Last Chances

Winter is quickly approaching and the range season is rapidly winding down.  Do you have your varmint rifles sighted in?  How about your elk/deer rifle?  There are a couple weeks left to the season, have you checked it recently?  Has your rifle been rattling around in the back seat of your vehicle loose, or do you carry it in a padded case?  Have you had any falls or mishaps while hunting?  I tripped on a hidden branch last week while going downhill. I was unable to get my feet under me and landed fairly hard on my hands and knees, banging my gun on the ground in the process.  Luckily we were on the way out, close to the truck, and our hunt had ended for the day.  The next day we went out to the range to check the zero on my rifle.  It was now shooting 2" left and 1 3/4" low at 100 yards.  Got it dialed back in and it now shoots where it should (1 1/4"high at 100 yards, dead on at 200). 

The range will be closed for the season on November 22.  Get out there and enjoy it while there is still time.

Hunters must expect to see bears

Hunting

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

With a spate of bear attacks recently in southwest Montana, it is important to remember that slow moving, quiet and camouflaged hunters are sharing the landscape with the state’s even stealthier bears, which may be stalking similar prey.
All hunters and recreationists must be prepared to encounter a grizzly bear and should consider all of western Montana grizzly bear country, not just the Rocky Mountain Front, Bob Marshall Wilderness complex and the Yellowstone ecosystem.
To safely hunt in bear country, hunters should:

• carry bear spray and know how to use it
• hunt with a partner and let someone else know your plans
• get harvested big game out of the woods quickly
• upon returning to a site where harvested game is left unattended, study the site at a distance for any movement or changes and signal your approach by making plenty of noise
• never attempt to frighten or haze a bear from a carcass
• contact FWP if a bear has consumed a carcass or covered it with debris rendering it unsalvageable.

For more on bears, visit FWP's website at fwp.mt.gov; then click Be Bear Aware. Bear resistant products are described on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee's website at www.igbconline.org. A “How to Hunt Safely in Grizzly Country” brochure is also available at FWP regional offices.

Thank you to our friends at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for allowing us to post this article.