Monday, March 30, 2009

Bison Application Changes

This year bison hunters must apply by May 1 for this fall and winters bison hunt.

The moose, sheep and goat application now include bison . In another change, while bison hunters will continue to have the option to apply for one of two areas for an either-sex bison, north of Gardner (395-00) or near West Yellowstone (385-00), hunters will not have the option of applying by time periods this year.

The cost for applying for a bison license will be the $5 drawing fee. The drawing will be conducted in September once the Commission sets the final Bison quotas and seasons. If you are successful in the Bison drawing you will be required to purchase the bison license for $125 prior to hunting.

Stream Access Law

HB 190 is winding it's way through the Montana Legislature and is scheduled for the it's second reading after being amended by the Senate Fish and Game Committee. It made it out of committee by after being amended by a vote of 7 Yays and 2 Nays.

The second reading is scheduled to occur today 3/30/2009.

We'll keep you posted!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

World Record Shiras Shed For Sale

The World Record Shiras Moose shed that was found in Flathead County in 2007 is for sale. If you are interested please call Steve at 406-253-9294.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Huge Victory for Trout Unlimited!

March 25 marked a huge victory for Trout Unlimited and for conservation. Rep Rehberg VOTED NAY AGAIN!!! He did not respond to my letter or email regarding this issue.

None the less the House of Representatives passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, a landmark public lands protection bill that would ensure access and opportunity for hunters and anglers today and for generations to come.

Passage of this bill does more for hunting and fishing and outdoor recreation than any other measure in the last 15 years.

By a landslide vote of 285-140, the House of Representatives moved this bill over the finish line.

Now the bill will go to President Obama for his signature on Monday, March 30th.

According to Trout Unlimited....This victory would not have been possible without your help. Your continued engagement and efforts to communicate this bill’s importance to your Members of Congress paid out huge dividends. We were able to get landslide votes in both chambers which shows the hard work and perseverance you gave over the last 18 months. Trout Unlimited Thanks You!!!

Because of your help, we have successfully protected over 2 million acres of public lands. We have protected places like Copper-Salmon in Oregon, the Wyoming Range in Wyoming, the Wild Monongahela in West Virginia, the Owyhees in Idaho, the Eastern Sierras in California and so many other special places. We have also permanently protected the National Landscape Conservation System, a network of highly valuable public lands of acute interest to anglers and hunters. Included in that system is the famed Gunnison Gorge of Colorado, one of the best trophy trout fisheries in the West, and the Steens Mountain region, an irreplaceable hunting and fishing destination in eastern Oregon.

Many of the bills in the Omnibus have tremendous fish and wildlife conservation merit, have local community support –including ranchers and farmers who are partners in watershed groups – and have been developed in a bipartisan manner.

Passage of the Omnibus, which includes nearly 160 bills, is truly historic and one that will be considered an outstanding achievement for generations to come.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Rehberg Votes Against Sportsmen!

Denny Rehberg voted against Ominbus Public Land Management Act of 2009 supported by Trout Unlimited, RMEF and various sportsmens groups across the country. The vote was only two votes shy of passing. It needed a 2/3rds majority to pass. Leadership will likely bring this to a vote again in the coming days.

Let Denny know where you stand on this bill and ask him to put sportsmen first and energy companies second! http://www.house.gov/rehberg/contact.shtml

While it doesn't affect Montana directly it would protect the following :
  • The Wyoming Range Legacy Act that would protect 1.2 million acres of Wyoming hunting and fishing paradise from unnecessary and unneeded oil and gas drilling. It's estimated the range sits above six hours worth of oil and only 24 days worth of natural gas—resources we can live without, given the above-ground resources that will produce hunting and fishing opportunity for generations to come.
  • The Copper-Salmon Wilderness Act that would protect the headwaters of the Elk River and, by extension, the pristine lower reaches of the river that provide some of the best coastal salmon and steelhead fishing on the West Coast.
  • The Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act that would permanently protect 450,000 acres as wilderness, including acreage in the headwaters of the Owens and West Walker rivers, (the Upper Owens being one of the top destinations for anglers and hunters in the entire state). It would also protect land in the San Gabriel Mountains vital to sportsmen who crave fishing and hunting destinations closer to Southern California’s urban centers.
  • The National Landscape Conservation System, a vast network of federal real estate that includes fishing destinations like Colorado’s famed Gunnison Gorge and hunting destinations like Oregon’s Steens Mountain Region.
  • The Wild Monongahela Wilderness Act in West Virginia, that would protect about 40,000 acres of backcountry in that state that provides some of the Eastern Seaboard’s best native brook trout angling and excellent deer and upland game bird hunting.

For more information on this important bill, visit www.tu.org. Thank you for your help with this vital issue, and thank you for your continued support of Trout Unlimited.

RMEF Banquet Upper Yellowstone


The Upper Yellowstone Chapter of RMEF put on a great banquet on Friday night at the Livingston County Fairgrounds.
I didn't win anything after numerous tries but many others did. I also had a great time talking about elk and elk hunting. When do you get enough of that? .
The RMEF 25th Anniverary Rifle went for less than $1,000. There were some other great values too.
Check out the Event Calendar for the banquet in your area....

