If you recall, a previous post about a certain Jonny Ward using his father Danny’s tree stand and getting a monster 7×7 non-typical buck. Well, his father Danny boy, the Cap’s dear brother, kept the ‘Ward Rep’ up to good standings by FINALLY getting his deer from his deer stand near hometown Bryant, South Dakota! To read all about Jonny’s story CLICK HERE.

I would have to say, Danny Boy god some good kudos and karma having lent his son the stand to take the bigger, better buck while fulfilling his husband duties to wife Mary. Oh, I am just kidding Uncle Dan! Great buck! Glad you got one this 2012 Montana Hunting Season!

Katie Ward, my mother, got a nice buck right in her back yard (field) outside of Sheridan, Montana.

It was just an ordinary day for Katie in the shop along side her husband filling screw holes and painting some antler chandeliers when she looks out the window and sees that buck that has been around for a couple days. She thinks to her herself ‘By golly I think that buck’s mine, all mine!”. It only took her a matter of minutes to get her rifle, get her orange vest and get out the door. The sneak was on.

She side stepped, crawled on her knees, rolled a few times in the thicket, and got to the perfect distance and place to aim by the hay bales. She was about 50 yards away, and got him in one shot! That wasn’t the only hit she made, the scope just about broke her nose! If you can see in her picture, Katie was left with quite the face wound!

Now will she take those antlers and make herself a nice new lighting fixture for her new house under construction? I bet she will!

Mother, I am proud of you! Just don’t hit yourself in the face! I am glad it didn’t affect my Thanksgiving meal!

SEAL THE DEAL!

Vacuum Sealing Systems have been around for a while but I am used to the old school way of packing my harvest.

Try out one of these great packaging systems now. Your butchered meat, burger, fish and pre-prepared meals will surprise you. Bob Wards has a full selection of Vacuum Sealing gear and bags. With Christmas coming up, this would be a great gift.

Fishing and hunting is also a great way to enjoy life. Harvesting your fish, fowl and meat is a wonderful way to feed your family and friends. I do not take any of my harvest to a butcher or processor. We have all had our ups and downs when someone else finishes what we started. Unwanted hair, scales, bone or dirt does not make for a tasty presentation. For decades, I have also double wrapped my wild game and fish using plastic wrap, baggies and freezer paper. This tried and true method was fine until now.

The whole point of freezing our food is so we can preserve our future meals. We expect them to stay fresh and flavorful. After about 3 months, our frozen bounty starts to go downhill. The longer we keep it, the worse it gets. We all know buddies that have frozen meat and fish from years ago. What an incredible waste.

Wild game is delicious! This meat is also more expensive than store bought food. If you were to add in the costs related to hunting and fishing, we would discover that it’s cheaper to just go and buy our meat and fish. But what fun would that be?

Food frozen in Vacuum Sealing Systems, extend freshness and keep food 5 times longer than other methods. I found that they are quicker to package and use than other wrapping methods. The finished labeled product also looks great.

One great surprise is using pre-made frozen meals. Preparing Biscuit gravy ahead of time is a great example. Your Vacuum Sealed biscuits and gravy can be heated in a pot of boiling water. When hot, cut open the bag and serve. The hot water can then be used for coffee or washing. Soup, meat loaf, spaghetti or any pre-made meal can be re-heated in this manner. You can be a creative and speedy cook with minimal cleanup. If you can boil water, you can serve a meal to hungry campers fast and easy.

One of my new sealed meals is Meatballs! We all love them on a sandwich, soup or pasta. Meatballs just take a long time to make. I make a big batch ahead of time and Vacuum Seal them. Re-heat using the boiling method and you are meal ready.

Montana Meatballs!

1 ½ lbs. ground meat, ¾ cup Quick Oats, 1 cup milk, 3 tbsp. finely chopped onion, 1 ½ tsp. of salt, black pepper to taste.

Combine meat and oats in a bowl. Pour in the milk. Add the onion and salt and pepper. Combine gently. Roll or scoop the mixture into golf ball size balls. I use a tray to set them on and allow them to rest in a refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.

