Vol. 47 #2 Winter 2019

Montana Bowhunters Association PO Box 426 Helena MT 59624 Return service requested

Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 120 Bozeman, MT 59718

PAGE 12

Fantastic Misadventures of Mr Wienie PAGE 11

Are Your Prepared for a Grizzly Encounter

MBA

Regional Representatives Region 1

Al Kelly

Mike Shephard

PO Box 219, Libby, MT 59923 ........................................... 406-293-2900 alman@frontiernet.net 351 7th Ave E N, Columbia Falls, MT 59912 ....................... 406-250-9806 michaelshepard7@gmail.com

Region 2

Neil Maier

Kevin Robinson 2110 Wylie Ave, Missoula MT 59802 ............................... 406-531-8243

16200 Roman Creek Rd., Frenchtown, MT 59834 .............. 406-546-6013 nam56@yahoo.com

kevin.robinson@technometalpost.com

Region 3

Liberty Brown

Barrett Haugan 560 Clovehitch Rd., Belgrade, MT 59714 .......................... 406-539-0602

275 Vigilante Trl. Bozeman, MT 59718 ............................. 406-581-7216

Brandingironmarketingllc.com btreasurestate@aol.com

Region 4

Stephen LePage 2574 Divide Rd., Lewistown, MT 59457 ........................... 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

Jenn Schneider

Ken Schultz

5509 Sunny Cove Billings MT 59106 ................................ 406-697-7768 jennk40@msn.com 302 Wyoming Ave., Billings, MT. 59101 ............................. 406-598-8550 schultzy@iwks.net

Region 6

Nathan Veit

PO Box 288, Malta, MT 59538........................................... 406-697-7760 nathanveit95@yahoo.com

REP VACANCY.

Region 7

Bob Morgan

P.O. Box 1995, Colstrip, MT 59323..................................... 406-749-0706 robertredface@gmail.com

REP VACANCY EVEN YEARS

Seth Rogers Jerry Davis Rich Smith Drew Steinberger Cliff Garness Mandy Garness

AT LARGE DIRECTORS 1425 Prickley Pear, Billings, MT 59105 – srogers@lamar.com.......................................406-670-5435 725 Middlemas Road, Helena, MT 59602 – pipelinejerry@gmail.com............................406-475-2226 PO Box 51428 Billings, MT 59105-1361 - muleybum@gmail.com.................................406-281-8846 1901 Mountain View Drive, Great Falls MT 59405 - drew@prcountrycomforts.com........406-351-2152 5901 Western Drive, Great Falls MT 59404 - obsession_archery@yahoo.com...............406-788-9009 5901 Western Drive, Great Falls MT 59404 - camoquilter@gmail.com..........................406-750-9953

MBA

officers PRESIDENT

Marlon Clapham 4455 Hoover Lane • Stevensville, MT 59870 mbaregion2@gmail.com • 406-777-2408 1ST VICE PRESIDENT

Brian Koelzer 80 Jansma Lane • Manhattan, MT 59741 rocknrollbowhunter3@yahoo.com • 406-570-7997 2ND VICE PRESIDENT

Mark Schwomeyer 60 Hruska Ln • Lewistown, MT 59457 markschwo@gmail.com • 406-350-0173 TREASURER

Claudia Davis PO Box 426, Helena, MT. 59624 grmaclyde@gmail.com • 406-461-9618 SECRETARY

Beckie Doyle P.O. Box 136 • Conner, MT 59827 mybluewalker@yahoo.com • 406-531-4060 PAST PRESIDENT

Joelle Selk 6963 York Road • Helena, MT 59602 jselkmt@gmail.com • 406-422-6798 MAGAZINE CO-EDITORS

Teri and Al Kelly PO Box 219 • Libby, MT 59923 teray1979@yahoo.com • 406-293-2900

WEB DESIGNER

Liberty Brown Branding Iron Marketing Brandingironmarketingllc.com 406-581-7216 MAGAZINE DESIGN

ODD YEARS

Paul Martin Ray Gross Richard Lewallen John Grimstad

www.mtba.org

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

234 Audubon Way Drive Billings, MT 59106 – rpdlew@aol.com.......................... 406-690-0854 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 426, Helena MT 59624 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 426, Helena MT 59624 or call 406-461-9618, 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 2019

1

EDITOR’S NOTE

MBA

Committees Legislative:

Jerry Davis, Chair Ray Gross • Marlon Clapham Richard Lewallen • Joelle Selk • Stephen LePage

Tentatives:

Ray Gross, Chair Paul Martin • Mark Schwomeyer Stephen La Page • Marlon Clapham

Financial:

Chair Claudia Davis • Jenn Schneider Ray Gross • Neil Maier • Rich Lewallenier

H

Teri Kelly, with Alyse and Lily Wyman ere we are in November already, the older I get, the faster the seasons seem to go. In region 1 the hot topic for us is the CWD issue. This issue has brought an additional 600 doe tags to a ten-mile radius of Libby which probably mean some extra hunters and shooting closer to home. We experienced what we suspected was an affected deer by our home. It was a sad thing to see. He was skinny, frail and obviously suffering. The little buck was eventually dispatched by law enforcement which presented its own set of problems due to the proximity of homes and people and was then sent in for testing. Please do your part to make sure you know how to handle any game taken in areas affected by CWD in order to help keep the spread in check.

Convention time will be here before we know it and you’ll see some information about reserving rooms, dates and so forth in this issue. The convention is always a great time that I look forward to every year. If you’re one of those talented folks who can make something cool or you have something to donate for the convention, please be sure to make contact with a board member in your region. All the funds generated by the convention go to supporting the MBA, so please think about lending your support by donating items for door prizes, silent auction and live auction and if you’ve never been to a convention then make this the year you show up. You won’t be disappointed!

Elections are also coming up and we continue to have several open spots on the board.

We tend to take our generous archery seasons for granted without realizing the work that has gone on to get them and the ongoing work that has to be done to keep them intact. There are many ways you can be active and involved so please encourage your fellow bowhunters to join the MBA and lend their support and if you or someone you know is willing to become more involved by serving on the board please contact a current board member for more information.

Teri Kelly

Landowner/Sportsman:

Mark Schwomeyer, Chair Neil Maier • Bob Morgan • Barrett Haugan

Nominations:

­Chair Al Kelly • Paul Martin • Cliff Garness

Awards:

Brian Koelzer, Chair Al Kelly • Rich Lewallen • Marlon Clapham

Membership:

Marlon Clapham, Chair Jenn Schneider • Ray Gross Barrett Haugan • Ken Schultz Joelle Selk – Membership Assistant

Convention 2020-Region 5 Rich Lewallen, Ken Schultz and Jenn Schneider Chairs To be determined Region 3- 2021 Fairmont Region 1- 2022 Fairmont

Magazine:

Al & Teri Kelly, Co-Chairs Joelle Selk • Brian Koelzer • Jerry Davis

Website:

Liberty Brown • Jenn Schneider Beckie Doyle • Kevin Robinsone

Carp Shoot:

Joelle Selk, Chair Roger Licht • Stephen LePage • Cliff Garness

Bow-Ed:

Al Kelly, Chair Brian Koelzer • Bob Morgan • Mark Schwomeyer Ray Gross • Marlon Clapham

Youth Membership:

Becky Doyle •Roger Licht, Chairs 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 Reg. 3 – Vacant Reg. 4 – Vacant Reg. 5 – Vacant Reg. 6 – Vacant Reg. 7 – Vacant Reg. 8 – Vacant

2

Montana

BOWHUNTER

WWW.MTBA.ORG

TABLE OF CONTENTS VOL. 47 #2 Winter 2019

11

12

PAGE

PAGE

On the Cover

Teri Kelly

4

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Marlon Clahman

1ST VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Brian Zoelzer

5

SECRETARY’S MESSAGE

6 11

Marty Mann and his lucky Friday the 13th 355 bull

EDITOR’S NOTE

Beckie Doyle TREASURER’S MESSAGE

Claudia Davis REGIONAL REPORTS

12 THE FANTASTIC MISADVENTURES

OF MR. WIENIE

Stephen LePage

2

13 YOUTH COMMITTEE LEADER

Jackie D0yle

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

TJ Smith

14 BLAST FROM THE PAST 16 MBA MEMBERSHIP FORM 17 MEMBER GALLERY

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR

A GRIZZLY ENCOUNTER

P. Garrett Leeberg

Save the Date

42

nd

ANNUAL

C ONVENTION April 3,4 & 5, 2020

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort 1500 Fairmont Rd | Anaconda, MT 406.797.3241 | 800.332.3272

Reservations can also be made online at www.fairmontmontana.com the online code is 21627.

