Montana Woods N Water, April 2015, Volume 4, Issue 4

Publisher’s Notes

By Raf Viniard We made it! This months print edition is our 1st Anniversary edition. We could not have done it without our advertisers, our fine staff and of course you our readers. Now that we are back in print by POPULAR demand from both our advertisers and readers we need you to go out of your way to tell our advertisers how much you appreciate them supporting Montana Woods N Water. Without our advertisers this print publication is not and will not be possible to do. Thank you advertisers!

Bear and turkey season are in full swing and pictures are starting to dribble in. Next month we should have some bragging pictures to show you. Keep in mind this month we celebrate Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Those BBQ grills are already being put to the test so be safe when grilling out.

Hikers and campers are enjoying all that Montana has to offer...so PLEASE adequately prepare to go into the mountains with the right clothing and equipment.

For the class of 2015 we congratulate you on your successful completion of High School or college. As my Daddy use to say...welcome to the real world.

If you are going to a party please do not drink and drive and leave the drugs to the pharmacist. You have your entire life ahead of you don’t waste it.

Now that you have the print edition in your hand you need to swing over to our website www.montanawoodsnwater.com and check out the digital version. There are things in the most recent digital version that are not in the print version. If Grandma can use a computer to check her Facebook you can use a computer to read Montana Woods N Water.

Okay it is your turn...send us those photos of your turkey, bear, fish or something that represents Montana for publishing consideration. Be safe!

Front Cover Photo Provided By: Raf Viniard This picture of the Mission Mountains was taken from the east side of Hewolf Mountain, Sanders/Lake County, MT To Contact Us: Montana Woods N Water 171 Clark Creek Loop Plains, Montana 59859 406-08-0576 www.montanawoodsnwater.com Email: raf@montanawoodsnwater.com

Publisher & Editor: Raf Viniard 406-407-0612 Photographer, Print Manager Tina Scott 406-830-7500 Field Editor: Mitzi Stonehocker 406-544-1868 Sales & Marketing, Lincoln County Kori Erickson 406-293-1478 Director of Social Media Misty Loveless 406-250-4191 Flathead Valley Rep: Vacant Missoula Sales Rep: Vacant Pro Staff Writers & Photographers: Angela Gerych Pastor Jim Sinclair Dan Helterline Zach Butcher Paul Fielder Montana Mitzi Sam Martin Jason Badger Tony Rebo Toby Walrath

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Anonymous submissions will not be addressed or published.

MWW reserves the right not to publish anything we feel is not in good taste or appropriate.

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HUNTING

Reflections

By Jason Badger

I do this every year. I say I’m going to wait until the end of April or even early May before I waste the time and fuel to go spring bear hunting, yet here I am, perched above a large canyon that holds a lot of promise.

The weather however is not promising. The last few days have been cold and rainy, with snow flurries at these higher elevations.

Today is no different. No bother. I really don’t expect to see a bear today anyway, it’s too early. This journey is mainly to monitor the slowly receding snow line, and to hide from the hellbent pace of city life. I don’t know how to explain it, but I just want to be alone right now.

I turn up my collar as the cold wind whips down off of the ridgeline that towers above me. With my binoculars glued to my eyes I scan every inch of the vast canyon before me…again. The canyon is dark, cold and lonely. I’m beginning to doubt if there are any living creatures on this mountain. Then a raven craws somewhere down in the canyon, snapping me out of my little trance. I’m weary and my mind wanders this way and that. Most of my thoughts revolve around bears and bear hunting.

I recall my first bear hunting adventure. My father took me to a high-mountain canyon that was filled with huckleberry patches, and bears on good years. I had never even laid eyes on a live, wild bear before that trip. The first day we encountered six different bears. All were sows with cubs, or too distant to even attempt a stock. All but one. Just before dark we returned to one clear-cut to glass for the final few minutes before calling it a day and retiring to camp. To my amazement there was bear only a couple hundred yards down the canyon. Somehow I managed to calm my nerves long enough to double lung him with my Remington 7MM Magnum. He was a very small bear, but I couldn’t have been more proud. Almost two decades have passed since that hunt, but the memory is still as clear as the day it took place. I had always been intrigued by bears, but that hunt started an obsession that has yet to ebb.

