Montana Hunting & Fishing News - March 2017

HUNTING & FISHING Montana

News

March 2017

Spring Bear Outlook 5 Montana Rivers for Early Season Trout

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4 - Hunting & Fishing News

5 Great Rivers For Spring Fishing In Montana During March, April and May

By Brian McGeehan

Montana Angler www.montanaangler.com or phone 406-522-9854

E arly Spring (late March thru early May) is the most underrated time of year to fish in Montana. The trout are hungry after a long winter and have not seen a fly in months.

Low water levels have fish concentrated in specific areas and crowds are sparse.

While visiting anglers have discovered our fabulous fall fishing, spring remains very quiet and presents a great opportunity for anglers. While the weather is certainly a crap-shoot, it can be absolutely gorgeous and the fishing is usually good enough that putting up with a little bad weather is completely worth it. The nice thing about early spring in Montana is that we have a myriad of options. Freestone rivers will be on fire as they begin to warm, but can mud up for a few days as the low elevation snowpack begins to melt. If this happens, we have tailwaters and spring creeks to turn to, so there will always be something that is fishing great. Let’s take a look at 5 top options for early spring fishing.

1. Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone River is a prime option during spring when water and weather conditions cooperate. My favorite thing about the Yellowstone this time of year is the opportunity to fish streamers, nymphs, and dries all on the same float. Nymphing with stoneflies and small beadheads seems to always produce, and hatches of Blue Winged Olives and March Browns can draw fish to the surface. Spring is also a prime time to tie on a big streamer and swing for the fences. While the Fall is thought of as the time to target big fish, as many if not more trophies are landed each spring. I like to slow down my retrieve and use a heavier sink tip in the spring, as water temperatures are still cold, limiting the trouts willingness to chase a fly.

Montana spring fishing on DePuy Spring Creek.

During the spring, most fishing on the Yellowstone is going to take place around the town of Livingston and in the lower reaches of Paradise Valley. The Shields River is muddy for most of the spring, impacting the river downstream of Livingston. The upper reaches of Paradise Valley can be very slow going at such low water levels, so most anglers target the lower part of the valley where the current picks up a bit. Expect to catch plenty of Rainbows in the 13”-16” range, with a few Cutthroats and Whitefish thrown in.

The prize on the Yellowstone is a big Brown Trout, and fish north of 25” are taken each year. On a freestone river like the ‘Stone, this is a true trophy and it is comforting to know that you have a shot at such a magnificent fish.

When clear, the Yellowstone can be a dynamite spring option.

2. Paradise Valley Spring Creeks

If the Yellowstone River is muddy or you want to do some wade fishing, then the world famous spring creeks just south of Livingston, MT are a great bet. DePuy’s, Armstrong’s, and Nelson’s all offer red hot fishing during the spring. While these spring creeks are packed with fish year round, Rainbows and Cutthroats move in from the Yellowstone to spawn during the spring. While fish that are actively spawning should be left alone, pre and post spawn fish take flies readily, giving the angler a shot at large trout that spend most of the year out in the ‘Stone. These spring creeks are subject to daily rod fees, which are at the lowest rate before April 15th, another reason to fish Montana in the early spring.

The spring creeks offer good opportunities for both nymphing and dry fly fishing. Blue Winged Olives and Midges are the predominant hatches,

and come off best on cloudy days. There will be a window in the afternoon for dry flies even on sunny days. Come prepared with a variety of midge patterns and Beatis patterns for each stage of the hatch.

I find that emergers often outfish dun patterns, and I usually set up my rig with a BWO emerger trailing about 14” behind a Parachute BWO.

With consistent flows 365 days a year, the spring creeks around Livingston are always a good bet.

Nymphing will be the mainstay when there are no bugs hatching and is most effective in the riffles and choppy runs. I like to use a scud, sowbug, or San Juan Worm as my point fly and a midge or Baetis nymph as the dropper. Drab, generic patterns like a Zebra Midge or RS-2 will take fish 365 days a year on the creeks. Small yarn indicators work well here, as the takes are often very subtle. These fish live in a food factory and do not need to move very far to have a meal. Carry split shot in a variety of small sizes and adjust often, as each run is different and your presentation needs to be precise. (continued on page 12) March 2017

5

Trail Cameras For Scouting All Seasons

By Mark Kayser

Y our truck battery might be groaning a bit more on these cold mornings after this long, energy-exhausting winter. The same could be true of your trail camera batteries. What’s that? You pulled your trail cameras just before the fall season due to Montana law and haven’t put them back out?

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There’s no question that Montana has one of the most restrictive regulations regarding trail camera usage by having to remove them from the field before hunting season. But hunting season doesn’t cover the entire year, especially the upcoming warm-weather months. During the months when hunting seasons aren’t in play your trail cameras should be scouting for you.

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As a reminder, here’s the way Montana law reads verbatim.

“Motion-Tracking Devices and/or Camera Devices. It is illegal for a person to possess or use in the field any electronic or camera device whose purpose is to scout the location of game animals or relay the information on a game animal’s location or movement during any Commission-adopted hunting season.”

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6 - Hunting & Fishing News

Trail camera technology continues to evolve. If your camera is more than five years old you may want to consider an upgrade. First, snoop the online review section of gear forums and sporting goods outlets...for evaluation on different models of trail cameras...As you review additional options look for reports of cameras that are rugged, have fast trigger speeds, wide detection zones, don’t require babysitting and most importantly, are affordable. Infrared minimizes intrusiveness and video may feed your entertainment addiction. Great units at a great price equal more eyes on your hunting property to capture as many images as possible.

You knew it was going to happen and it has. If your billfold bulges then the best way to monitor trail cameras is with a live feed via trail cameras that send images to your smartphone or PC. Several companies now market models that zip images and video straight to you regardless of your location. Bushnell’s Trophy Cam HD Wireless meets this demand and you can get the same from Covert and Moultrie (www.moultriefeeders.com) models. Some even allow you to adjust camera settings remotely.

Once you have as many cameras as your budget allows load them with long-lasting lithium batteries and the highest allowable SD memory card

your unit will handle. Many now accept 32 GB cards and if you forgo the video you should be able to stack hundreds of images on the card unless you set it up on a deer freeway. If your unit sends images straight to your screen then memory cards may be a thing of the past.

Once you have several locations in mind it’s time to get cameras in the field. You can use trail cameras in nearly all scouting applications for species as varied as wild turkeys, coyotes, wolves and bears. Of course big game scouting throughout the spring and summer is a must as they develop travel patterns and antler size.

There are two schools of thought in camera position: high and low.

Most camera experts stress to position units so animals are at face level with it. This works, but for predators, turkeys and other short game you have to think low. An average whitetail measures approximately 3 feet at the shoulder whereas a coyote is a full foot or more shorter. In most cases you’ll have to lower your camera setups or move them farther back if you want full-body images.

While scouting a new area for Montana elk I set up a trail camera for summer surveillance over a waterhole. I would have bet $1,000 that the elk would pound the waterhole due to its hidden, off-the-road location.

When I returned nearly two months later to check it before elk season, I was stunned. There wasn’t a single elk image on the memory card.

All wasn’t lost though. Inventorying the images revealed several snapshots of a mature mule deer and apparently the waterhole was a coyote meeting spot. I changed my elk hunting plan for the area, but noted the mule deer activity and for sure made plans to come back when the furs were prime for a coyote face-to-face.

Get more hunting strategies from Mark at www.markkayser.com

Many avid trail camera users have moved to higher setups with cameras angled downward. This puts the camera out of the field-of-view of most animals, but still allows the capture zone to activate and trigger the camera.

And since you’re focusing on an area at a downward angle you won’t have to worry about getting the feet of a gangly moose. You’ll capture both moose and Merriam’s snapshots. An added bonus is keeping the camera out of the field of view of nearly every predator except a mountain lion that could climb up on the same limb as the camera is secured.

If you set up for trail coverage also consider a 45-degree angle of the pathway instead of a broadside setting. You gain a larger trigger area with more potential to capture fleet-footed beasts.

If the area sports lots of grass, limbs and shrubs be sure to trim any in front of the camera. Wind could cause them to sway and trigger thousands of images in no time at all. You may also want to dial down the sensitivity to help with this memory-eating issue. You can then use the trimmed brush to hide the camera.

Mark Kayser placing trail camera for scouting. ©Mark Kayser March 2017

7

TECHNOLOGY AND HUNTING — WHEN DO ADVANCEMENTS GO TOO FAR?

By Josh Kirchner

Originally published at

www.goHUNT.com

I

will be the first one to say that I love my hunting gear. Whether it is backpacks, boots, bows, optics or tents— I am into it and love trying out the newest advancements that are available. The anticipation of a new line of bows coming out is similar to the unveiling of a new smartphone: I drink the punch and take it down in big gulps.

Anything that we can do to make us more efficient in the field is usually in most hunters’ best interest.

Every year new gear is announced that will aid our pursuits in the mountains and every year we take advantage of it. The truth is that hunting is hard. Why wouldn’t you want to improve your chances? When I was a kid, I didn’t even know that things like rangefinders existed. Now, I don’t know how I could go on a hunt without one.

Some might say that is me using a rangefinder as a crutch to compensate for judging yardage.

Others might say that is me trying to get the most ethical kill I can.

EVOLUTION OF THE HUNTER

As with anything in life, progression is always imminent. The more we fail in the field, the more ideas we come up with for how not to do so again.

That is only natural. We live and learn, which is healthy. I think it’s safe to say that all hunters want to find success, whether that is in experience or notching a tag. While I’m grateful for the gear that we have these days, I often think about how hunters got it done without all of the gadgets we have today. Native Americans were as skilled as they come when it comes to archery hunting and getting close to animals. I can guarantee you that they weren’t walking around with compound bows that spit arrows over 300 fps and crystal clear optics. They worked with what they had and they ate.

How is it that with all of our advancements we still have a hard time filling the freezer? It makes you realize just how skilled hunters of the past really were.

However, those were different times. Since then, we’ve adapted to what we have available to us as did they.

When I imagine someone from the distant past hunting, I imagine a life and death situation. Back when there weren’t any grocery stores with pre-packaged meat conveniently placed for the taking, hunting was life. If you killed, you had meat. If you didn’t, then you didn’t. It has been said that these early days of hunting are actually where human intellect began its development. People had to figure out how to successfully ambush large herds of animals and selectively pick out which animals in the group to harvest. They often did this from trees and struck animals from above with spears. A lot hasn’t changed since then except that now we do it with bows. No trees? Time for spot and stalk hunting.

Today we have huge optics and radios to help us in that area. Hunters of the past did things like wearing animal skins and crawling toward their quarry in order to disguise their approach and get within striking distance. Seeing another animal was normal for other animals. Our ancestors figured this out and capitalized on it. Both of these are games that we continue to play today. Yet, since then, we have been progressing as hunters, trying to be as efficient as we can. From atlatl to compound bow, it’s been a long road, and I can assure you that it isn’t over.

8 - Hunting & Fishing News

THE FORTUNATE SIDE TO TECHNOLOGY

The leaps and bounds that hunting gear has made, in terms of technology, is just mind blowing.

Thinking about how bows were just a mere 10 years ago and how they are now makes my jaw drop. Between the crazy speeds, smooth draw cycles, and absence of hand shock, we are basically comparing a modern day Ferrari to an old school VW bus.

Not too long ago, I switched from shooting a bow over 10 years old to an updated model with all of the goodies of present day. With the old bow, I would struggle with 40 yard shots. Once I got the new one, I was shooting 60 yards easily and proficiently. Now, I practice out to 100 yards as often as I can. Because of technology, shooting our bows over 100 yards accurately is more than within our grasp. Of course, that doesn’t mean that everyone should try to fill their tags at that distance (which is a different discussion entirely) but I think you get my the point.

