Recent content by MTbirddogs

I ALWAYS have a pair of Felco C7 cable cutters to slice through a snare. I've had a friend lose a dog to one, and another friend has had to use his cutters twice to get his dog free. Both of those friends encountered those snares while out pheasant hunting. I also carry a pair of forceps to...

Please don't start "hotspotting" locations in Montana. Some websites (e.g., Upland Journal Board) specifically prohibit hotspotting on their site. I'm obviously in agreement with that approach.

I live in Montana and there are MANY places I hunt that I'd never be without bear spray while pheasant hunting. Yes, I have a shotgun with me but I sure as hell don't want to shoot a grizzly. And, bear spray works.

Prairie dog towns are actually really cool places. I did a lot of wildlife research in p.d. towns, including live trapping p-dogs to check for sylvatic plague, black-footed ferret trapping and releases, burrowing owls, to name a few. I've handled well over a thousand live prairie dogs, and you...

It does for me. My wife is incredibly supportive and loves game meat. She loves to ski and I encourage her to get in as many days as she can. She does the same for me when it comes to hunting. I can't remember a time she discouraged me. I thank my lucky stars.

Indeed that can be the case. Sylvatic plague. Rattlesnakes are a bit more disconcerting, however.

A word of caution regarding dogs and prairie dog towns. Rattlesnakes like p-dog towns as well. They den in them, and it's a very reliable food source. I avoid p-dog towns like the plague when it's warm at all. I've seen way too many rattlers while crossing a town in order to get to one of my...

I ALWAYS carry water for my dog. Snow may help a little but it really doesn't cut it for hydration. Your dog works its ass off, so do whatever you can to help them.

Yep! I'm still kicking myself. Congrats on yours!

I had a chance to buy a very good condition EELL in 1991 for $1050. I knew that was a "pretty good deal" but I passed because I was young and thought that was a lot for a shotgun. I think of that often 😬

Oh yeah. I listened to the hearing and had to laugh when she made that remark. Her comment appeared to be off the cuff, and born out of frustration. She never offered it as an amendment to the bill, and it merely seemed to be a verbal lashing.

Not sure what you mean about excluding Montana residents. This bill doesn’t affect residents, regardless of where they live in the state. I agree that it won’t have much of any impact on non-residents that have the time and money.

It was changed after the first hearing. The original bill called for a 14-day limit for non-resident upland hunting.

I thought it was great, and thanks for posting it. I like the videos of just a guy and his dog, as opposed to the "professional" ones that are out there. These pretty much mirror my own outings. The hunts may not be perfect, but in a sense they are. Nice double!

Thanks for posting your vids. I loved watching Sage disappear after that rooster in the cattail tunnel. Very good drive on her part!