1ST VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Hello Montana Bowhunters Association,

Although I am preaching to the choir, I want to express the importance of belonging to the Montana Bowhunters Association. Your Board of Directors is constantly looking out for threats to your precious bowhunting seasons and tags. In addition, they are also looking for ways to help expand our opportunities.

It used to be that MBA was simply active during legislative sessions, occasional commission meetings and sometimes proposed a tentative. There now seems to be a continuous battle for bowhunting in Montana. It seems that certain groups or individuals are using the legal system more and more frequently to influence wildlife management here in Montana. Currently, wildlife management and your archery seasons are under the threat of two lawsuits. The United Property Owners of Montana (UPOM) have a lawsuit against MT FWP and the Fish and Wildlife Commission over the permit system here in Montana. Also, several individuals have a suit against the same Montana State agencies to allow crossbows into the archery-only season here in Montana. It is a disturbing trend. The entire concept is new to me and I think I would be safe in saying your MBA board is trying to figure out how to adapt to these new challenges. We are learning and, I can assure you, will continue to be your advocates for bowhunting.

On another note, here in Central Montana, we have been receiving some pretty good summer rains and I am hoping that the extra feed for the deer and elk will translate into some large antlers to chase. If you are anything like me, you love the anticipation of bowhunting season, almost as much as bowhunting itself.

Good luck to everyone this bowhunting season. Sincerely, Stephen LePage

As I write this I am in a remote location in Montana hoping to do a little fishing. But it seems the modern world will not wait for me or any of us. Right now, we as sportsmen and women are under attack on all fronts.

Our politicians seem hell bent on limiting the opportunities we now enjoy in Montana and nationally. The key opposition this time is not the anti-hunting crowd, but instead is a contingent of landowners, outfitters, and politicians who want exclusive access to our wildlife for their own exclusive profit and personal pleasure.

I am not inferring that a majority of landowners agree, but the ones that do appear to carry a lot of influence with Montana’s current administration.

Montana’s constitution is considered to be a model for ensuring not only personal privacy and a healthy environment, but also for ensuring our fish and wildlife are a public and not a Jerry Davis private resource.

Montana’s constitution is clear, Montana’s wildlife is to be held in trust for the citizens of Montana – all Montanans, not just a select few.

But now I am hearing rumblings of totally rewriting our constitution which would most likely remove or significantly amend Montana’s wildlife public trust Article. You may ask how that could happen. Well after the next election many believe that those in political power may well hold a super majority, roughly a 2/3 majority in Montana’s legislature. With a super majority, legislators of the majority party could be required to vote in favor of rewriting the constitution or risk the possibility of disenfranchisement with the party. A super majority for either party is not a good thing.

On the national level Montana has a politician who is co-sponsoring a bill to repeal the PittmanRobertson (P-R) Act also known as the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act which was passed in 1937. This Act places an 11% excise tax on all firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. Those moneys are then used for conservation, wildlife management and habitat nationwide. State agencies receive $3 for every hunting license dollar generated. In the last decade Montana has received almost $2 billion from P-R funds. Without P-R dollars Montana’s wildlife management and habitat restoration stands to lose a significant amount of its funding.

So now the question you may have is what can I do to stop the attack on our hunting heritage. The simple answer is be an informed voter. On the local level, ask those running for the legislature in your district if they will work to protect our public trust wildlife and access to that wildlife and as such protect our existing constitution in particular the Montana Public Trust Article. If they cannot promise you this – Do Not Vote For Them.

On the national level ask the candidates if they support the removal of the Pittman-Robertson excise tax. If they support removal of the tax, then it is apparent they do not support Montana’s hunting public… Do Not Vote For Them.

I hope that we as Montana hunters will vote in mass to ensure that Montana’s wildlife will continue to be public and accessible to all of us now and in the future. Jerry Davis

Stephen LePage