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How about trail cameras? When I first heard of a trail camera about 20 years ago I immediately dismissed the idea and thought it was “cheating.” I was an opinionated 10-year-old that had all of the answers.

Now, 20 years later, I love running trail cameras. The anticipation and process of checking a SD card has almost become ritualistic to me.

Knowing what is walking around the areas where I hunt when I’m not there is fascinating. Trail cameras have made it more possible to keep track of certain animals. Did they make it through hunting season?

How big is this buck going to be this year? Looks like a new bear is in my area. This is huge when it comes to helping hunters with scouting.

Most of us live a pretty busy life and cannot be out in the mountains every single day watching critters. Trail cameras definitely aid us in that department. Even better, today we have trail cameras that enable us to not even step foot in the woods to check them. Pictures are sent directly from the trail camera to our smartphones.

On a general technological level, the way we consume media has completely changed. I remember growing up and watching Primos Hunting DVDs along with all of the hunting shows on the TV networks. While I loved every minute of that, we are definitely in a new era with the internet.

More and more folks are picking up video cameras and starting websites of their own and a lot of them are doing a great job. Having all of these videos and articles at our fingertips is really helping to shorten the learning curve with hunting or anything else for that matter. This is a good thing, especially for people new to hunting. Think about how much more efficient you might have been, had you had access to endless amounts of knowledge. (continued on page 10)

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HELLO SPRING BIG

TECHNOLOGY AND HUNTING (continued from page 9)

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For me, it’s sad to say this, but I do think there is an unfortunate side to these jumps in technology. Like any story, there are two sides and both deserve an ear. I think that acknowledging this is a good thing and, hopefully, will help folks in the long run.

Instant gratification has become synonymous with daily existence.

I can sit on my couch and do all of my Christmas shopping right from my phone or laptop. The only time I will have to leave the couch is to go pick up the boxes once they arrive in the mail. If I don’t know how to do something, I can Google it. We have endless amounts of online resources at our fingertips only seconds away. I’m not going to lie.

If hunting was that easy I probably wouldn’t be as love struck as I am with it. Hunting is hard work and no amount of technology is going to replace good woodsmanship, in my opinion. Trail cameras will never substitute actual on the ground scouting for me even though I love running cameras. In my experience, a lot of the adventure that comes with hunting comes from struggle and, with struggle, comes knowledge and progression as a hunter. I don’t want to just go out and kill a big buck. I want to know how to kill a big buck. While technology can aid in the “how,” you are the only one that is going to notch your tag.

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More and more people are getting into long range shooting either with a bow or a rifle. It’s fun and addicting to watch an arrow sail into the bullseye from 100 yards away or hear your bullet hit a gong at 1,000 yards.

New and improved sights and scopes make achieving these feats very possible even for the amateur shooter. In the right hands, killing an elk at 1,000 yards is achievable. The key part of that sentence is, “in the right hands.” I might catch some flack for this, but just because you can shoot long range in a controlled environment doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea in a hunting situation. What I mean is that our gear has no doubt surpassed most of us in ability and might have a tendency to give confidence where confidence isn’t quite deserved.

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Again, someone could bring up ethics and how far is too far? Your expensive scope isn’t going to control your adrenaline. Our shiny new sights with more adjustments than a chiropractic office isn’t going to make sure that a deer doesn’t jump the string. This stuff is on us and solely on us. It’s our responsibility to hone our skills, not depend on our gears to do that.

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Photo: Brady Miller

A few years ago Brady Miller came across this device at a hunting trade show that allows a hunter to track animals after an archery shot.

This is one of those devices that potentially steps on the line of too much technology. Could you imagine how many more long range shots that could be taken because all you need to do is hit the animal and then you could track it...

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A few of the items listed below get a lot of heat from the hunting community.

Some for good reason, others might just get flack because it’s added technology.

Drones Shot tracking devices Lighted nocks Precision guided rifles Radios GPS units Bow mounted rangefinders Cell phone apps

COMING BACK FULL CIRCLE

It is no doubt an exciting time to be a hunter. We have so many tools at our disposal that give us every advantage we can muster. Whether it’s scouting from Google Earth on your computer, enjoying crystal clear views through our optics, checking trail cameras, lapping up the comfort that comes from our high end clothing, or shooting your bow over 100 yards with efficiency. Take advantage of all of these goodies and be as ethical as you can in the field with them. Combining modern day hunting technology with boots on the ground knowledge in the field and out is a recipe for success.

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5 Great Rivers For Spring Fishing In Montana During March, April and May (continued from page 5)

3. Lower Madison

In local parlance, the “Lower” refers to the section of the Madison River below Ennis Dam. The most popular float is between Warm Springs and Blacks Ford, and this is an Wade fishing is very productive during spring, when many fish are still stacked up in deeper holes. excellent spring option.

While lake turnover will put the Lower out of commission for a few days each year, this is a very reliable option. The Lower is an interesting piece of water. It is a wide, shallow river with an abundance of sand bars and weed beds. The holding water is less obvious than in many other rivers, and the nuances of the Lower take time to understand. There is a good population of Rainbows in the 12”-16” range, and some real bruiser Browns as well. While it’s mostly a nymphing game, both streamers and drys have their moments.

One of the defining characteristics of the Lower Madison is its abundance of crayfish, and this is a very popular choice here. The San Juan Worm is another good bet for a lead fly. For your dropper, most folks prefer small, bright nymphs like a Lightning Bug, Copper John, or Psycho Prince.

The predominant hatches during spring are Midges and Blue Winged Olives, so make sure to pack both dries and nymphs to match.

4. Gallatin River

The Gallatin River is a great option for wade fishing during the spring, and it offers miles of easily accessible water throughout Gallatin Canyon.

This stretch of river was made world famous by the movie A River Runs Through It, of which a great deal was filmed in the canyon. The water here runs clear most of the spring. A major tributary, the Taylor’s Fork, 12 - Hunting & Fishing News

contributes most of mud so fishing above this confluence is an option if the rest of the river happens to blow out, though that is not common in early spring. The river parallels US 191 throughout the canyon, access is simple and easy.

The Gallatin is primarily a nymph fishery in early spring, though the angler should be prepared with the usual assortment of midges and especially Blue Winged Olives, just in case. I typically choose a stonefly nymph as the point fly on my nymph rig, and I tend to go with darker shades of black and brown during the spring. For your dropper, any generic attractor nymph like a Prince, Copper John, or Pheasant Tail will work fine. Gallatin River fish are not known for being picky, so stick with a fly that you have confidence in.

The Gallatin is a swift river, and the cold water temps of early spring will have the fish stacked in the deeper, slower buckets. If you catch a fish, you should slow down and work that area very thoroughly because chances are there will be more trout holding in the same spot. Adjust your split shot for each run to make sure that you are getting deep enough. The fish will not be motivated to move very far to eat your fly, so you need to get your presentation right down into their face.

5. Missouri River

The Missouri River is a large tailwater fishery that offers clear, cold water 365 days a year. At over 2300 miles in length, it is certainly difficult for the uninitiated to pinpoint where to trout fish on the Missouri River.

The prime fishing lies below Holter Dam, centered around the town of Craig, MT. This is a major fly fishing destination due to the sheer quantity of fish present, currently estimated at about 6,000 trout per mile over 10”.

The real kicker is that almost 90% of these fish are over 15”. These fish are by no means pushovers, but you have a great chance to land some quality fish on a Missouri River float.

Like the other fisheries discussed above, nymphing will be the most successful technique but dries and streamers have their place. When streamer fishing the MO, a deep, slow retrieve is your best bet. This is a bit different than the fast, shallow retrieve that most of us are used to fishing on the Yellowstone or Madison. Midges and Blue Winged Olives hatch here in the spring as they do elsewhere, and the Missouri ‘Bows love to pod up and eat dries.

When nymphing the Missouri, the key is the length of your leader between the indicator and split shot. I like to fish a good bit of weight and change my leader length before I start changing flies.

6 feet from indicator to shot is a good place to start, and make adjustments as necessary.

For flies, choose your typical tailwater fare with a scud, sowbug, worm, or crayfish on the point with some sort of is one of the best times of year to target small mayfly as the dropper. Spring large trout.

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While it’s tempting to head for large lakes and reservoirs for your first trips of the season, these large systems are slow to shrug off winter’s cold, and take longer to warm than farm ponds and other smaller bodies of water.

In areas where freeze-out or winterkill is a concern, look for ponds and small lakes that have plenty of water flowing through them. For example, fish can survive the winter in a 20-acre pond that’s barely over 6 feet deep if an incoming tributary delivers a steady supply of dissolved oxygen.

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Extended warm spells with air temperatures reaching 60 or 70 degrees help warm these small fisheries fast, as do warm March rains.

Panfish such as bluegills and crappies storm fast-warming shallows to feed as water temperatures climb.

In clear water conditions, the fish are easy marks for anglers slinging bobber rigs with a Lindy Little Nipper or various ice jigs tipped with waxworms or soft plastic trailers. Live baits such as angleworms and minnows work well on plain hooks, too.

Casting and slowly retrieving a small inline spinner, Lindy Watsit Spin or lightweight Lindy Jig and Jig Spinner can help you catch fish in murkier water.

NEW

Lindy Jig Other types of fish join the party, too, and where open seasons allow can provide additional options. Largemouth bass, channel catfish and northern pike are among the species happy to celebrate spring’s arrival by raiding shallow water.

If you’re in a knot about where to wet a line, check with local bait shops or visit your city or state fisheries department’s website for a list of small public fishing lakes in the area.

The Economic Impacts Of Big Game Hunting In Montana MFWP T

ravel to any small town in Montana elk country in the middle of November and you can see just how important big game hunting is to the Montana economy.

From the “Welcome Hunter” banners hanging on the front of local taverns, gas stations and restaurants, to the “No Vacancy” signs at local motels, big game hunters, both resident and non-resident, are key to Montana’s economy.

Studies show that elk, deer and antelope hunters combined spent an estimated $324 million in Montana in 2016. That money supports more than 3,300 jobs.

In 2016, resident hunters spent nearly 973,000 days pursuing deer, about 902,000 days hunting elk and about 51,000 days chasing antelope. Non-resident hunters spent nearly 165,000 days hunting deer, nearly 147,000 days hunting elk and about 7,000 days chasing antelope. According to data collected and analyzed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks the average resident deer hunter spends about $72.48 per day, compared to the average non-resident deer hunter who spends about $483.55 per day. For elk hunters, the daily expenditures are a bit more -$87 for residents and $582.07 for nonresidents. Antelope hunters spend even more per day -$103.30 for residents and $661.04 for nonresidents.

“We focus on managing wildlife and habitat and providing some of best hunting opportunities in the West,” said Martha Williams, FWP director. “These figures demonstrate clearly that our work also has a significant economic impact to Montana.”

FWP recently produced an interactive story map to better illustrate this information. The story map allows people to see the information at a county-by-county level, or even by a hunting district-by-hunting district level.

To see the story map, go to FWP’s map resource page at mtfwp.maps.arcgis.com and click on “The Economics of Big Game Hunting in Montana.”

March 2017 15

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Now Is The Time To Start Thinking About…

Monster Spring Pike

By Neal M. Cote’ Bite Me Flies

https://www.facebook.com/Bite-Me-Flies-51431582021/

A

s the days start to warm…and the days get longer and longer, all I can think about is monster pike and the fact that now is one of the best times to catch them!!

Start shallow The key to finding these pre-spawn pike is water temperature and food. Being just weeks away from spawning, these big girls are looking for a comfortable place to warm up and a few last meals to top off the tank before they move in to spawn.

Look for areas that warm up the fastest, south and east facing bays and banks that the sun hits for the longest are good starting points. Add some rocks, wood or last years weeds that will hold that heat a little longer and you should find your fish.