Rooms will be released on March 4th so make your reservations before then!

There is a block of rooms open for convention attendees at a special rate of $134.00 per night plus tax.

If you have ideas for the convention or donation items for the silent auction, please e-mail or call me.

Richard Lewallen rpdlew@aol.com 406-690-0854

Winter 2019

3

OFFICER’S REPORTS

PRESIDENT - MARLON CLAPHAM 1ST VICE PRESIDENT - BRIAN KOELZER 2ND VICE PRESIDENT - MARK SCHWOMEYER (NO REPORT) TREASURER - CLAUDIA DAVIS

W

SECRETARY - BECKIE DOYLE

President’s

Message

Marlon Claphman

W

here did summer go these past few weeks. As I sit putting this together, it’s 15 degrees outside. The sun is shining so at least it is nice out there.

It has been a very busy August and September with the Tentative Session just around the corner. I have been in contact with the Commissioner’s at several meetings and the main discussion has a lot to do with the Shoulder Seasons for the upcoming seasons. The Shoulder hunts have been successful in many areas and a push has been on to stop the hunts in those HD’s. We are not out of the woods yet as there is still loads of work to do. The Ranchers still need help to push the elk back onto Public Lands, but with the harboring going on all round, the elk just shift back and forth. It has been brought up that the season needs to be shortened from both ends. The problem is some landowners need the early August time and some need the late portion of the hunt. The nonhunting public is questioning six months to harvest the elk and more and more of those folks are showing concern. The Commission is fully aware of their issue with the hunts and we are doing our best to keep the hunts on private land only and will continue to push for that. Also, there has been some discussion to hold several ranches hunts during the archery season and I’m working very hard to stop that from setting a precedent. There may be some hunts in special limited areas, but not without a fight. I still am trying to maintain a good working relationship with the Landowners and keep the MBA from looking like we won’t help with their issues. For the most part these hunts are gun hunts so I have to be very careful where and who I push.

The Breaks Permits are on the push to go back to the unlimited archery permit system. It looks like the push will come through the next Legislative Secession through the Outfitters. We need to keep our ears and eyes wide open for that.

It is time to be thinking about our own elections coming up at the next Convention. We will be voting for the even years Reps and Directors at Large, the President, 2nd Vice President and the secretary position. I have chosen not to run for president for a third term. It is time for some new blood and we have some young board members that are very qualified for the position.

Brian Koelzer, the current 1ST Vice President is in charge of the reelections. If you wish to be a board member it is best to contact Brian. There are vacant positions all through the board.

Last but not least I want to mention that all the youth camps we were a part of were all very successful. Kids still love archery and is one of their favorite parts of the camps. Our own Bowhunter’s Elk Camp was another success and it got extended into the Archery Season into the Big Hole. Jerry, Beckie and Jackie Doyle took a half dozen of the campers to their elk camp for a week. It was a very special time for the kids and the Doyle family.

Well the sun is shining and time to go outside shoot my bow and get ready for the evening hunt.

Keep-Em Sharp and Shoot-Em Straight

Marlon Clapham

4

Montana

BOWHUNTER

First Vice President’s

Report

President

WWW.MTBA.ORG

ell, by the time you’re all reading this the 2019 archery season will be over and I do hope it was a great one! I’ve heard a lot of people say the elk rut action was a little lack luster this year but have seen plenty of pictures of happy hunters kneeling beside their critter. The elk have so far eluded me here as usual, but I did bring home another nice mule deer buck from my spot and stalk adventures down in Wyoming. Going to give elk one more try this last weekend of archery season then I’ll be happy to move on to whitetails and some laid back hunting.

CWD has been found in several more areas in the state and I urge everyone to keep up to date with the FWP’s efforts to try and gather more data about this mess. Shoulder seasons are hot topic right now and Marlon has been doing a great job working with the commission in preparation for the October 17 meeting. Hopefully there will be some changes coming.

We have several vacancies on our board of directors and it would be nice to see them filled at our upcoming convention in April. If anyone would like to step up and run for a position please get a hold of me and I can get you the necessary stuff. New faces and fresh ideas help keep this organization alive and it is a rewarding experience to know that you are helping to promote and preserve our archery opportunities. I know I say it in just about every newsletter, but we are so fortunate to have what we do here in Montana for big game hunting. Don’t take what we have for granted and don’t be shy about telling others about the MBA and all the hard work that so many folks have put in over the years to get what we have today!

Best of luck to you all out in the woods, be safe, and pick a spot.

Brian Koelzer

Brian Koelzer & Bowen

OFFICER REPORTS

Sectretary’s Message

I

Submitted by Beckie, author unknown.

ARCHERY SEASON

is just around the corner...GET READY NOW!

hunt because my father hunted, and he took me with him, and so we built a bond that I still cherish.

I do not need to hunt to eat, but I need to hunt to be fully who I am.

I hunt because it links me with the boy I used to be and with the young man my father was then.

I hunt because if I didn’t, I would have seen fewer eagles and ospreys, minks and beavers, foxes and bears, antelope and moose.

I hunt because it is never boring or disappointing to be out-of-doors with a purpose, even when no game is spotted.

I hunt for the satisfying exhaustion after a long day in the woods, for the new stories that every day of hunting gives us, and for the soft snoring and dream-whimpering and twitching of sleeping dogs on the backseat as we drive home through the darkness.

I hunt because it keeps my passions alive and my memories fresh and my senses alert even as my beard grows gray, and because I am afraid that if I stopped hunting, I would instantly become and old man, and because I believe that as long as I hunt I will remain young.

Becky Doyle

Located in the historic Kessler Brewing building. Hwy 12 West end.

Helena 406-449-3111 buffalojumparchery.com

Claudia Davis

Treasurer’s Message

I

’m settling into my new roll as your treasurer and bookkeeper. I’ve spent a lot of time learning and updating our online membership program, Wild Apricot. There is a lot of information available through this program regarding membership trends. I’d like to share with you some facts I’ve learned while taking care of our memberships.

Currently we have 465 paid memberships. This breaks down to 83 family memberships, 219 Individual memberships, 3 Club memberships, 13 Business memberships, 142 Lifetime memberships, 4 Youth memberships, and 1 organization.

In 2018 78 members let their memberships lapse. We celebrate that we had 27 new members join us in 2018. But that is a loss of 51 paid members. So far in 2019 we have had 43 lapsed members and 36 new members join MBA. Another decrease of 7 members.

A fact I found on the FWP website is that between 1998 and 2015 archery license sales went from more that 26,000 to more than 40,000. Not so new News Alert, we have a lot of archery hunters that do not belong to Montana Bowhunters Association.

Of course, some of those licenses went to out-of-state hunters, but they certainly would like to see their opportunities in Montana continue, so why not support MBA. I’d like to encourage all our members to be thinking of ways to increase our memberships. Please talk to your Region Representatives with ideas you might have.

