN RAY GROSS KENT BROWN
Roger Peffer
DirectorsAt Large Ray Gross
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hile I was archery elk hunting in the breaks I stopped by a camp and talked to two fellow elk hunters. After visiting about the elk hunting I asked if they were MBA members. One was one was not. I had some MBA News letters in the truck and asked the non member if he would like one. That opened the discussion about the MBA. The member said he thought there was too much controversy about lighted knocks. He didn’t use them, but said it was not that big of a deal considering the BIG PICTURE. I agreed and said bowhunters need to look beyond the minor issues and look at the big picture. MBA represents all Montana bow hunters. Because of MBA Montana bow hunters have by far more archery ONLY hunting opportunities than any other state. Thanks to MBA we have 6 weeks of archery ONLY deer and elk; 5 weeks of archery ONLY antelope; one week of archery ONLY bighorn sheep, before the rifle hunters can hunt; early archery ONLY bear season; and archery ONLY wolf season. MBA’s charter allows us to lobby in the legislature. MBA has kept cross bow and muzzle loaders out of archery ONLY seasons. MBA is not a feel good only organization. I have friends that have quit the MBA because of traditional equipment, lighted knocks, limited elk permits, and other small potato issues. I say lets look at the BIG PICTURE and put the petty crap aside. If you are a bow hunter and are not a member of MBA, shame on you!
Ray Gross
he Outdoor Industry Association completed a study in July that examined the economic impact of outdoor recreation across the country. This includes any activities that would be outdoors relatedhunting, fishing, skiing, hiking, camping, kayaking, snowshoeing, wildlife viewing, etc. The study found that 81% of Montana Residents participate in outdoor recreation each year. This is much higher than most states and we can attribute this to the wonderful public lands that abound in our state. These public lands contribute greatly to our local economies and our quality of life. It attracts businesses and they hire employees and support families in our state. Outdoor recreation helps many communities thrive. Over $7.1 BILLION dollars are spent on outdoor recreation in Montana. This greatly exceeds the value of Montana produced agricultural livestock, poultry and crops combined ($4.3 Billion). The outdoor economy employs 71,000 people in our state, produces $2.2 Billion in wages and salaries, and $286 Million in State and local tax revenues. SO the big question here? If the outdoor economy contributes so much to state and local economies, why don’t our elected officials recognize that in their policies and decisions in Helena and Washington DC? Why isn’t promotion of this economic engine more visible in party platforms for both political parties? It seems like our elected officials are ignoring the importance of outdoor industry. They push industries that do not have as big of an impact on our state and local economies OR they promote industry that actually has a negative impact on outdoor industries. Doesn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense. Many elected officials have worked to cut funding or hamstring state and federal agencies. The USDA Forest Service? Dramatic cuts in funding over the last 3 decades. The National Park System? Funding cuts and failure to keep up with inflation and increasing numbers of visitors. Privatization proposals are being made that will drive up costs and make some outdoor recreation less affordable. Efforts are being made to cut clean air and water standards that are so essential to the outdoor industry and the health of our fish and wildlife resources. Recent efforts in MT have been made to cut funding for FWP and access to public lands. Governor Bullock has seen this report and is recognizing the importance of outdoor recreation on our state economy. He has appointed the first Director of the Montana Office of Outdoor Recreation - Rachel VandeVoort. Thank You Governor! This is absolutely a step in the right direction. Now we just need to convince the Secretary of the Interior and our state and federal representatives about how important outdoor recreation is to the economic vitality of Montana and get them to do some positive things to promote these industries instead of trying to hamstring them. Below is a link to a PDF of the results of the report I have mentioned above. https://outdoorindustr y.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/OIA_ RecEcoState_MT.pdf
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WWW.MTBA.ORG
REGIONAL REPORTS
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hope that everyone had a safe and successful archery season. Myself, I was lucky enough to have a Godzilla-sized cow elk stroll by my tree stand at five paces. Unfortunately, at the time, I had my camera in my hand and my bow hanging up. What a putz! With the legislature safely adjourned last spring, we next approach another period of MBA activity on behalf of Montana bowhunters. Although often referred to as the ‘Tentative Session’, it is more properly called the ‘Biennial Season Setting Process’. During this public process, the FWP Department and Commission will evaluate proposals and set hunting regulations for Montana’s big game and bird species for the next two years. Although MBA members become aware of this in January when the Board emails information on issues and meetings, the process actually begins the previous summer. While the Wildlife Division of FWP is the lead division in the process, almost all other divisions and the Regional Supervisors take part. In summer, the public is invited to take part in a ‘Scoping Process’ with comments via an online survey tool. These raw scoping comments are then compiled, summarized and forwarded throughout the Department and to the Commission in early fall. The MBA has always been active in this biennial process and sometimes approaches the Department in the summer or early fall with a