Timing You can hit the water first thing, but the early bird doesn’t catch the worm this time of the year.

Look for the best times to be from mid-day to afternoon. Starting later in the day limits your time on the water, but will allow you to be there at the perfect time to intercept the fish as they move up to soak up some rays and have a snack.

Tactics and Lures Think big and slow moving soft plastics that can be fished very slowly. Storm makes some awesome ones that are perfect. They are pre-rigged and easy to fish. Rapala Husky Jerks twitched instead of a steady retrieve can be deadly as well. Think a walk the dog action with long pauses. Surprisingly most strikes will occur on the pause, and the longer the pause the better.

Dead Bait rigged with quick strike hooks suspended below a slip bobber can be very effective. Remember to check your regulations though, some waters like rivers don’t allow you to use bait until the third Saturday in May. Smelt, herring or if you can find them, peamouth are great choices. Set the depth to be about a foot off the bottom, and of course the wait begins.

Of course, my favorite tactic is with a flyrod!! Flies are perfect for these conditions, and in most cases will out fish all of the above. Several different color flies, an 8 to 10 weight flyrod teamed with a weight forward floating line, and if you can be out the first warm day, you will crush them!!

So now all we have to do is wait out all of this snow, but the end to winter is in sight, and just thinking about those big Mamas slowly stalking those bays and banks will keep me tying flies and counting the days!!

16 - Hunting & Fishing News

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Longing For ThAT Big Bite? Jig Big

By Trevor Johnson, Kit’s Tackle and KT Sportfishing www.kitstackle.com

C old water walleye fishing has been an influential part of my life since before I can remember.

Since I was just a wee walleye my father, Kit, my grandpa, “Poppy” and my great uncle Herb

would be floating around the Gates of the Rocky Mountains jigging for that big bite.

Why do we call it a big bite you ask?...That is a great question!! My love and romance with the cold water pre-spawn spring walleye bite is the chance at a once-in-a-lifetime fish.

It is called the pre-spawn period due to the hen walleyes carrying their eggs. Studies have shown that a walleye can carry up to forty percent of its overall body weight in eggs.

For example, a 30” walleye might only weigh 9 lbs in the post spawn period in the month of June whereas the same fish might weigh 12.6 lbs in the month of March being egg-laden.

Client Jay Petrone with a huge 14 lb Gates of the Mountains April Walleye The equation is as goes: 9lbs times .40 = 3.6 lbs. 9 lbs plus 3.6 lbs =12.6 lbs!

That my friends, is a big bite!! And why I am so passionate about jigging for monster walleye in the spring. I guess you could say I have a thing for pregnant fish The pre-spawn period in Montana depending on the body of water is usually from ice off (February) through the month of April. Water temps will be very cold this time of year of below forty degrees. Walleye spawn in the mid-upper 40 degree column in most cases but can go early or late due to moon phase and weather disruptions. A good tell tale sign that the pre-spawn period is about over is when you back your boat in at 8 am and the water temp is 45 or 46 degrees. This is a true surface temp reading, if you have a nice warm spring day the afternoon surface temp might reach 50 degrees! Or like our friend and lifelong walleye fishing mentor, Terry Mcardle, always said, “Once the apple blossoms show up it’s all over.” To me, once the walleye have spawned it is like hunting a 180” whitetail that has dropped his horns. I still love it, but the fire doesn’t burn as hot.

For the pre-spawn period it is important to note that fish do have to feed, but will usually be much more lethargic. A lot of times, the smaller males will be quite snappy even in the cold water; BUT THE BIG EGG-LADEN FEMALES WILL NOT BE! So this stands to reason that it is important to slow your jigging down to get the big bites! THE WHOLE LOCATION PLUS PRESENTATION PLAYS A HUGE ROLE IN THE PRE-SPAWN WALLEYE MONTHS. Later in the year when fish are super active, the location might be the only important part of the equation. In the cold spring months we are hunting for anywhere from 1-6 bites a day. This is not a lot of action, and takes patience and persistence. But the rewards can be once in a lifetime and more magical than you can imagine. For anybody new to pre-spawn walleye fishing, my recommendation is to pack a cooler full of patience!

Breaking down the pre-spawn period is easier than one would think. I will walk you through a day at the Gates of the Rocky Mountains where we spend the majority of our time. The marina opens at 7:30 and we are waiting in line getting the boat ready and drinking coffee trying not to poop our pants in anticipation. As we leave the docks with a crisp cold air in our face, we head to our holes. The important thing is to fish SHALLOW! At least that is our recommendation. I’m not saying you won’t catch a 10 lb walleye in twenty feet of water but we target the active shallow fish. We find shelves and oxbows or points that are directly related to the deeper river channel. Our idea is that these big fish lay glued to the bottom in the deeper water until they decide it’s time for a snack. That’s when they move into the shallow water and they are there for only one reason..to eat your Glass Minnow!

18 - Hunting & Fishing News

Most of the huge walleye we have caught at Upper Holter Lake (Gates of the Mountains) have been in sub ten feet. In fact, last spring fishing a big shelf near the Sleeping Giants nose I hooked a huge fat blob of a walleye in less than two feet of water. The beast came porpoising from the water trying to jump, it was so shallow. This was late February and the water temp was in the upper thirties. So I promise, even though it’s hard to believe for a lot of people, keep them jigs shallow!

This is our specialty!

TROPHY WALLEYE TRIPS “Jiggin’ the Dream” We invite you to step into our shoes for a day and see what it entails to

chase monster spring walleye!!

On the Water Clinics!

Time Frame: March-April Location: Gates of the Mountains (Upper Holter Lake) **Multi-species bonanza bonus and ultralight jigging for big trout!!

Techniques Used: JIGGING, JIGGING, JIGGING!!

Contact us today to learn more about a fishing adventure with KT Sportfishing.

406.459.2841 or 406.459.5206 or visit www.kitstackle.com CAPTAIN TREVOR JOHNSON US COAST GUARD CAPTAIN KIT JOHNSON US COAST GUARD

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A 27.5’’ hen weighing almost ten lbs! HHHHHOLLY FOOTBALL! Once we move into the afternoon, the water starts to warm a little more and the fish usually become a bit more active. The pre-spawn period is a complete one-eighty from the summertime bite where the early mornings are always best. We have always had the most success on big fish in the late afternoon and especially the evenings. The water has warmed all day and it’s now time to put the feedbags on! Although you have a chance anytime of the day, if I was a gambler I would have my cards set between 4 pm to dusk. And I’d be all in!

Here are a few tips to make your trip more successful:

•Slow your presentation down. We do either a very slow hopping method or even basically drag our jigs across the bottom. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO DROP IT ON A SLACK LINE! •We mainly use our Glass Minnows equipped with either cutbait (sucker meat) or a Berkley ripple shad. Always 1/8 and 1/4 ounce this time of year.

•Remember to look for shallow flats or shelves adjacent to the deep river channel. We keep our boat right on the breakline and cast our jigs up onto the flat trying to intercept the fish.

•Remember to keep the patience and persistence.

You are enjoying Mother Nature!

•We use 8lb stren MAGNATHIN line.

•We use a 6’-6’3” medium power rods.

•Remember the camera and CATCH AND RELEASE IS OF PARAMOUNT MANDATORY IMPORTANCE THIS TIME OF YEAR. Please also be very careful handing the big females, they are very vulnerable in these months.

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This big Gates of the Mountains hen was still so hungry she was trying to eat the Glass Minnow off my shirt!

To see what Kit’s jigs look like under water visit https://youtu.be/G-CZ77dtsao Trevor is the co-founder of Kit’s Tackle “Jiggin’ the Dream” along with his father, Kit. He is a true made in Montana fishing guide, an insane outdoor enthusiast, a wild man in the woods and on the water and they even say he’s a quarter mountain goat. He’s a happy husband, a proud daddy to a beautiful little girl and boy, and two sweet dogs.

When he’s not shoveling coal into the jig engine, you can find him on the water or leaving boot tracks in the wilds of Montana.

We’ve got what you need for SPRING FISHING Night Crawlers $2.50 dozen Kit’s Tackle - Jigs Walleye Hunter Tackle

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at 200 S. Montana Off Highway 12 East - East Helena 406.227.6519 March 2017 19

Say Hello To Success: Where to chase the Fish this Month Brought to you by

HAUSER DAM:

Rainbow trout, brown trout Magnum trout are just starting to keg up in the Missouri River below Hauser Dam. Rainbow trout in this tailwater, just minutes from the Helena Valley are large and very aggressive now as they start to go through the motions of the spawning period.

Through the first half of March, you can have career days on these fish that get as big as 24 inches. You may have to tolerate some bitter cold and windy days through the canyon, but the first 3 miles of the river below Hauser are probably Montana’s best big-trout location early in the season. You can fish both sides of the river, as there’s a decent foot trail that extends down to Beaver Creek, a favorite spawning tributary of the Missouri. Fly fishing will absolutely work, using small nymphs tied with bright, flashy colors and a small strike indicator. Hardware fishing will also take fish, though it’s far less effective than flies. Try dead-drifting smaller Panther Martin spoons and small red and silver Mepp’s.

Jigs will also take giant trout (Kit’s jigs www.kitstackle.com) work great in this fantastic fishery.

S

Holter Lake Rainbow caught with Kit’s Tackle (www.kitstackle.com)

pringtime is upon us. The water is cold, not yet recovered from this winter’s cold, long chill. That means the fish are cold, their metabolism still slow. You needn’t wait to hit the water though, because these fish are hungry and can be caught now with the right fishing tactics this time of year.

If fish are your game, then you need to be fishing lakes, rivers and reservoirs in the spring, because that’s when some of the biggest fish of the year are landed.

This is the period of the first primal stirring from winter, when the water temperatures top into the 40s, and make the female fish actively feed.

They rise from their winter depths to head toward the shallows.

To take advantage of this period, focus on north-facing broken rock ledges that are prime-early season locations, since their northern orientation means they get the most sun. Boat fishermen should face the rocks, cast towards the rocks and slowly bounce a jig or float your favorite top-water baits now.

Ice-out is an excellent time to pack up and go fishing. Very few anglers are out, and when you catch the conditions just right, you can expect some of the best fishing days of the year.

Ignore anyone who says the water is too cold to fish.

So long as it’s not frozen, the fish you are after will be there, patiently waiting for you. Don’t always expect to catch a ton of fish. Do expect to have fun and catch some beautiful fish.

NOXON RAPIDS RESERVOIR:

Bass, northern pike, yellow perch This long, narrow impoundment of the Clark Fork River covers around 7,700 acres in the forested and mountainous Northwest corner of Montana.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass are plentiful and grow to decent size feeding on the yellow perch, suckers and lake whitefish that inhabit this wonderful fishery. You’ll also find the occasional walleye, plenty of northern pike and rainbow trout to fish here.

Tips: For largemouth, work plastic worms around the downed trees, submerged stumps and floating docks near the shorelines. In the early season, most of the smallie action will be in the south end of Noxon.

Your typical smallmouth territory will be off rocky cliffs and points.

Spinnerbaits in chartreuse, black and white worked along these edges will pick up these feisty and fun to catch fish. Smallmouth average around 1 to 2 pounds.

Claim to fame: Noxon produced the Montana state record largemouth bass at 8.8 pounds, caught by Darin Williams, May 2, 2009.

LOWERCLARKFORKRIVER: Rainbow, cutthroat trout, northerns, bass The lower Clark Fork River stretches 210 miles from Missoula to St. Regis along Interstate 90, then northwest past Plains, Thompson Falls, and Noxon to the Idaho border.

Catchable fish range from 200 to around 600 per mile, with the late summer and fall seasons the peak for trout. Fly anglers in the spring find much success using March browns, skwala, salmon fly, golden stone and grey drake patterns.