An organization that is consistently losing memberships will not survive into the future. And this wonderful organization is the reason Montana has the archery hunting availability we all enjoy. Let’s get that word out to all who participate in the sport. In the contentious political world that is in our state and country we need the voice of the people more now than ever. And numbers speak volumes when fighting for archery hunting availability in Montana. Let’s get our numbers up!

Thank you,

Claudia Davis MBA Treasurer

Winter 2019

5

REGIONAL REPORTS

REGION 1 AL KELLY MIKE SHEPARD REGION 2 NEIL MAIER KEVIN ROBINSON REGION 3 LIBERTY BROWN BARRETT HAUGEN REGION 4 STEPHEN LEPAGE ROGER LICHT REGION 5 JENN SCHNEIDER KEN SCHULTZ REGION 6 NATHAN VEIT (NO REPORT) REGION 7 BOB MORGAN REGION 1 REGION

REGION

1

6

REGION

4

REGION

2

Mike Shepard

R

egion 1...Not much going on. I have heard of bulls being taken around Dillon by some of the transient hunters from Kalispell. It’s mud and a mess in Breaks as usual, and several taken off private property along the North Fork across from GNP. I have seen very

few grouse, hardly any deer and am wondering just how far east the CWD stuff is along streams/ rivers in Lincoln County from Libby proper. Wet springs the last two years have taken a toll of grouse chicks. Also, an update and clarification from my last post. I lost my wife of 45 years after she was given a clean bill of health on 4 June by her two doctors at Kalispell’s Oncology Center. Cancer had spread to her liver and she was gone in 16 days after we were finally told by doctors in Bozeman what was going on while visiting our son and daughter-inlaw. Since this is Cancer awareness month.... please ladies… Demand a scan. Mammograms do not show inflammatory breast cancer, and even though my wife did a mamm every year, this little-known fact cost her, her life in the end. Strange to come home after all these years and not answer the “Well?” question as to what I saw or did. May she no longer suffer and be at peace. Guys. Kiss your wife every day, as they are our best asset in life...shep.

Mike Shepard

REGION

8

REGION

REGION

7

REGION

3

5

REGION 2

AL KELLY MIKE SHEPARD

REGION

REGION

1

6

REGION

4

REGION

2

REGION

8

REGION

3

REGION REGION

7

5

NEIL MAIER KEVIN ROBINSON Hi All

W

Al Kelly Friends, y the time you read this another bow season will be in the books. There have been some bulls harvested in our part of region one.

Marty Mann ventured to the east side to harvest a awesome stud bull. As usual, we can always use photos for the member gallery as well as stories so please send them to us so we can get them in.

The big news in region one is the arrival of CWD. The is horrible news. We’re not sure how it got here but it was most likely transported by someone with no idea what they were delivering to our little piece of paradise. It is here now, so make sure you understand how to handle it and have your deer, moose and elk tested to help FWP understand the breadth of the spread. All the information is available online at FWP. The convention is going to be held at Fairmont Hot Springs April 3rd, 4th and 5th. If you haven’t been to Fairmont for a convention you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s a great venue and fun place for the whole family. I hope to see a bunch of you there.

Enjoy whatever the next season is and stay in touch.

B

Al Kelly 6

Montana

BOWHUNTER

WWW.MTBA.ORG

ell it looks like winter type weather is moving in on us sooner than normal during archery season. Depending on where you were at, the snow came down hard. I spoke with a couple of hunters and they literally got snowed in for 2 days until a friend of theirs came up with a plow on his truck to get them out.

They did not have their tire chains with them quite that early. Some areas did not get that much, but what snow they did get was making travel a little on the slick side until it warmed up. Some said the Elk were bugling well but other areas not so well.

Deer hunting in the river bottoms has been hit or miss also.

Keep in mind there are 2 more CWD areas for this fall hunting season. The Libby area and an area east of Billings. Be sure you have good field dressing gloves and clean your knives with a bleach solution after using them.

Shoulder seasons are a hot topic again. Some areas are below objective, but some want the shoulder season to drop them lower. There has been some meetings on preliminary information gathering and Marlon has been talking with the FWP commissioners.

Hunt safe and have a good season.

Neil A Maier

A

s I write my report for this issue, we are in the last week of bow season before the general season opens. I’ve had pretty good action this time in October so I hope others that haven’t notched their elk tag are still after them!

Kevin Robinson We are very fortunate bowhunters here in Montana with such a long season when most western states elk seasons ended a few weeks ago.

September was good to me and my hunting partners this year, the weather was ideal and we had some great action in the elk woods. I shared camp with two different groups of first-time elk hunters and both hunts had elk action. Rain gear, wet boots and wet feathers sums it up the for me. Seeing lots of griz sign up the Blackfoot and it sounds like a few unfortunate bow hunters took some beatings over in the Gravellys.

Deer numbers in and around HD290 are pretty low from what I’ve seen and heard, contradicting the information I received from the local biologist.

This will be the second season that 50 rifle antlerless tags are available on private land, bowhunters could easily satisfy that quota if given the opportunity.

I’d be interested to hear about your deer number observations or hunt stories from 290 if anyone wants to reach out to me.

The whitetails in my neck of the woods here in Missoula seem to be doing well with some good bucks around. I’m really looking forward to chasing rutting whitetail bucks soon, I have a few nice ones I’ve been watching.

Stay safe out there and shoot straight!!!

Kevin Robinson

531-8243

REGIONAL REPORTS

REGION 4 REGION

REGION

1

6

REGION

4

REGION

2

REGION

8

REGION

3

REGION REGION

7

5

STEPHEN LEPAGE ROGER LICHT

Liberty Brown REGION 3 REGION

REGION

1

4

REGION

2

REGION

8

REGION

3

A

6

REGION

REGION REGION

7

5

LIBERTY BROWN BARRETT HAUGAN

nother fall archery season is in the books.

After three straight years of notching my antelope tag, I wasn’t able to get it done this year. A couple close stalks made for some fun adventures but this year I’ll be eating tag soup instead of the delicious back strap I’ve become accustomed to.

Elk season wasn’t much different, my time in the woods was limited this year compared to past seasons but between the grizzly bears and the weather it just wasn’t a winning formula. The woods seemed uncharacteristically quiet this fall.

The elk just weren’t talking and I’m not sure if the increased predator pressure has gotten to be too much or if it was the crazy weather we had? Either way, I’d be interested to hear from other region 3 members how their hunts went.

Hopefully all of you reading this had better luck than I did. Make sure you are sending in all your photos. Also, I know there are a lot of things that are going on in our area so please let me know if you have any questions or concerns by emailing me at mbareg3@gmail.com. Thanks!

Liberty Brown

I

hope the Archery season treated everyone very well this fall. I was able to get out for a few days of elk hunting and found some luck out there. A lot of rain and snow made for a much different fall than I’m used to. It always makes a person wonder what gets the elk doing what they are doing. So many hypotheses?

I have learned many new things about elk this year that I never knew. No matter what the challenges we are trying to overcome on our hunts, I always find great things from the outdoors. Certainly, trying new tactics can be hard but definitely can be worth the rewards. Many moments this season found myself face to face with these difficult decisions.

However, trying new ways produced great results.

I encourage everyone to slow down and smell the fresh mountain air once in a while and think long and hard about what Mother Nature is doing. Is it effecting the travel routes? Is it effecting the food source? Why are the animals doing the things they do? Keep asking questions! Some will be answered, yet most will remain a mystery.

No matter what, keep on hunting and seek adventure. Life is short.

Barrett Haugan

T

he highlight of my Fall, thus far, has been opening weekend with my son, Mitchel, who killed a nice four-point whitetail with a single, well-place arrow.