proposal. If such a proposal aligns with FWP goals and policies, the Department may decide to forward the proposal on behalf of the MBA. If the Department declines, the MBA is still entitled to pursue the proposal on its own, under the framework established. There are two large meetings that are of particular interest to the public during this process. The first is in December when the Department formally presents recommendations and proposals to the Commission for consideration. The second is in February, after a public comment period, when the final proposals are presented, discussed and voted upon by the Commission. Tentative regulations can be adopted as proposed, adopted as modified or rejected. The Department takes comments from the summer scoping process along with extensive division input and compiles proposals for consideration in December. Typically, two weeks prior to that meeting, these proposals are sent to the individual commission members for their review. These proposals are actually public records and can be obtained by interested parties by request at that time. Otherwise, the public will receive notice of the December meeting along with agenda items in early December. Public comment, positive or negative, is allowed as these proposals are considered. Opportunity for testimony is actually ‘open’ in that individuals or groups can offer completely new proposals for the species under discussion at the time, if desired. It’s a great opportunity for Montana citizens to directly participate in this decision-making process and we’re fortunate to have it available. The Commission members listen to recommendations from FWP along with public testimony and then decide which proposals to forward, or to modify and forward to the statewide public hearing portion of the process. There are typically about 44 meetings held statewide in January. These meetings are primarily intended to be informational in nature. Proposals by species are detailed, discussed and questions answered. Although opportunities for public comment are provided, FWP prefers that comments be submitted via the online survey tool on their website. All comments – oral, written or via the online survey - are given equal weight, however. All public comments are compiled and sent to the Commission members for their review prior to the February meeting. Again, these are public records and available by request. At this meeting, the final proposals are presented to the Commission by the Department. If a proposal is unchanged from the wording and format approved at the December meeting, no further public comment is taken before the Commission vote. If, however, the proposal has been modified by the Department in the interim or if the Commission should modify it during its discussion, new public testimony can be submitted. The proposals as approved then become part of the new official regulations published in the spring. Although the process may seem cumbersome, it is a vital opportunity for members of the MBA and the general public to participate in public policy. So when you receive an email to attend a local meeting or submit comments in January, remember that this is the process that resulted in our 900 archery antelope tag and the early archery-only opportunities for bighorn sheep, fall black bear, mountain lion and wolf. Your participation matters!
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e go through years of hunting with our significant others or in my case since 2002, my hunting partner Diann. We have hiked over hundreds of miles together in our great state of Montana and miles in CA hunting wild pigs, and even some time on the island of Lanai for axis deer and Mouflon sheep. As we all go through our life of hunting whether it is your first year or in my case over a half century, you are going to have more than one hunting buddy. There has been one buddy in particular that has been more reliable and dependable. That would be Craig Jore, the man on my left in the photo, on Labor Day this year he was there once again to help pack more than his share of meat back to camp. Throughout the season we hunted from the Big Hole to Broadus where we spent several days hunting with our good friend Jeff Noble, and enjoying his home territory. The time you spend with friends is far more valuable than any trophy you take home. We shouldn’t forget all the fires and the disgusting smoke we had to breathe. Weyerhauser here in region 1 even closed their property to hunting due to fire danger. This is due to letting the enviros; they have their way so we didn’t manage the forest like we should. Consequences of these fires are staggering, loss of income, loss of a renewable resource, health problems due to smoke, loss of wildlife and habitat, and the greatest loss of all human lives. Also in our travels this year we have seen even more wolf sign in some areas than in previous years. The wolves have killed more wildlife than any poaching ring, disease, or catastrophic event, something else we can thank the enviros for. We can’t wait for the phone survey from FWP. Now that I’ve vented on that subject on to more positive news. Each year, at the summer 3D shoot put on by the Flathead Valley Archers held at the MBEF property, we hold a raffle for one boy and one girl to hunt the MBEF property from one of two elevated blinds. Kylie Yerkes and Larry Rattray’s grandson Charlie were the lucky winners this year. Kylie and her dad Jeff were in one of the blinds on the evening of Oct.14th when a doe and a nice 3 X 4 whitetail came within range of the blind. Jeff was calling the yardage and Kylie slammed the trophy buck at twelve yards with a perfect shot, with Jeff having to contain Kylie to keep her from falling out of the blind from excitement. Unfortunately due to some miscommunication Charlie and Larry, who were about to get a shot at also a nice buck, were interrupted by us driving out with Kylie’s buck in the truck. Hope everyone got to spend some time with your partners, buddies, friends and kids enjoying our hunting heritage.
