Fishing in FEB follow-up

Ok, maybe I'm not the shapest knife in the drawer. Too many tequillas in college or did my mom drop me once to many.

I was fishing again this past weekend. Again no fish but is was beautiful. Is there a trend here???

$245,000 Paid for MT Sheep Tag

The conservation tag was auctioned off to an Illinois man at the Wild Sheep Foundation's convention in Salt Lake last weekend. Good thing I missed the auction....yeah right! The Foundation would not release the Champaign, Illnios bidders name. But we do know that he owns a chain of sandwich shops. Can you say $245,000 foot long?

This year's tag sold for $50,000 more than the tag a year ago. Considering that three, possibly four rams, were shot this year that scored over 200 this year this gentleman has a great opportunity to take a book ram.

A Montana hunter from Whitefish bid $10,000 for a mountain goat liscense and the Mule Deer Foundation auctioned off a mule deer liscense for $8,500. The elk liscense will be auctioned off at the Elk Foundations big convention to be held in Fort Worth, TX March 5-8. We'll keep you posted on that one.

Unlike Utah where the new world record elk was taken, these conservation tag winners have to hunt during seasons and with weapons that apply to the rest of us.

Response From Senator on SB 314

UPDATE

Here is Senator Wanzenried's response to my inquiry of status of SB 314 Received February 18.

As of this moment, it still has not been scheduled for a hearing, Joe.

Watch for a last minute hearing, rushed testimony, and a favorable vote just prior to the transmittal deadline, when we have a flood of bills.

Please see if you can follow this link:

http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0203W$BSRV.ActionQuery?P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=SB&P_BILL_NO=314&P_BILL_DFT_NO=&P_CHPT_NO=&Z_ACTION=Find&P_SBJ_DESCR=&P_SBJT_SBJ_CD=&P_LST_NM1=Hollenbaugh%2C+Galen+&P_ENTY_ID_SEQ=5479

Respectfully,

Dave Wanzenried



I thought that I would let you all know that your voice does make a difference here is the response I got after emailing all the Senators on the Natural Resources Committee. Thank You! Senator Wanzenried, Senate District #49 Missoula.

Hello, Joe.

Based on my reading of SB 314 and the input I have received to date, which has been overwhelmingly against the bill, I intend to vote against NO.

As you can see from this link, a hearing on the bill has been canceled two times:

http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0203W$BSRV.ActionQuery?P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=SB&P_BILL_NO=314&P_BILL_DFT_NO=&P_CHPT_NO=&Z_ACTION=Find&P_SBJ_DESCR=&P_SBJT_SBJ_CD=&P_LST_NM1=&P_ENTY_ID_SEQ=

As of this evening, I have no idea as to when it might be re-scheduled.

Please continue to make calls and send e-mails to the members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, especially the R's.

Please continue to keep in touch with me.

Respectfully,

Dave Wanzenried
Senate District # 49
Missoula

Legislative Alert Take Action to Protect Your Access

We recevied this legislative alert and ask you to take action right away!

Montana TU Legislative Alert - February 7, 2009

Your help needed today! Help defeat SB 314, the radical anti-stream access bill.

Background
Sen. Rick Laible (R-Victor) is sponsoring SB 314, a bill that will dramatically reduce the number of streams in the state that you can legally access for fishing.

Sen. Laible seems to be carrying this bill for a few landowners - several who are not even Montanans -- who live along Mitchell Slough, a natural side-channel of the Bitterroot River. For years, a few of these landowners have been employing legal actions to have Mitchell Slough declared off limits to public access.

Last October the Montana Supreme Court unanimously rejected the landowners' strategy to have the stream declared not "natural" and thus the stream access law wouldn't apply. Now, the landowners, with Sen. Laible's help are seeking to close the stream by having the Legislature re-define what a stream is.

In order to help a few landowners who have lost their case in the state's highest court, Sen. Laible's bill will turn the stream access law on its head by creating a new definition that could make hundreds of other streams in the state off-limits to access.

SB 314 says that a stream is open for access only if it flows perennially without the benefit of return flows from irrigation. However, one reason some streams aren't "perennial" is because they are dewatered by irrigation or occasionally by drought.

SB 314 further says that Class 2 streams that receive return flows from irrigation are not open for access. This includes most streams in many agricultural valleys. SB 314 then says that when an irrigator takes water from a stream, puts it on crops, and the remaining diverted water flows back into the stream, it makes the stream not "natural" and thus off-limits to access.

This occurs with most every stream in most irrigated valleys in Montana, including many in Sen.Laible's own district -streams that the public have been legally accessing for decades. Besides eliminating access, SB 314 provides incentives for some landowners to completely dry up streams.

SB 314 undermines the Montana Supreme Court's decision on what a stream is for access purposes, and it violates the Montana Constitution by saying that the water found in some streams is NOT owned by the public.

