2022 MBA TEEN BOWHUNTER CAMP

Laughter, friendships, respect, fun…these are the echoes at the MBA Teen Bowhunting Camp that bring an excitement to all involved. Our fourth camp is now completed, and friendships are evolving across the state. This year in Libby was truly a blessing after two years of Covid denying us all a grand adventure. Eighteen teenagers and five feral pygmies (ages 7-11) finished up the 3 ½ day camp with lots of arrows shot, new life and survival skills learned, and amazing memories for all. Thanks to Stimson Lumber Company, our camp was able to be held at the Fawn Creek Campground North of Libby. This site is amazing and along with the Libby Archery Club, the MBA was able to provide an amazing experiential learning experience for Montana Youth in Bowhunting. Our sponsors are awesome and this year kids went home with over $750.00 in donated gear each, along with full scholarships for all the youth. 2023 camp will see us back in the Bitterroot and 2024 takes us to Lewistown. Many of this years’ participants are hoping for spots in the coming years and that is the best compliment we can get. This camp doesn’t happen without the full support of the MBA, volunteers, and sponsors and I thank each of you. MBA members Jackie & Justin Weidow hauled gear and kids from the Bitterroot, and were team leaders and that was a huge help. Marlon Clapham keeps us on track, and while he wasn’t able to be there in person, you were always with us. Rich Hjort and the Libby Archery club (see

Richs’ story below) were invaluable and such a pleasure to work with. Support from Mt FWP &

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s office was truly appreciated and to John Opst and John Davis, I say,

Thank You. Austin from Blue Creek Outdoors came and videoed the happenings at elk, and we excitedly await the release of the video this fall. Austin was a huge help during activities and he enjoyed himself immensely. In Rich Hjorts words, “I would like to thank all the people from the Libby Archery Club who helped the MBA put this Elk Camp on. Mike Vinion, John Davis, Al and Teri Kelly, Kerri & Jason

Sunnell, and Eric Kapan. Between them being team leaders (guides), and then seminars, they all went above and beyond. The Camp itself was really great. The way Jerry and Beckie run it, the young hunters learn life skills like cooking and cleaning! Mom was NOT there! Mike Vinion put on a Flemish string-making class that went on past O’dark thirty and finished the next am. He made 10 or so string jigs and gave them to the new string makers which were well received. Jerry Doyle and John Davis put on the elk Bugling/calling seminar, and they can call elk like nobody else! John is sponsored by Phelps Game Calls so we all got new grunt tubes and mouth reeds and were taught how to use them. Jerry knows elk behavior and how to bring them in close! I wish I had this knowledge fifty years ago. We also used our FWP Sargent Warden, John Obst to bring a road killed deer. We showed how to cape the deer for the taxidermist. Then Jerry showed how to do the gutless method to process the animal in the field, and Kerri (Rosauers’ Head meat cutter) took the meat and showed how to and why the meat gets into those little white packages for the freezer. Jason Sunnell, USFS Fire employee, stepped up to demonstrate how to start fires–that was interesting. Al and Jerry gave a tree stand safety class, and that went hand in hand with our 3-D shooting course that had two shots from the ladder stand. The Libby Archery Club let us use 20 of their 3-D targets along with practice targets. Mike, Jerry, John and I and the kids who came early, set up the shooting course. We did not stake or flag at the targets as the kids shot the targets how they would hunt them. It was nice to see the young hunters get up at 5:30 am to shoot the course one last time before work on Sunday! Sunday morning saw us giving back to Stimson Lumber Co by rebuilding their log fence by the pavilion. Everyone was involved and helped peel, cut, set, and paint logs. After a surprise PIZZA lunch, we broke camp and headed home tired but fulfilled. Like always I brought home a new fire trick, DUCT TAPE!!” Thanks, Rich for the great re-cap and again a HUGE THANK YOU to EVERYONE involved in the 20222 MBA Teen Bowhunting Camp.