The waters above Kelly Island, near Missoula are restricted to float/wade fishing. Motorized craft are allowed on other sections of the Clark Fork.

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The river makes a zig-zag back east to catch the Flathead confluence, and then west to head to the Idaho border after Paradise. Northern pike of around 20 pounds or more can be found in these lower waters, along with growing numbers of large and smallmouth bass, crappie, and yellow perch, in the wide, slower waters. Trout remain around 500 per mile.

The keys to early-season top water action are picking the right spots and slowing down the retrieve.

2017 SPRING MACK DAYS LAKE TROUT FISHING EVENT on

FLATHEAD LAKE

Access: 21 state fishing access sites abound along the Lower Clark Fork.

UPPER CLARK FORK RIVER: Brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout The Upper Clark Fork’s range is 100 miles with the headwaters near Anaconda, flowing west and northwest past Missoula along I-90.

Floating the Upper Clark Fork offers several kinds of experiences.

Between Anaconda and Deer Lodge, numerous oxbows can make getting short distances an all-day affair. Brown trout dominate this fishery, along with rainbows and cutthroats. Streamers and nymphs tend to be the most productive way to fish these smaller stretches.

The Little Blackfoot River, Rock Creek and other tributaries jolt the Clark Fork with both water and fish.

Brown trout continue to make up about three-quarters of the catch above Rock Creek, while the balance flips to rainbows and cutthroat trout below Rock Creek.

Access: Six state fishing access sites. They include Kohr’s Bend, (north of Deer Lodge), Drummond, Bearmouth, Schwartz Creek, Turah, and Sha-Ron at East Missoula.

HIGH ELEVATION LAKES: Georgetown Lake, Seeley Lake

Your higher elevated lakes willl continue to produce exceptional fishing over the ice. A frigid winter cap will keep ice anglers happy in these areas.

The Kokanee fishing at Georgetown has been steady and you can catch a bucket full dropping Swedish Pimples in silver and orange fished two feet off the bottom. Some anglers are tying on a 4-inch dropper to a Glo-hook and tipping them with maggots or corn.

Seeley Lake chains will also have plenty of good Kokanee salmon fishing days. Northern pike will also be on full alert looking for a quick meal near the shorelines that may be starting to peel it’s ice layer away. (continued on page 30)

New for Spring 2017 – Requirement to certify your boat as mussel-free to participate in Mack Days Recent discovery of zebra mussels in central Montana has elevated the need to reduce the risk of infestation in Flathead Lake.

Starting in 2017, all boats used in Mack Days must provide proof of certification from an authorized inspector before participation in the contest. The inspection form must be presented with your contest application. Fish will not be accepted from anglers fishing from un-certified boats.

For complete information on inspection times and places and arranging your inspection. visit: http://www.mackdays.com/essentials/page-2/ or www.mackdays.com

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CASH & PRIZES

March 17 th -

May 14th

Fish The Entire Lake

Tuesday through Sunday: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are for the contests, bonus amounts, and tagged fish. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be for bonus amounts and tagged fish only.

(1)-$10,000 & (3) $5,000 & (5) $1000 + over 6,000 $100 to $500 tagged lake trout Lottery Prizes-35 prizes will be awarded Top ten angler prizes $800-$300-best 18/26-days count last day is separate Captains $250-(4 prizes), Smallest lake trout $250-(2 prizes), Largest lake trout-$500 - see rules for entries Top lady anglers $300, $200, $100 - $100-totals used Youth anglers - (17-13) 1st-$200, 2nd-$150, 3rd-$75, 4-5th-$50 (12 & under) 1st-$100, 2nd-$75, 3rd-$50 will also be entered in the lottery drawing Weekend Prizes-$300 and $200 will be announced each week Golden Angler Award (70 & older) $200 & $100 Bucket Competition - (3/31, 4/22 & 5/7) - weigh in your 4 heaviest lake trout under 30” Last Day: $300, $200, $100 PLUS heaviest lake trout under 30” - 1st $200, 2nd $100 BONUSES: Your total at the end of the 51 days determines your bonus.

YETI Cooler - 1 ticket for every 10 lake trout entries. (Fri. - Sun.) See www.mackdays.com for complete rules Fish Fry for participants & families - May 14th at Blue Bay 3:00 Awards Ceremony at 4:00

Entry forms will not be mailed out.

Enter online at www.mackdays.com

or pick up entries at local sporting good stores - or you can even enter when you check in your fish at the check in stations during Mack Days. It is easier if you enter before the event begins.

Phone 406-883-2888 Ex. 7294 We remind you to follow all fishing regulations. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have a special $13 fishing permit for the south half on Flathead Lake that is available wherever fishing permits are sold.

Sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks March 2017 21

GETTING

READY

By Eddie White

H

ere we go into that time of the year when the transition is on.

Anxiously waiting for the ice to finally be on its way out, so you can get the boat on. Everyday, checking your weather app, and going on to every site you can, to see when you can get on that water and start chasing fish.

This article is 4 to-do’s, while the wait is on.

Prepared: Now is the time to check your trolling motor batteries,

as well as the starting battery. If in doubt, it is time to replace them.

For anglers that live on the water from spring to fall, a couple years seems to be all one can get out of a battery. Now that you have checked the batteries, how about the charging system?

I do not know that anything can be worse then unplugging in the morning, and starting the day with batteries that did not charge.

Game plan: I rarely go out and just start casting. Weeks before

FWP To Expand Fisheries Division To Battle Aquatic Invasive Species A

I am headed to a body of water, I start to watch weather patterns, as well as study maps to determine where my starting point will be.

With a few different plans, I will factor in the water temperature as to where I think the fish will be located.

MFWP

s part of the statewide effort to address the risks of invasive mussels, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks plans to create a new bureau to manage the prevention, detection and control of aquatic invasive species within state borders...

“Aquatic invasive species pose an enormous risk to Montana’s waters, economy, and way of life,” said Eileen Ryce, FWP Fisheries Division Administrator. “The increasing scope and complexity of managing these threats requires a more comprehensive approach.”

Responsibilities of the Aquatic Invasive Species Bureau will encompass all aspects of AIS prevention, including early detection, rapid response, control, outreach and vector management.

In October 2016, Montana’s first-ever detection of invasive mussel larvae showed up in Tiber Reservoir – and “suspect” detections turned up in Canyon Ferry Reservoir, the Missouri River below Toston Dam, and the Milk River. The discovery triggered a natural resource emergency in Montana and led to several recommend strategies to manage the threat of invasive mussels spreading to other areas.

In January, Montana’s Joint Mussel Response Implementation Team leaders presented a series of recommendations to the Montana Legislature to address prevention, detection and control efforts, including the creation of an AIS management bureau within FWP. Other recommendations included additional mandatory Montana watercraft inspection stations; deployment of watercraft decontamination stations at Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs; and doubling sample collection to more than 1,500 taken from more than 200 waterbodies, all of which will fall under the management of the new bureau chief.

The AIS bureau chief will be responsible for the rapid response to AIS detections, which will often require coordination among multiple agencies, partners, and stakeholders, while mobilizing and redirecting resources to address threats...

22 - Hunting & Fishing News

Organized: Having your poles rigged before they even touch the boat, will not only save you time, but also save frustration.

Making sure that all of your tackle is organized will increase your productive time on the water. For me, I tend to have a leader on almost everything. I have found that Rigraps (www.rigrap.com) have become a vital source of organization. No more bulky tackle boxes for me. Now I can spend more time fishing, and less time tying.

Tools: Not only wrenches, but do you have the proper amount of life jackets? How about oars? Have your horn? www.fwp.mt.gov is a great place to visit and check out yearly boating laws.

Getting a ticket is one of those things that can ruin a day of fishing in a hurry.

Above are just a few of the things one needs to take into consideration before enjoying your time on the water. In this off time, it is easy to put together a checklist of items for yourself so that next year, a simple review can change what is potentially a bad day, into a productive one.

Eddie White owns and operates The Minnow Bucket in Huntley Montana, also a writer, seminar speaker and tournament angler.

Contact Eddie at: montanaminnowbucket@yahoo.com on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheMinnowBucket or by phone at 406-696-1281

Lake Trout Insights

By Jason Mitchell Outdoors

http://jasonmitchelloutdoors.com

Midwinter means Lake Trout for many ice anglers across North America.

From upstate New York to the Rocky Mountains, lake trout are an apex predator on many lakes and reservoirs. These top of the line predators are fast and powerful. A fish that can actually become more active under the ice. We pick the brains of ice anglers who obsess over these fish to offer interesting insights.

1. A room with a view. How Colorado Ice Team Pro Bernie Keefe describes the best locations for finding lake trout. Find ledges, points, reefs and shelfs that drop off into deep water. The type of location that would provide an incredible view if the location was not on the bottom of the lake. No matter where lake trout swim, primary structure coming out of deep water seems to attract trout.

Ice Team Pro Bernie Keefe

2. Don’t be afraid to use finesse. While these powerful predators are notorious for slamming seven inch tube baits that are getting reeled up as fast as you can reel, don’t be afraid to down size to smaller flutter spoons and fluke tails when the bite is off. Some bodies of water also seem more conducive to requiring finesse which often seems dictated by the forage.

3. Watch your angle. Lake trout are often found on big bodies of water. Whether you are targeting fish on the Great Lakes, big Reservoirs or large natural lakes, there is often a pulsing current that moves through these deep water abysses. Trout often turn on as the current starts or stops and this current can often be seen on the line. On some bodies of water, the current can become so strong that finding the lure can be difficult on your electronics where a second hole is needed to get the transducer over the jig or spoon. When the current stops, the jig or lure will settle right below the hole but good fishing often coincides with a swing in current.

Watch the angle of your line to anticipate these feeding windows.

4. More lake trout have been caught with a classic white tube jig than any other presentation across North America, particularly in the Canadian Shield, but don’t overlook other soft plastic baits and colors. Dark colors like purple, motor oil and pumpkinseed can be very productive. Remember as well, that classic lake trout forage like kokanee, ciscoes, lake herring and whitefish are common, but lake trout are a versatile predator that will also target yellow perch, burbot, rainbow trout, suckers or even invertebrates.

5. The right hook set with the right line can mean more lake trout. Across many fisheries, braided line has dominated winter lake trout fishing because of the depth. Setting the hook on a fish that is fifty feet below is much more efficient and effective with a no stretch line. If you haven’t switched over to braid yet, try it. When setting the hook, back away from the hole as you set the hook. Depending on the depth of water, take two to four steps backward as you set and this will allow you to catch up to the fish and get the hook set when fishing over deep water.

Montana Ice Fishing...Tiber reservoir

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Steve Kaste owner of Steve’s Sports Center in Great Falls with a 22.5 lb., 40 inch northern pike taken at Tiber through the ice.

Trey from Great Falls with a 23 lb., 42 inch northern pike taken at Tiber through the ice.

Don Dallas Curt Dallas Larry Johns Dan Felska Carol Hollow

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March 2017 25

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26 - Hunting & Fishing News

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Avian-X LCD 1/2 Strut Jake Turkey Decoy Leads Gobblers to a Tragic End AmmoLand www.ammoland.com

T he pecking order impacts every facet of wild turkey behavior – especially once the winter flocks start to break up prior to the breeding season. Young male birds that have enjoyed social

acceptance throughout their first few months of life find that things change quickly once early spring arrives. Everyone seems to go their separate ways and become much less tolerant; new feelings of urgency are developing inside. It all must seem terribly confusing to a jake.

Indeed, the spring breeding season ushers in an all-new set of rules for turkeys. Some young, sub-dominant males figure things out quickly and resort to a safety-in-numbers approach, forming small gangs of marauding bullies. Others don’t know any better. They foolishly decide that they can compete one-on-one with the big boys for hens. It’s a tragic story that doesn’t typically bode well for such intrepid jakes.