A few spindly rays of sunshine break through the ominous clouds. I look up from my note pad, close my eyes, and let the sun tickle my face. The warmth is a welcome break from the snow shower I have been sitting in for the last three hours. I know it won’t last long.

Another time one of my hunting buddies and I hiked an old skid road into a large canyon that had been logged many years prior. There was bear sign everywhere so we knew our chances were good. In fact he had seen a bruiser of a bear in this exact spot a couple of days earlier. We stopped frequently to glass the clear-cut as we made our way around the top. Perhaps a mile and a half down the brushy trail we rounded a corner and found a bear sitting at an old rotten stump, no more that seventy five yards ahead of us. With the speed of old western gun slingers we simultaneously shouldered our rifles. I found the bear in my scope, and hastily fired a round when I heard my partner tell me to shoot. At the report of my Ruger 30.06 the bear charged up hill and disappeared into the thick brush. What ensued was the most painstaking tracking job I have ever taken part in. Somehow that bear had turned and run back down the hill without us ever seeing him. Blood was almost non-existent and we spent most of the time on our hands and knees. A couple of hours later we finally found him piled up half way down the canyon.

I didn’t randomly pick this canyon I’m sitting on. Many, many hours and a lot of gas money spent scouting tell me this is the place to be. Late last July I spotted twelve different bears here in one evening. I spent the better part of a week chasing one monster bruin that occupied this area. I had a couple of close calls with him, but fate sided with him every time. I eventually killed a very respectable bear here. He measured six and a half feet nose to tail and weighed well over three hundred pounds.

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HUNTING CONTINUED

There is already young, tender shoots of grass growing in this clear cut so I know the bears will eventually be here too. It’s just a matter of time. Patience has never been one of my best virtues.

People frequently ask me why I spend so much time bear hunting. I have never really been able to explain it. For the last few seasons I hunt just a couple of areas. I spend so much time in them that I get to know the individual bears, their mannerisms, and habits. For example, a couple of years ago I spent a few weeks watching a number of bears in one of my favorite berry patches, perhaps a mile from my current location. There was one really large boar that got my attention. I stalked him three times on three different days, only to be bested by the fickle winds or unfriendly terrain. On the fourth attempt my persistence paid off with an eighty yard shot on one of my biggest bear to date.

The snow is slowly turning to rain and I’m starting to get annoyed. Off behind me I can hear rustling leaves and the occasional snap of a limb. I slowly climb to my feet and turn to face the sound. It seems to be progressing down the small finger ridge behind me, heading toward my right. I begin to tip-toe down the skid road. I take a slow step, then wait and listen. Two more steps, then wait and listen. It has to be a bear. It doesn’t move like any deer I have ever heard. Despite my caution I’m making an astonishing amount of noise. I’m a little embarrassed even though there is no one around to bear witness. This is just one of those days when my brain and my body aren’t on the same page.

The rain intensifies as I slowly pick my way up the road bank to ascend the ridge. The going is tough as the forest floor is littered with tree limbs strewn about by many intense winter storms. I crouch next to a large Douglas Fir and scan my surroundings. The noise has ceased. I wait for ten long minutes to no avail. Whatever it was has decided to seek refuge somewhere else. The wind is picking up and it’s uncomfortably cold. I realize it’s almost dark. Tonight I’m having tacos for dinner and they sound more inviting than crouching like an idiot in these dank woods. I slowly stand up and take one last look before turning to head back down the hill.

When I reach my pick up I quickly glass the canyon. Not surprisingly it is void of any activity. Did I just waste half a day? Not really. It’s still too early but this trip was necessary. Another two weeks from now I will return to check.

It’s pouring now but I can’t help but smile. Spring will come, the grass will grow and the bears will arrive.

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FISHING

location of life vests and the location of the restrooms, he then told us to settle in and enjoy the trip. He proceeded to the cab and we were off.

The trip out was a little rough, but not horrible. We spotted several dolphins, a whale, and several sea lions.