Dredge the chilled meatballs in flour and brown in 4 tbsps. canola oil. As they brown, place them into a baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sauce;  Mix 1 cup of ketchup, 2 tbsp. sugar, 3 tbsp. vinegar, 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 6 tbsp. minced onion and a dash of Tabasco. Heat and serve for a great add on.

Now that you have a pile of Montana Meat Balls, freeze them in your Vacuum Seal Bags for later.

Even Montana Grant can learn new tricks!

Michael Frost the Captain’s nephew, son of his sister Deb, would like to share his story of his 2012 Montana Hunting Season Elk. Michael is in the middle of the main image above. Read his story below:

It was the last weekend of the 2012 elk-hunting season in Montana. I had hiked almost 320 miles looking for an elk to fill my non-resident license. My roommate Jack Mueller from Ennis, my friend Greg Schenk from Whitehall, and myself decided to give it one last effort to fill our elk tags.

 On Friday afternoon, we prepared to hike deep into an area where we had heard that there were multiple bulls moving through. We dropped one truck at the bottom of a drainage coming out of the Gravelly Mountains, and then we drove another truck up as high as we could get and headed out. We had our sleeping bags, tents, and enough food to last for three days and two nights. Then, we started our hike into the mountains until we cut a set of tracks or saw an elk.

About a half hour before dark, I caught up to two bull elk following their tracks through the snow. Jack and Greg were in a clearing a short distance behind me. The first bull I saw moved behind some brush right after I saw him, and did not present me with a shot.

 Then I saw the second bull moving down from the left, so I held on the opening where he would walk through and pulled the trigger, my shot was on target, but the bull kept on moving. I followed the bull over a small rise and to my surprise saw both bulls standing there. I shot at my bull two more times until he dropped, ensuring he did not run off.  That night, we field dressed my bull and set up camp on the ridge.

The next morning, Jack and Greg went hunting while I worked on sliding my bull down to the meadow and packing it out. We were five miles from the bottom truck. Sliding this bull down the timbered hillside proved to be harder than I expected. About halfway down, I decided to cut the bull in half, put the straps and loins in my pack, and strap the head to my backpack with all of my camping gear and rifle. Then I slid two halves down the hill. Our plan was to meet at the trail intersection at the end of the ridge where we were camped.  

 I took the first load out to this intersection and ran into Jack as he was following some bull tracks that would eventually lead him to the top of the ridge where his truck was. I continued hiking out to my truck and later on met up with Jack again. As Jack and I hike during the day either one of us had not come across Greg. At about 3:30 in the afternoon, Jack and I headed back into the drainage to find Greg and possibly go get some quarters off the elk.

 We still did not run into Greg, and instead of going to my elk we decided we would back to the truck wait until Greg got there. When returned to the truck Greg was also there. It turns out that he  had followed bull tracks to the area where my elk was laying and decided to quarter it , and pack out one of the quarters. 

 On Sunday, we packed back in to get the remaining three quarters of my elk. It was a great weekend hunt for me, thanks to Jack and Greg, and a end of a hard but fun season of hunting.

Benjamin Franklin said it best when he said “He that can have patience can have what he will.”

Montana’s 2012 general rifle season began on October 20th and ended on November 25th, and a lot of hunters were still on a mission to find their deer during the last week.

Cameron Moline, of Lewiston, Montana, was one of those hunters and scored a nice mule deer buck right before the season ended.  The saying “good things come to those who wait” rang true for this Montana hunter.

Congratulations to Cameron for filling his freezer and shooting a nice buck–Excellent work!

The numbers are in.  As of today, January 10, 2013, there have been 146 wolves harvested in Montana, with 37 of that number coming from trapping.

Check out the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks hunting area map and harvest location chart by clicking the thumbnails below:

For more information on Montana’s wolf hunting and trapping seasons, click here.

Two Montana hunters, Jeff and Jerry, were deer hunting in the Lolo area, near Elk Meadows, during the 2012 hunting season.  Jeff was thrilled to see a deer run through the brush close to where they were.

