PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

PRESIDENT - STEPHEN LEPAGE 1ST VICE PRESIDENT - BRIAN KOELZER 2ND VICE PRESIDENT - MARK SCHWOMEYER - NO REPORT TREASURER - CLAUDIA DAVIS - NO REPORT SECRETARY - JERRY DAVIS

Hello MBA Membership, This fall has been bittersweet for me:

Neither my son or I drew the 900-20 tag, so we were resigned to hunt only cows, which is still very fun and fills the freezer, but I had a near-mental breakdown, as I had to pass on a Pope and Young bull so that I could shoot one of his cows.

On the sweet side, we had opportunities on more elk than we have had in many years. This was made apparent with my wife’s annual “girl’s week.” Several bulls were killed. Some were very large and some were the first elk for a few of the girls. Even my father-in-law, who hunts in a purple Pop-Tart T-shirt that he obtained by saving UPC symbols, shoots a 1980’s Darton compound bow that he bought used on Ebay for $80 and shoots barebow, was able to harvest a very nice seven-point bull.

Although I have discontinued the annual “Fantastic Adventures of Mr. Wienie,” I feel the need to mention that she had a great year and recovered at least one animal that would have been lost without her efforts.

Recently, Senator Molnar and three others sued Mt FWP and the Fish and Wildlife commission to try and use crossbows during the archery only season. Luckily, their efforts were thwarted and archery season will remain for archery equipment.

With all the new changes to FWP and the commission, even down to the number of commissioners, there are certain to be changes to bowhunting here in Montana. I want to reassure you that the MBA has a very dedicated, hardworking board of directors that will monitor these upcoming changes and keep you well informed in order to keep up our mission of uniting Montana’s bowhunters to promote and preserve bowhunting.

Sincerely,

Stephen LePage

First Vice President’sReportHey everyone,

Ihope this newsletter finds you all well and that archery season met or exceeded your hopes and expectations. Like usual I’ve seen some great critters on the ground and have heard plenty of stories about the ones that got away. My time was more limited than usual this fall due to work and family but I am currently writing this column from 30,000 feet as I make my way home from Kodiak Island. I was fortunate to spend 7 days hunting sitka blacktail with a good group of guys and even more fortunate to take a great buck while there. It was a more physically demanding hunt than I expected and those little deer are certainly no pushover. My advice to anyone thinking about doing a big hunt is to just do it. Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one and the days and years seem to slip by quick. Strong legs favor a lot of what this country has to offer and to fully enjoy an experience one needs to be physically capable to do so.

You got one ride on this planet so you might as well make it a good one. I’d also like to encourage everyone to keep a journal of your adventures so children and grandchildren can go back and read about the cool things you’ve done. The way of life we enjoy now may not exist in the future and putting pen to paper (or even poking notes into an “ithing”) is a great way to preserve your stories so they don’t drift away in the wind and are eventually forgotten.

November is fast approaching and I assume most will be turning the focus towards rutting bucks. I’m definitely looking forward to some time in a tree. Good luck to you all and remember “aim small, miss small.”

Brian Koelzer

Stephen LePage