Paul Martin >>>>------------>
Kent Brown
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YOUTH CAMPS
The Magruder Camp The camp has gone through a name change to Montana Matters River of No Turn Camp, It will still be held in the same location over in Idaho on the USF Ranger Station called Magruder Ranger Station. This camp is sponsored in part by the MBA’s and others, contributions to the Youth Conservation Education Expo held at the Teller Wildlife Refuge. This is the fifth year of the Expo and the second year we put this camp on at Magruder. Once again it was a huge success. The campers are looking forward to next year so they can return. Now that I have that out of the way lets talk about the last summer’s camp. We had 20 young campers in attendance and the best weather we could ask for. It was a very diverse group of campers. We added a new twist to the agenda with an Outfitter from over the mountain, they took half of the campers on horses and mules and they road over the mountain into the outfitters camp three hours away and put them up in his wall tents. They had a great camp fire experience with elk bugling and the wolves howling most of the night. Then the next day the other half of the camper got to ride over the mountain. Some these kids had never even touched a horse before this camp. But ever one of them made the ride and all had great stories to share. Smoke Elser and Dale Burk had a camp fire discussion on how wildernesses are formed and why they are so necessary. This camp sits right in the middle of 5 million wilderness acres. We can walk from one to the other by crossing the road. We spent the next three days shooting the bows and fly fishing the river. The fish cooperated and almost every kid landed at least one trout. Most of the kids shot arrows until their fingers and arms were toast. It was a short hike over the river to where we could shoot, so we moved the big block target right into the camp and we held flash lights so they could shoot well after dark. We had a blast and didn’t lose any arrows in the dark. The Elk Foundation, Sheep Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Back Country Horse Man, Trout Unlimited all put an interesting agenda together for the campers. The Mule Deer Foundation gave away an air rifle and a pellet rifle donated to them by Cabala’s. I must say that the young man who got the air rifle was truly deserving of it. The Trout Unlimited gave away a fly rod to a young kid that jumped clear over the camp fire to receive it. On the last night at the camp fire Pete Fromm author of Indian Creek Chronicles, Sat with the kids and told them about the winter he spent on the river baby sitting a million salmon, alone for the most part. Then afterword he gave the campers a signed copy, I’ve read mine and it is a very good read. Again we had only one injury, a fly got hooked in the back of an on looker watching the kids fish and the back cast caught her in the shoulder. We removed the hook and applied the first band aid we’ve had to use. PS: We had one fatality, but the kids had the burial right there in camp.
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BOWHUNTER
WWW.MTBA.ORG
YOUTH CAMPS
MBA Teen Bowhunter Camp It’s the middle of August and the air was full of smoke out in western Montana. The spirits of thirteen young bowhunters couldn’t have been any higher.
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Winter 2017
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MBA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
4. Why do you support the MBA? Because they do good work. They represent us. They do the work that one should do as an individual. 5. How many bows do you own? I just won one (at the MBA banquet), so now 4. 6. What one piece of advice would you like to pass onto a new bowhunter? Persistance. 7. Who is your bowhunting mentor or idol? Dr Ashby, he got me into heavier arrows, he did a lot of tests. 8. Tell me about your favorite bowhunting memory?
MBA Member Spotlight
The moose I shot in Wyoming. It was just being at the right place at the right time. 9. Who are your favorite bowhunting partners?
Larry Bloxson
Tim Reilly
10. Do you have a fun or exciting story to share?
Age: 54 Where do you live? Clancy, MT What do you do for a living? Construction Manager for the State of MT 1. When did you start bowhunting? 2000, I was a late starter. 2. Tell me about your first bowkill.
Larry and I were elk hunting and saw a bear. Larry had a tag so I called the bear in with a predator call. Holy Crap! That bear came straight to us. I was hiding behind a 20 inch tree and it looked like the bear was going to be in my lap. When the bear was almost in my lap, Larry gave a whistle and stopped him and then made an excellent shot at about 10 yards (about 2 to 3 yards from me!) Do you have any secret bowhunting tricks to share? You can’t shoot it from your couch, you gotta be out there.
It was a raghorn bull up at Johnson’s cabin. I shot it too far back and when I came back he wasn’t there. It took 2-3 hours to find him. 3. Describe your dream hunt. Cape Buffalo. I recently bowhunted in Africa. It. Was. Awesome. I’ll be going back. I did get to see some Cape Buffalo and they are impressive animals.
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WWW.MTBA.ORG
If you have a member you would like to be featured in “Member Spotlight”, please contact Steve LePage at mbaregion4@yahoo.com.
YOUTH CAMP THANK YOU’S MBA Teen Bowhunter Camp -
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Saturday night treated us to an all-out lighting storm right over our heads. Thankfully there were no new fires started in our area and there was a little rain to go along with lighting. On the last day everyone headed down to the landowners ranch headquarters and we went out to pull a fence off the road where elk and cattle get hung up. It took about four hours and everyone headed up to the camp where Domino’s Pizza donated more then we could eat in one sitting. They even delivered it to the camp free of charge. All the kids wanted to get signed up for next year and the older campers wanted to be a part of helping to run the camp again. It takes a ton of work to put a camp like this together. Beckie and Jerry Doyle have had this dream for quite some time and it finally came together. The hours they put in were countless. The friends they recruited to help set up the camp the target course and put the meals together. No one went hungry and all the campers pitched
in to prepare the meals and clean up. All in all the first MBA Teen Camp was a huge success. Many thanks go out to the guides: Rich Hjort, Larry Ratray: Brad Zink and Jackie Doyle. They were in charge of the teams made up of four campers each. Jerry Doyle and Dan Eden were the elk buglers off in the brush. Karrie Anderson and Beckie Doyle were in charge of the food. Neil Maier and I worked with hanging of the treestands. Don Helmbrech and Rich Styles showed up for the Sunday work party and the break-up of camp. Everyone involved were MBA members, some who were new to our ranks and are looking forward to the next function. We made a few first time mistakes, nothing major, but we know there was room for improvement. So next years camp will be better then ever.