Just as Jeff sighted in on the deer, and was about to pull the trigger, a wolf ran up right behind it!  Jerry, without hesitation, shot the wolf.

Even though Jeff didn’t get his deer that day, Jerry was able to do his part in helping to manage the growing wolf population.  The wolf weighed in at a healthy 110 pounds.

This is an example of why it’s a good idea to buy a wolf tag, even if you don’t plan on wolf hunting.  You just never know when you are going to see one.

What a story!

The time is ripe to site in the range says Bill Brown of Bob Wards. Bear and turkey season is right around the corner. There is always something to look forward to when seasons are changing in the Montana outdoors. Speaking of changing seasons, the ice is starting to get thin out there and we cannot repeat enough to be careful out there.

On the other hand, White Sulpher Springs Martindale still has excellent ice and is doing quite well. To get the full ice fishing report CLICK HERE.

Wolf season closes on February 28^th, you can now take up to three wolves and for one seventh the price for a license! To read the full details on this new wolf management bill CLICK HERE.  So get out there and get your third and increase the harvest number that is reported this week at 200 this season. CLICK HERE to get the full detailed Montana wolf harvest numbers.

The top post this week on MontanaOutdoor.com is a video of “Perch Jerkin – Northern Exposure Style”  – It will make you want to get off your computer and get out on the ice and start jerkin’! CLICK HERE to watch this video.

Another popular post this week was of a Russian parking lot taking over by wolves! Everyone heard about the meteor hitting in Russia, they just can’t catch a break! CLICK HERE to watch this video.

Congratulations to James Semans of Butte and Jordan Knudsen of Alberton! They were the latest winners on the Kendall Four Seasons Subaru statewide trivia. Cory Patterson of Butte was our Montana Club ski pass winner this week, congrats! Be sure to tune in to the Montana Outdoor Radio Show for your chance to win every Saturday morning.

Are you planning on skiing or snowboarding this week? Check out the new MORS SKI REPORT PAGE, you can find all the latest snow reports from the Montana ski resorts near you. I know Moonlight Basin Resort and Big Sky Resort got 7 inches of fresh powder overnight so I will be seeing you up there!

We want to continue expanding the MORS community. Be sure to “LIKE” US FACEBOOK and we promise to keep your news feed filled with all the latest outdoor news!

Have a great week!

-’Camo’ Kelsey

April is the month where many of us start to enjoy both hunting and fishing.  Hunting opportunities start with Spring Turkey season, which opens April 13^th, and Spring Bear season that will open April 15^th.

The outlook for turkey season is good and the outlook for bear season will be more apparent when the bears start to come out, which is normally closer to May first.  The local NRA banquet in Missoula will take place this Friday April 5 at the Doubletree Edgewater.  Ticket prices are $40 and can be purchased by contacting Tod Harrison at 406-214-1343. “Last year we had close to 300 attend and we are looking at maybe over that number this year”, said Harrison.

The nice spring weather has fishing reports looking up on the local rivers.  The fishing report on Grizzly Hackle’s web site looked like this for Rock Creek, “A good option all over the creek now with stonefly nymphs sizes 8 thru 12, streamers, red collared prince nymphs all sizes, rubber legs, bead head 20 inchers, olive hares ear, all these in 10 and 12.

The upper end of Rock Creek is a great option right now.  It’s a bit of a longer drive going up through P-burg, but it’s worth the drive.  The fishing report from rcmerc.com for Rock Creek suggest using olive stoneflies on the creek. The Kingfisher fly fishing report for the Blackfoot River, as of Monday, read like this, “The bugs are out and about in greater numbers with the warm-up and the fishing up here reflects that. Caddis and March Browns are taking the most fish for us on top, but the past few days have been streamer happiness for all you depth charge droppers”. If the river continues to rise try the streamers if it falls the dry flies will kick into action. On the Bitterroot River, the skwalas are out and so are the boats.  So, make sure you practice your best river etiquette while on the water.