When we arrived at our destination the deck hand Lacy gathered us all up and gave us instructions on how to fish for sea bass and lingcod. Her job would be to bait our hooks and to remove the fish as we yarded them into the boat. It seemed like quite the job for the little lady to accomplish as there were nine of us fishing all around the boat. The waves were big and the boat rocked back and forth without any forgiveness. I would have to brace myself against the rail to keep my balance, I wondered how she was going to move about and accomplish all the

By Tony Rebo Last week I had the opportunity to charter a boat and do things she promised. some bottom fishing with my son and some good friends. Once the engine was turned off it was time to drop the We left Libby at 6:00AM and ten hours later we arrived in lines. I would open my bail and let the line drop to the the small town of Westport Washington. We checked in bottom. I had what looked like was a large salmon fly tied at Westport Charters, bought our two day license and to the line followed by a one ounce banana weight received our instructions for the following day. followed by a 4 foot leader with a single double 0 hook.

Bottom Fishing At Its Best

On the hook Lacy would attach a live herring. Once your line would hit the bottom you would real up about three cranks. You would ever so lightly jig the line until you would feel the line go tight and then at that point you would slightly pull up on the rod setting the hook. You would reel the line in from 120 feet and proclaim “fish on�.

We needed to be at pier 8 by 6:15AM, and board the Sea Angel. When we arrived we were greeted by a young man who introduced himself as Captain Brian. Captain Brian had a very pleasant young lady as his deck hand named Lacy. The Captain invited us to move about his boat and to get settled in and to enjoy a cup of coffee.

There were twelve of us total on the boat, and nine of us would be fishing.

Lacy would run to your rescue, retrieve the fish, re-bait Before we left the slip the Captain gave us the following your hook and drop the line back over the side. You instructions; we will be leaving the slip and heading out would then start the process all over again. We fished for just over an hour and we had caught the boats limit of to the open water, which today is quite rough. We will 120 sea bass. Many times the anglers would catch two at have twelve foot swells with breaking waves. We will a time. My son had at least 6 to 7 doubles and the guy only be out fishing until about noon as the water will start to become increasingly rougher. We will need to be fishing next to him told me that he had to have caught at least 35 fish. The fishing was so fast and vigorous that back through the break by two to avoid trouble reentering the port side of the break. On our way out once you need to be in the game if you were going to catch fish. A wasted moment meant someone else was going we leave the break we will travel out 35 miles and will begin to fish. Captain Brian gave us the once over on the to be catching all the fish.

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HORNS & HERITAGE SHIRT CLUB

By N.K West Recently, at the Big Horn Outdoor Adventure Show in Spokane, I came across a company that captured my interest.

It was something I had heard of but never truly understood. As I talked to the owners of Horns and Heritage, they simply explained exactly how their company works. While listening, I became aware of how the company started in 2014. I was told that three buddies, all of which I was talking to, and their wives wanted to try something new to spark their lives a little bit. The six of them wanted to try something they’d heard of, but to make it their own. After bouncing ideas off one another, a lightbulb was lit and Horns and Heritage Shirt Club was born.

Their vision has grown into a thriving business. Each month a logo is chosen by the partners featuring a small country lifestyle business. The only criteria being, the logo MUST be cool!! After subscribing to the monthly club, Horns & Heritage customers receive t-shirt and a detailed postcard promoting the featured business. Each unique tee features a company based on the outdoors in some type of way. Whether it is hunting, fishing, ranching or rodeo, you name it, Horns and Heritage has a shirt featuring it!

This explains what Horns and Heritage Shirt Club members get, but there is another side to the concept and that is the giving back. All six of the partners grew up in small towns across the country. If you yourself know anything about small town America, giving back to your community plays an important part.

With every featured logo, Horns and Heritage Shirt Club gives a portion of their proceeds back to the company. This is their way of preserving a way of life that each of the partners holds dear.

Once listening to all this great information and getting to know the men of Horns and Heritage Shirt Club, I was more interested than before. With that being said, I was a bit nervous as to how much the subscription to such a cool club would cost. Turns out, it’s only $23 per month, with no commitment and you can cancel at any time!

I would highly advise you to check this great idea out at www.hornsandheritage.com! Subscribe today and get a cool shirt delivered to YOUR door every month!

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FISHING CONTINUED Too bad for me, I am one of those guys that really like to enjoy the moment. I wanted to get pictures of my son and my friends catching fish. I wanted to watch Lacy as she ran from one side of the boat with cat like reflexes to the other side, all the while she was untangling lines, rebaiting hooks and retrieving fish from the water. That girl could take a big wave, steady her weight and then shift and be off running in a moment’s notice. It was impressive! She never once slipped or fell or even lost her balance to my knowledge. This deck hand was a true athlete. I tried to chit chat with my neighbor and enjoy the moment, but all I got was the “look”. Apparently this was serious business. When the final fish was pulled into the boat Lacy proclaimed to stop fishing as the limit was caught. I looked around at the damage, and there were 8 other guys staring back looking as if they had just run a marathon. The catching of fish was like a mad race. My son asked me if I even caught any, which I replied “of course I did, I landed 7”.