These social storylines are more than just interesting to watch. A savvy turkey hunter uses all of this drama to his or her advantage, employing specific calling and decoying strategies that up their odds of putting a crafty old tom on the ground. Decoys that tell a compelling story – either individually or when placed in combination – are powerful tools for today’s turkey hunter, and nobody makes more effective turkey decoys than Avian-X. The form of the new Avian-X LCD ½ Strut Jake perfectly portrays an intruding young male. He’s trying to establish his dominance, but has yet to fully learn fear. His half-strut body posture and subordinate head position tell the tragic tale of a young gobbler living dangerously outside of the pecking order. He’s challenging the dominance of any incoming tom and giving off signals that he’s an easy fight.

Once his threatening and unacceptable body posture captures the attention and ire of an approaching gobbler, the full glory of the ½ Strut Jake’s astounding detail takes over and commands full attention. Trademark Avian-X coloration and paint detail appear incredibly true and lifelike, while deep relief showcases the painstaking subtleties of every carefully crafted feather and crease on the ½ Strut Jake’s convincing, Dura-Rubber molded body.

AVIAN-X LCD ½ Strut Jake Soft and Quiet Dura-Rubber Body is Completely Collapsible Half Strut Body Pose and Sub-Dominant Head Position Challenges the Dominance of Mature Toms Attracts All Gobblers Perfect Feather Detail No-Flake Paint Drawstring Carry Bag Included Model / SKU: 8012 UPC: 810280-08012-4 MSRP: $119.99 Meticulous attention to detail goes into the design and manufacturing of every Avian-X LCD turkey decoy, and the all-new ½ Strut Jake is an exciting and powerful example. His carefully conceived body posture and head position, wing and tail placement, and the spread, positioning and detail of each individual feather combine to attract all gobblers by challenging their dominance.

Not only is he unwelcome, he’s also unsure of himself. What a pity.

Combine the ½ Strut Jake with your favorite Avian-X LCD hens, and watch tragedy unfold in your decoys.

MONTANA 2017 TURKEY SEASON DATES Season dates vary by district, so please check the regulations.

Start Date

End date

Spring

April 8

May 21

Fall

September 1

January 1, 2018

As always, check Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for current regulations.

March 2017 27

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Y

ou have just a few weeks before Montana’s big game season starts here in the West. If you are serious about wanting to harvest one of the toughest trophy animals to spot and stalk there is in North America, you’ll need to start soon.

It’s been a long winter for us this year, but as March begins and the warming weather sets in, you can start to hike into some of the country that black bear reside in.

Here are a few quick tips to help you score on a big bruin this season.

• Find mature timber

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Bare and warmer areas along the timber lines is the first place that these bear will go feed. Set-up in the afternoon time frame and glass - sooner or later you will locate a bruin.

• Scout for sign Look for fresh tracks in the mud that measure 6 inches or better.

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Bears feeding heavily in the spring will eat for about a third of the day, then sleep the rest. Focus your efforts from mid-day until dusk, glassing pockets. The biggest bears often roam right at the edge of darkness. Use the best optics you can afford, this will help you to judge the quality of these late-roaming animals.

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A very effective way to scout for bears in the mountains of the West is to have two or three hunters hike to different ridges, and then glass the open slopes. You can often take off on old logging roads that are gated off. Separate as these roads go into different directions.

You can cover a lot more territory by doing this, upping your odds for success.

• Increase the odds Scouting and then hunting in areas that have a good history of being known for their bear habitat will only help to find a bear to put your tag on. In Montana, the top scoring Boone and Crockett black bear counties include Fergus County, Sanders County, Granite, Lincoln, Silver Bow, Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin and Flathead counties. (continued on page 41)

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Statewide Fishing Report (continued from page 21)

HARPERS LAKE & BROWNS LAKE: Rainbow trout Big rainbow trout will be biting in good numbers as spring starts to take hold on Harpers Lake, located in the Blackfoot drainage along Hwy. 200 northwest of Missoula. Ice-out fish will be cruising the shoreline now.

Many anglers use traditional baits like nightcrawlers and Powerbait to catch springtime ‘bows. Fly fishermen can connect with small minnow patterns or soft-hackle scud patterns and leech patterns as well.

Nearby Brown’s Lake will lose it’s ice about the same time and is a very fertile lake where the fish grow big. Some of the rainbows in these popular smaller lakes will straighten your fishing line in a hurry, and keep going!

FLATHEAD RIVER SLOUGHS: Northern pike Take advantage of the northern pike moving into the Flathead River sloughs. As the ice pulls back from the shorelines, pike will start looking for warm water and submerged vegetation, and soon will have spawning on their mind. Strikes can be hit and miss, depending on the cold weather fronts moving in and out now. Look for shallow areas - 5 feet or less, where the pike can soak up some sun when it’s out. They’ll hit dead bait (smelt) and jigs. Expect some nice yellow perch fishing as well up from the Sportsman Bridge Access Site off Hwy. 82 on the Flathead River.

LAKE KOOCANUSA:

Rainbow trout Head to Lake Koocanusa for some of the best early spring rainbow trout fishing in Western Montana. The good fishing will really start to kick in for big rainbows that are running in the 8 to 12 pound range.

The Rocky Gorge area is where anglers have found excellent results, using large flies and Apexes running on the surface with a planer board.

In the deeper waters most anglers fish plugs and downriggers.

The Bristow Bay area fishes well in the spring and up the lake from the Marina. Good electronics will serve you well on this big body of water.

CLARK CANYON RESERVOIR:

Brown/rainbow trout, burbot The good fishing will continue on this Red Rock River impoundment that is known for its great brown and rainbow trout fishing. For ice-out trout concentrate on the south and southwest sides of the reservoir, where water depths are usually less than 10 feet. Trout average 16 to 18 inches and up to 6 to 7 pounds here. Lightweight spinning gear will produce trout or try jigs in black, purple or brown with or without bait.

Some anglers here will also be targeting the tasty-bottom hovering ling (burbot).

See you on the water.

30 - Hunting & Fishing News

SELECTING THE CORRECT RIFLE CARTRIDGE FOR YOUR NEEDS

By Stefan Wilson

Originally published at

www.goHUNT.com

C hoosing a rifle can be a daunting task. Not only do you have to find a rifle that fits you and is comfortable to shoot, but you also have to then

choose the right chambering of that rifle for the specific round you want to shoot. A variety of different factors play into that decision: What size game will you be hunting? What range will you be shooting?

Do you want a chambering with a lot of available ammunition?

What about recoil?

With so many factors influencing your rifle cartridge selection, it is important to understand the minute details of each that will affect your choice.

Before we begin, I feel it necessary to make a disclaimer up front. I am not promoting one specific cartridge as the “best all-around” cartridge.

I have seen way too many internet comment threads that dissolved into complete insanity and childish name-calling as a result of someone choosing a rifle cartridge that someone else was not a fan of.

Instead, this article will seek to give you the information on which to base your own decision.

BASICS ABOUT RIFLE CARTRIDGES There are three words that you need to know before we go any further: caliber, casing, and cartridge.

Caliber This refers to the diameter of the projectile being fired (e.g., the bullet).

Bullets come in all kinds of different sizes, but the two most common measurements are inches and millimeters. Here are some examples: a bullet from a .243 is a .24 caliber bullet because it is .24 inches in diameter. A 7mm-08 is a 7mm caliber bullet because the bullet is 7mm in diameter.

Make sense? If multiple chamberings have the Photo: Brady Miller same caliber, then the bullet diameter is the same for all of them. The bullet diameter is the same for .30-06, .30-30, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .300 Weatherby Magnum — the differences lie in the weight of the bullet and the amount of powder that is propelling the bullet downrange.

Casing This refers to the brass that holds the powder charge behind the bullet. A casing is nothing but a paperweight if it doesn’t have a primer, powder, and a bullet. Casings differ in shape and length depending on the chambering of the rifle for which they are intended because different cartridges require differing amounts of powder to push the Photo: Brady Miller bullet at varying speeds.

Cartridge This refers to what you get when you put everything together.

A .30 caliber bullet inside of a .30-06 casing will result in a .30-06 cartridge that can now be fired out of a rifle that is chambered in .30-06. You still following?

Photo: Brady Miller

RIFLE CARTRIDGES AND RECOIL

Simple physics becomes clear when you start talking about pushing a larger, heavier bullet at speeds that are equal to its smaller, lighter peers. Newton’s third law of motion tells us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that the same force that is driving that bullet forward is also driving your rifle backward.

This is called recoil and it only takes one pull of the trigger on a high-power rifle to know it well.

This is all based on a simple formula that tells us that mass and velocity lead to energy (E=1/2MV²). I’m not going to solve for recoil energy, but the fact remains that propelling a bullet downrange at high velocities requires a great deal of energy and that energy is driving right back into your shoulder. This is why high velocity, large caliber rifles kick so hard.

The energy created from that .338 Weatherby Magnum is just too much to make that 7 lb rifle easy to manage.

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You might think that simply finding the sweet spot of large bullet size and manageable recoil would be the ticket to choosing your new rifle, but it isn’t that simple.

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Things start to get confusing when people start allowing conjecture and assumptions to rule the day. Here are a few common misconceptions that often lead people astray when trying to choose a rifle cartridge: “Bigger is better” Proponents of this mindset will say, “If a .26 caliber bullet can do the job, then I know a .30 caliber bullet will do the job even better.” While this might be true in some circumstances, bigger is not always better. If shooting that larger caliber means that I feel more recoil and I am no longer able to shoot the rifle without flinching; this reduces my accuracy. The tradeoff was not worth it.

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“The faster the better” If you have the need for speed, this might be you.

Speed is great as it means flatter trajectories and more kinetic energy downrange, but at what point do we say, “That’s fast enough to kill anything that moves?” 2,600 fps? 2,800 fps? 3,200 fps? Remember that speed comes at a cost and it is usually paid in a harder recoil, louder report, and shorter barrel life. Finding a good compromising point is prudent for many.

“If it doesn’t say ‘Magnum’, it isn’t good enough” I know of plenty of hunters who own multiple rifles and the only thing the rifles have in common is the word “magnum.” It doesn’t have to say magnum to kill even the largest of animals. For years the .30-06 was king and, last I checked, it still kills things just as dead as it did 50 years ago.

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FACTORS REQUIRED FOR AN ETHICAL HARVEST OF AN ANIMAL With the basics and some misunderstandings out of the way, let’s address the factors that must be present for the ethical harvesting of any animal: penetration, placement, and wound channel.

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Penetration This refers to the bullet’s ability to go deep into the animal’s vitals, preferably all the way through, exiting on the other side. This allows for maximum blood loss and vital damage. Penetration is the result of momentum, which results in kinetic energy; speed is not the determining factor for penetration. A bowling ball rolling at 10 mph has more momentum than a 100 mph fastball. A heavier bullet moving at a moderate speed will result in better penetration than a lighter bullet that is flying at a faster rate of speed. (continued on page 35)

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March 2017 31

Hunting & Conservation News Proudly Sponsored By

Republic Services of Montana

© konstantin32|Depositphotos

2016-2017 Winter Count of Northern Yellowstone Elk MFWP T

he Northern Yellowstone Cooperative Wildlife Working Group conducted its annual winter survey of the northern Yellowstone elk population on January 15, 2017. The survey, using three airplanes, was conducted by staff from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the National Park Service.

Staff counted 5,349 elk, including 573 elk (11%) inside Yellowstone National Park and 4,776 elk (89%) north of the park.

Survey conditions were favorable across the region.

The 2017 count was 9% higher than the 2016 survey results of 4,912 elk, and was 37% higher than the lowest count of 3,915 elk in 2013. This year’s count of 5,349 was the highest since 6,037 elk were counted in 2010.

