It s not too early to get ready for bow season

This past fourth of July weekend was really a great time to be on one of our many lakes and reservoirs. My fish finder showed surface water temperatures over 70 degrees. That s great for swimming and water sports, but that also means our cold-water game fish such as trout and kokanee have moved into deeper cool water.

So, lake fishermen, you will have drop down a color or two if you re fishing for kokanee or trout with lead-core line.

After doing lots of fishing in Eastern Montana, Canada and Minnesota during the last few weeks, I was ready to tie on a Triple Teaser and fish for some local salmon and rainbow.

But instead I looked ahead a few weeks to the beginning of hunting season.

In less than 60 days, Montana s general archery season for deer and elk will open. If you are an archery antelope hunter, that season opens in less than six weeks, on Aug. 15.

Hunters are always looking for the newest gimmick to give them an extra edge to bag that trophy bull or buck. But without doubt, the number one preparation any hunters especially bow hunters can do for a successful season is to practice shooting.

Today, my sore shoulder and arm muscles attest to the fact that I practiced what I am preaching.

I know several serious archers who practice year-round. But for the average hunter and angler who hunt a variety of animals with both bow and rifle, plus like to fish, it s a tough summer decision to spend less time fishing and more time on the archery range.

One of the nice aspects of archery hunting is that it s easy to practice in your back yard. I have archery targets set up at home as well as my cabin. I like to shoot each day in the cool of early morning and evening.

After only a few days of practice, I can already see my groups tightening up, with fewer shots outside the kill zone. We owe it to game animals to do our best to make every shot a clean, one-shot kill.

So hunters, especially bow hunters, get out there and start practicing. It s fun and necessary.

Perhaps the best news of the year for hunters is the recent federal legislation that clearly gives each state the right to regulate hunting and fishing. Since the beginning of our country, states have always had the presumed authority to regulate hunting of nonmigratory game. State management usually gives preference to resident hunters in terms of less expensive license fees and the number of hunting licenses that could be sold.

In Montana, when only a limited number of permits are available, nonresident hunters are generally limited to no more than 10 percent of the licenses. That type of regulatory system involving nonresident hunters recently was challenged in federal court in Arizona. The court ruled that the permit system for nonresident hunters was overt discrimination and violated the commerce clause of the Constitution.

That court decision threatened to drastically curtail the availability and cost of hunting licenses for Montana residents. But Congress quickly came to the rescue of states rights by passing a law this past spring that clearly retained the authority of states to regulate hunting and fishing, including quotas on nonresident hunters.

That legislation passed the senate by a 100-0 vote and has been signed into law by President Bush. Now Montana resident hunters and anglers can breathe a little easier. Good work, Congress!