My son's first .22

For my son Jack’s 9th birthday I bought him a New England Firearms Single Shot youth combo kit. It is a combo that comes with a youth sized stock and interchangeable .22LR & 20 guage barrels. It seems like a very well made gun for $200. The .22LR barrel comes with open sights, but the receiver is also drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Jack is excited to move up from his BB gun that just isn’t cutting it for him anymore. I wanted to choose very carefully, as I know that a kid’s first gun will always be a memory for him, whether it is a fond memory or a terrible one. I remember my first gun was a hand me down .22 pump with open sights, and I am still fighting back the horrible memories of those first missed shots. I used to hunt rabbits and miscellaneous vermin with my dad when I was Jack’s age. So, the .22 pump was a logical choice given the quarry at the time. Jack has been pretty proficient with open sights on his BB gun, sometimes downright amazing. We will see how he does now with the longer ranges that can be reached with the .22. I am thinking that the receiver will probably end up with a nice light fixed power 3x or 4x scope on it. The hunting that we do out here in the west usually involves greater distances than in the forests back east. Open sights are great when you are beeding down on a squirrel that is 20 yards away up in a tree, but not so great when you have a rabbit sitting out on a snow drifted stubble field 35+ yards away. I will keep you updated on how our adventures go.

Merriam's Wild Turkey Release '09

I am involved with the National Wild Turkey Federation here in N.E. Montana. In March of 2009 the NWTF partnered with the Montana FWP to release about 50 wild turkeys along the Milk River. This was such a neat experience for me. My son Jack & I, along with other members of our local NWTF chapter (Hi - Line Gobblers) met MFWP out at the site to help with the release. Everyone got involved. The kids were opening up boxes to have these Turkeys come busting out and take flight before us. I will always remember & cherish this day for what it stands for. A local group of men, women & kids that are trying to give a little back, so that these resources may still be here for future generations to come. I have posted a slide show to the left that captures some of the excitement that was had that day.

Hunting Wolves in Montana

I have been watching this somewhat closely. As a sportsman in Montana, I worry about what the ever expanding wolf populations are doing to Montana's big game herds. We as hunters have taken over the place of the wolf in the natural order. Now, when the wolves are re-introduced and protected at the same time, this creates a huge problem for the big game herds. I firmly believe that there needs to be wolf hunting season in order to keep their numbers at a manageable level. I guess we will need to wait and see if this gets shot down before a single shot is even fired or a wolf tag is notched.

http://fwp.mt.gov/news/article_8252.aspx

Big Game tags

Has anyone out there drawn a Big Game tag? I drew an either sex Antelope tag for here in N.E. Montana. I am pretty excited about it. I have been putting in for this tag for 5 years now and finally drawn.