Although I have spent much time afield and that is my true measure of hunting success, this Fall has been disappointing for me in terms of killing anything. I blame my lack of freezer filling venison on a number of factors, of which there are too many to list here. Withholding my vegan-like bowhunting skills, the primary reason I was unable to rack up a kill is an annual tradition known as “Girl’s Weekend.”

For those of you unfamiliar with this asinine event, it was started several years ago by only two treacherous women, whom I will not name to protect their reputations… and so it came to pass that Amy LePage and Mandy Garness kicked all of the men out of our hunting spot for a single late September/ early October weekend and bowhunted without distraction from all the knuckle dragging men and the associated gastrointestinal noises we make. They portrayed it as a very refined affair involving very little elk disturbance, evening gowns, classical music, finger sandwiches and perhaps a single glass of cooking sherry at the end of the evening. Obviously, it was an event the male gender was not interested in. They enjoyed themselves and it was only two days, so we tolerated it, in the beginning.

Not to be a sexist, but the rapid evolution of this event has left us (the men) feeling as if we were run over by an estrogen freight train. What was once limited to a single weekend after the elk rut, has now become an entire week encompassing the peak of the elk mating season. In addition, instead of two lonely women, it has grown into a double-digit affair, including such killing machines as the MBA’s current bowhunter of the year, Brenda Zink.

The result of these heinous and malicious changes to the length of time and increased attendance, Girl’s Week (formerly Girl’s Weekend) is devastating to the male bowhunters’ success rate.

As I am home cleaning, cooking and taking care of our children, I often wonder how the hunting is going. So, once or twice during my banishment, I will call to inquire about the day’s success or failure. After hearing stories of chasing herds of elk, over calling and excessively aggressive bowhunting

tactics, my heart typically sinks. Guessing by the rowdy cacophony in the background, there is one male allowed at Girl’s Week. He must be in the Navy, as his name is Captain Morgan. I wonder what happened to the sherry?

I was fortunate enough to hunt the ranch before Girl’s Week and I was unfortunate enough to hunt the weeks after. Now, I have never seen a plague of locusts, but I envision a giant lush wheat field, green and full of strong, healthy plants. Then an endless, dark cloud of grass hoppers shows up. After Girl’s Week, not a blade of grass remained.

Since I am a stay-at-home dad and my wife is the only bread winner in the family, I consider myself progressive when it comes to women’s rights, but when my passion for bowhunting becomes hindered, the pendulum has swung too far, way too far.

Stephen LePage (Editor’s note: Suck it up Steve, your wife rocks!)

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ime goes by fast, not so long ago, I was dreaming of the upcoming Bow hunting season, and dreaming of a Moose hunt. I drew one of the Montana Moose tags for the Yaak Valley. The time has come and is nearly gone. And as I write this, there is only one week of Bow season left in the Breaks. I spent two good weeks hunting in the Yaak and now find myself wondering, where did the time go?

Hunting in NW Montana was an experience for me. It took weeks of planning and preparing as I have never hunted in grizzly country before. The thick timber and brush reminded me of Prince of Wales Island. My long-time hunting buddy, Lloyd was along for the first week. We did a lot of calling and raking brush but didn’t see a moose. We did run into a skunk that wasn’t very happy we were walking down his trail. After a few well-placed snowballs, he gave us the right of way. We ended up moving our camp and Lloyd headed home to hunt mountain goat with his son.

The second week my son in law Dan came and we finally got into some tracks. I had a really small bull at 7 yards but passed him up. Dan left on Friday and I hunted a few days on my own, with no luck.

It was a great trip and a great adventure. I plan on going back for a few more days. I hope the snow is not too deep and that the bears are asleep.

This is my last year being a rep for Region 4. It has been a real eye opener for me, seeing first hand all that the MBA does for me and 50,000 other bow hunters. Thank You to the MBA. I made a lot of new friends and they made these last 4 years enjoyable.

Hope to see you at the Convention, God Bless our troops,

Roger Licht

Barrett Haugan

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Ken Schultz important questions. Is it just something that slipped through the cracks or did it happen on purpose?

We want to know where we can improve and communicate better. We are also asking everyone to be out recruiting new members so we can build a strong Team!! “Strength comes in Numbers”, so our Goal is to grow our Team!

As we get closer to the upcoming Montana Bowhunters Convention in Fairmont Hot Springs in spring of 2020, we will be having planning committee meetings. Please watch for meeting emails coming soon if you are planning on assisting in the huge undertaking for Region 5. This is really a fun time and always goes better when there are plenty of helpers.

I’ll close for now and wish all of you an awesome finish to the archery season and a successful rifle season!

Like always, “Shoot Straight and ALWAYS be a Straight Shooter”!

Ken Schultz

Jenn Schneider Greetings All, s we close out another Archery Season, hopefully everyone has had success of some kind in the field for 2019! Spending time in the Great Outdoors with Friends and Family is what it is all about. I was fortunate enough to harvest a nice Antelope Buck this year and I have received a few pictures of successful hunts from other hunters.

We ask that if any of you members or any nonmembers had any success; please share those photos with us so we can share with everyone on our Website and in the Newsletter. Teri and Liberty are always looking for pics to share! WE LOVE PICS! One of our focuses this year is to recruit new members and follow up on any past members that may have lapsed on membership dues. We want to make sure we are following up to ask some very

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y old friend Cliff, as he would say, went to meet the man upstairs. He passed away in early October this year. After I first met Cliff, we went paddle fishing and he said I’ll go get the boat take you guys across the river so we waited a while I kept listening for the boat motor. Pretty soon here comes Cliff in a rowboat with big long paddles, that’s the way he’s always done it ...The old-school way.

We were done fishing and getting ready to get in the boat. We were all there, Cliff stepped on the side of the boat and over he went and under he went; he come out with a big old grin saying “we’re having some fun now” Another time Cliff and I went to Snowy mountains to go bear hunting and we broke down on the way there, we walked 7 miles to a lady’s house and he called his wife and she came and got us. We also went rabbit hunting a lot which I think was Cliffs favorite past time with our bows; great times and memories. Then we would go to his house and Mrs. Cliff would fix us good food. Of course, Cliff would have to have his peanut butter sandwich. I’m pretty sure he ate one every day.

He would tell me about his air boats and the fun things they do back in the old days in Kansas.

He had always been a bowhunter and trapper and was good at both. Cliff trapped a lot of badgers, and started skinning them with stone knives after we introduced him to them. Cliff also shared with us that Howard Hill had come to his school and had been doing a shooting demonstration. WoW! He also introduced us to Rattlesnake hunting out of dens A l which was a little bit scary.

He didn’t belong to any of the organizations, but he was a true outdoorsman, bowhunter, trapper and family man from the old school and he will be missed.

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longtime member sent the region 5 reps a copy of a letter he sent to the editor. I don’t know at this time if that letter will be published, but I do believe it’s worth addressing. As a previous bow shop owner and hunter in Montana, he points out a perspective that I believe many eastern Montanans share and maybe explains why the membership for our organization is so poor on this side of the state. To that end, I would like to thank TJ for his opinion and encouragement.

Ken Schultz If the letter is not published, he is responding to an article previously published wherein the author states that “those who seek to profit from hunting activities” are the ones wanting to abolish the limited permits. He points out that he specifically was against the limited permits initially because of the loss of revenue for small towns in eastern Montana which came to fruition and now the same thing is threatened if un-permitting happens to the small towns in western Montana where the out of state hunters dispersed. The idea, I hope I’m not misinterpreting, is that no means of FWP attempts to create fairness amongst hunters can substitute the local economies and communities affected by a sport that we love and a real-life industry that supports Montanans, whether directly or involved or simply a casualty of sweeping legislation. It’s important to think of unintended consequences every time we consider a change in regulations and talk to the people in the other side of the argument to gain a perspective that may help a cooperative effort and bring new ideas to the table. I know I’m always surprised at how much I learn when we get together for a board meeting and I look someone in the eye and listen to their “why.” Remembering the humans on every side of an argument tends to soften our responses and lead to the kind of change we all want to see; we can stand together and see the common goals and work toward those. Maybe that kind of organization wouldn’t have to beg for members and it’s certainly the kind I want to be a part of.