Lake fishing reports keep coming with the spring like conditions.  Browns Lake still has ice, but, with the warmer weather, shore anglers might be able to start fishing as the ice moves away from the banks of the lake. At Holter Reservoir, they are using the lower BLM campground boat ramp as well as the Log Gulch campground boat ramp.

As of this past Monday, there were reports of ice still around the Oxbow Bend area of the reservoir, but by the time you read this column the ice more than likely will be off the entire lake. The anglers that have been trolling on Holter are catching trout and the shore anglers by the boat ramps are also starting to catch the trout that are cruising in to spawn.

Dick Zimmer, the Macman from Zimmer Tackle, reported earlier this week that boat anglers were out on east Polson bay on Flathead Lake and they were catching perch. “There is no word on the size and the number of perch that are being caught but there were a lot of boats fishing”, said Zimmer. If the perch are biting now, it should only get better.

Montana’s annual youth-only deer hunt—set for Oct 17-18—will come a week earlier this year.

The two-day special season is open to youngsters ages 12 to 15 who’ve passed a hunter safety course. Additionally, 11-year-olds who passed hunter safety may hunt if they’ll be 12 by Jan. 16, 2014.

“There’s been some confusion this year due to the scheduling of the statewide teachers’ convention,” said Ron Aasheim, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks spokesman in Helena.

The youth hunt is always scheduled during the public schools’ two-day vacation in October, which is scheduled for Oct. 17-18 this year.

“The teachers’ convention usually falls on the Thursday and Friday just before the general season opener, but this year it’s a full week before the big game season opens on Oct. 26,” Aasheim said.

That also puts youth rifle hunters in the field during the final days of Montana’s archery season.

“Archers and our young hunters need to be aware of the overlapping seasons and plan accordingly,” Aasheim said.

Young hunters must wear hunter orange and follow all hunting district regulations, which may limit them to certain species or require a special permit.

To participate, youth hunters must be accompanied by an adult who must also wear hunter orange. The adult is not allowed to hunt during the youth-only deer hunt and should not carry a hunting rifle.

“This is the fourth year for the youth-only deer hunt,” Aasheim said. “It has proven to be a good opportunity to introduce kids to hunting. This year, remember the hunt is set for Oct. 17-18 and remember that archers may also be in the area looking for deer, so be extra careful.”

(Report by Montana FWP; Cover photo: miaanstine.com)

November is upon us and the time is falling back.  With the the time change comes other opportunities to hunt big game and bison season is fast approaching.  The season is set to begin November 15 near Yellowstone National Park, with 7,834 applicants only a certain number of people will be able to harvest one of the biggest animals around the state.

The permit is either sex, with the majority of permits going to residents here in Montana, although two non residents have received permits.  The state set aside 16 licenses for Montana Indian tribes but only 10 were taken. The following six were awarded in this years drawing.

Montana’s bison hunt is set to open Nov. 15 in areas in southwestern Montana near Yellowstone National Park.

The annual hunt attracted 7,834 individual applicants for a limited number of either-sex bison licenses. Thirty-two residents and two nonresidents were successful in the drawing. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks will monitor the amount of bison migrating in and out of the park to determine if each tag can be filled.  If there are enough bison migrating in and out of the park all the tags issued will have an opportunity to be filled.  The season end February 15, 2013.  Good luck out there.

See Montana FWP’s report below on a Great Falls mule deer poaching case:

Two Great Falls men have pleaded guilty to shooting four mule deer last February south of town.

Myles McKay, 22, was convicted of four counts of hunting during a closed season, and four counts of waste of game.

McKay was fined $5,480 for the eight charges and must pay $1,200 restitution. He also lost his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for four years.

Richard Carroll, 25, pleaded guilty to hunting during a closed season, and one count of waste of game. He was fined $335 for the closed season charge and $535 for waste of game. He will also lose his privileges for two years.

The case began Feb. 20 with a Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden patrolling Boston Coulee Road south of Great Falls and finding four dead mule deer: three does and a small buck.

Nothing was taken; the deer were just shot and left.

When the crime was publicized, the Great Falls Police Department notified FWP about a possible connection to a nonrelated criminal investigation.