ELK CAMP 2017 As a guide at the first youth elk camp of 2017. This was a great start to the MBA’s first youth elk camp. We had 13 strong fun individuals that worked very hard on improving their elk hunting skills. We as a group worked on bugling, bow and bow shooting we had a 10 target 3-d course. I thought one of the most successful part for me was the tree stand safety workshops. Each kid got up in a tree stand and successfully shoot a 3-d target. We went on a scouting trip and the next day we had a successful elk hunt. The kids arrived as 13 individual kids and when the left all were very good friends. The kids had to prepare lunch and dinner. Each meal they had to clean up the meal. On the last day of the camp we did work for the land owner. We cleared several miles of fence. The kids worked very hard and did a great job. Overall the first elk camp was a huge success. Brad Zink, Guide of the Pope Team
Thank You’s from the kids I‘m Ezra; one of the kids that you sent to the Boone and Crockett Club’s camp. This camp is wonderful; the staff is very nice and so is the director Luke. At this camp you can expect to see lots of animals, meet lots of friendly kids, and eat well at every meal. The first day we did shooting sports which was very fun. We shot rifles, archery, and skeet. The second day we hiked into an alpine lake to swim and fish. Some of the directors brought pack rafts for kids to use. I used one of the fly rods and pack rafts to fish. I caught several Cutthroat Trout. When it was time to leave the lake, we saw several bighorn sheep which was very awesome. The next day we learned all about packing with horses which was very interesting to me considering I don’t know much about horses. We learned how to saddle horses and how to load supplies on to the sides of them. We also learned how to stay safe in the backcountry and what to bring. Thank you for supporting this “top of the line camp, it is very fun and I hope I get to go there next year. When you get there, the rooms are clean and everyone is very nice and welcoming. So thank you for sending me to this amazing camp, I would recommend it to anyone.
I just want to say thanks to MBA for putting on the MBA Youth Bowhunters Camp and to the Libby Archery Club for sponsoring me so that I had this amazing chance to attend. The camp was awesome and all the fun activities and things we learned were amazing. Thanks to Rich Hjort for the ride over and back. Thanks to the Doyle family for all the work they did in helping to put on the camp. This was an amazing experience and I learned so much about safety, tuning my bow, calling and so many other things about elk hunting and bow hunting in general. Cody Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend the Boone and Crockett Camp. I learned how to shoot a clay pigeon out of the sky. I really hope I can come back next year. From Opal
Ezra
Winter 2017
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MEMBER STORY
Doubting Thomas By Kim Blaskowski
Images from top down: Kim Blaskowski and Doubting Thomas Gerry Blaskowski with Thomas Chris Blaskowski DOE Matthew McCarville and Chris Blaskowski
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For the last 10 years, I have gone to antelope camp with my husband and father in law who drives out from Wisconsin. I always look forward to the stories at the end of each day about all the crazy things that happen during the day, things we see and the ones that got away. Many years have passed with one or all of us having tag soup. This year Chris’s God son, Matt came out from Wisconsin with his dad to join us at camp. With four people hunting public land, it can be a little challenging finding the right spots for everyone. Chris always goes the extra mile to scout areas and set up blinds for everyone. I have a spot that I usually go to every year that we call Grandma’s house. When we first started hunting that spot there was a very old farmhouse sitting there. The older grandma lady that lived there had just passed away so the house was empty. Several years later it was torn down but we still call it “Grandma’s house” blind. My pop up blind is placed by the water tank in the cow pasture. There’s nothing else around for miles, just wide open prairie. This year my blind was set up on Saturday and I was in it dark and early Tuesday morning. The only thing that I saw during my morning sit was a coyote, but during the afternoon sit, I saw a buck coming in. Adrenaline started pumping!!! This guy got hung up about 200 yards out. He was very weary of the blind. He circled around me for 1 1/2 hours then disappeared. Day two and Chris shot a doe first thing. One down, three to go. Unfortunately, I had a bit of bad timing that day. During the am sit, nature came calling. I glassed the entire prairie before leaving the blind making a quick dash to the bushes. When I got back into the blind, I glassed the prairie and there he was! Standing there for who knows how long watching me. I spent the next three hours watching him feed at the same distance as the day before. He bedded down at around 100 yards out and stayed there for an hour. Then he continued to circle me until dark. My knees were so sore from kneeling in the dirt all day. At this point I named this guy Doubting Thomas. He wanted to come in for a drink so bad, but just wasn’t sure about my blind. Day three, Chris decided to sit with me. Nothing moved all morning until just about noon when we were glassing one last time before leaving the blind. There stood Thomas, my little prairie ninja, he just appeared out of nowhere. This time he came walking right in. We quickly move into shooting position. Chris has his video camera in one hand and range finder in the other. Suddenly Thomas stops and starts circling around in the field for 30 minutes. Finally he commits to coming for a drink. I’m so ready!! Chris is giving me a yardage countdown as Thomas gets closer. He passes in front of the blind and stops. I hear Chris say 30 yards so I put the pin on him and let it fly. Perfect heart shot. He ran in a half circle and dropped within sight. This guy proved to be a challenge and I loved every frustrating moment. This year was a stellar year for our camp. Chris doe 8/16 Kim buck 8/17 Matt buck 8/18 Dad buck 8/19 WOW, unbelievable year and so much fun. Already looking forward to next year. Watch the video at: https://vimeo.com/235065737. Keep in mind Chris is ranging and videoing at the same time so it’s not the best.