That was when I found out that everyone else was way beyond me in numbers and in fact everyone else had at least one double. I did not have a double, I am admitting that now. The only guy who caught less than me was the gentleman to my right. I think he blames me for not catching fish, he was to busy trying to ignore me and my small talk. Oh yeah and then there was the sick guy, he started out ok and did in fact catch a double. I think I caught more than him, but only because he stopped fishing and turned into one of those lizards that change color based on their surroundings. The guy had on a lime colored jacket and it was amazing how he turned the same color as the jacket. I had to stop looking at him because I was laughing so hard. His nose would flare up just like gills on a lizard; he would breathe real heavy and then exhale. This went on for hours. It still was funny even after hours.

Lacy then proclaimed to group that we would now try lingcod fishing. We moved to a new location and started the process all over. Lacy explained to us that the fishing was going to be tough as lingcod do not like big waves and they tend to move out into deeper water during those conditions. She was right and we were not successful at catching any, however we did catch more sea bass which we released back into the ocean. Overall the fishing was great.

We headed back into shore by 2PM and made it back to the dock without issue. All the while we

headed back; Lacy began to fillet our fish. She was a master with a knife. I was amazed at the skill she had, all the while keeping her balance as we traveled through 14 foot swells. When we did arrive at the dock we were each presented with a bag of fillets. Our Captain thanked us, and instructed us to meet him at the boat the following morning at the same time.

We were not as lucky on day two, the ocean swells had grown over night and we were faced with big waves once again. Captain Brian proclaimed his position on the matter and said that he would attempt to cross the break but under no circumstance would he risk our safety. He didn’t have to; as we approached the break the Coast Guard put an end to our trip. We were all saddened by the event, but understood. Well everyone but the lizard guy was sad. The Captain gave us a refund for the day and invited us back.

On the way home I reflected on the trip. It was one more thing I could mark off my bucket list. The time I spent with my son and my friends was priceless. I may not have caught as many fish as everyone else, but I can say I know I had more fun. If any of you are interested in bottom fishing in the ocean I can’t say enough about West Port Charters. Class act, good people, cleans boats, and an all around good time. I plan on going back again real soon and this time I probably still won’t catch as many fish as the others but I will have the best time. Oh yeah, if you do plan to go and you want some extra entertainment, I have the lizard guys phone number. He was one of the guys in our group. Good luck and good fishing.

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TRAPPING

QUALITY MUSKRAT TIME

By Paul C Fielder My son and I did some spring muskrat’en in a real pretty place this year. I got permission to trap an area with a lot of potholes and marshes. It was so pretty that my son, Josh, decided to fly from Maryland to NW Montana to spend time with me while I trapped the area. We originally talked about the hundreds of muskrats we’d take out of that area and all the skinning we’d be doing. The aerial photos of the place looked awesome. But trapping that area was tough.

We set traps April 1st. There was not a lot of muskrat sign to be seen. Although muskrats travel a lot during the spring breeding season, that time of year is also when muskrat populations are at their lowest. It seemed that the potholes were pretty well separated from each other with not a lot of water between them. The drainage and irrigation ditches were pretty dry. We did see two muskrats in one of the ponds, and that is always “good sign”.

Some cattail cuttings let us know there were some muskrats around. Several bank den entrances had clean bottoms, pieces of green vegetation, and mud suspended in the water – all of which told us that they were active. We also found a few small trickles of water running through thick vegetation that connected adjacent ponds.

I put three 110 Conibears in trickles of water that connected ponds. Fourteen colony traps were place in bank den entrances and some runways through cattail marshes. I use a 2-trap muskrat float with a 1.5 longspring trap on each end and I rigged up 6 floats with a total of 11 longsprings. While setting one trap for a float set, I had a jaw fall off of the trap into the muddy pond bottom, never to be seen again. Never had that happen before. That’s why there were only 11 traps on 6 floats the first day.