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REGIONAL REPORTS JERRY DAVIS CLIFF GARNESS MANDY GARNESS JOHN GRIMSTAD RAY GROSS RICHARD LEWALLEN PAUL MARTIN SETH ROGERS (NO REPORT) RICH SMITH (NO REPORT) DREW STEINBERGER (NO REPORT)

DirectorsAt Large

Limited Elk Archery Permit Saga Continues

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hen I began writing this column it was during spare time I had on my hunt over in eastern Montana. I didn’t have any success but I saw lot of rain and gumbo, consequently I had lots of camp time.

So to occupy my camp time I began this column.

I initially thought I would talk about lack the of public hunting on private lands combined with elk harboring and how I believe these issues have the potential cause CWD to negatively affect elk populations in the future, both on public and private lands.

But after reading Senator Doug Kary’s (SD 22) Guest Opinion in the Lewistown New-Argus I thought I should write about the limited elk archery permits in the breaks again.

While hunting I received some anecdotal information from a nonresident archery hunter from around Vancouver, Washington. In my conversation with this gentleman he informed me that it had taken him 5 years to get a draw for an elk archery tag for this particular HD. Naturally he expected that he would not encounter many hunters assuming that the number of hunters was very limited. In fact he said the opposite was true. He hadn’t seen a lot of elk and apparently on one of his few stalks he was cut short when he saw another hunter also stalking the same elk. Well the stars don’t always align but this experience as well as what he thought was a plethora of elk camps in the area gave this hunter the impression that there were a lot of hunters.

We talked a little about the reasons why elk archery permit quotas were placed on these hunting districts. I told him that prior to the limited ArcheryOnly Elk permits many unlimited Archery-Only Elk hunting districts (HDs) in eastern Montana were experiencing a high volume of archery hunters who were pursuing elk, both resident and non-resident hunters. Many bowhunters complained that often their sneak would be interrupted by other bowhunters sneaking on the same animal(s). This created tension among bowhunters.

These encounters greatly degraded the archery hunting experience for many.

I told him that limiting Archery-Only Elk permits is used to minimize those tensions and to improve the quality of the bowhunting experience.

So I then asked if he would be supportive of removing the elk archery permit quotas, as was written about by Senator Doug Kary from Billings, so that he would not have to wait 5 years in order to have enough preference points to ensure a draw. His response was ABSOLUTLY NOT, and in fact he said he would support further limiting the quota.

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ell another archery season has come and gone...Man does it go by quickly. Next thing you know it will be Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I hope you all had a successful season, which does not have to mean harvesting an animal(s). We are looking forward to hunting deer rut with our archery equipment, as well as hunting with our nieces and nephews. It appears as though the whitetail numbers remain strong around the region. Parts of Region 4 have been getting hit with rain and snow storms almost weekly (it seems anyways) for the last couple months, which is making hunting and travel challenging at times. I hope you all have a great rest of your season, shoot straight, travel safe and have a great Holiday Season with your family and friends.

Cliff and Mandy Garness

REMINDER:

Mailing Labels Show Your Membership Renewal Date

I thought that was interesting. It flies in the face of what Senator Kary was preaching about in his Guest Opinion. In fact if the breaks hunting districts become overrun by hunters I feel the allure of hunting there will dissipate and quite possibly there will be a decrease in both resident and nonresident hunters which would negatively affect the eastern Montana economy.

Then after I returned from the “muddy breaks” I was talking to a guy, whom I work with, about his hunt in the breaks this year. He said aside from all of the mud there seemed to be an abnormally high number of hunters in the area. This can probably be attributed to the fact that eastern Montana saw a lot of rain during the elk archery season which limits areas where hunters can actually hunt and camp which subsequently concentrates hunters. I asked about his thoughts on removing the quotas for the breaks elk archery permits as suggested by Senator Doug Kary. His response was absolutely NO!!!!!

As I discussed in my column last issue, MBA surveyed its membership as to their thoughts on the limited elk archery permits in the breaks.

The survey asked: “For the last few years in some hunting districts (HDs) not everyone who has applied for an Archery-Only Elk permit has been drawn even though it was their first choice. MBA is considering various options to resolve this problem.

Which of the following options would you prefer?” MBA listed 4 options.

Below are those options and the percentage of those that voted for each option.

1. Do nothing, 29.53% 2. Increase permit numbers, 7.25% 3. Require that the holder of an Archery-Only elk permit only hunt elk in the HD for which they were drawn, 23.32% 4. Require that the holder of an Archery-Only elk permit only hunt bull elk in the HD for which they were drawn. Permit holders would be allowed to hunt cow elk in all other HDs not requiring a special permit, 31.09%.

It is pretty apparent from our survey that there is little appetite to either increase the number of Archery-Only elk permits in the breaks or to remove them.

Senator Kary’s Guest Opinion appears not to be in alignment with desires of bowhunters in Montana, either resident or nonresident.

If you know Senator Kary let him know that the limited elk archery permits in hunting districts within the Missouri River Breaks have become one of the jewels of Montana bowhunting and he should not work to eliminate them.

Jerry Davis

John Grimstad

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ot a lot of new things to report at this time, but it was a great season. It was the last weekend of the archery season and my wife and I decided to go out for one last hunt (she doesn’t hunt but was there for support).

I was able to sneak in on a bull while he was in his bedding area and took a 39-yard shot. The arrow went through both lungs and the bull didn’t go 80 yards before he ended going down in a field. I quartered it up and went to get Lori and she helped pack it out. I didn’t realize until we were packing the bull out that over the years that I’ve hunter, with all the elk that I have shot, this was Lori’s first time helping me get one out of the field. It was a great time for both of us.

John Grimstad

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Ray Gross

Richard Lewallen

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his was another memorable bow hunting season in Montana. I was fortunate to take both an antelope, and elk with the bow. I just got back from upland bird hunting with my dogs. “Living the Dream”.

Thanks to MBA, Montana bowhunters have an archery only antelope season starting August 15, six weeks of archery only deer and elk, with no cross bows or muzzle loaders, and on and on for bowhunters. All Montana bowhunters should become members of MBA! We need to get engaged and fight to keep our hunting heritage, protect the public trust doctrine of wildlife management and fight for access to public lands.

Ray Gross Paul Martin

or over the last ten years, I have had access to an area of mixed timber and grasslands in Eastern Montana home to mule deer, antelope, turkey, and an occasional Whitetail deer and elk. Several years ago, I picked up a nice pair of shed elk horns during spring turkey season. Three years ago, I peered into a timbered coulee and saw a large bull elk and a smaller five-point bull. Unfortunately, one needed to draw an archery bull tag to hunt this area during the archery season and in the next two years with the proper tag in hand I scoured the country and never saw an elk.

This August, about 8:30 am, I saw six elk from a distance crossing a timbered ridge. Binoculars confirmed six bulls in velvet five points and larger.

The morning before the archery opener, I again saw these bulls crossing the same area. I slept in a tent that night about a half mile from the crossing point.

It rained about three in the morning and was misty as I positioned myself where the bulls had crossed the day before. I heard bugles in front of me as it got light. The bugles continued occasionally but stayed stationary one-half mile away. It started to rain, and I moved up to the property line and glassed. The bulls had stopped short and were bedded on south facing open grassy hillsides on the other side of the property line. The rain got worse and I had to leave before it got too muddy. Access to this area was complicated by having to cross private land with poor quality two track roads.