The purpose of this survey was to estimate overall elk numbers and population trends. A separate survey occurs in March with the objective of estimating calf recruitment and bull ratios.

The Working Group will continue to monitor trends of the northern Yellowstone elk population and evaluate the relative contribution of various components of mortality, including predation, environmental factors, and hunting. The Working Group was formed in 1974 to cooperatively preserve and protect the long-term integrity of the northern Yellowstone winter range for wildlife species by increasing our scientific knowledge of the species and their habitats, promoting prudent land management activities, and encouraging an interagency approach to answering questions and solving problems. The Working Group is comprised of resource managers and biologists from the Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, National Park Service (Yellowstone National Park), U.S. Forest Service (Custer Gallatin National Forest), and U.S. Geological Survey-Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman.

32 - Hunting & Fishing News

HUNTING & CONSERVATION NEWS Capture and Health Testing Conducted on Bighorn Sheep Herd near Eureka MFWP F WP Biologists and volunteers from other agencies and the local

community captured and released 32 bighorn sheep on the Woods Ranch Wildlife Management Area near Eureka. The captured sheep were a mixture of ewes, lambs, and rams. The operation is designed to obtain health information on the population. The sheep are part of the Galton Range herd that occupies FWP Wildlife Program Manager Neil Anderson holds a bighorn ewe while Wildlife Disease Ecologist Emily land in the U. S. and Canada; Almberg prepares to take a blood sample on January 12 on the Woods Ranch Wildlife Management Area near the Canadians refer to this group Eureka. MFWP photo. as the “Kootenay Trench Herd”.

These sheep are part of a native herd and believed to be similar genetically to the Ural Tweed population along Lake Koocanusa.

The sheep were captured with a large drop net suspended from poles. The sheep are drawn to the site with hay, and then the net is dropped over them. Biologists and volunteers then hobble and blindfold the individual sheep so they can be processed.

Ten sheep were captured and processed in the morning, and 22 were processed in the afternoon. Two large rams, one weighing 285 pounds, were captured.

The sheep are tested for respiratory pathogens such as Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, and various bacteria belonging to the Pasteurella group. These pathogens can cause pneumonia. Also included in the testing is exposure to respiratory viruses and parasite loads (such as lungworm). Blood, nasal swabs, and tonsil swabs are collected for testing and temperature is monitored. An ear tag is attached to each sheep. The testing is important for monitoring the health of this unique herd of native bighorns. The health information is also important if the sheep are to be used for augmenting other sheep herds.

Additional bighorn sheep herd health operations will be focused on herds in Hunting Districts 121 (North Clark Fork), 122 (Clark Fork Cutoff), and 101 (Ural-Tweed along Lake Koocanusa (Libby Reservoir)).

Bighorns in the Paradise herd (HD 124) were captured last month as part of a statewide research effort to learn more about how diseases function in bighorn sheep populations.

Contact: Neil Anderson, Wildlife Program Manager, FWP Kalispell, 751-4585.

What’s New for 2017MFWP

Individuals must possess or apply for a General Deer license in order to apply for a deer permit.

If applying for an archery only permit you must purchase your bow & arrow license before submitting your application.

All Elk B Licenses previously offered in Region 1 are now “antlerless elk permits.”

Elk hunting in many HDs or portions of HDs in Regions 2, 3 and 6 now offer “antlerless elk permits” instead of, or in addition to, elk B licenses. If you seek to harvest an antlerless elk using an antlerless permit in those hunting districts, you must apply for an antlerless elk permit by March 15. The deadline to apply for elk B licenses is June 1.

The application deadline for Montana’s deer and elk permits is MARCH 15, 2017.

BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB’S “POACH AND PAY” PROGRAM CONTINUES TO LEAD THE FIGHT IN ANTI-POACHING RESEARCH The Boone and Crockett Club

www.boone-crockett.org

P

oaching is a crime committed by thieves - not hunters. Those who share in the Boone and Crockett Club’s long support of sustainable-use conservation want those thieves punished accordingly.

A 2015 research study by the Boone and Crockett Club found that 92.6 percent of sportsmen support higher fines for those convicted of poaching big-game animals, while 88 percent also support even higher fines for those convicted of poaching trophy-class, big-game animals. The results of this survey led to the development of the Boone and Crockett Club’s “Poach and Pay” program.

“All poaching is illegal and all poachers should be punished. But poaching trophies is a special sin because it is driven by greed and potential profit,” said Boone and Crockett Club Chief of Staff Tony Schoonen. “When it comes to the poaching of trophy class animals, one of the tools we have available to us is the Club’s big-game scoring system (B&CSS).”

Long recognized as the standard for evaluating the quality of North American big-game trophies to identify conservation successes or failures, the B&CSS is now being used as a valuable enforcement tool in several states to ensure that the severity of the penalties for poaching trophy-class, big-game animals is more in line with the severity of the crime.

Funded through a partnership between the Boone and Crockett Club and American sporting optics maker Leupold & Stevens and in partnership with many state wildlife agencies, the research phase of the “Poach and Pay” program is spearheaded by Vickie Edwards, a former wildlife biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and an official Boone and Crockett measurer. Edwards’ research will gather data to be used to identify what is and what is not working with state fine and restitution programs, and which state agencies are already utilizing the Boone and Crockett Club’s official scoring system to assess higher fines for the poaching of a trophy animal. So far, states that have implemented the use of the B&CSS as a way to tabulate more appropriate and severe poaching fines include Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Texas.

“For far too long, being convicted of poaching a deer or another big-game animal has been akin to getting a speeding ticket in terms of the severity of punishment. Hunters tell us they want a set of uniform guidelines to ensure punishments are equal to the value we place on our wildlife resources,” said Schoonen. “The Boone and Crockett Club’s scoring system provides a respected, definitive, and consistent criteria for defining a trophy animal and is not subject to the legal obfuscation employed by those desperate to avoid criminal conviction.”

For more information on the Boone and Crockett Club’s “Poach and Pay” program, its objectives and historical context and a short video on poaching, go online to https://www.boone-crockett.org/about/poach&pay.asp.

March 2017 33

34 - Hunting & Fishing News

SELECTING THE CORRECT RIFLE CARTRIDGE FOR YOUR NEEDS

(continued from page 31) Placement This is by far the most important factor in ethically killing any animal. A poorly placed shot with a high power, high-speed cartridge will likely result in a wounded and lost animal. A well-placed shot with a smaller, milder cartridge using a quality bullet will nearly always result in a quick kill. Bullet placement is absolutely paramount.

An effective wound channel This is another necessary factor.

The wound channel is the damage that is caused as the bullet passes through the body cavity. It does not make a clean hole, but instead makes a ragged, expanded chasm through its path. Larger bullets tend to make larger wound channels, but bullet choice is ultimately the largest factor, not only size. A smaller bullet that expands well and retains its weight will cause a more effective wound channel than a larger bullet that breaks apart. Yet, all things being equal, a larger, heavier, and faster bullet will cause more damage, which gives the shooter a cushion for error in the event that errors occur (which they do).

Combining these three factors will result in an ethical, quick kill of an animal… every time.

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT RIFLE CARTRIDGE FOR YOU

Photo: Stefan Wilson

How do you find the right rifle cartridge for you? Here are a couple of questions that I like to ask whenever trying to select a new rifle: What is the largest bullet that I reasonably need to harvest the animal I want to hunt?

If you are hunting antelope, you don’t need a .338 Lapua (.33 caliber) when a .25-06 (.25 caliber) or 6.5 Creedmoor (6.5mm) will do just fine.

What is my recoil threshold?

We all have one. It is the point where I am no longer able to comfortably and confidently squeeze the trigger with absolutely zero flinching.

Flinching means missed shots. Whatever amount of recoil causes me to flinch is too much.

What is my budget for ammunition?

If money’s no object, then you can shoot any cartridge you want, but if you need something that costs less than $20 per box, your choices will be reduced considerably. Some of the most common and affordable cartridges include .243, .270, .30-06, .308, and others. Magnums tend to be pricier than their non-magnum counterparts.

Am I letting others’ opinions influence my decision?

Are you worried about what people will think when you roll up with your .260 Remington in elk camp? Don’t be! Other people’s opinions should not play into your rifle choices. You have to live with your choice, not them. Don’t let others make your choice for you.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR RIFLE CARTRIDGES

For the sake of helping to distill down all of the options to a manageable list, here is a basic list of the range of rifle calibers that would be appropriate for various sized game: Common caliber sizes for big game Animal category Rifle caliber size Deer and smaller .243 to .30-06 Elk and similar sized game .260 to .300 Magnum Larger game (grizzly bear, moose, etc.) 7mm Magnum to .338 Magnum There are also great alternatives to some of the older cartridges.

For example, the .308 has long been used as an effective hunting round, but some wanted to shoot a 6.5mm and a 7mm bullet from the .308 casing. Thus, the .260 Remington (6.5mm) and the 7mm-08 were born. These are very effective, tame, and fun-to-shoot rounds that have put down even the largest of animals with a well-placed shot. Be sure to investigate these options as they fall well within the necessary size and velocity for harvesting large game.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT CARTRIDGE

The information in this article is meant to help you make a decision, not make your decision for you. Only you know your exact needs and limits. No rifle round will be the perfect blend of everything. You must choose what your biggest needs are and then compromise as necessary on the others. For me, I know that I mainly hunt elk and mule deer with a rifle and that I will reasonably take shots out to 300 yards. I can handle a decent amount of recoil and wanted something that had been around for a while and wasn’t going anywhere so that there would be plenty of ammo available. All of these factors led me to the 7mm Remington Magnum — not because I had to have a magnum (I hunted with a .30-06 for almost 20 years), but because it met the most needs on my list while still being easy to shoot consistently and accurately. I plan on adding a .260 Remington or 6.5 Creedmoor to my gun safe for my wife to use on elk and deer hunts because that is the cartridge that will suit her best for her needs.

Ultimately, you have to live with your own decisions. Make them carefully.

Make them confidently. Then enjoy shooting your new rifle.

RECIPE CORNER Elk Tacos in Cheddar Cheese Shells

By Lindsey Bartosh a 12 Gauge Girl www.huntingandcooking.com Ingredients: 8oz bag shredded cheddar cheese 1 pound elk burger 1 medium onion 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and Pepper to Taste 2 to 4 tablespoons Taco Seasoning - or one packet Instructions for the Cheddar Shells: Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper.

Evenly spread half a cup into a six inch circle.

An 8oz bag should result in four cheese shells.

Place in oven for six to eight minutes, pulling when the edges are brown and crunchy and the center is bubbling.

Allow the cheese to settle for a few second, ten to twenty, and then drape the shells over a wooden spoon placed between to cans.

Gravity will pull the cheese into nicely shaped taco shells.

Instructions for the Taco Meat: Preheat a pan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil.

Once heated, drop in a medium diced onion. Soften the onions for two or three minutes.

Add the pound of elk burger.

About half way through cooking, add two tablespoons of taco seasoning.

Once the meat is finished cooking, taste to see if more seasoning is needed and for salt and pepper.

Garnish the tacos with lettuce, tomatoes, pico de gallo, salsa, avocado, guacamole, sour cream, jalapeños, onions, cilantro, radishes, lime wedges, or whatever else your heart desires. Enjoy!

March 2017 35

REGIONAL NEWS Lot Of Pout: Burbot State Record Is On The Books It’s official – a Minnesota resident holds the state record for a fish species with a much maligned appearance and many names including freshwater ling, lawyer, eelpout and burbot.

Brent Getzler of Roosevelt is the new record holder of a 19-pound, 10-ounce burbot taken from the Minnesota waters of Lake of the Woods.

“When photos surfaced of this huge pout, it certainly got people talking,” said Mike Kurre, mentoring program coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “As the reaction to this record shows, burbot have has a certain charm despite the eely looks – and at 19 pounds, what a fish.”