The Fantastic Adventures of Mr. Wienie By Stephen LePage
While bowhunting in Spain last year,
I was able to witness the use of blood tracking dogs and while the dogs did not find the intended target, the event planted a seed. Upon returning home I began researching the legality of blood tracking dogs in Montana. It is legal. Next, I had to determine which breed was best suited to our needs. I determined that a large breed was not suitable for tracking wounded game while you are trying to minimize the disturbances of your hunting area. One of the books I read “Tracking Dogs for Finding Wounded Deer” strongly suggested the Wirehaired Dachshund. This sounded really tough to me, Wirehaired Dachshund , especially when you say it with a German accent and you know that these dogs were bred for hunting badgers, but when you google it, it is a wiener dog…that is correct, a wiener dog. I casually mentioned to my wife that this was a recommended breed and the next thing I know she had second choice of females from a litter born in a blood tracking kennel in Wisconsin. Now this presented a couple of problems for me personally: 1. I do not believe in having pets for the companionship or just to crap in my yard, but rather each pet should have a job and they should do it effectively. My wife on the other hand is a collector of animals, this has gotten so bad that at one time or another she has obtained (without talking to me first) miniature donkeys, bum calves, goats, geese, chickens, ducks, pigeons, hermit crabs, turtles and goldfish. In fact, at one point we lived in town with a basement containing 25 assorted fowl, which is illegal and unsanitary. 2. I have an image to uphold. I am a tough, diehard bowhunter. I have lion hounds and they are a macho, respectable breed of dog with a dangerous job to do. A wiener
dog does not fit that image. Please erase any mental picture of me strolling through the mall with a shiny gold purse cradling a tiny lap dog. 3. My kids planned on naming it “Mr. Wienie.” Again, it is a female and its name is going to be Mr. Wienie. After putting my foot down and informing my wife that there would not be any sweaters, bedazzled collars or Halloween costumes purchased for the dog. I slowly came to terms that I would have to own a wiener dog. Training of the dog was time consuming, but she took to it amazingly well. Within two months she was following a ¼ mile trail, with three 90° turns, aged for 12 hours, using only 1/2 cup of blood. All of this promise took a turn for the worse midAugust when she suddenly became distracted by everything: a squirrel, an interesting stump, even ants were more exciting than following my manmade blood trails. The training book I was reading referred to these issues as adolescence. Being the father of a teenage girl, I understood this concept very well and decided to wait until season to try her out on real blood trails. Our plan was very simple. After someone shot something, we would track it to the best of our abilities and if we successfully recovered the animal, we would go get Mr. Wienie and give her a real trail to follow. If we were unsuccessful in finding the critter, we would try the dog, as we had nothing to lose. Mr. Wienie had her first opportunity on opening weekend. My daughter killed a whitetail buck and we found it right away, but the blood trail was poor. The dog led us on the 75 yard trail to the deer with no problems. A couple of weeks later, my daughter made a poor shot on a black bear. There was very little visible blood aside from the point of impact, which contained a tuft of hair and a small amount of blood. We were not able to follow the trail. By the time we brought the dog to the point of
impact, it was dark. Mr. Wienie had never smelled a bear before and immediately tried to run back to me. After several minutes of convincing her to try the trail she started working. We followed the dog blindly for 100 yards and were rewarded by finding a single drop of blood. Another 50 yards and she ran back to us terrified again and no amount of prodding would get her to continue. We determined that we would leave the bear overnight as the dog was not working. The next morning my daughter had to be at school, so I grabbed another hunting partner, Ed Evans, and we went out to try to find the bear again. We were unable to locate any more blood past the one drop I had marked the night before. I put Mr. Wienie on the trail and she was obviously not working. Her head was up and she was not working blood scent on the ground, she was sniffing the air and taking me on a different trail than the preceding night. I followed her again, but thought she was just taking me for a walk. About 1/3 mile later I was standing above a 6x6 elk that had been shot by another hunter in our group, but was not recovered. The meat was not salvageable, but it was a minor victory for Mr. Wienie at only 6 months old. Giving up on Mr. Wienie, Ed and I decided to separate, fan out and grid two separate areas in a continuing effort to find the bear. When we regrouped he stated that he had found the bear. It turns out, the night before Mr. Wienie had taken us to within 30 yards of the bear, but it was dark and apparently a 10 pound wiener dog is no match for a Montana black bear. Throughout the season Mr. Wienie had several more challenges, some were successful and some failed. I am hoping that with her maturation and with another season of training Mr. Wienie will increase our recovery rate. After all, when we drop the string, it is our ultimate responsibility as bowhunters to do everything in our power to recover that animal.