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TRAPPING CONTINUED April 2nd we checked traps. The first float set held one of the muskrats that we had seen swimming in that pond the day before. He was caught by a front foot in one trap and a hind foot in the other trap. He was caught and drowned good, but that’s not the way it is supposed to happen. We picked up single muskrats in two of the colony traps we set in den entrances and another rat in a colony trap set in a runway through the cattails. At the next pond, two more muskrats were done in by two of the three float sets and a muskrat was also caught in a 110 that was guarding the passageway between two ponds. Several colony traps in other ponds were empty and were pulled. We picked up a muskrat in another colony trap guarding a narrow passageway through thick vegetation between ponds. The last colony trap was set in a bank den. It held what looked like a pretty skinny muskrat, except it was a big, buck mink. Also in that colony trap was an 18 inch long garter snake that was dead from bite marks near its head. I think the mink entered that bank den from another entrance, found the snake and killed it for a meal, and then brought it out of the den and into the colony trap where the mink drowned. Our first check gave us eight muskrats and a mink.

We moved some traps and set some new ones.

After a two night soak, we checked traps on April 4th. All my sets are either colony traps or float sets where the muskrat drowns quickly or Conibear sets which kill the muskrat quickly. There were nine 2-trap float sets, six 110 Conibears, and 11 colony traps that had been out for two nights. The first two float sets we checked each had a single muskrat. A colony trap set in runway had a muskrat and two more floats each held a single muskrat at the bottom of the trap chain.

After another two night soak, we checked and pulled traps April 6th. Of the nine float sets, six 110s, and eight colony traps that were out, we only picked up two muskrats. One was in a 110 and one in a colony trap. I think we ran out of muskrats, which is what damage control trapping is supposed to do.

We caught 15 muskrats at this pretty location: seven on float sets, six in colony traps (plus the mink), and two in Conibears. During our time trapping these potholes in the shadows of the mountains, Josh and I saw lots of ducks, geese and swans, pheasants, and some white-tails. Although it rained and snowed all around us, precipitation hit us.

We didn’t get hundreds of muskrats. If there were more we would have got them. But father and son sure enjoyed some quality time together in a pretty place.

Fur Auction Comment

By Paul Fielder The fur auction this year was nothing to brag about. Prices were way down. Two years ago the auction sold $237,000 worth of fur. This year there was only about $76,000 worth of furs.

Marten averaged $21.79, bobcats $258, coyotes $55, muskrats $4.86, mink $9.45, beaver $17.79 – prices that nobody wants to brag about compared to the last 3-4 years. Last year I sold a beaver for $44. Two years ago my muskrats averaged $11.22 each. I don’t trap for the money. I do it for the outdoor activity.

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ARCHERY TALK

The Beach or The Bow

By Toby Walrath I walked along a path made by wide metal boats propelled from the blowing air of massive fans. The soggy ground pulled at the soles of my boots forcing a sucking sound with every step.

I thought it was a disadvantage to have all that noise following me everywhere I walked until a curious sow crashed through the river cane and reeds to greet me.

I slowly nocked an arrow onto my recurve but the pig stared me down at 15 yards. With massive shoulders and heavy bone there definitely was no shot. The pig realized I wasn't another pig foraging along the road during the early morning hours and bolted into the thick swamp and disappeared in a second. That was the first wild boar I ever saw on public land and my heart was pounding.

My recent trip to Florida was a run-of-the mill family vacation to Florida where my wife, son and I would meet "the in-laws" and hang out on the beach, make sand castles and drink beer every night as the sun went down over the ocean. But I've never been very good at sitting on the beach (or anywhere else for that matter) and I have an incessant need to hunt.

So naturally I booked a hunt with a well known outfitter; Switchgrass Outfitters, run by a husband and wife team Seth and Chelsea. They offer Eco-tours to view alligators and when the season is open they offer guided hunting trips. They also offer hog hunts with dogs and also have a few feeders placed strategically in the swamps with just enough corn spread out to keep the hogs in the area.

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ARCHERY TALK CONTINUED This was my first hunt in Florida and I learned a lot about swamps, snakes and wild hogs. Like when I first got out of the boat in the dark and Seth was trying to orient me to the landscape. He asked me if I could see the “ridge” in the distance. I hadn’t seen anything but flat land for days. He reiterated; “Do you see the row of palm trees?”

