First Vice President’sReport

Greetings all,

2023 is upon us and a light snow is falling in the grey light of early morning as I write this. Wintertime in Montana is certainly beautiful but I must admit that I’m ready for it to be over. We were blessed with an extended fall this year which made for pleasant times in the woods but when winter decided to show up it did so swiftly and with a vengeance. Alternating warm and cold snaps over the last month have left an impenetrable layer of snow on the ground and I worry this is going to be tough on the critters. Be mindful of the wildlife when out adventuring this time of year. They have it hard enough without undue pressure from us bothering them in their wintering grounds.

I was able to spend a few weekends hunting whitetail in November and I feel the rut showed up a little late this year. It was not until the 19th that I had any significant action but action I did have! Less than an hour after getting in my stand I was able to rattle in not one buck but four. Three youngsters came running in to witness the fight and when the big fella saw them, he came in all stiff-legged looking to lay down the law. He passed my tree at a scant 4 yards and a perfect arrow made for a short recovery. The temp was -2 when the string slipped from my fingers and -12 by the time I had him loaded in my truck. A fine doe also fell a day later when my dad and a good friend did a gentle nudge to me through a narrow strip of bottom country. My freezers are full and it’s time to hunker down and wait out the cold with thoughts of bears and springtime to look forward to.

I hope you had an enjoyable fall and that many great memories were made!