Winter 2017
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WOMEN’S HUNTING SOCIAL
Women’s Hunting SOCIAL There are certain undeniable stereotypes associated with hunters. Bloodthirsty, egotistical, male, archaic, trigger happy and many other sentiments have been used to describe those who chose to hunt in this world of modern ease and comfort. In recent years hunters have begun challenging these stereotypes and have attempted to reframe the conversation around why people hunt and why it is a vital part of our humanity. One group of hunters is having a resounding impact on this conversation and holds the future of hunting in their hands. On July 17th, 2017, over thirty women from all different walks of life gathered in the archery range of Capital Sports in Helena, Montana. What brought these women together? These women came to share and discuss the conservation issues they felt passionate about and make a show of solidarity with their fellow female hunters. The first annual Women’s Hunting Social hosted by the Montana Wildlife Federation and Artemis featured a brief bowhunting instruction, social hour, and a Q&A. By all metrics,
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the event a huge success. It was well attended, the Facebook Live stream has been viewed over 2,000 times, national brands got involved as sponsors, and the Q&A panelists were well educated on the topics and provided thought-provoking responses and insights. However, the true success of the event was not something that could be measured. Rather, it was a feeling, a feeling that the future of hunting and conservation is secure. Secure in the hands of passionate female hunters who are breaking down stereotypes and redefining the modern hunter. We would like to thank our instructors and panelists, Jessi Johnson, Tiffany Fox, Michelle Jorgenson, Mary Stang, Joelle Selk, and Amanda Morgan. We would also like to thank Alaska Guide Creations, Capital Sports, First Lite, Kenetrek Boots, Montana Bowhunters Association, Prois, Ripcord Rests, Sportsman’s Warehouse of Helena, and Vortex Optics for sponsoring this event and supporting women in hunting.
STATE OF MONTANA INFORMATON
THE MONTANA CLIMATE ASSESSMENT In September of this year, Montana State University and the University of Montana have published a recent assessment of the impacts of climate change on our state. The Assessment is eye opening. The impacts will affect our state economy and will also influence wildlands and fish and wildlife resources. After the reading this report I thought I would share a brief synopsis of the Assessment predictions. Water- Snowpack in MT has been declining since the 1930’s and this trend will continue. Snowmelt is expected to be earlier and late summer water availability will diminish and this will impact wildlife habitat preferences. Surface water temperatures will most likely increase and this will negatively impact fisheries resources. The warmer the water the less dissolved oxygen for fish. Expect more “hoot owl” restrictions on rivers and streams. Possibly summer closures? Forests- Increased temperatures and decreased precipitation will dramatically influence MT forests. As we saw this summer, we will have a higher incidence of forest fires and this will impact wildlife populations, winter range, summer ranges, etc. Agriculture- Grazing lands will be negatively impacted by less grasses. Rangelands will be more susceptible to fire. Grain crops will most likely have shorter growing seasons with lower quality product. Fields that are irrigated may be magnets for wildlife if everything else is dried up. Wildlife- Wildlife could be pushed from high, dry, slopes into irrigated agricultural areas leading to damage complaints. Animals will be more concentrated anyplace they can find water. Could this lead to higher densities of animals around water sources and in increase in the spread of disease throughout certain populations? Climate change issues will have some huge impacts on our fish and wildlife resources and out state economy. There will be great challenges ahead for Montanans to adapt management practices of these resources. This will most likely include changes to habitats that require changes to seasons and regulations.
MT FWP LAW ENFORCEMENT STATS Game wardens have personal contact with up to 109,000 hunters anglers and other recreationists and over 7,500 landowners each year. They write nearly 4,000 citations, 2000 written warnings, and 5,700 verbal warnings annually. Obviously the verbal and written warnings far outnumber the citations. They issue about $540,000 in fines and $156,000 in restitution afees are assessed each year. Half of each fines are deposited into the Montana General Fund and half goes to the county where the fine occurred. ALL restitution fees go back to the FWP to fund criminal investigations into poaching. This information is from the “Now You Know” facts paper published by MT FWP.