The fish was 33 inches long with a belly full of girth at 23-7/8 inches.

Getzler caught it while fishing for walleyes with an orange jigging spoon tipped with a minnow on Dec. 19.

“Brent along with his buddies Rob Anderson and Chad Thompson thought he was battling a monster walleye and they were recording the three minute fight. But after realizing it was a ‘just a pout’ they quit filming,” Kurre said. “Little did they know the burbot was a state record, until they got it on a scale.”...

Here’s A Sneak Peak At The New Moose, Bighorn Sheep And Mountain Goat Rules I

By Roger Phillips, Public Information Specialist

daho Fish and Game Commission on Jan. 26 adopted new rules for moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat for the 2017-18 hunting seasons.

Roger Phillips, Idaho Fish and Game - Moose, southwest region, near McCall

•Eliminate antlerless hunt in Unit 75 (five tags) in response to low and declining harvest success and field observations suggesting a population decline.

Bighorn Sheep

There will be 99 bighorn sheep tags available each year in 2017-18, which is a statewide net increase of six Rocky Mountain bighorn ram tags and a net increase of two California bighorn ram tags from 2015-16.

•Units 13 and 18 were added to Hunt Area 11.

•Hunt Area 27-4 was expanded and one tag added.

•Hunt Area boundaries adjusted in Hunt Areas 28-1 (one tag added) and Hunt Area 28-2, and a new hunt area 28-3 created with two tags.

•Increase from six to eight tags in Hunt Area 37 and the hunt split into early and late seasons (Aug. 30 to Sept. 20 and Sept. 21 to Oct. 13) with four tags in each.

•Decrease of one California bighorn tag in the early hunt in Hunt Area 42-1 (Aug. 30 to Sept. 14) and one in the late hunt for Hunt Area 42-2 (Sept. 22 to Oct. 8) in Unit 42.

•New ram hunt in Unit 54 with three tags, one tag in early hunt and two tags in late hunt.

•Increase of one ram tag (two total) on Jim Sage Mountain Hunt Area 55 and no ewe hunts.

Mountain Goats

Changes include: Moose

There will be 50 mountain goat tags available each year in 2017-18.

No changes from 2015-16 rules and hunts.

There will be 805 moose tags available each year in 2017-18, which is a statewide net reduction of 45 antlered moose tags and 23 antlerless moose tags from 2015-16.

•Reduction of 45 antlered moose tags among six different hunts in Unit 1, including closure of Hunt Area 1-3 in response to consistently low or declining hunter success rates, suggesting moose population there is in decline.

•Increase of one antlered tag in Hunt Area 36A (up from one tag to two).

•Reduction of three antlered tags in Hunt Area 76-3 (down to seven tags from 10).

•Reduction of 20 antlerless tags in Unit 2. Previous tag level of 40 tags was intended to reduce the moose population and improve public safety (vehicle collisions) and homeowner complaints. Reduction was accomplished, so tags were decreased.

•Increase of two antlered and two antlerless archery-only tags in Unit 68A to address increasing moose population and human/traffic conflicts with moose in American Falls and Blackfoot and increase public safety on Interstates 15 and 86.

Fish And Game Is Feeding About 20,000 Big Game Animals This Winter

36 - Hunting & Fishing News

By Roger Phillips, Public Information Specialist

T his winter’s cold temperatures and deep snow at low elevations has prompted Idaho Fish and Game to implement emergency big game

feeding at nearly 110 locations across southern and eastern Idaho.

Winter conditions in the Panhandle, Clearwater and Salmon areas are closer to normal so emergency feeding is not necessary there, but animals and weather conditions continue to be monitored to see if more feeding is needed.

“Winter feeding is a big deal for us right now,” said Fish and Game Deputy Director Ed Schriever. “This is a winter like we haven’t experienced in about 20 years in southern Idaho.”

REGIONAL NEWS Wildlife managers estimate the department is feeding about 10,000 mule deer, nearly 10,000 elk and about 100 pronghorn at various feeding sites throughout the state. F&G is expecting to spend $650,000 to feed big game this winter. The department spent $387,000 in 2008, which was the last big year for winter feeding.

Emergency feeding has several goals, including helping some animals get through winter, particularly mule deer, and keeping wildlife away from agriculture operations, highways and populated areas where they can be hazards or nuisances. Fish and Game has in several cases successfully herded large elk herds away from agricultural lands and highways into suitable winter range.

Fish and Game is currently monitoring nearly 1,700 radio-collared deer and elk, including adults, calves and fawns. Game managers have real-time data on the survival of those animals, which provides valuable information about the larger populations.

Wildlife managers expect there will be losses due to winter kill this year and likely more than in recent years, partly because the last four winters have been relatively mild. Managers are monitoring herds, but much of the mortality occurs in late winter and into early spring.

“We are anticipating experiencing some winter mortality despite feeding,” State Game Manager Jon Rachael said. “We do not have a prediction at this stage how many deer we expect to lose this winter.”

Wildlife managers are most concerned about mule deer herds because southern Idaho has record accumulations of snow at low elevations and persistent cold temperatures where deer winter. Deep, crusty snow and frigid temperatures makes it difficult for deer to feed on natural forage and also taxes their limited fat reserves.

Mule deer fawns have the most difficulty surviving winter because they’re the smallest animals in the herd and carry the least amount of fat. The primary determinate of winter survival is fawn weight coming into winter. Winter feeding has a very limited effect on fawn survival, and being the smallest, they often have difficulty competing for feed.

Even in severe winters, statewide doe survival typically exceeds 90 percent, however, some herds may have more animals succumb to winter kill. Older, post-breeding age does are the adults most likely to die during winter, but the majority of breeding does are expected to survive.

Elk are hardier than deer and less prone to winter kill, however, we are feeding them in many locations to keep large herds away from private lands, particularly agriculture lands, and also away from highways.

Fish and Game is working with private land owners to help mitigate and compensate for losses from wintering wildlife. In 2016, Fish and Game paid to construct about 100 enclosures to protect haystacks from big game. Those efforts appear to be paying off. The department has also distributed thousands of panels and rolls of temporary fencing to land owners to keep deer, elk and antelope out of hay stacks...

March 2017 37

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Springfield Armory Launches Five New Handguns At 2017 SHOT Show

NSSF Calls Foul On USFWS Director’s Parting Shot On Traditional Ammunition

AmmoLand www.ammoland.com

The National Shooting Sports Foundation www.nssfblog.com

pringfield Armory is proud to announce an array of new firearms for the free and independent at the 2017 SHOT Show. The new guns, anchored by Springfield Armory’s new SAINT AR-15 rifle, represent the company’s commitment to enabling law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their loved ones. While the new guns are equally at home on the recreational and competitive ranges, they’re all designed for serious defensive use should the need arise.

Springfield is proud to announce...the new SAINT rifle and five new handguns including the XD Mod.2 Tactical in .45 ACP, the XD Mod.2 Service Model in .45 ACP, the EMP Lightweight Champion with Concealed Carry Contour, the EMP® All Black, and the 1911 TRP Operator, Tactical Gray.

“We’re committed to protecting Springfield Armory’s storied legacy,” stated the company’s CEO, Dennis Reese. “The way we do that each and every day is to design and build the very best products we can to help our customers protect their legacies. It’s an incredible responsibility that drives us, and we’re very proud to bring these new products to market.”...

About Springfield Armory “The First Name in American Firearms,” Springfield Armory was founded in 1777, when George Washington ordered the creation of an armory to store ammunition and gun carriages during the American Revolution. In 1794, the armory began to manufacture muskets and spent the next 150 years supplying firearms for every major American conflict. The original armory closed in 1968. In 1974, the Reese family took ownership of the Springfield Armory name and began making the M1A rifle. Today, Springfield Armory develops many products loyal to the company’s heritage, like the 1911 pistol, while ensuring its future with innovative products, including the XD, XD Mod.2, XD(M) and XD-S polymer pistols and now the new SAINT AR-15 rifle.

industries, condemned the decision by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe banning the use of traditional ammunition on Service lands in just five years.

The parting shot, Director’s Order 219 , was issued on the final full day of President Obama’s administration. The last-minute action revives an effort the administration undertook eight years ago to ban the use of traditional ammunition.

“This directive is irresponsible and driven not out of sound science but unchecked politics,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “The timing alone is suspect. This directive was published without dialogue with industry, sportsmen and conservationists.

The next director should immediately rescind this, and instead create policy based upon scientific evidence of population impacts with regard to the use of traditional ammunition.”

The order requires several initiatives to go into effect immediately.

Regional Directors are to work with state agencies to ban the use of traditional ammunition. It also ends the use of traditional ammunition on Federal land, including National Parks, tribal lands and national wildlife refuges in order to mirror policies in states where traditional ammunition is already restricted. The order “expeditiously” bans traditional ammunition “when available information indicates” that lead is harmful to wildlife, without requirement of a scientific threshold on which to base that action.

It also requires creation of a timeline to restrict traditional ammunition for dove and upland bird hunting.

S

38 - Hunting & Fishing News

T he National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports

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March 2017 39

Maintaining Wellness and Longevity in Senior Bird Dogs Purina Pro Plan

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s your hardworking bird dog ages, he or she may run a little slower, his or her joints may be a little achier, and his or her muzzle may appear a little grayer. Although the aging process cannot be stopped, using targeted nutritional and conditioning strategies that focus on maintaining wellness and longevity will help to support your senior sporting dog’s physical performance and cognitive health.

“Dogs can still be physically active through their senior years,” says Purina Senior Research Nutritionist Brian Zanghi, PhD. “However, it’s important to match the physical lifestyle to the age of your dog. Mobility, mental acuity and overall health become more important than speed and intensity.”

Age-appropriate exercise that focuses on maintaining a dog’s skills while accommodating an older dog’s physical limitations are critical.

Shorter, less frequent bouts of exercise are best. Avoid extremely hot or cold weather, keep your dog hydrated and take rest breaks as needed.

Furthermore, studies such as the groundbreaking 14-year Purina Life Span Study have shown that properly feeding your dog to maintain ideal body condition, meaning the dog’s ribs are palpable without excess fat covering, plays a major role in sustaining wellness and longevity.

Keep a close eye on your dog’s body mass and do not allow him or her to become overweight, as extra weight puts unnecessary stress on joints. Low-impact exercise, such as swimming, is a great way to keep a dog lean. Daily exercise and walks also help support an ideal body condition.

When your dog begins to slow down, has “senior moments,” or nears retirement status, it is a good time to consider switching from a high-protein/high-fat performance food to a senior formula to help maintain health and wellness.

“Senior dogs have special dietary needs,” Dr. Zanghi explains.

“As a dog enters the senior life stage, glucose metabolism in the brain begins to change, potentially affecting memory, learning, awareness, and decision-making. Many senior dogs benefit from high-protein diets to help retain lean body mass, but that also are lower in fat to help maintain a healthy body condition.”

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Full Parts & Service Departments © 2017 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved.™,®, and the BRP logo are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc. or its affiliates. +All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. In the USA, the products are distributed by BRP US Inc. BRP reserves the right at any time, to discontinue or change specifications, prices, designs, features, models or equipment without incurring obligation. Some models depicted may include optional equipment. BRP highly recommends that all ATV drivers take a training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer, or, in USA, call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. In Canada, call the Canadian Safety Council at (613) 739-1535 ext 227. Read the Operator’s Guide and watch the Safety DVD before riding. Wear appropriate protective clothing and helmet. For side-by-side vehicles, fasten lateral net and seat belt at all times. Never engage in stunt driving and avoid excessive speed. Always observe applicable local laws and regulations. Side-by-side vehicles and ATVs are recommended for drivers aged 16 and older, and passengers aged 12 and older only. For off-road use only. Never ride on paved surfaces or public roads. Always ride responsibly and remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix.

