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Every time I see turkeys, I smile. They make me laugh like they’re some great looming punchline in a sketch comedy. They’re a huge, awkward-looking bird that sometimes seems to be about as smart as a doornail and yet they have spotted me from over 900 yards! I’ve seen turkeys climb over deadfall, prance around on rooftops, fly out of tall Ponderosa Pine trees, or run across roads. This isn’t unique behavior for them and most people who spend any time in the woods have had similar experiences but for some reason, it still feels out of place.

The first time I really had the opportunity to watch a flock of turkeys was in the fall when I wasn’t turkey hunting, but deer hunting. I was hunkered down and passing the time when my partner Ryan and I saw this flock come ambling by, attempting to navigate their way across dead trees and other obstacles. Watching them follow one another in a line, like ants on a log, was amusing. They would follow the bird in front of them regardless of the hazard that awaited them! One by one they would slip, fall over, or hop their way across deadfall in effort to keep pace with the others.

This year I jumped at the opportunity to try spring turkey hunting in Montana. I’d been turkey hunting once before with a hunting mentor in Nebraska but to no avail. In fact, if memory serves, that long weekend we finally gave up and went fishing instead. However, this time I was going out with a more experienced hunter, my partner’s dad, Jim. Jim and Ryan have learned over the years that while I may not enjoy early alarms, I am however highly motivated by coffee, pastries, and the prospect of game.

We traveled up a drainage where turkeys have successfully been taken for years by people I trusted, so I was hopeful but not expectant. Most mornings started by driving to various high points and overlooks to stop and call for gobblers, trying to locate an active Tom or Jake. If we heard one, the plan was to simply start walking in that direction while occasionally calling. This repeated for several mornings in a row and as someone who has come to enjoy hunting because it gets me out in the woods, all the driving made me a bit uneasy at first, but after a short while, I loved it! As a novice turkey hunter with little confidence to offer direction it was very helpful to get hear a large number of gobblers in a relatively short amount of time while seeing lots of country. It wasn’t long before I started gaining traction.

I began making the necessary connections between terrain and habitat, and the likelihood of hearing a bird. I started remembering certain landmarks where it seemed like the same gobbler was hanging out. Jim, who was unmistakably the superior turkey caller, would work the box call while I waited eagerly. Anxiously waiting to hear a turkey gobble back and sprinting off in their direction became addictive and I suspect will be my new favorite springtime activity.

One morning, a bird who didn’t sound too far away gobbled, quickly followed by another gobble. It was clear they were both heading in our direction but from either side. As I quickly set up my shotgun and aimed at where I thought the gobbler should appear, the second bird suddenly went silent. I thought if one stopped, I’ll wager the other bird bails on us too and that something spooked them or they spotted us. Finally, as the bird finally came into view, I had to stifle my laugh. He strutted and turned and puffed out his chest generating a muffled fit of laughter. Luckily, as a person at least half committed to being successful and fully committed to not angering my hunting partners I kept still. Unfortunately, he was just over the property line where we didn’t have permission and he refused to cross the fence. A close call and lots of fun, but nothing in the bag.

A few days later, Ryan and I decided to venture out on our own, tackling the deceptively complicated task of box calling and navigating the now-familiar hillsides. This particular morning, Jim decided to stay back and pick up trash. Normally, at the end of each day, we would clean up others’ detritus and haul out dozens of aluminum cans. While Jim did his best to do his part in cleaning up the woods, one can at a time, we took what we knew would be, at worst, a nice morning nature walk. I admit I can get a bit distracted while hunting; frequently stopping at wildflowers and attempting to identify the variety of birds that were also up early. Birds and wildflowers are just some of the benefits to a springtime morning in the woods. A stark difference to the early hours in the fall where you can happen across antler sheds, changing leaves, and bugling elk.

After hiking around the same hills I’d now traversed for several mornings, we heard a gobbler and started up a pretty steep hill. Once I settled under a tree, I spotted a Tom from way across a clearing and once again I stifled a snigger. I whisper-laughed, “Ryan! There’s a turkey…and he’s running straight at us. No seriously! There’s another one. And some hens! Get ready.” While I got ready and the Tom trod closer, I never had more than a brief headshot, far too brief to feel comfortable. Quickly, he moved into Ryan’s viewshed and a shot went off.

When we returned to the truck, Jim was beaming with excitement expecting to see a long-beard slung over one of our shoulders but we came bearing only the tale. Now, this story isn’t about Ryan’s near-miss that day but my overall experience. Nor is it a reflection on my hunting guides’ abilities. To be fair, you can only lead a horse to water. I learned many lessons this spring, solidifying that it’s always good to get outside because you never know what you’ll find. I’d rather be in the woods in the early morning and miss than never experience turkey hunting at all.

Although I was fruitless in bringing home the turkey bacon, I did find gratification in the woods. I heard Sandhill cranes, annoyed some squirrels who returned the favor, startled elk, and most importantly, called a gobbler to within range. However, Jim was still grinning. He’d found a dirty crumpled old $20 bill while picking up cans. He looked at us, laughed, and declared “Who says recycling doesn’t pay?”

by Naomi Alhadeff.

Montanans share a broad consensus that we need better elk management to address game damage, provide more hunting opportunity to more people and to get ahead of potential diseases. Please take this brief survey to help us understand what tools will help us achieve better elk management and retain our strong hunting heritage. 

This is an important time for elk hunters in Montana, as we have completed three years of large-scale “shoulder seasons” and are currently undergoing a review of those seasons. At the same time, the threats to our elk herds are pressing, including their distribution on the landscape, diseases including brucellosis and Chronic Wasting Disease, and other pressures. We need all hunters engaged and speaking up to make a difference in what elk hunting looks like in the future. 