Additional evidence came through a call to 1-800-TIPMONT, leading to a $500 reward for the caller.

Snow Safety – Traveling in the Backcountry

When ever we head out into the backcountry we are always getting out for good reasons. Whether it is for hunting, fishing, skiing, or just out to bag a peak we need to think about snow safety.  The last thing that we want to have happen is for someone to get injured where there is no help nearby.

Many situations could be avoided all together if the proper precautions were taken.  Winter storms warnings are predicted toward the end of the week and could produce substantial snow in the mountains.  It only takes a small amount of snow before it can take you for the ride of your life.

Knowing some basic information is important, here are a few pointers to keep in mind when traveling in the backcountry:

•  Slope Angle is the most important factor to consider.  As the slope increases so does the stress exerted on the bonded snow. Most avalanches are produced on 35- 40 degree slopes
• Slope Aspect relative to wind direction and sun exposure. Wind is a major factor in transporting snow, creating wind slabs.
• Terrain Roughness such as boulders trees and ledges act as anchors and can help hold the snow in place.
• Weather : These factors contribute to unstable snowpack
• Heavy amount of new snow
• Strong Winds
• Warm Temperatures
• Rain

Remember the best thing about a trip is being able to tell you buddies about the great times that you had on your adventures.  Make sure you are able to tell them your stories by keeping these pointers in mind when out in the backcountry.  Also check your local avalanche center for updates on the existing conditions.  Here in Bozeman it’s the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center at

Stay safe and have fun

Burke Ranch Outfitters, of Glasgow, Montana, helped hunter clients Gene and Scott get a couple of nice bulls from the Larb Hills last week.  Congratulations on these awesome bulls!

Another Burke Ranch Outfitters client, Dino, got his monster mule deer buck last week, too.  Beautiful buck, Dino!

Burke Ranch Outfitters also is proud to boast a picture of their relative, Carla, and her mule deer buck that she got in Bear Creek on Fort Peck Lake.  Although she did not get this buck as a client with Burke Ranch Outfitters, they are just as proud to show that successful hunting runs in their family!

Burke Ranch Outfitters can help you get your trophy elk, mule deer, whitetail and/or antelope during archery and/or rifle season.  They have several price and hunt options to choose from and also offer full-service hunts that include three meals a day, lodging, game retrieval and transportation from Glasgow.

If you are interested in planning a hunt with Burke Ranch Outfitters, please visit their website at www.burkeranchoutfitters.com and find them on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Ray Round from Missoula sent this picture of his friend Mick Bradway from Anchorage Alaska formerly from Townsend Montana.

Mick shot this nice Montana bull on opening weekend. The weather for the most part has been nice since the opening of Montana’s General Rifle Season for Deer and Elk and hunters are having some good success filling their tags.

We are at the end of the third week of big game season and elk and white-tail deer harvest numbers are above average. Mule deer are below average, especially the buck harvest outcome so far.

John Peterson of H and H Meats in Missoula told montanaoutdoor.com that his business is the best its been in a few years, especially with elk, backing up these calculations.

 Where?

Twin Bridges High School Gym

When?

November 28th from 6-9pm

For Who?

Residents

Landowners

Sportsmen

What will be covered?

Specifically, FWP wants to alert those in the Dillon, Sheridan, Ennis, and Twin Bridges about its intention to perform elk capture efforts in the southern Pioneers this winter, then the southern Tobacco Roots in the winter of 2013-2014.

The meeting will also serve to address questions and concerns about the project and include a discussion about the efforts and recommendations of the Elk Brucellosis Working Group. The Working Group – made up of 12 citizens representing diverse interests – worked collaboratively to devise several proposals meant to address brucellosis and elk management.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is in the midst of a multi-year study to evaluate the presence of brucellosis among elk in southwestern Montana and improve understanding of how elk herds interact. In January of this year, crews captured and tested 130 cow elk (30 were captured south of Bannack, 93 were captured southeast of Dillon, and 7 elk that were part of last year’s operation were recaptured near the Blacktail Wildlife Management Area).

