Montana's Hunters Watch Wildlife

By Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Statewide Information Officer

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The "Montana experience" and wildlife go hand-in-hand. In 2006, 19 percent of Montanans age 16 and older hunted, 24 percent fished and more than 50 percent of residents participated in wildlife watching by taking a trip away from home primarily to observe wildlife.

What makes wildlife viewing so compelling that 50 percent of us travel to do it? For insight, we asked hunters at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks—folks who spend a lot of time in the woods watching and waiting for wildlife—to describe their most memorable wildlife moments while hunting. From wolverines to badgers, big horn rams to snow geese, the answers spoke of the daring, raw flash of nature, the unexpected, and the intimate experience of being close to another creature.

One hunter, Brad Tribby, FWP fisheries in Glasgow, was hunting south of Ennis when he took a rest in a man made blind. He was startled by a crashing sound in the timber and suddenly elk began to appear one by one on a trail about 75 yards away. Thirty minutes later he estimates a thousand elk may have gone by in single file.

"When it was all said and done it looked like a war zone where they had crossed through the timber," Tribby said.

In another sighting, Dawna LaRoque, FWP payroll supervisor in Helena, was in her hunting spot waiting for an antelope when she noticed a badger coming straight toward her. She cleared her throat to get its attention. It growled and snarled at the noise, so she stood up and yelled so it could see her. The badger stared for a moment, then turned and ambled away.

Other hunters caught nature at work. In one case bow hunter Tim Thier, an FWP biologist in Trego, spotted a small herd of elk in a clearing while returning to his car after an unsuccessful day of hunting. He tried to bugle the bull elk in closer for a shot. He was about to give up when a golden eagle swooped in from behind him and attacked the elk. When the bull turned to escape, the eagle swooped in from the other side for a second grab at it. "It was over in moments, but it is an experience I will never forget," Thier said.

FWP fisheries biologist Jim Darling was a nonresident student more than 30 years ago when he first realized he was hooked on Montana. A fellow grad student took him hunting near Placid Creek in the Seeley-Swan area. While they watched a field in the blue-grey light of early morning a bobcat seemed to float into view, and then, without stirring a leaf or snapping a twig, it vanished into the trees. As Darling trudged back to the car without firing a shot or seeing a big game animal, he realized he had seen his future and it was Montana.

As exciting as eagles, badgers and elk are, even commonly seen birds have made lasting impressions.

FWP chief of staff Chris Smith, dressed in full camouflage with a facemask, was waiting in a thicket near sunset watching for a buck known to be in the area. As the sun set, a chickadee landed on a branch less than six inches from his face, then fluttered down into an empty bird nest just at his shoulder. It curled up on its side, filling the tiny space, fluffed its feathers, shivered a few times and settled into a deep sleep.

Smith didn’t see the buck he was hoping to get in his sights, but he wasn’t disappointed. As the sun set, he slipped silently away, leaving the chickadee to its slumber.

"After a lifetime hunting and spending time in the wild, watching that little bird tuck in on a crisp fall night will always be one of my most memorable times outdoors," Smith said.