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Good News for NW Montana Wetlands

Ken Salazar the Secretary of the Interior approved $6.6 million for a wildlife habitat conservation project in Northwest Montana.

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commision charied by Salazar, approved funding for the Glaciated Valleys of Northwest Montana Project. Salazar said last Thursday that the project will receive a $1 million dollar grant, $2.8 million in matching funds and $2.8 million in non-matching funds.
The project seeks to protect wetlands and associated fish and wildlife in Northwestern Montana.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Gophers Are Out




I saw the first gophers of the season yesterday. So it's almost spring. Break out the .22's and bows and go out and shoot some gophers.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Attention Horn Hunters


Remember horn hunters...WMA's are closed through May 15. So avoid getting a ticket for tresspassing. A new law under review currently in the legislature would make tresspassing on a BMA have a penalty of losing your hunting priviledges for one year. Legislators aren't making up this rule because no one is tresspassing. I turned in someone last year who rode up a BMA with horses and a pack saddle to collect horns. Blew right by the sign. Didn't give a squat who was watching.

The areas are meant to give wildlife, primarily elk, a wintering area free from human presence and keep them off neighboring ranch land.

Friday, March 6, 2009

WOLVES DELISTED!!!

Sometimes the politicians get it right... Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s announced today agreeing with the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in January to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species in Montana, Idaho, and parts of Utah, Washington, Oregon. Wolves will remain a protected species in Wyoming.

Wolf conservation and management in Montana will become the full responsibility of the state when the decision takes effect 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register, which is expected within a few weeks. Just in time!

If you've been in the woods this past year you know the impact of wolves on elk herds this year. Now it’s time for the state to take over management of the wolf just like it should've been in the first place.
USFWS originally announced the decision to delist the wolf in January, but the new administration decided to review the decision as part of an overall, government-wide regulatory review when it came into office.
Federal officials said the USFWS decided to delist the wolf in Idaho and Montana because they have approved state wolf management plans and solid programs in place that will ensure the conservation of the species in the future.
At the same time, USFWS determined wolves in Wyoming would still be listed under the Endangered Species Act because Wyoming’s current state law and wolf management plan of shoot'em on site doesn't cover a management plan according to the Feds.
With delisting, the flexibility to protect livestock and domestic dogs is provided in Montana law. Similar to lions and black bears, a wolf seen actively biting, wounding, chasing, harassing, or attacking livestock or domestic dogs could be killed.
Such incidents must be reported to FWP in 72 hours.The transition, however, may face court challenges. Several groups say they will closely scrutinize the latest federal delisting decision and may renew legal challenges to block it. "We belive this decision is on solid biological and legal footing, " Maurier said. "If challenged, FWP will defend the delisting decision.
Legal challenges could affect the sale of hunting licenses for a 2009 wolf-hunting season previously adopted by Montana’s FWP Commission. Officials said none would be offered for sale until Montana is confident a wolf-hunting season could occur.
In the mid 1990s, to hasten the overall pace of wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies, 66 wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.The minimum recovery goal for wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains was set at a minimum of 30 breeding pairs—successfully reproducing wolf packs—and a minimum of 300 individual wolves for at least three consecutive years and well distributed throughout the recovery area.
The goal was achieved in 2002, and the wolf population has increased every year since. The northern Rockies "metapopulation" is comprised of wolf populations in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.
About 1,600 wolves, with about 95 breeding pairs, live in the region now. MORE THAN 5 TIMES THE ORIGINAL STATED number.
About 420 wolves inhabited Montana, in 73 packs and 39 breeding pairs at the end of 2007, Maurier said. The population is expected to increase slightly when 2008 minimum estimates are finalized.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Top Trophies Great Rockies Show Kalispell

Here are the top trophies for Montana hunting at the Kalispell show. Two of the most consistent complaints were heard were, the abundance of wolves and the lack of game in the area.


The heavy snows last year and this year have made their impact felt on mature deer with only a few nice whitetails brought in. One mule deer came in that scored over 180 but it was taken out before I could get a photo of it.

Here are the top trophies....


This was the best bull elk brought in with a score of 317 6/8 it was taken in Flathead County in 2008 with Archery equipment.



The trophy below was 1st place in the youth division. It scored 167 and was taken with a rifle in Flathead County in 2007. This non-typical whitetail was taken this year with a rifle in Pondera county and scores 179 4/8

This next whitetail was found in 2008 in Lake County and scores 183 4/8.

This ram was taken this year with archery equipment in Blaine County and scores 184 5/8.

This one may still be wandering around! This moose shed was is a World Record Shiras Moose but only one side was found. It was found in Flathead County in 2007.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Predator Call Give Away

Be sure to enter this month's drawing for a predator pack calling sportsmen's dream. This one is a must for Montana Hunting.

We're featuring Walt Earl Sr.'s DVD's, diaphram calls, and call pouch. Also to be given away is the call the Walt likes to use the, Crit'R-Call. So don't miss out on this one visit our home page at http://www.sportsmensaccess.com/