In the course of this study, elk that are shown to be positive for exposure to brucellosis are fitted with GPS collars, and if pregnant they are implanted with radio devices which are expelled upon birth or abortion events. This information allows FWP to evaluate the risk of brucellosis transmission. Additional GPS collars are placed on animals that test negative for exposure to the disease to improve understanding of movements and interaction with adjoining herds. Any elk that test positive for exposure to brucellosis for five years will be removed from the population.

Source : http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/fishAndWildlife/nr_0469.html

Archery season, in the Bitterroot valley, where this whitetail was taken, began September 1st and ended October 14th.  That was just enough time for this area resident to have a successful 2012 archery season.

Tony Jones, who works in sales at Industrial Lumber in Hamilton, snagged this massive whitetail with his bow in the river bottom in Corvallis this year.  He got a special archery-only tag that allows him to harvest either sex deer only on the river bottom.

This monster deer may not be his first buck, but I bet he is one of his biggest!  Way to go, Tony!

Deer and Elk Harvest Steady in Northwest Montana

At the six northwest Montana check stations through Sunday, November 11, a total of 11,094 hunters checked 425 white-tailed deer (368 of these were bucks), 64 mule deer, and  58 elk for a 4.9 percent rate of hunters with game.  Harvest was up as compared to last year when 4.2 percent of hunters checked game.  The number of whitetail bucks checked is up 25 percent, mule deer numbers are up 23 percent, and elk are down 9 percent as compared to last year’s check station results at the same point in the season. Hunter numbers are down six percent.

The counts at the six northwest Montana check stations represent a sampling of the harvest and do not represent the complete number of animals taken.

Hunters are reminded that it is buck-only for whitetails in northwest Montana. Antlerless whitetails remain legal game for youth 12-15 years of age (and some qualifying 11-year olds, see regulations).  Mule deer are buck-only for the entire season.  Elk are brow-tine bull only.  Spike bull elk are not legal game for any hunter in Region One.  Hunters should refer to the hunting regulations for the hunting district they plan to hunt.

Wolf Harvest:  Hunters have taken 17 wolves in Region One to date.  Statewide, hunters have taken 55 wolves in total. This is a complete count of the number of wolves taken as of November 13.

Long time friend Scott Hickey  a Missoula native who now resides in Bozeman (still a Griz) had quite the pheasant victory and we thought it was worth a share.

Here is his story:

This was an early season bird shot down on the lower madison. It was about 1pm and found him by the river. Scotty spooked him and saw nothing but big old birds and one hen. As he approached him from 20 yards ahead he then eventually ran up on him and flushed him.

Once he got up it was a going away left to right shot.  It was a shame I shot the tail feathers off. Thanks to Kjel Olson lending Scott his shotgun it was all possible.

For the first time in many years you can now shoot a half hour before sunrise on the Flathead Indian Reservation. In previous years shooting time was at sunrise, this is good news for Montana Hunters.

This new rule applies to Migratory Waterfowl, Pheasant and Gray Partridge.

Hunters who wish to pursue mountain lions must purchase the license at least 5 days prior to hunting.

Within region 2 mountain lion hunting opportunities are likely to be available starting February 1, 2015 with open quotas in much of the region.

A General Lion License purchased after August 31 may not be used until five days after the license is issued. This license may be purchased at FWP offices, at License Providers or online.

Late Winter Season is Feb 01 – Apr 14 in Region 2 for General Lion License holders and it’s a great time to pursue these elusive animals with hounds or predator calls.

Even though the 2014 Mountain Lion season extends into the 2015 license year, the deadline to purchase 2014 licenses is February 28, 2015.

If you put in for a Big Game application that was due June 1st, see if you were successfull by entering your ALS number below or click here.

Closures are coming for mountain lions (unit 560) and bobcats (Region 5) this weekend (Feb 3 & 4 2018) Here are the details:

Hunting District Restrictions, Closures & Reopenings

Mountain Lion

The hunting of all mountain lions in south-central Montana hunting district 560, which includes portions of Park and Sweet Grass counties, will close at one-half hour after sunset on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018.
The closure notice for the hunt came shortly after Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials received word that the pre-established harvest quota for the district had been met.

