Montana Upland Bird Hunting: Naughty Girl

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Annie baby...Obviously still hasn't quite got the point! not chase thing down pat yet...shown here running a sage hen out of the country...How's come our bird dogs are oh so wonderful one moment and oh such naughty girls the next? I know, I know one of life with bird dogs many imponderables that we hope might someday go away but often don't...

Legislator Wants to Rescind CI-161...REALLY?

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The following is by Brett French for the Billings Gazette:

A week after Montanans approved a constitutional initiative to get rid of outfitter-sponsored hunting licenses, newly elected Rep. Bill Harris, R-Mosby, has requested the drafting of a bill to rescind the measure.



“You could start with the word 'liberty,'” said Harris in response to why he requested the bill. “Here's a movement I believe is financed and sponsored by out-of-state interests and misrepresented to the point that people really don't know what they're voting for. The motives aren't represented truthfully.”


According to documents filed with the state political practices commissioner, most of the funding behind the initiative was from sponsor Kurt Kephart, of Billings, with smaller contributions from Montanans. Kephart had told The Gazette that he took out a second mortgage on his home to push the initiative.


Opponents to the measure included the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International, along with the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association and the Chamber of Commerce.


Harris, 61, has an interest in the initiative. He is the owner of Fort Musselshell Outfitters, a deer and elk hunting business he has run for more than 30 years in the southern Missouri River Breaks. Most of his hunts are conducted on his own cattle ranch, he said. Harris estimated that 80 to 90 percent of his clients are from out of state and 50 percent of his business is based on return clients. So the passage of CI-161 would directly affect his business, although he downplayed the effect, saying it would make it “more cumbersome” for him to find clients.

The measure passed with 54 percent of the more than 348,000 voters supporting the initiative.


Harris said his bill would rescind the measure to allow for a more thorough debate.


“It seems to me like the debate wasn't nearly enough,” Harris said. “They don't understand how it affects private enterprise or the law.”


The passage of CI-161 means the state will no longer set aside 5,500 nonresident big game and deer licenses for outfitters' clients. Instead, all of the nonresident licenses will be awarded in a lottery.

To which I say, Can He/They the crooked bastards really DO that? While I have nothing whatsoever to do with outfitter set asides and really don't care one way or the other except for a fear selling fewer non-resident big game tags COULD VERY WELL mean less money in the coffers, which WOULD mean less money in the till for Block Management which should that happen WILL piss me off...But regardless the folks have spoken and it is my understanding legislators, duh, are elected for the sole purpose of doing OUR bidding, looking out for US and NOT elected to further their OWN agendas, aka, special interests...right?

Or did I MISS something...

Montana Upland Bird Hunting: Update

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Compared to other seasons this one I'd have to say has been tough. I read a veteran bird hunter's opinion the other day stating overall bird numbers have been in decline for the past four seasons. Judging our hunting experiences I find that hard to argue, although there isn't much official information out there to prove or disprove the idea.

Based on our last expedition up Shelby way assuming lack of bird hunters equates to lack of birds since we saw just three other bird hunters, well what's to argue? But of course all of this is pure conjecture since very little useful upland bird hunting information is deseminated by FWP; other than a few snippets on the general state of pheasant futures prior to the opening trying to find information on, say, the sharptail or Hun prospects for any given area is pretty much a waste of time. Actually getting any official word on the Hun prospects is, frankly speaking, a joke..."We don't monitor Huns so until reports start coming in from hunters have really no idea"...is, has been, FWPs stock answer for as long as I've been asking regardless who is on the receiving end. OK, but why keep such hunter reports a secret, even if it is late breaking news, at least it would be some clue as to what is or is not happening.

Sorry, I guess this sudden change in the weather has left me in a bitchin' mood...enough is enough...right!