I have been back three times when the roads have dried out enough for access. Each time I was into bulls and one day I was close enough to shoot three times but didn’t have the right shot presentation. The last day I was there they had moved on. This fall was the first time I saw cows and calves with the bulls.

Hopefully I will be able to locate them later in the season or next fall.

Richard Lewallen be prime elk hunting area in region 2. Our predator problem is still totally out of control. Diann and I have been fortunate enough to get a lot of hunting in with friends this season, in fact at the time of this writing we are heading back out to see if Diann can get a shot at an elk. Get out there and kill something good to eat.

Paul Martin

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one to the Big Hunting Grounds and the blame Game From time to time we lose significant people from the archery world.

This year we lost well known Dan Moore. Dan was a large part of Montana archery history and very influential on the popular Bowsite. com. He will be greatly missed, his extensive knowledge and experience of archery and bowhunting will be missed as he mentored and introduced many people to archery. Dan has gone to the Big Hunting Grounds to hunt with his son Cody.

Onto a different subject. I am already hearing the blame game on how CWD is now in the Libby area. Supposedly the hunters have brought in game from the harvests on the East side. I learned a long time ago the definition of a theory, that it is the search for truth. Here is my theory, being that the wolves have spread it from the Canadian game farms that have CWD. Wolves cross freely back and forth across the border. Wolves kill directly and indirectly. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it! Once again, this season out hunting we are seeing the abundance of wolf sign.

Check out the photo, those are all wolf tracks in the snow of what used to

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Wolf Tracks

GRIZZLY ENCOUNTER

Are You Prepared for A Grizzly Encounter?

by P. Garrett Leeberg

September 16, 2019

will be a day three out-of-state bowhunters looking for elk in Southwest Montana will never forget. Two separate incidents of attack occurred less than 12 hours apart in a similar area of the Gravelly Mountains - the drainage of Cottonwood Creek.

At about 7:30 a.m., two bowhunters from New Mexico were heading south from Cottonwood Creek when they were charged by a grizzly. The men were hiking single file up a hill when suddenly, the bear stood up from the grass about 20 feet in front of them and charged. The men endured brief mayhem on the trail while the bear inflicted a bad gash to the back of one man’s head and groin injuries to the other. The lucky souls were able to use bear spray to repel the bear, hike to their rig and drive to Ennis for medical treatment. They caused no small stir when they walked into Shedhorn Sports in hospital gowns due to their clothes being cut off in the hospital.

Later in the same day, two Washington hunters ventured into the same general area about 6:30 pm. These men were heading north toward Cottonwood Creek. Biologists by profession, both were familiar with bears and bear behavior and longtime hunters. They were in thick timber of lodgepole pine and spruce, patches of brush and blowdowns. The biologists crossed a small bench and heard an animal jump up to their left, within 20 yards. At first, they thought it was elk. Turning to look, they saw the grizzly bear charging them, woofing and breathing heavily. One man ran and jumped downhill. The other attempted to escape uphill, but the bear grabbed him by the thigh, shaking him like a Jack Russell would a rat. The hunter screamed, summoning his partner with a drawn Glock 43, 9mm pistol to his rescue.

The bear let go of his leg and got on his back, trying to bite his head. His thumbs were in the bear’s mouth, trying to hold its teeth away from his head.

The hunter with the gun shot the bear in the hind end, believing he had no other shot option. To take the time for a side shot may have meant a broken neck for his partner. His quick, moxie-rich action saved his friend as the bear leaped away from his victim and slipped into thick brush only 5 feet away.

Once in the brush the bear continued to mill about walking toward them.

They could hear, but not see the grizz. Both men yelled and fired their 9 mms toward the bear’s sounds, responding to three charges toward them. Once the sounds of the bear’s retreat faded, the uninjured hunter checked over his friend’s injuries and provided first aid.

Several other instances of grizzly attacks have occurred in Montana and Wyoming. News of such attacks leave bowhunters in shock and beg the question, are you prepared to encounter a grizzly?

Some would quickly say nay and choose to hunt in areas not occupied by the formidable beasts. I was camped in between the Snowcrest and Grizzly Mountains, with a mile-or-so of the above incidents. For me, the grizzly adds to the thrill of hunting, knowing the hunter could be hunted.

In 1998, Bob Moser and I were hunting the Bear Creek drainage in Montana. He and I separated, headed up Slide Rock Mountain, looking and calling for elk. I later found him about 10:00 am in the morning, sitting at the base of a fir tree, looking a bit pale. I asked him, “You OK?” He replied that he had called in a grizzly bear. At first, I didn’t believe him, thinking he’d seen a large black bear. He described the incident saying that he was making estrous screams using his mouth reed for about 10 minutes. He heard a limb snap and looked in the direction of the sound. A large boar grizzly was approaching, about 30 yards away. Bob stood up and drew his .38 Special pistol, waved his arms and told the bear to scram. It helped, I’m sure, that Bob is 6’5” and about 250 lbs. He did not have any bear spray. To his relief, the bear turned and sauntered off into the forest.

If these situations and other bear encounters, we know have occurred teach us anything, it is this- We need to be prepared! Wishing and hoping to avoid a grizzly in bear country won’t help us survive. What gives us our best odds? Conscious decision making fueled by wisdom, use of common sense and preparation increase our survival odds. Let’s turn now to preparation for archery hunting in grizzly country.

Grizzly Encounter Preparation 1. Always hunt with a partner or two in your group. I enjoy solo hunting but at 67, my days for that are over. My partners this year in Montana were Scott Weidow and his son, Dalton, from Pinesdale. These are solid, gritty individuals, not likely to cower or run at the sight of a grizzly.

Strong mental

toughness in your partner is necessary if you intend to survive an attack.

2. Have both a pistol and bear spray within easy reach. The minimal but go-to firearm for bears today seems to be the 10 mm semiauto pistol. I have a Glock 20 and my partners have similar firepower. Each of us were familiar with gun operation, as well as how to deploy bear spray. We practiced pulling these deterrents and directing them at the sound of a bear coming toward us.

3. Make a game plan if a bear were to charge.

Talk about

various scenarios and who would do what in each. A bear is seen 40 yards in front of you. What would you do? You hear a crashing sound of brush breaking with something coming toward you from behind. What would you do? Each party member should have a role that you strategize ahead of an incident. This may seem like overkill (no pun intended) but it’s not. Such practice in drills could save you from serious injury. It most assuredly will remove hesitation from your response to the bear.

4. Have a first aid kit with some gauze, tape, QuikClot or another blood-clotting agent and some Betadine in your pack. Only one person needs this so determine which of you that will be.

Field first aid becomes much easier with proper supplies.

Each hunter must decide which is his/her best defense against a marauding grizzly. While the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, along with the forest service and other agencies sing the praises of the bear spray, in several instances bear spray has been less than effective. Regardless of political slant, decide ahead of an encounter your go-to bear medicine, practice with it and know your game plan to survive an attack.

I’m going for my 10 mm Glock at the sound of crashing brush. I want the gun on my chest in a Gunfighter holster, not in a pack or a difficult-to-reach spot. In a fluid motion, I will draw and point toward the sound, ready to do business if I see a bear. Seconds are precious in such circumstance so proper gun safety and handling skills are paramount, along with your moxie. Another partner may elect to go for spray, depending on the wind and level of comfort.

If there is a third party, that person can complement the other’s choices by one of their own. We all start yelling, spraying and/or firing, using good judgment and level headedness. Scared, yes; hesitant, no! In such situations, I can know I am ready for a grizzly encounter.

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MEMBER STORY

The Fantastic

Misadventures of Mr. Wienie (Previously the Fantastic Adventures of Mr. Wienie)

By Stephen LePage

This is the third year I have documented the training and successes of my blood tracking wiener dog: Mr. Wienie.

