Planning your hunting meals for a drought

As Montana and much of the western United States continues to see unprecedented fire danger, most Traditional Bowhunters of Montana members are anxiously awaiting the upcoming hunting seasons. Windswept and extremely dry prairie await us as we dream of slowly and meticulously working our way through the sagebrush with the hopes of drawing back and letting an arrow fly at a mature pronghorn buck. 

While preparing your checklist for your late summer and fall hunting camps, it is more important than ever to keep the dry conditions in mind. For those of you that like to enjoy a meal in the field it may be time to revisit what your menu may look like, both back at camp as well as for a day afield. With dry conditions continuing, it is not a good idea to use a camp stove or personal stove, so we ask that until conditions improve that you leave the Jetboil and dehydrated meals at home and consider some of these other options.

Breakfast

While I personally have done away with caffeine, I know many of you cannot get going for the day without a little jolt from a hot cup of coffee. There are plenty of alternatives that don’t require a boiling cup of water including caffeinated protein bars, chocolate coated espresso beans, energy “goo” and much more. You can round out your complete breakfast with either fresh or dried fruit, granola bars and if you have a cooler available to you can replace your hot oatmeal with overnight oats, no cooking required

Field Meals

After spending long hours chasing bugles or putting a long stalk on a bedded muley, we can all use a good meal to prepare us for the rest of the day’s hunt. Something that will put a pep in your step and carry through back to camp. Instead of firing up your backpacking stove to heat up some water for your Mountain House look for some other creative options that don't require a flame.

My go to protein punch in the fall is a hard salami sandwich made with taco size flour tortillas, cheese of your choice and then mayo and mustard packets. I will throw in a length of hard salami separately or some homemade elk jerky for snacking as well. Other common items include tins of fish such as sardines in mustard sauce, smoked baby clams or packets of flavored tuna. I have also been known to carry SPAM, vienna sausages as well as a variety of dried fruits and nuts.

Back at camp

When the day comes to an end a hearty warm meal back at camp can be a fantastic reward. Along with all the great stuff you can take out into the field that does not require a flame, there are plenty of options. Canned soups and noodle dishes can be easily eaten without heating them up, all the ingredients are already cooked through and are safe as is. Preparing things like a meatloaf or picking up a bucket of fried chicken from the grocery store can easily be left in a cooler and enjoyed straight away. 

If you really must heat something up there is another way instead of using a flame. Invest in a solar shower and you will find yourself with tremendously hot water if you return to camp shortly after the sun has gone down. While not fool-proof it can at least give you a fighting chance. Most solar showers hold about 5 gallons of water and consist of a black side and a clear side. When left in the sun throughout the day they can reach what seems like near boiling temperatures. This water can be used to heat up a can of soup or a meal that is stored in a zip lock bag. Get creative with it and you can enjoy a great warm meal without ever starting a fire.

In the end, it is incumbent on us to be responsible stewards of the land and in times of drought and severe fire potential that may mean making some sacrifices. Avoid using flames while you are out enjoying the hunt and you can be sure that you have done your part to limit your impact on the landscape and that everything will be there for another day.

Traditional Bowhunters of Montana oppose elk shoulder seasons on public land

It has been a busy week! Traditional Bowhunters of Montana submitted the following comments to FWP today July 30th, 2021.

The Proposal

The department is seeking comments on other concepts that could increase elk harvest and assist in meeting management objectives. One specific area FWP is seeking input on is to expand shoulder seasons in the 19 hunting districts where they are considering extending the shoulder season date to Feb. 15 to also include public lands in addition to private lands. The hunting districts are: 262, 290, 298, 314, 390, 391, 393, 411, 417, 502, 510, 511, 520, 530, 540, 560, 575, 580, and 590.

Traditional Bowhunters of Montana Comments

The Traditional Bowhunters of Montana (TBM) is an organization of nearly 200 members dedicated to preserving and advancing traditional bowhunting values in Montana. TBM is opposed to the proposal to extend the elk shoulder seasons on to public lands in hunting districts 262, 290, 298, 314, 390, 391, 393, 411, 417, 502, 510, 511, 520, 530, 540, 560, 575, 580, and 590.  

When elk shoulder seasons were initially approved, the intent was to find a temporary solution on private land that was monitored and analyzed. Elk shoulder seasons had two goals: 1) to reduce herd numbers and 2) drive elk off private lands onto public lands where the tolerance is much higher than on private land. 

Including public lands in the elk shoulder season in these districts will negatively impact the hunting experience of all Montana hunters by reinforcing that the only safe place for elk is private land, making them largely inaccessible to anyone unwilling or unable to pay a landowner for access. Over 50,000 archery stamps were sold last season. Continued harboring and pressuring elk to private land reduces access and opportunity for all hunters across the state. 

How much revenue is the state willing to lose from hunters who will take their dollars to other states where finding elk to hunt is not unreasonable? This proposal is lazy and is the next step to privatizing our shared, public trust elk herd. 

Instead of increasing the pressure on public land elk during a time of year where they are under immense pressure just to survive, the FWP Commission should revise the Elk Management Plan with all Montana stakeholders in mind. The Commission should be finding ways to drive elk from private lands, solving harboring issues, and updating outdated objectives that serve a select few instead of benefitting all that stakeholders invested in the health of our elk herd.