I replied; “yes”. “Ok, that’s the ridge I’m talking about.” In Florida, if the ground is dry enough to grow trees instead of river cane and brush it’s a ridge.

After a day of trying to stalk through the entanglements of foreign trees and vines, I built a blind with palmetto leaves and sat between a grassy "open" area where I could hear pigs feeding in the grassy areas adjacent to the feeder.

Just before dark a pig walked into the clearing and fed its way towards me. The palm trees that shaded me from the heat earlier in the day now made it darker than I wanted but the pig was at 30 yards and closing.

Finally it turned broad side at 20 yards and my bow came to full draw. I had no idea how big this hog was but it looked good to me as the arrow flew through its ribs. The pig spun several times and then ran into the swamp.

I waited by the Saint Johns River for Seth to come to me with his air boat well after dark. I was amazed when he told me to get in and we travelled across land all the way to the blind I had built, a distance of 400 yards or more.

The pig had gone into really thick grass and after several minutes on our hands and knees trailing the animal Seth decided to get a couple dogs for retrieval. In Florida you have to get the pig out quickly because predators like alligators, coyotes and bobcats may smell the blood and get to it first.

When I heard this I was reminded about Montana and the concern we have in some areas about grizzly bears. I'm not sure if I would rather meet a grizzly bear at my elk carcass or an alligator at my pig!

When we returned the dogs quickly found the pig and my hunt was over. I found out that I was the first hunter in all the years Seth has hunted and guided hunts to take one with a traditional bow.

The bow I carried on this hunt was made by my friend Dale Dye and the broad heads were from Howard Hill Archery both made in Hamilton, Montana. It was nice to bring a piece of Montana with me to the Florida swamps.

I did spend a day or two on the beach and got to fish in the ocean with family. But my trip would not have been complete without a day of bow hunting. Getting a good shot opportunity was a pleasant surprise!

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MONTANA MITZI

Montana White Fishing

By Montana Mitzi

Mountain whitefish are a great fish that people commonly think of as a " trash fish", a nuisance that competes with the other more desirable trout that are becoming harder to catch. I found out recently that myth is not true and I was able to experience a wonderful day of fishing and actually catching a whitefish I knew little about.

I said “actually catching�, and that statement was not a misprint, I only caught one, they are not easy to catch and having a great teacher along is a good thing. Like their cousins the trout and salmon, the body is cylindrical and the gray-bronze back fades into sides that are silvery and has larger scales like the trout. The mouth gives the appearance of a trashy sucker, it is small and overhung, the easily seen adipose fin just in front of the tail fin distinguishes it from the sucker fish. Mountain whitefish averages 12 inches in length, but larger ones are caught by anglers with the state record being a 5 pounder caught in the Kootenai River.

You will usually find mountain whitefish in larger streams and rivers along side trout. The species is common on both sides of the Continental Divide in all three major drainages, the Columbia, Missouri and Saskatchewan. In North America the whitefish is found from Alaska to the headwaters of the Colorado river.

Whitefish usually start reproducing at three years old, spawning at night in the fall. They do not build nests, the female lays her eggs over the gravel where the male will fertilize them. A mature female contains about 4,000 eggs. Eggs develop over the winter months and will hatch in March.

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Photo courtesy of Brian Miline

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The TBF BASS Federation Tournament will be held on Noxon Rapids Res. May 18th -23rd. The tournament is TBF's Western Divisional that will advance the winners to the national TBF Classic. The western state teams had to qualify in 2014 to fish at The TBF Noxon Divisional.

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MONTAN MITZI CONTINUED Mountain whitefish outnumber trout ten to one in rivers, surprisingly they do not compete with trout because they use different habitats in the stream. Whitefish feed on insects along the river bottom and can be found in the lower stretches of a pool. Trout usually feed higher in the water and occupy the higher ends of pools. The limit on whitefish is considerably higher than trout and therefore makes fishing for them a wonderful memory making experience and a nice addition to the table to eat.