This year was fraught with frustration and failure. All summer my wife

diligently trained her as she has for the past two years. The same technique is used each time.

The beginning of the trail is marked with an arrow, approximately a half of cup of blood is dribbled out on a quarter mile trail through brush, over creeks and to keep it challenging: two or three ninety degree turns. At the end of the trail we lay a piece of deer or elk hide with some raw liver cut up, underneath it, as a reward. This has previously had positive results and this summer was no different. Unfortunately, we hit a snag.

On one of the last training sessions before hunting season, my wife was running Mr. Wienie on the mock blood trail and the dog was doing well. Until, at one point she deviated from the trail and was quickly locked on to something else. Amy followed the dog hoping she was “air scenting” something dead (another practice we encourage) instead she followed the dog straight to a nest of baby mice. Living in a rural setting and despising the mice that move into our house and garage every fall, Amy let her eat these and then continued with the training session. Upon reflection of the events that transpired, she returned home and told me of the situation and expressed her concerns. I assured her that this one minor incident would have no negative ramifications and that everything would be alright. I was wrong.

Now, I have never eaten baby mice, but they must be very tasty. According to Mr. Wienie’s palate, last year’s raw deer liver tastes like a bowl of oatmeal or perhaps a cold can of baked beans. Whereas baby mice are more along the lines of lobster or a nice medium rare ribeye steak.

The very first trail we put Mr. Wienie on was devastatingly disappointing.

She would constantly deviate from the blood trail (one that was actually visible) and sweep the area in search of mouse trails and baby mice. We would do our best to “trust the dog”, a mantra that our training books emphasize, only to find ourselves at a brush pile with the wiener dog digging for mice.

This is not the only problem we encountered. I will preface this story with a bit of background information. When running a blood tracking wiener dog, you can tell if it is working. When she has no scent, she zigs and zags, often circling in wide sweeps. Her nose is on the ground looking for any scent. The dog does not pull the lead very hard at all. When the dog gets the blood trail, she lines out and pulls the lead harder than a 15-pound dog should be able.

You do your best to keep up, but you end up holding her back and off you go.

Another scenario is when the dog smells an air scent (the dead animal is very close or a rotten animal is a distance off) her head will be up and she will walk upwind testing air currents. She does this with less urgency but can be very effective. A third situation is when she has tried but cannot find blood or an air scent, she will wander aimlessly and then get tired and sit on my foot. This year, Mr. Wienie has developed a fourth, less desirable, trick.

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She is capable of tracking unwounded elk. Allow me to digress, while looking for a mortally hit elk, unfortunately it rained a half an inch of rain that night, she was doing the wander aimlessly and sit on my foot maneuver. I was prodding her on when suddenly she locked onto scent. With her nose to the ground, she was pulling me as if she had good blood spoor. I tried to keep up and eventually she had her head up and was air scenting. I switched from scanning the ground looking for blood to scanning the woods looking for a carcass. That is when we ran straight into a bedded cow elk. The elk was just as disappointed as I was. She briefly paused, her reaction was not one of fear, but rather confusion. Before her was a grown man, without a bow, being led by a gender confused, mouse eating wiener dog on the end of 30 feet of clothesline.

I was ashamed.

Last year Mr. Wienie was a huge asset and we found a few animals with her assistance. This year she was a huge detriment and we found a few animals despite her assistance.

I have always said that there are no free lunches. Any animal that I own has a job and should be proficient at that job. At the end of this season, I sat Mr. Wienie down and explained the cold hard facts of this belief and informed her that she was not very far from “going to live on a farm.” I went on and on about the fact that felines were exponentially more efficient at catching mice and that her prestigious position at the LePage household was in very real danger of being usurped by a mangy old barn cat. I cannot speak wiener dog, but I think she was telling me she would do better next year.

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Success in the Field

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This year a group of us decided to take a group of kids from the Teen Bowhunters Camp out hunting in the field. We would spend five days putting their skills and ours to the test and share with these youth bowhunter’s the tricks of the trade and the love that we as bowhunters have for our sport. Alex Sorenson, Beckie and Jerry Doyle, Kari Anderson, Christian Beach, Justin Weidow, and myself took out four of the youth hunters: Joe Anderson, Rylie Clark, Casey Abramson, and Logan Brastch. (Thank you to MRS. ABRAMSON for making amazing food for the crew!!) Once the crew had camp set up it was time for scouting!

Each day everyone would have a different partner. I had Casey for his first hunt. Casey had never heard or seen bull in the field and I was very excited to take him. We parked and walked a short way in and let everything settle down. I did a few cow calls and a locating bull call. I hadn’t even completed my locating call when another bull, about 100 yards behind us, cut me off and bugled over the top of me. Casey’s eyes got really big. I set Casey up and went behind him and to the left about 50 yards. I started cow calling and the bull came in. Once the bull got into about 90 yards, I could watch him come all the way in. He got to about 30 yards from Casey and just stopped. I could not figure out why the bull had stopped. I turned to look at Casey could see his arrow shaking like crazy and he’s facing away from the bull! The bull is huge, easily a 350 plus herd bull. It sees Casey, turns and runs away. Casey later said that he thought the bull was coming in behind him so he turned to look behind him. He’d never had anything like that happen and he said his heart was about to beat out of his chest! It was very cool!

He learned to not move when the elk is coming in.

We headed out for a different spot and Casey was able to put the sneak on a mule deer despite our best efforts Casey was not able to close the deal on this doe and we moved on to try again. We chatted about the ups and downs of bowhunting and that sometimes the work pays off and at other time it just doesn’t work out the way you want it to. We ran into a black bear and her cub and once it got dark, we headed back to camp and made dinner for the crew. When the others had got back, we all talked about what they had seen and been into. Once the rest of everyone showed up to camp we talked and made plans for the next day. But then someone had mentioned that one of the boys wasn’t feeling well. So we went over and talked to him. One of the boys was ill that evening and we discovered he was a little dehydrated so we all talked about the importance of making sure you’ve got what you need in the field to care for yourself especially when you’re out putting in some miles.

The next day we broke off into our groups and I had Kari, Christian, and Rylie. We saw a bear but couldn’t get a clear shot on it. We also ran into a bull and a cow as well as a black fox with a white tipped tail. Then we got onto some mule deer and Rylie ended up harvesting his first Mule Deer Doe and First bow kill! We had a great time. We got back to Camp to find Alex making dinner for us all and a fire in the wall tent. We all were excited for the warmth! We talked and made plans with everyone and had a great time telling stories at the camp fire.

Each day was filled with learning and growth. Each day was an adventure.

Being with these young adults, teaching them and seeing how they take it all in is one of the best feelings ever. I love teaching the next generation everything I know. Getting these young hunters into game and watching them; there’s nothing else like it! I cannot wait to take a few more out and get them hunting this year!!

Remember Aim Small miss small- Shoot straight- An have a wonderful season!

A S S C I ATI O

Jackie Doyle-

Youth Committee Leader-406-274-3716 Openings available for Youth Committee Members ages 14-25

Bowcamp Thanks!

At bow camp I learned more about hunting and what to keep in your pack for basic survival. Before bow camp I didn’t have fire starter, extra food, or extra knives. Becky and Jerry also explained, at hunting camp, what kind of a pack I need so that my shoulders don’t get sore while hiking.

Knowing what to have in your pack is very essential because if you get stranded and you don’t have the proper equipment you can die.

My experience at hunting camp, after learning at bow camp, was a lot of fun. I enjoyed getting to really hunt my bow and learn more about hunting -Casey Abramson

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

LETTER TO THE EDITOR I am a life member of the MBA, the Montana Archery Association, and the National Field Archery Association. I am a retired Professional Archer. My poor wife has been an archery widow for many years. One of the reasons I retired was so I could spend some quality time with her. I now feel compelled, however, to again take some time from us and write a quick letter to our editors, Teri and Al Kelly.