You can help stop this radical bill by doing four things:

1. Respectfully contact Sen. Laible TODAY and urge him to drop the measure. Tell him he should represent all Montanans by preserving the stream access law. Call him at 406-444-4800 during regular business hours and leave a message. Or e-mail him at ricklaible@aol.com .
2. Contact other members of the Senate Natural ResourceCommittee, where the bill will be heard, and tell them to oppose SB314. They are:

• Kelly Gebhardt gebby@midrivers.com
• Debby Barrett grt3177@smtel.com
• Aubyn Curtiss aubyna@interbel.net
• Ken Hansen hansen_kenneth@email.com
• Christine Kaufmann kaufmann@mt.net
• Gary Perry perrysd35@aol.com
• Jim Peterson jpranch@mtintouch.net
• Donald Steinbeisser donstein@midrivers.com
• Mitch Tropila tropila@mt.net
• David Wanzenried daveew@gmail.com

3. Contact your state senator and tell them to oppose SB 314 because it undermines our finely honed access law for the benefit of a few.

4. Write a letter to the editor of your paper asking the public to oppose SB 314 because it harms all Montanans for the benefit of a special few.

TAKE ACTION NOW OR LOSE YOUR ACCESS TOMORROW!!! I did two of the four today!

Frontier Anglers 2nd Annual April Spring Fishing Packages

I just received a great Spring Fishing Package from Matt at Frontier Anglers on my personal favorite river in Southwest Montana so I thought I'd pass it on.

Come join Frontier Anglers this April on a can't miss spring fishing package. You'll get 3 nights lodging, All meals, All flies and of course 2 full days of guided fishing with one of our experienced professionals. Float the legendary Big Hole River for the seasons 1st DRY FLY hatches. You'll experience Blue Wing Olives, Caddis, Skwalas and fish with large appetites. Or, choose to fish the Beaverhead River, loaded with over 4,000 fish per mile. Sight fish to pods of rising trout eating Blue Wings Olives, Caddis and Midges.Enjoy early season fishing, NO crowds & unsophisticated trout!At a price anyone can afford...........$575 per person/dbl. occupancy.

Tell'em SportsmensAccess.com sent you

Call now to ensure your space....1-800-228-5263. Time is limited - April Only!

Missouri Breaks Stimulus Package DIY Archery Elk Hunt

• Current success rate of this hunt: 50%
• Average success rate of DIY archery hunters 12-15%
• Current shot opportunities on 270-320 class bulls 70-80%
• Killing a 300 point bull with your bow PRICELESS
  

If taking a bull like this with a bow is something that you want to do then check out Trip ID 2226

This is a DIY HUNT out of ground blinds and tree stands for bulls that have been averaging 270-320 B&C. This hunt even has a mobile home for you to stay in. At two hunters at $2,000 each this is a deal on a great private land elk hunt in the Missouri Breaks. Remember you can only book this hunt if your a member so JOIN TODAY.

New Bill has Elk in Crosshairs Brucellosis

Lawmakers took their first crack at the newest chapter in Montana’s long battle with brucellosis Tuesday: Elk.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Keith Bales, R-Otter, would add to the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ duties the task of preventing disease transmission between livestock and wildlife. While those diseases include everything from tuberculosis to ungulate fever, there was no question at the bill’s afternoon hearing that brucellosis gave rise to the bill.

• Two cattle in Montana tested positive for brucellosis last year. The disease causes cows to abort. While Yellowstone bison have been the focus of brucellosis control, elk are thought to be the source of the most recent cases. “If this bill had been in place five or 10 years ago…we might not be in the situation we are,” Bales said of his bill. While Chris Smith of FWP said he does not necessarily agree with that statement, he spoke in favor of the bill as one that would allow his agency to continue its work on controlling brucellosis and other diseases.
  
  “They’re not livestock problems. They’re not wildlife problems. They’re disease problems,” he told the Senate Fish and Game Committee. Since the spring outbreak of brucellosis, FWP has killed two elk thought to be carrying the virus and has been working with landowners to control herds that threaten more cases of the disease, Smith said. Ag groups also came out for the bill.“A lot of ranchers are being overrun by elk, and they are fearful of a brucellosis outbreak,” said Ariel Overstreet of the Montana Cattlewomen’s Association. Jay Bodner, natural resources director for the Montana Stockgrowers Association, said he would like to see the bill move FWP toward practices like “strategic hazing,” something Smith said is not now in FWP’s disease control playbook.
  
  Opponents of the bill said they were concerned the wording of the bill could force FWP to devote a disproportionate amount of resources toward disease-control.v“This could set a precedent for managing wildlife for one particular reason,” said Ben Lamb of the Montana Wildlife federation.
  
  The bill, which carries a cost of $300,000 per year, was also the recipient of Budget Director Dave Ewer’s disapproval via form letter, which is being sent out to many hearings involving bills that cost money. Bales maintained Senate Bill 213’s importance.“The disease was spread to livestock from elk. Since the Department of Livestock has not authority over elk at this time, they cannot prevent that,” he said. “This will help. This will add the final key to trying to control disease.”
  
