Spring has Sprung... I think!

Howdy Upsata Folks!

OK- I'm over it. The Mighty Mule Draggers went down fighting in the playoffs, and I pouted for a while, but now spring league is off and running, we're all back together now, and we're plotting our revenge for next winter. We hold the Cup in 2011! Mule Dragger hockey rules!



The outfitting season is really shaping up. We have the busiest summer we've ever booked. The pack trips will be going almost every week from late June until late August, and we have a full slate of drop floats. Gunnar is heading back up here soon, so we'll have a strong start to our crew. And, as always, we'll be breaking in some new guys. Hopefully we can get a trip or two out of Al Maul, Brandon Ice, Nick Bennett... you know, the old gang. It's just hard to keep crew together in this game. It's going to be a great year.



Hunting season is booked for the first two hunts, and it looks like the state is going to have some tags left over again. The state's outfitters didn't reach their non-resident target sales this year (again) so they will probably stay on sale for a few more months. We look forward to capitolizing on that. We also welcome Mr. Daniel Dixon to the crew. He'll be manning the frying pans and dutch ovens in hunting camp this year. I met Dan last year on a late hunt while working for Brett Todd of KLazy3 Outfitters. Dan agreed to help us for the early hunts, then roll over and finish the season for Brett. It should be a win-win for everybody, and he does a great job. I'm looking forward to it.



Our MOGA team is still out there battling Kurt Kephart on the I-161 front- that fight is not over with, but we hope to win in the long run. Ands, our nation now has a health care plan also. Anyone care to weigh in on that? Julie and I still aren't quite sure where to stand on this. What I do know is we cannot afford health insurance, so we do need some help. I just don't know where to hang my hat on this one. I can't yet see how this hurts Julie and I at this point. Again, I encourage your thoughts.



So, with that- a few last thoughts: Alan made it to state in wrestling. He didn't win there, but he came a long way this year and I'm really proud of him. Paige is ready to tear up Montana on the track. I really can't believe the times she is posting, and the season hasn't even started. If you get a chance to see her run, don't miss it. Watch the paper for her!



Until we meet again,

Happy Trails,

Greg

Still Workin' on I-161...

Howdy Folks-
Just in case you're wondering, the photo at right has nothing to do with today's blog. It's just a great shot of some really great pack trip guests on a trip with us. And...
Yes, I'm doggin' the blog. I need to spend more time typing. But, I've been traveling all over western Montana doing a variety of things. First it was my horses and mules... they didn't want to stay in the pasture they were in. So they've been roaming all over the mountains south of Helmville. We now seem to have that under control. (That's good!)

Alan has had a good wrestling season so far, and we've been all the way to Polson and Florence, and a few stops in between, plus two practices in Seeley Lake and two in Missoula every week. It's taken a LOT of time, and we are off to Hamilton this week.
And, I've been traveling around helping with the anti I-161 campaign.

On March 10th, Mac Minard, Darren Dunham and I met with some good folks from the 5 Valleys Chapter of the Safari Club International. We talked about I-161 for over an hour, and it was a very good discussion. The SCI members present were all aware of 161, and had some great questions and comments for us. I think the meeting went well, and most importantly, they all know a lot more about the bill and whether or not those individuals choose to support the bill, they can now make a better informed decision. We all worked in shifts over the weekend to man the MOGA booth at the Great Rockies Sport Show in Kalispell. Again, same old thing- just getting the message out to the masses: I-161 is bad for hunters, bad for the state's economy, bad for the FWP, and just bad for Montana.

So, if you see anybody out there gathering signatures for I-161, please don't sign the petition, and you might take a minute to just ask this simple question: "If I sign that petition, what good does it do me as a Montana sportsman?"

That seems to be the golden question- Jim Posewitz couldn't answer that. Kurt Kephart either can't or won't answer that. Nobody in the 161 camp can answer that. An initiative without a positive outcome for the citizens of Montana has no place on the ballot in this state.
Go to the website www.stop161.org for all the latest news, articles, etc. about this critical issue.

So, with that thought- I'm off for the evening. Be sure to fill out your March Madness brackets.
Greg

Big Hitters are Opposing I-161!

It's play off time in the Glacier Hockey Leage, and the mighty Mule Draggers are in the second round. Next game is Sunday, March 7th, at 4:30 pm at the Missoula County Fairgrounds.

Sorry to be late on catching up. Julie and I have been running all over the place chasing kids, chasing horses, chasing work, hockey, wrestling, running, etc. Paige went to the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho. She ran really well against some of the top high school runners in the state. We're really excited about how well she is doing. Alan is wrestling again this spring. He's doing good also. It's just a tough sport, and take s a long time to learn. Julie and Paige ran the half-marathon in Seeley Lake last weekend. Paige set a new record for her age group, so the race was again... a great success for her!

The upcoming season is shaping up to be a real busy one. We have a lot of pack trips booked, and our first two hunts are booked up also. We just need to get the last hunt filled and fill up a few pack trips with some more people, and we're off and running. But, we need more crew. That's always the challenge.

Now for a quick update on the I-161 battle. Some really big organizations have signed on in opposition to I-161. The National Rifle Association, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the Safari Club International have all issued press releases in opposition to the Kephart Initiative, known as I-161. Kephart took a big hit in mid February- a public debate was scheduled in Bozeman between outfitter and MOGA board member Rob Arnaud and outdoor writer and conservation academic Jim Posewitz, author of "Beyond Fair Chase". I want to point out I think it's unfortunate that Kirk Kephart can write this initiative, but can't defend it well enough to stand in public and defend it's supposed merit in a public debate, but... when Jim Posewitz was directly asked "What will this do for the "Joe Six-Pack sportsmen of Montana?" Posewitz replied "We don't know." I read a blog post on the Billings Gazette (I think it was Billings, but there's a million of them out there) that said "...65 jaws hit the floor." There was no positive answer.

Doesn't that sound just like the blog I posted back on February 8th after my conversation with Kephart himself?

Posewitz was supposed to be their Champion- the man that would show the Montana sportsman what I-161 was all about. Unfortunately for the Kephart crowd, I think Jim did just that. This initiative has no merit, no value, no real positive outcome for Montana. It will damage small business, it will hurt the Montana tourism economy, it will endanger funding for the states Block Management program, and it will have the 'trickle-down' effect of additional private land leasing. He has pitted hunter against hunter in a time when we should all stand together to secure the future of our outdoor heritage. None of this is good for Montana. So, go to http://www.stop161.org/ and read up. It will take a while- get a cup of coffee and browse. There is an amazing amount of information on the web site, and it continues to grow. There is also a link on there that allows you to make a small cash donation to help the effort. The battle to stop this initiative has been costly, and these guys will likely come back at us in two years in the state legislature. So, the fight is still out there.

As always, we appreciate your support and friendship. Remember...
This place in going to change your life!


Greg