In our last issue of “Montana Bowhunter” was an article titled: The Future of Limited Archery-Only Elk Permits in Montana. Within this article a guess was made musing that: “those that seek to profit from hunting activities” are the folks wanting to abolish archery elk permits in the Breaks and the 900-20 draw areas. This is an interesting view and I would like to, as they say, “follow the money” to see where it leads us. As we all know, nonresident big game licenses are limited in our state and are allocated by draw. When a nonresident draws a big game license to hunt in Montana, they may self-guide or hire a guide. They may purchase nondraw over the counter licenses (the bowhunting stamp is an example) as well. If an area they want to hunt is further permitted then they must put in for a second drawing. By law, they are limited to a small percentage of this second draw.

Prior to the archery elk permitting mentioned above, nonresident holders of a combination big game license could hunt the subject areas if they purchased a bow stamp. After the permit program was implemented, nonresidents had to put in for the new draw just like we do. However, their draw quota was seriously limited. The nonresidents unlucky in the drawing (the majority of them) could, and can, still bowhunt any region in Montana that is unrestricted. The outcome of the permitting was as predicted. Nonresident numbers were drastically reduced in the subject districts. There was no revenue loss to the FWP because the nonresident big game license holders simply moved west. Follow the money now.

The nonresident money spent in our state moved west with the hunters. According to the Montana Policy Institute the money we need to follow is $10,000,000.00! The action of permitting the bowhunting nonresident big game license moved 10 million dollars from eastern small-town Montana to western small-town Montana.

I never agreed with permitting the subject areas specifically because of the loss of revenue to the small towns. However, I have many friends in Western Montana where all that money went. Is it fair to ask them to give up that 10 million dollars now? Un-permitting the subject areas wouldn’t move the money overnight, like it did when they were permitted, but it would eventually move the money. The next time you are in any of these eastern small towns it would be prudent to stop and spend some money. The average nonresident hunter spent $582 per day when in these hunting districts. The average resident hunter, understandably, spends only $87 per day. In order to compensate these folks for what we bowhunters insisted be moved west, we have to start spending a lot more money with them.

What is done is done. Monetarily speaking, it wasn’t right to permit those areas and now it wouldn’t be right to un-permit those areas. At this point, the only right thing to do is up the number of resident permits. Additionally, when we resident hunters are in these districts, for any reason, stop at one, or more, of the local merchants and spend a few bucks. We, at the very least, owe them this.

TJ Smith 2238 Ridgeview Drive Billings, MT 59105 phone: 406-690-5676

Winter 2019

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BLAST FROM THE PAST

Blast from the Past This issue comes from the years 1987 and 1988.

There wasn’t much going on in 87 and into 88 as well.

Buddy Lundstrom was our president at the time and we just came off the Legislation Secession. We had around 1450 MBA members at the time. The 87’ Convention was held in Bozeman and the 88’ Convention was held in Lewistown for the first time.

There was a push for the crossbow to be used during the Archery season for handicapped persons and it was brought up that it was a good time for the MBA to keep exploring way for the physically challenged to use conventional equipment. Steve Schindler wrote an article on how the crossbow would take away opportunity from bowhunters.

All of this sounds way to familiar; history really doses repeat itself.

One other article of interest that happened in that time period goes as follows. An 11-year-old Concord boy was hit Saturday by an arrow fired from what police called an “illegal deer trap”. The boy, Kenneth L. Strong, was hit in the leg when he tripped a wire that was rigged to a crossbow according to a Spring Arbor Township police officer. It happened at about 3:30pm in a wooded area near a crossroads.

Strong was taken to Foote Hospital for treatment and released. His wounds were not life threating, but it could have been much worse. Officer Poleski said the weapon, designed to slay deer, was a loaded crossbow secured to a tripod and connected to a trip wire stung about a foot off the ground. It was set so anything that walked through would be shot.

Clipping from the Michigan Bowhunters Newsletter, Volume 22 # 3 March 1987 www.pronghornbows.com 307-234-1824 evenings 2491 West 42nd Street Casper, WY 82604

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Montana

BOWHUNTER

WWW.MTBA.ORG

CONTACT NUMBERS

Fish & Wildlife Commission Members

District 1

District 2

Tim Aldrich, Commissioner

District 3

Pat Byorth, Commissionerr

3340 Rodeo Road Missoula, MT 59803 Phone: (406) 241-7164 Term: January 1, 2021

fwpwld@mt.gov

Richard Stuker, Vice-Chairman 1155 Boldt Road Chinook, MT 59523 Phone: (406) 357-3495 Term: January 1, 2021

2360 Whitetail Road Bozeman, MT 59715 Phone: (406) 548-4830

District 4

District 5

Logan Brower, Commissioner

Shane Colton, Commissioner

P.O. Box 325 Scobey, MT 59263 Phone: (406) 230-2188 Term: January 1, 2019

335 Clark Billings, MT 59101 Phone: (406) 259-9986 Term: January 1, 2021

BUSINESS & CLUB MEMBERS

Become a Business Member of the MBA and be listed on this page every issue! For membership visit www.mtba.org.

Active as of October 2019 Buffalo Jump Archery

Judy Adams

P.O. Box 5581

Helena

MT

59604

406-539-3936

Elk Creek Family Outfitters

David Hein

1021 Toole Circle

Billings

MT

59105

406-670-4366

Crown Photography www.mtcrownphoto.com

Mike and Lucinda Layne

PO Box 9936

Kalispell

MT

59904

406-752-6116

Hammer-em Outfitting

P.O. Box 472

Stanford

MT

59479

406-366-5042

Libby Archery Club

P.O. Box 755

Libby

MT

59923

406-293-7174

Libby Sports Center

204 W 9th ST

Libby

MT

59923

406-293-4641

Moody’s Dirty Laundry

Jay Moody

221 W 9th St

Libby

MT

59923

406-291-1609

Mountain Copper Creations

Jim Clapham

4085 Old Marhsall Grade Rd

East Missoula

MT

59802

406-880-9411

Northwest Motorsports

Tom Gilmore

2318 Granite Creek Rd

Libby

MT

59923

406-293-3131

Pronghorn Custom Bows

Herb Meland

2491 W 42nd St

Casper

WY

82604

307-234-1824

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

David Allen

5705 Grant Creek Road

Missoula

MT

59808

406-523-4500

UDAP Industries

Mark Matheny

1703 Waterline Rd

Butte

MT

59701

406-581-4856

Zinks Big Sky Archery Targets

Terry L & Dylan Zink

P O Box 1272

Marion

MT

59925

406-253-4670

Winter 2019

15

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!

Memberships run January 1 to December 31 each year.

Visit the MBA website at: www.mtba.org

SEND TO: MBA, PO BOX 426, HELENA MT 59624 • PH. # 406-461-9618

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M ontana

BOWHUNTER

WWW.MTBA.ORG

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KILEY JONS 2019 breaks bull

BOB MORTON 2019 Wyoming mule deer 4 yard shot

ZAC RENNER 2019 bull. Called in to 30 yards by himself.

MITCHEL LEPAGE’S opening weekend whitetail!

Great shot and a short recovery.

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5

8

11

KARA KOELZER 2019 Whitetail Hoyt carbon Spyder VPA broadhead

3

BRIAN KOELZER Yellowstone Custom longbow VPA broadhead 13 yard shot

AMY LEPAGE 2019 whitetail

6

STEVE SCHINDLER 2019 bull

9

ALISHA ZEMLIKA 2019 antelope

LUCAS ZEMLIKA 2019 bull

MIKE PRATER 2019 Elk

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MIKE BARRETT Colorado mule deer 2019.

5 yard shot 185 net typical with a Pronghorn bow

Winter 2019

17

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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