I smoked our catch and found them to be very delicate, but delicious! I like to serve fish as a pate' and with crackers as a before dinner snack. While some anglers are disappointed with catching this fish, I am now hooked on fishing for them! For the best results, filet them. I soak them for a couple hours in cold ice water, then I dried them with a paper towel and coated them with a flour and cornmeal mixture. Next just fry them in oil. You can also, make a batter of flour, salt (or season salt), pepper and a can of beer. This makes a batter that you dip the fish into and then deep fry. I make a dipping sauce from horseradish and ketchup (horseradish to taste depending on your taste buds). Add a little spicy mustard and you have dinner. I like French fries and coleslaw to compliment the meal, a nice wine and a light desert, yum, yum, yum! Happy fishing and happy eating from the kitchen of Montana Mitzi, always living the dream and living my life in Montana!

MeMaw’s Kitchen

By Montana Mitzi Well bear season is in full swing and bears are hitting the ground. I love using bear fat which when rendered is pure white and has no odor or game flavor. It makes for soft hands and waterproof your boots against the elements. We had a dog once that after my husband Ron greased his boots would walk around the boots and growl! We could not understand why until one day she attacked the boots! Apparently the slight odor of bear had her in fight mode. The following recipe for the best flaky pie crust using bear fat. It works with any pie filling, enjoy.

2 1/2 cup sifted flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 cup ice water 3/4 cup rendered, cooled, firm chilled bear fat Put flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl, cut in the bear fat until crumbly. Do not over work the mixture! Add the chilled ice water and mix with a fork. Roll out just like any pie crust and fill with filling. Bake in a 375 degree oven and enjoy a little piece of heaven. Freezes well, in fact I keep my bear fat for cooking in the freezer in quart containers. I have some from several year ago and it is still good. Hugs from Memaw's kitchen and happy hunting!

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THE NEXT GENERATION

Helayna and Jonathan Ginerich (brother & sister) of Heron, Montana pose with two very nice gobblers! The killed both these birds the same morning. Congratulations on harvesting two boss gobblers. However, the question still stands...who killed the biggest bird?

During a recent bear scouting trip, George Nass of Baldy Mountain Outfitting snapped this picture of a Blue Grouse trying to attract the ladies.

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OUTDOOR VETERAN Roy Scott of Thompson Falls, MT served his country honorably as a US Navy Seabee as a construction Mechanic and in the Army National Guard as a heavy truck driver. Not only did Roy serve his country but he is an avid outdoorsman.

Roy was born in Brewster, WA but has always called Montana his home. He and his wife Tina currently live in Thompson Falls, MT with their daughter Kristina.

Roy currently works for Montana Solid Rock as an equipment operator. When Roy is not working, going to school to become and EMT or being called out on a Search & Rescue mission he loves to bear hunt. This year Roy has been so busy he has not had time to go bear hunting yet…but something tells me that is about to change as he finishes his schooling in a few days. Roy loves to hunt all that Montana has to offer and has even been known to grab a road kill or two.

Roy mostly hunts with a Marlin 45-70 or his Remington 700 in the 308 variety. When archery season rolls around you will catch him taking his Hoyt Trykon for a walk. Roy said he is a lone wolf type hunter but believes his wife has other ideas about that decision. Roy doesn’t trap but is looking forward to trying his hand at it this year.

Roy knows how to stretch a line or two and loves to fish for Pike and Catfish. He uses “Stinkbait” for old Mr. Whiskers (catfish) and smelt for those pesky pike.

We asked what he enjoys the most…here is what he said, “When the terrain allows it, I love taking my family out with me and being outdoors, Enjoying this life that my Lord, Jesus Christ has given me. My greatest accomplishments would be, taking my 14 year old daughter out on her first turkey and bear hunt this year. Whether she gets anything or not, being able to have her by my side and teach her is a great joy to me.” Sounds like Roy is raising that young lady right!

We asked Roy what advice he would give the next generation of sportsmen. He stated, “Respect the outdoors and keep it clean!”

Roy not only served his country with distinction and honor but continues to serve his community today by serving on the Sanders County Search & Rescue Team and hopes someday to become a law enforcement officer. Roy we salute you for a job well done while serving your country and your continued dedication to serving your fellow citizen and being a great Dad! Salute!

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Saturday May 9, 2015 Lakeside Motel & Resort, Trout Creek, MT Doors Open at 8:00 PM, Music Starts At 9:00 PM Must Be 21 Years Old $20.00 Per Ticket and Tickets Are Going Fast...Don’t Delay To purchase tickets click here!

Questions: Call Lakeside Motel & Resort (see ad below or Kori at (406) 293-1478

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