God bless the USA
As the old Charlie Daniels song goes, God Bless the USA. Let me revise that song a little bit and say, God Bless the state of Montana. Yesterday was Christmas 2024. As I sat in our living room surrounded by a sea of gifts and many family members, I was amazed at the number of gifts all family members received. While those gifts were appreciated, there were none of those gifts that our family members really needed.
Yes, I received a new rancher type winter coat which I truly love, but that coat will hang in one of our many closets with a dozen or more other jackets that are like new and perfectly functional for all seasons of the year. While the Charlie Daniels song expressed thanks for living in the USA, I am especially thankful for having the opportunity to have lived and prospered in Montana for the last 50 years.
For those of you that read this column every two weeks, you know that I love to hunt, fish and enjoy the great outdoors. And there is no better place in the USA that offers hunting, fishing and hiking opportunities than Montana. What other state offers more high-quality elk, whitetail deer, mule deer, antelope, big-horn sheep, mountain goat, moose, black bear, turkey, five species of grouse, pheasant, ducks and other hunting opportunities? We can hunt with modern high caliber rifles, shotguns, muzzle loaders or archery equipment. As I look around my basement walls, I see trophy mounts of deer, moose, elk, mountain goats, big horn sheep, whitetail deer, mule deer as well as trophy mounts from Alaska, Canada and Africa. There are additional big game and fish mounts in my cabin in the Thompson Lakes area and in my farmhouse near Malta. These trophies were shot or harvested by myself and other family members.
Fishing in Montana ranges from world class native trout fishing as well as world class fishing for introduced fish species such as northern pike, walleyes, perch and bass, especially in our Eastern Montana reservoirs. Lucky us.
We are fortunate to have millions and millions of acres of public land open for an almost unlimited variety of outdoor recreation activities. There are literally thousands of miles of hiking trails. On most public lands, any citizen can set off and hike cross country to whatever natural attraction they desire to explore. The public can camp almost anywhere they desire. Our state includes two of our country’s most well-known national parks, Glacier National Park, which is in our backyard, and Yellowstone National Park in southern Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. We also have dozens of state and local parks. We have several major ski resorts and hundreds of miles snowmobile trails. We also have many miles of snowshoe and cross-county ski trails. Lucky us!
I still receive an outdoor publication from my original home state of Minnesota. That recent magazine boasted about having about one acre of public land for each of their citizens. Montana has about 30-40 acres of public land for each citizen. Lucky us! I or we can literally hunt for deer or elk all day and not see another hunter. Again, lucky us! With a new President and congress being sworn in next month, our nation will experience some significant changes in how our nation operates. But one thing that will not change, Montana will continue to offer great hunting, fishing, hiking and camping opportunities.
Lucky us!
On Jan. 4, 2025, the Sunriser Lions Club of Kalispell will host its 56th annual ice fishing tournament on Smith Lake. This is the longest-running ice fishing derby in Montana. This event will be held on Smith Lake, near Kila, at the FWP’s fishing access site. If the weather is decent, there will be about 400 folks attending this event. This is run as a family ice fishing tournament. Abou $1,000 in prizes will be awarded. The local chapter of Walleyes Unlimited will give away 75 ice fishing rods and reels to kids 12 and under. The Lions will have their concession trailer at this event, selling hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, coffee and other goodies. One of my favorite activities is visiting with newly arrived citizens in the Flathead who have never walked or fished on a frozen lake. The fishing contest has many categories of fish events such as a prize for kids under 12 who catch the smallest perch or pike. I am usually the weigh master. A couple of years ago, a young angler came in with a small perch that was only a 1/2 inch long. That fish was disqualified because it was not caught on a hook and line, but was spit up from a larger perch or pike. Anyway, please join us on the ice, Jan. 4, at FWP’s fishing access site on Smith Lake. The event starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m. Fun is guaranteed. Call me at 406-890-0205 if you have any questions.