Bobcat

By order of the Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission, the season for taking bobcats in Trapping District 5 in southcentral Montana will close at midnight on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018.
The district includes portions of Big Horn, Carbon, Fergus, Golden Valley, Meagher, Musselshell, Park, Petroleum, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Treasure, Wheatland and Yellowstone counties.

For more information, visit FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov , click on “Hunting” then choose “Drawing & Quota Status”, or call the toll-free number at 1-800-385-7826.

(These closures originated via a news release by the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks at fwp.mt.gov)

SeptemBER is here. With it comes many things and an introduction to the next 3 “BERs”. OctoBER, NovemBER, and DecemBER! Are you feeling cold yet? BURRRR!!!

With each “BER” month comes colder temperatures, shorter days, no lawn watering, no gardening, frosty mornings, and snow in the mountains. It also means hunting season, less crowded fishing, fewer tourists, and did I mention hunting season?

The thing many of us hate about the “BER” months is less sunlight. The vitamin D we get from sunlight is essential to energy and good health. It seems like more sickness comes with more darkness. No one enjoys going to work and coming home in the dark.

Getting up early to hunt is hard for many of us. We all enjoy the later sunrises once we are up and have a cup of coffee. Many folks miss the sunrises and sleep as long as possible. Dinner in the dark is less fun. We will miss meals on the deck and outdoors.

Fishing until 10 pm is wonderful during the summer. Sunrise at 5am is also fun. It seems like our lives last longer in the non- “BER” months. We get so much more accomplished with more daylight.

Ice fishing begins, and hunting season ends in the “BER” months. Skiers love the “BER” months and wish every month was as “BERtiful”. Ice fishing is fun and winter sports are enjoyed by many. Cleaning up dog poop ends up on hold until the snow melts.

Hopefully, this won’t be a winter to rememBER. A little snow is nice but too cold is too “BER”.

I can’t wait until SPRING “BER”gins.

Montana Grant

For more Montana Grant, he will be staying warm at www.montanagrantfishing.com.

No TAG SOUP for the Kamp Cook Kitchen. After a season full of adventure, Katie Johnson bagged her first deer. And it is going to be a tough one to beat.

Katie took advantage of Governor Bullock’s COVID 19 restrictions. Which allowed all hunters education courses to be conducted, with no charge, online. The pandemic allowed potential hunters to complete their education online, minus the in person field course. Over the course of a month, Katie studied and completed both her hunters ed and bowhunters education curriculum. This opened the doors to a bunch of opportunities for adventure this fall in Montana.

Katie drew an antelope tag in region 5. That resulted in her first big game hunting experience, trying to survive 100 degree temperatures sitting on a water hole with archery equipment. After that failed attempt, Katie tried her luck at hunting the elk rut in western Montana. Katie was the first to spot elk, even after more seasoned hunters failed to find them. With no luck bagging a bull, Katie turned to rifle hunting her antelope. “Buck fever” was the culprit for a handful of near misses on that trip, but definitely an exciting and memory filled hunt. Soon, after that, Katie tried her luck at bowhunting river bottom whitetail in the Bitterroot. After yet another near miss on a doe with archery equipment, it was clear that she was determined to bag a critter before the end of the 2020 big game season.

Katie made the trip to region 4, in the heart of the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Her goal was to fill either her elk tag or her general deer tag. She was not going to be picky on either. As long as it was legal and resulted in putting meat on the table. After searching for days for a legal buck, she stumbled upon a mature mule deer with his heart and mind on more important things than survival.

Katie was not going to let buck fever get the best of her this time. Her fails leading up to this moment had taught her a lot about big game hunting. She knew she needed to stay calm and focus on making an ethical kill. Her first shot fell 5 inches back from her mark, and though fatal required another shot. She placed a perfectly placed shot, tucked in behind the buck’s shoulder. After a tear filled celebration, Katie truly earned her first kill with a short pack out.

Here is to all the successful hunters and huntresses of the 2020 season.