Please take this survey and help the Montana Wildlife Federation understand how hunters can help us work with landowners and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to improve elk management. 

The biggest threat to our native deer, elk, and moose is here, and hunters need to step up to help us contain the scourge of Chronic Wasting Disease. 

Less than two years ago, Montana had its first confirmed case of CWD in the wild. This neurological disease causes animals to lose all cognitive function and eventually die. It’s caused by misshapen proteins called prions that are nearly impossible to kill. CWD is highly contagious and can remain active for years in soils, making it the most serious threat to our game herds and our sporting heritage. 

“Chronic Wasting Disease is by far the biggest threat our game herds face, and now that it’s here we need all hunters actively working to keep it at the lowest levels possible,” said Dave Chadwick, Montana Wildlife Federation executive director. “That’s why we’re asking hunters throughout Montana to get informed, take all steps possible to limit its spread and provide state biologists with information on where this disease is showing up.”

MWF has a long history of working on proactive measures to prevent the spread. Among the biggest achievements was helping lead the effort in 2000 to ban game farms, where confined quarters and interstate shipments help spread this devastating disease. CWD was first found in Montana in a game farm in 1999. 

Montana FWP has been conducting surveillance monitoring across the state since 1998 because CWD has been documented in surrounding states and provinces. The first detection of CWD in wild deer was in November 2017 in Carbon County in southeast Montana. Another case showed up in Liberty County in north-central Montana that year, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks implemented an immediate plan to test more samples through a special hunt and increased monitoring. Since then the disease has been detected in more than 20 animals, including six this year in Libby in Lincoln County in northwest Montana. That detection was a long way geographically from previous detections and the first time CWD appeared west of the Continental Divide. 

CWD has the potential to reduce the abundance of infected herds, particularly of bucks and bulls, and although CWD has not been shown to infect humans, authorities recommend hunters not eat CWD positive game and dispose of parts in a landfill. 

Now once again we are asking conservationist hunters to get into the fight against CWD. Hunters need to be extra careful in handling game animals to prevent further spread of the disease. That includes leaving the spine and head of animals killed in the special “CWD Management Zones” in Montana onsite or disposing of them in a landfill within the zone. It also means never disposing of any deer, elk or moose carcasses out in the woods. And we’re asking all hunters to report any incidences of animals that appear to be weakened, disoriented or otherwise showing signs of this degenerative brain disease.

We need to be all-in as hunters on this fight. Please take this pledge and take all steps in it to keep CWD at a bare minimum in Montana. 

The Montana Wildlife Federation is co-hosting a series of informational meetings with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to better inform hunters in northwest Montana how to help limit the spread of deadly Chronic Wasting Disease in big game.

“As hunters, we know that Chronic Wasting Disease is the most serious threat to our deer, elk, and moose that we face,” said Nick Gevock MWF conservation director. “It’s absolutely vital that as many hunters as possible learn what steps we must take to keep this disease as limited as possible, especially since it’s recently shown up in northwest Montana.”

Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is a degenerative neurological disease that affects deer, elk, and moose. It is caused by misshaped proteins, or prions, and is spread in urine, feces and other bodily fluids. The diseases cause animals to lose cognitive function and is always fatal.

It was first detected in Montana in 2017 and has now shown up in white-tailed deer in and around Libby. Montana FWP has taken aggressive steps to learn how prevalent CWD is in the area, and to reduce deer numbers to limit its spread. Those include issuing 600 white-tailed doe “B” licenses in the area. Harvested deer will be quartered and held in a cooler while they’re tested for CWD.

MWF has donated 52 game bags for the special hunt and is working to get hunters involved in these efforts to reduce deer numbers in and around town.

“We know that hunting is the best, time-tested tool we have to manage wildlife, and this instance is no different,” Gevock said. “We want to make sure hunters are informed of how to handle their game and are taking the proper steps to ensure we’re doing all we can to limit the spread of this deadly disease.”

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff will be in hand to provide information about chronic wasting disease (CWD), management plans and hunting season changes.

The meetings all run from 6 to 8 p.m. and are scheduled as follows:

Monday, Aug. 19 in Eureka at Glacier Bank, 222 Dewey Ave.

Wednesday, Aug. 21 in Polson at KwaTaqNuk Resort and Casino, 49708 U.S. Highway 93.

Thursday, Aug. 22 in Trout Creek, Lakeside Motel and Resort, 2955 MT Highway 200.

Monday, Aug. 26 in Kalispell, Montana FWP Region 1 Headquarters, 490 N. Meridian Rd.

Wednesday, Aug. 28 in Libby, Libby City Hall, 952 E. Spruce St, Suite 100.

Sixteen hunting groups from throughout Montana recently sent a letter to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission requesting that state biologists stick with the agreement when elk shoulder seasons were created and evaluate how they’re working. 

The groups included general wildlife groups, local sporting clubs, and archery hunting organizations. They expressed deep concern with elk shoulder seasons, which last half the year, in areas where elk populations are struggling. The groups also asked Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to abide by the performance criteria laid out when shoulder seasons were created and make sure they don’t replace the harvest during the general five-week rifle season. The letter calls for the agency to do a thorough review of the shoulder seasons after three full years of their implementation. 

“Four years ago when the Montana Wildlife Federation and other hunting groups agreed to the trial implementation of shoulder seasons we did so on the premise they would be a temporary action to reduce elk numbers to current population objectives and to improve the distribution of elk on the landscape,” the letter states. “Our understanding was that shoulder seasons were not meant to replace the general season harvest. That’s clearly stated in the performance criteria.”

MWF and other groups call for a collaborative group to take a look at the seasons, as well as a potential update to the statewide elk management plan and the population objectives in it.

In addition, MWF will be hosting a series of Hunter Roundtables in Butte and Missoula to help inform hunters about shoulder seasons and future elk management.