Nobody Asked But…. (by Montana Grant)
By angelamontana

Posted: August 17, 2015

unnamed (5)We all have thoughts that are in our mind and want to share them. Sometimes they are smart and others they are not. Anyway, here are a few thoughts that I would like to get off of my chest.

Why Doesn’t Montana have a Big Game Black powder hunting season? As a “Mountain Man State”, you would think that there would be a couple weeks where we could get out our Hawken’s and buckskins for a mountain hunt. I am not talking about using the more modern “in line” black powder firearms that can shoot as far as many modern rifles. Instead, let’s keep it simple and allow only what Lewis and Clark used.

As in archery, you would basically get one shot. This sporting and challenging hunt would need to happen in late September or early October before the elk and critters leave the public land and herd up on the private no-hunting areas. Calling in a bull elk and using a “Smokepole” to harvest it would be amazing.

The state could add on another license fee that would generate more funds to expand and protect our wild places. Bow hunters would still get the first crack at the elk and could continue to hunt while others could enjoy their traditional primitive muzzle loader hunt as well.

Why is Florescent Orange not required to hunt upland birds in Montana? It just seems like common sense to me. Safety is essential when hunting pheasants, huns, and grouse. Quick action and shotguns can be a recipe for an accident to hunters and their dogs. Orange hats and vests do not ruin the hunt and identify everyone’s position. Once while pheasant hunting near Clarkston, my dog freaked out when a fully camouflaged hunter stepped out in front of us. He said he was waiting for birds to run by so he could shoot them! Give me a break. What idiot hunts pheasants on public land in camo? They do it because they can!

Why doesn’t Montana have a true annual license? What I mean is that you have a year to enjoy your yearly license. The date for renewal is one year after I bought it. For fishermen, this would give you a full year of value for your license. Hunters would end up buying their license near the early spring seasons to apply for tags anyway. For some species, such as turkeys, permits may not be a concern. For fishermen, this would give you a full year of value for your license. This would encourage sportsmen to purchase a full year license since they would now have a full year to use it. More sportsmen produce more revenue which translates to more conservation, management, public access, and opportunity.

Just saying…

Montana Grant

For more Montana Grant visit www.montanagrantfishing.com

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