  While we at SportsmensAccess.com we agree that:
• There is a problem with elk carry brucellosis
• FWP is the agency that needs to deal with elk with this disease
• FWP would need additional funds from somewhere other it's normal operating budget to deal with managing this disease

We don't agree:

• That the elk should be shot by FWP officials. Why not have sportsmen on the game damage control list take these elk. Lower cost and less manpower spent by FWP.
• The point of view that ranchers "are being overrun by elk"

The two cows that we taken were shot on public land. Not on ranch lands. What do we do about these elk?

As we know large herds of elk gather on some private grounds with no access allowed. This is one of the tough issues that will need to be addressed. What do we do with large herds of elk that gather on private land where no hunting is allowed? Will FWP officials be able to "haze" elk of these properties? We stradle a fine line between private property rights and controlling a disease. No easy answer on this one.

Proposed Bill Looks to Change Hunters Ed Requirments

A Missoula lawmaker thinks Montana can bolster youth hunting by easing hunter education requirements in the state.

House Bill 382 would allow first-timers to go out with an experienced hunter instead of attending a hunter education course, which is now required for anyone born after 1984. The hunters would have to take a safety course within five years, but Rep. Robin Hamilton, D-Missoula, said his bill would allow parents and grandparents to more easily get youngsters in the family interested in field sports.The bill was heard Tuesday in the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee.

Supporters of the bill echoed Hamilton’s assertion that the bill would get more youngsters into hunting and the outdoors.But many others n including many hunter education instructors n are opposed to the plan, in part because it would allow kids of any age to participate in the program and removes hunter education requirements.
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“There’s no age determination,” said George Golie of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “Does that mean a 7-year-old can have a .30-06 out there hunting?”“This bill guts the mandatory hunter education requirements,” said Ron Moody, a hunter education instructor from Lewistown.

Hamilton and other supporters attempted to calm fears that the program would make hunting less safe.“Modern hunters are so different and consciences of safety. The data doesn't bear out those fears,” Hamilton said.

A bill resembling HB382 has passed in 27 states, Gray said.“The mentored hunter, as a block, is the safest group of hunters,” Gray said. “We’ve had no incidents that involved an apprentice hunter.”

Underpinning the bill is a decline in hunters nationwide, a decline that’s largely to blame on fewer young people getting into the sport.According to the Families Afield Coalition n a group that is promoting legislation like Hamilton’s nationwide.

Montana has a 56 percent “replacement rate” for hunters. That means for every hunter taking up the sport, about two hunters are hanging their rifles up. Steve Gray of Families Afield said in other states, the mentoring programs they’ve helped create have worked. Nationwide, 208,000 people have gotten hunting permits under the programs, Gray said. He could not say how many of those hunters would have otherwise entered the sport by other means, but said he is confident it is helping to reverse declining numbers. “This is a proactive approach to ensure hunting well into the future,” he said. Opponents challenged that hunter education requirements are impeding young people’s interest in hunting. They pointed to changes in social norms and private property concerns. “Let’s get to the heart of the problem, which is access,” said Golie. The committee did not take immediate action on the bill.

We at SportsmensAccess.com disagree with Golie's point of view. New and young hunter numbers are declining not because of lack of access but because of video games, cell phones, ipods, and kids that aren't being recruited into the sport. There is solid data showing this from a study at the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Update to the Stream Access Law from Jan 22nd

The only surviving bridge-access bill won the support of its most vocal critic in a House vote Monday, but several Southwest Montana lawmakers made up the extreme minority voting against the bill.

House Bill 190, sponsored by Rep. Kendall Van Dyk, was approved 95-5 in the House and will presumably be sent to the Senate after a final vote by representatives.

The bill seeks to put into law a Madison County judge’s ruling that people can access Montana rivers from most county bridges and puts into place a state enforcer to ensure that access.

The Montana Cattlemen’s Association, The Montana Farm Bureau, Trout Unlimited and many other groups are supporting the bill. Critics, however, say HB190 eliminates local control of bridges and could compromise private property rights.

The bill has proven to be one of the highest profile of the session thus far. One lobbyist even formed a lighthearted betting pool on what Monday’s House vote would be. HB190 makes the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks responsible for resolving conflicts. The Montana Association of Counties supports the bill as is.

Three of the five representatives who voted against the bill hail from Southwest Montana, home of the most popular fishing destinations in the state. Reps. Scott Sales and Gordon Vance, both Bozeman Republicans, joined Joel Boniek, R-Livingston in opposing the bill. Reps. Scott Mendenhall, a Clancy Republican and Lee Randall, R-Broadus, also opposed the bill. Sales, the House minority leader, said after the vote that Montana already has “tremendous access” and that this bill could enhance it “at the cost of property rights.” However, he may change his vote during the third reading of the bill, he said.Vance and Boniek both said they opposed the bill because they prefer counties oversee bridge access.

Fishing in FEB Burrrrr

Ok it was sunny when we started but as we all know does it change fast! Out on the Lower Madison on Super Bowl Sunday. Saw two other guys dumb as me to be out there fishing. No fish only one bite and froze my As%$#@(* off. Did I tell you I only had a vest on. "Forgot my jacket.

Sorry about the audio...Oh did I forget to say it was windy!