Spring Bear: Scout Now! (continued from page 28)

Top Five Scoring B&C Black Bear Montana

• Hard work pays off Not many hunters that I know actually put in scouting time when it comes to bear hunting. Seems only the “serious” black bear hunters are savvy enough to push themselves hard to hunt the great black bear. It’s hard to match the incredible rush of intensity and true excitement when you encounter a bear in the wild, and then finally come into shooting range of this hulking shiny-furred beast that epitomizes so fully the wilderness that is left in America today.

1. 21 2. 21 3. 21 4. 21 5. 21

08/16 05/16 04/16 03/16 02/16

Fergus County Broadwater County Carbon County Madison County Gallatin County

2005 1992 2003 1974 1986

Pat Descheemaeker Randy Stone Joseph Krenzer Jerry Morgan Steven Steele

And that, in the end, is the main reason why most of us pursue black bears.

The Montana Spring Bear Hunting Season starts April 15th.

Check Montana Black Bear Hunting Regulations before you hunt.

© Jean-edouard Rozey | Dreamstime.com

March 2017 41

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How a 100-year-old duck boat found its way back ‘home’

By Paul Wait, editor and publisher of Delta Waterfowl

T

www.deltawaterfowl.org

he unfamiliar voice on the phone took me by surprise.

“I have a duck boat that belonged to one of your ancestors,” the stranger declared.

“And I’m wondering if you are interested in having it back in your family.”

The caller, Rick Hawkinson of International Falls, Minnesota, explained that he had found a vintage duck skiff at a local yard sale, which he acquired as part of a deal for an antique outboard motor. Hawkinson collects old boat motors, but had no use for the duck boat.

However, he noticed a rectangular bronze plate nailed to the top of the 13-foot-long wooden craft. Hawkinson gently cleaned the tarnish to see if he could read any of the lettering on the tag. It read, “J.M. Wait, Clintonville, Wis., 1908.”

Like many folks who collect antiques, Hawkinson enjoys probing history. He looked up the surname “Wait” in Clintonville, Wisconsin, which led him to my uncle, Sam Wait, who owns an auto dealership there. My uncle, in turn, informed Hawkinson that his nephew is a duck hunter who works for Delta Waterfowl.

And thus, the journey to re-unite a duck boat with the family who had owned it generations ago was set in motion.

My Great-Great Grandpa Before Hawkinson called me, I knew next to nothing about “J.M. Wait.” Judd Martin Wait was my great-great grandfather.

Some quick research revealed he was born in 1861, and died in 1938. I found out that he lived in Clintonville, which made sense because my grandparents and parents are also from that small east-central Wisconsin city.

Still, I wasn’t sure that the man on the phone, in fact, possessed a duck boat that once belonged to my ancestor. So after I hung up with Hawkinson, I called my uncle.

“Oh, I’m sure it is his boat,” Sam Wait told me. “Judd was a serious duck hunter. I’ve seen old pictures of him with his duck boat.”

I have always known that I descended from a long line of hunters, but I was thrilled at the idea that my turn-of-the 20th century lineage included a man known for his love of duck hunting.

So, I simply had to find out more about my great-great grandfather. And if this was his duck skiff, well, it was coming home.

Digging Deeper Hawkinson emailed several photos of the boat, which I forwarded to my dad. Later that day, my father called me. He too, confirmed that Judd Wait was a duck hunter.

“How do you suppose that boat ended up in northern Minnesota?” I asked. “I believe he moved up there late in his life to be a property caretaker for Doc Finney,” Dad said. “I know there’s a picture somewhere of Doc and Judd standing with a duck boat. I think it’s this boat.”

My father was referring to the photo that accompanies this article. Judd Wait is the man on the right. The man on the left is Dr. William H. Finney, the city physician of Clintonville when this image was taken. Judging by the Ford Model T automobile, the photo dates to somewhere near 1920, give or take a few years.

My research revealed the Wait and Finney families both homesteaded in Clintonville in the mid-1800s, and each was formerly of Medina County, Ohio.

William Finney’s father, Dr. John Finney, was Clintonville’s first mayor in 1887.

Judd Wait “made a successful living in the meat business” according to one account I found. I’m assuming here, but in those times, I’m sure the town doctor knew the town butcher. In my great-great grandfather’s case, they clearly spent time in pursuit of waterfowl, too. I’m also assuming the men were friends, and the pursuit of ducks was important to them. In that era, to have a photo made was a very intentional undertaking.

Only photographers who earned a living taking pictures owned a camera capable of producing such a quality photo.

The dog in the picture — Judd Wait’s retriever — is also of great interest to me. I’m nearly positive it is an American water spaniel, an uncommon breed founded in New London, Wisconsin, which is only 17 miles south of Clintonville.

And what about that boat? A perfect match. Hawkinson had Judd Wait’s duck boat.

Bringing Her Home I called Hawkinson and made arrangements. A week later, he delivered the skiff to a friend’s house in Fargo, North Dakota.

On a rainy, late fall weekend — fittingly duck weather — my father and I made a 12-hour trek across Wisconsin and Minnesota to retrieve the skiff.

We found that the old canvas-covered hull was made well, and remains in remarkable shape for a boat more than 100 years old. We examined her closely, but found no other identifying tags or maker’s marks. The outer shell is cracked and peeling a bit, and the wood is worn, but she’s still sturdy.

I doubt we’ll ever float her. But now, my great-great grandfather’s boat has become an important part of my heritage as a duck hunter. And she’s back home.

42 - Hunting & Fishing News

5 Unique Releases From SHOT Show 2017

AmmoLand www.ammoland.com Note: This article was originally posted on NRA Blog: http://bit.ly/2jKXcrL

SHOT Show is typically thought of as a firearms show. However, the show expands beyond firearms and encompasses an assortment of items related to the outdoor lifestyle. Whether you need a rangefinder for a hunt, want to explore the latest in laser technology for self- protection or simply get your hands on a helpful gadget for your outdoor adventures, SHOT Show had it! Check out a few products launching this year that will suit any outdoorsman and outdoors woman’s lifestyle.

Benchmade 10 Rescue Hook

LaserMax GripSense

We never think the impossible could happen to us. If you find yourself in a difficult situation and need to react fast, the Benchmade 10 Rescue Hook is your solution.

(Photo courtesy/Benchmade) Whether getting tangled in a tree stand or even needing to get loose from a briar patch, this rescue hook can be failsafe. This blade was originally built for corrections officers and has an enlarged hook gap to cut thick rope with ease. It comes with a Boltaron sheath to diversify your carrying options as well.

Sitka Gear Women’s Line

Sitka unveiled its new women’s clothing line made for women by women. This line is meant to be functional for any female hunter, made specifically to suit a wide variety of body types.

The lightweight gear has a new camouflage pattern designed for close range cloaking when the hunt is at its most crucial moment.

This 2017 lineup tested tough and was designed specifically for the ultimate outdoors woman up for any challenge in the field.

(Photo courtesy Sitka)

Nikon 7i VR Laser Rangefinder

Nikon introduced its 7i VR Laser Rangefinder at SHOT Show 2017.

This is the first optical-vibration-reduction laser rangefinder to hit the market!

Everyone knows the struggle of having a steady hand in the freezing cold or when trying to contain your excitement.

Fortunately, this cutting-edge technology puts the task of measuring distances at ease with its stability features.

It also offers a multilayer-coated 6x high-quality finder for bright, clear images displaying in horizontal distance. It has a compact body design (Photo courtesy/Nikon) for comfortable holding, however, you won’t need to hold it long because you will see results in roughly 0.5 seconds. This device is waterproof up to 1 meter or 3.3 feet for 10 minutes with a rainproof battery chamber. With that being said this device is not designed for underwater usage and has a wide temperature tolerance ranging anywhere from -10°C to 50°C/14°F to 122°F.

(Photo courtesy/LaserMax)

LaserMax debuted its impressive GripSense technology at the Show with plans to launch the actual product by spring. The Patent Pending GripSense Technology utilizes technology similar to smartphones as it contains a detection zone on the trigger guard of a firearm to activate the light or laser instantly providing a solution for simple laser use and can turn on and off with the simple touch of a button. GripSense provides a 100-lumen mint green light. The mint green provides the most visible color in the light spectrum to ensure accuracy in low light situations.

The laser sight is in the center of that light and the operator can choose between a bright red or green laser. The only difference between the two options is the price.

MegaBOOM Targets

(Photo courtesy/YouTube)

Looking to make target practice a bit more interesting? MegaBOOM Targets transforms ordinary plastic bottles into a low energy decompression reactive target holding up to 175 psi. All you need is the Mega BOOM patented base to transfer the air into the bottle with a bicycle pump, a compressor or a dive tank. If you want to make things even more interesting add a little corn starch into the bottle before pumping with air for a grand show.

March 2017 43

The Northern Yellowstone Elk herd numbered more than 19,000 before wolf reintroduction in the mid-1990s but dropped below 4,000 in 2012.

Increasing grizzly, black bear and mountain lion populations also played a role in the decline. Minnesota’s moose population numbered approximately 8,840 in 2006 but since dropped 55 percent to an estimated 4,020 in 2016.

Photo Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation “We have also witnessed time and time again that pro-wolf groups seek to ignore agreed upon population recovery goals, thus moving the goals posts, so to speak, by filing obstructionist lawsuits designed to drag out or deny the delisting process altogether and allowing wolf populations to soar well above agreed upon levels,” said Allen. “These groups totally ignore what they themselves agree to once they get wolves on the landscape and they use lawsuits to manipulate the system, ignoring state-based management.

And, in many cases the American taxpayers are paying for their legal fees,” Allen added.

Colorado Elk Herd in the Crosshairs RMEF www.rmef.org

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is raising a

word of warning about a “quiet” movement in Colorado seeking to place wolves on the landscape.

It also has grave concerns about the tactics used by environmentalists and animal rights groups behind such efforts.

A representative of a wolf advocacy group, the Turner Endangered Species Fund, recently addressed a gathering of Colorado citizens claiming the placement of wolves on the Colorado landscape is “most germane” to the state’s future, and added “there’s no downside and there’s a real big upside.”

RMEF strongly disputes those claims.

“Wolves have a measureable and oftentimes detrimental impact on big game management wherever they go. Their reintroduction

into the Northern Rocky Mountains led to a reduction of the Northern Yellowstone herd by more than 80 percent,” said

David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Among other things, wolves also greatly reduced elk numbers to dangerously low levels in central Idaho and have a profound impact on declining moose and deer populations in the Western Great Lakes region.”

44 - Hunting & Fishing News

Animal rights groups filed at least nine lawsuits regarding wolf populations in the Northern Rockies and at least six others affecting wolves in the Western Great Lakes, as well as several others that have impacted the listing status of wolves across the contiguous 48 states. Currently, two cases are pending in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, affecting listing status in Wyoming and in the Western Great Lake states.

As part of the wolf reintroduction efforts in the mid-1990s, federal and state agencies agreed to delist wolves and place them under state management when the original minimum recovery levels reached 100 wolves each in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Wolves met those delisting standards in 2002 but 2015 minimum

populations were nearly 500 percent above that—786 in Idaho, 536 in Montana and 382 in

Wyoming. The original population objective for wolves in the Western Great Lakes was 1,350 but at last count the overall minimum population numbered greater than 3,600.

Though well above minimum population levels, federal protections remain in place for wolves in the Western Great Lakes region and Wyoming due to environmental lawsuits.

“An unhealthy and litigious precedent has been set that once pro-wolf groups get a foot in the reintroduction door, they kick it open and file lawsuit after lawsuit to stymy the delisting process while using the wolf as a fundraising tool. Colorado’s elk population will be next in the crosshairs,” cautioned Allen. ”And by the way wolves are nowhere near endangered.”

March 2017 45

46 - Hunting & Fishing News

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