Winter 2017
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MBA 40TH CONVENTION
Save the Date
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MBA 40TH CONVENTION MEMBER STORY
MBA 40TH CONVENTION & 45 YEARS OF THE MBA MBA CONVENTION MARCH 2,3 AND 4, 2018 We will have a very special speaker and seminar guest at this convention. Gene Wensel will be attending. He will present a seminar in the afternoon and also speak before Dinner. This will be quite an honor to have him here. Please let others know he will be here. This is the 40th convention and the 45th anniversary of the MBA. The planning is moving forward and several donations have come in. If you have ideas, donations please call or e-mail me with the information at, 406-546-6013 or nmaier78@gmail.com or nam56@yahoo.com. Items donated for raffle, silent auction and live auction so far: · Honda Foreman 500 manual shift from 5 Valley Honda of Missoula · Kuiu Guide Gloves, Medium · Knife and Sheath, from Bernier · Wild Game Cookbook, University of Montana · XL Ground Blind, Zones Camo, Cabela’s
2018 Covention YukonProGlove_med
· Sitka Coat, Hoodie and Pants, Large · Gary Carter Framed print, Boys Club · Howard Hill Commemorative Long Bow with the MBA Logo and 40/45 on it · Toekoms, Namibia African Bow Hunt June 2019 · Owl and Rabbit print By Merri Clapham · Deacon Bench by Attic Treasures and Wild Furnishings, Keri Anderson and Jon Son · Table and 8 Chairs with MBA Logo by Keri Anderson and Jon Son · Women’s package, Taiga Cooler with MBA Logo, Clothing from other supplier, Sight, Montana Silversmith Necklace and ring. · Vortex Range Finder
2018 Covention Bernier Sheep Horn Hunter Knife
· Vortex Binoculars · Matlabas African Hunt · Don Helmbrecht – Two framed prints by Andrew Knez Jr. “Straight Arrow” & “Lone Hunter” We are also selling 3 tables that will be placed around the head table that was auctioned off at the 2017 convention live auction. The cost of these tables will be $750. This will include 4 new memberships, 8 Banquet tickets. That you can give to bring in new members and a other item or for the center prize. If you are interested contact Neil Maier nmaier78@gmail.com
2018 Covention Bernier Sheep Horn Hunter Knife Sheath
Becky Doyle mybluewalker@yahoo.com Marlon Clapham mbaregion2@gmail.com It is not too early to start making contacts to get donations Large and small. We can use a couple of Compound bows, Garmin GPS Montana 680T or Oregon 750Tseries to package with OnXmaps and other items for a hat raffle.
2018 Covention Framed prints “Straight Arrow” & “Lone Hunter” By Andrew Knez Jr. 2018 Covention Gary Carter Framed print, “Boys Club”
2018 Covention Bobcat, “Owl and Rabbit” print By Merri Clapham
Winter 2017
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HEADER
Do you enjoy bowhunting and our bowhunting seasons in Montana? Join the MBA to preserve, promote and protect bowhunting! What the MBA offers you: Expanded hunting opportunities through working with FWP and commissioners to preserve and expand bowhunting seasons Unified voice during legislative sessions to protect seasons and access programs while opposing efforts which seek to limit the role of FWP in managing wildlife Fellowship with others who are interested in shaping the future of bowhunting Quarterly magazine keeping you informed on local, state, and national bowhunting issues, bowhunter education, events, and great hunting stories
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP One Year $25.00 Three Years $67.00 Life $500.00
FAMILY MEMBERSHIP One Year $30.00 Three Years $81.00 Life $750.00
JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP (Under 18) One Year
$5.00
CLUB MEMBERSHIP One Year $45.00 Three Years $120.00
BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP One Year $45.00 Three Years $120.00
OVERSEAS MEMBERSHIP
Add $10.00 a year to membership choice for added mailing costs
Join Today!
Visit the MBA website at: www.mtba.org
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BOWHUNTER
WWW.MTBA.ORG
Memberships run January 1 to December 31 each year.
CONTACT NUMBERS
FWP Commissioner Contacts fwpwld@mt.gov
District 1 Vacant
District 2
Dan Vermillion, Chairman PO Box 668 Livingston, MT 59047 Phone: (406) 222-0624 Term: January 1, 2019
District 3
Richard Stuker, Vice-Chairman 1155 Boldt Road Chinook, MT 59523 Phone: (406) 357-3495 Term: January 1, 2017
District 4
Logan Brower, Commissioner P.O. Box 325 Scobey, MT 59263 Phone: (406) 230-2188 Term: January 1, 2019
District 5 Vacant
BUSINESS & CLUB MEMBERS
Active as of July 2017
Become a Business Member of the MBA and be listed on this page every issue! For membership visit www.mtba.org.
BE THE DECOY, LLC
Mark Renner
PO Box 5151
Bozeman
MT
59701
406-579-1771
BUFFALO JUMP ARCHERY
Judy Adams
P.O. Box 5581
Helena
MT
59604
406-539-3936
CROWN PHOTOGRAPHY
Mike & Lucinda Layne
PO Box 9936
Kalispell
MT
59904
406-752-6116
DAHL WHOLESALE
Chris Dahl
PO Box384
Drummond
MT
59832
406-449-1517
DR. CAMO
Don Stein
1625 Northern Heights Dr
Havre
MT
59501
406-265-8099
EAGLE RESTORATION
Michael Henry
5853 Queen Annes Lane
Florence
MT
59833
406-549-1221
FIRST CLASS OUTDOORS, LLC
10 Grassy Flat Rd
Roundup
MT
59072
661-317-0001
HAMMER-EM OUTFITTING
PO Box 472
Stanford
MT
59479
406-366-5042
Libby
MT
59923
406-293-7174
LIBBY ARCHERY CLUB
Rich Hjort
PO Box 755
MATABLAS GAME HUNTERS
Willem Frost
PO Box 1559, Lephalale, 0555, South Africa
MIKE PRESCOTT STATE FARM
Mike Prescott
1501 S. Russell St.
MIssoula
MT
59801
406-541-9800
PRONGHORN CUSTOM BOWS
Herb Meland
2491 W 42nd St
Casper
WY
82604
307-234-1824
5705 Grant Creek Road
Missoula
MT
59808
406-523-4500
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION
27116794664
SILVERTIP PLUMBING & HEATING
Scott Rice
PO Box 1103
Plains
MT
59859
406-370-4209
SPIRIT QUEST ARCHERY
Kevin & Kim Friedman
115 Rocky Cliff Rd
Kalispell
MT
59904
406-756-5455
TRAILS END CUSTOM RECURVE BOW
Dale Dye
276 Grantsdale Rd
Hamilton
MT
59840
406-363-2981
TRICON COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION
Jason Catron
385 Old Corvallis Rd
Hamilton
MT
59840
406-381-9672
UDAP INDUSTRIES
Mark Matheny
1703 Waterline Rd
Butte
MT
59701
406-581-4856
WESTERN TRAILER & MARINE SALES
Clyde Thomas, Jr.
1865 Hwy 2 E.
Havre
MT
59501
406-265-4572
YELLOWSTONE COUNTRY BEAR
Joe Kondelis
4116 Temple Creek
Cody
WY
82414
307-899-0461
James Brown
PO Box 96
Richey
MT
59259
406-773-5509
HUNTERS ASSOCIATION
Winter 2017
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1
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GUNNER ULBURG First Elk
KYLIE YERKES First Buck
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ZAC RENNER 2016
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JUNE LEPAGE Buck
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KENNY SATRA with a whitetail buck he rattled in a few years ago
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MITCH LEPAGE
HUNTER EDEN First Bow Harvest
JEFF YERKES
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STEPHEN LEPAGE Elk
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KEN SCHULTZ
LIBERTY BROWN 2017 Antelope
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LIBERTY BROWN 2017 Elk
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KARA KOELZER 2017 whitetail.September 18 Hoyt bow vpa broadhead 20 yard shot 167 48 gross typical 161 48 net typical
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KIM BLASKOWSKI 2015 Deer
JEFF KENNEDY Shot with Bear’s Paw longbow
STEPHEN LEPAGE Caribou
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GEORGE KAMP 20 inch antelope from a ground blind at water August 2017
Winter 2017
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WHY EVERY MONTANA BOWHUNTER SHOULD CONSIDER JOINING THE MONTANA BOWHUNTERS ASSOCIATION • The MBA is the organization the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks consults on bowhunting issues that affect Montana bowhunters. • Montana has the best bowhunting seasons of any of the western states. We are continually working to keep these. • The MBA is active in the Legislature to protect and fight for our hunting and bowhunting seasons and rights. • The MBA produces a quarterly magazine informing you of local, state, and national bowhunting issues and events, and publishing great stories and pictures. • THE MBA NEEDS MEMBER NUMBERS AND YOUR YEARLY DUES TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT WHAT YOU ENJOY EVERY YEAR. ISN’T WHAT YOU ENJOY EVERY FALL WORTH $25 A YEAR TO PROTECT?
What the MBA has done for you? • • • •
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Worked to get the first archery season started in Montana. Along the way, we’ve increased the seasons to what you enjoy today. Worked to establish archery bear, lion and sheep seasons. Worked to establish archery antelope 900 tag and August 15th opener. Worked to establish archery only areas and hunting districts. Proposed a special archery wolf season and endorsed the highest quota of wolf harvest possible. Actively protects hunting & bowhunting seasons in the Legislature year after year. Defended our archery seasons against the “Crossbows & Muzzleloaders” threats throughout the years. Created the Modified Archer’s permit that now allows those with handicaps to use modified archery equipment to hunt; which kept any need for crossbows out of Montana and defended our archery seasons against other crossbow threats throughout the years. Re-established the archery season after it was left off the regulations one year. Actively works with FWP to protect archery seasons, our resources, and expand archery opportunity in Montana year after year.
Photos by Denver Bryan / Images on the Wildside
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What can you do for bowhunting in Montana? Join the MBA at www.mtba.org to preserve, promote and protect bowhunting.
Spring 2015
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