BERNIE KUNTZ
Tracking geese as season ends 
The last time I hunted geese from a layout blind was opening day in 2004, and I remember missing a crossing shot at a Canada goose that I should have been able to hit with a rock. So I was not optimistic when my young friend Lee said we’d be hunting from layout blinds on our hunt along the Yellowstone River near Hysham, Mont.
January 20, 2012
Elk hunt from the past
“How on earth do you remember the dialogue?” readers have asked.
My reply: “I have a lot of empty space in my head where I store it all … in addition, I take notes.”
By Bernie Kuntz , January 13, 2012
Outdoor clothing has come a long ways
When I was a teenager back in the 1960s, I spent most weekends in winter wandering about the North Dakota countryside by myself in search of red foxes and white-tailed jackrabbits. I could walk from dark to dark and be less tired than I am today in walking up the block and back.
By Bernie Kuntz , January 06, 2012
Wolf hunting expanding
It’s been a tough year for the obstructionist organizations that have worked mightily to keep a ban on wolf hunting in the Lower 48 states.
First, in August a federal court upheld a budget rider that removed wolf protections in Montana, Idaho, and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah. The provision was inserted by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). It was the first time since passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 that Congress forcibly removed protections from a plant or animal.
By Bernie Kuntz , December 30, 2011
Buy American when you can
One of few advantages in becoming an old geezer is that by the time you reach my age (62), you don’t really need anything in the way of material gifts and gear. I have rifles, shotguns, knives, clothes, boots, a boat, a pickup, enough fishing tackle to open my own shop, and all the camping gear I ever will need.
By Bernie Kuntz , December 23, 2011
Fooling geese in the cold
It is 7 degrees at 9 a.m. on this mid-December day as I sit on a folding chair in my goose blind. John Thorp said the first geese flew at 9:21 a.m. yesterday. He is hiding in tall grass 100 yards away, and we have three dozen of my Canada honker decoys laid out between us.
By Bernie Kuntz , December 16, 2011
Grizzlies thriving in backcountry
One time in the 1990s I offered a bet during my frequent bantering with biologists, and it was this: “The grizzly bear will NOT be removed from The Endangered Species List during our tenure, and I’ll bet a prime rib dinner on that prediction.” The biologists, who were optimistic about delisting the grizzly bear, would not take up the offer.
By Bernie Kuntz , December 09, 2011
Season ends without a deer
“I’d have been happy to let you on to hunt deer,” Bob says, “But I am leaving for Arizona in the morning, and my hired hand doesn’t like to deal with hunters. I wish you had called earlier.” He gives me his neighbor’s phone number, tells me to wait 20 minutes before calling him. “Otherwise he’ll never let you onto his property.”
By Bernie Kuntz , December 02, 2011
A harrowing thin ice tale
For many years, I couldn’t remember who the third party was on the cottontail rabbit hunt at Spiritwood Lake, but then I ran into Neil Baker at the estate sale we held at Jake’s house a few weeks ago, and Neil reminded me that he was along with my brother Jim and me that November day in 1965.
By Bernie Kuntz , November 25, 2011
A permit from long ago
Twenty years ago, I drew an either-sex elk permit in the Elk Horn Mountains south of Helena, and my friend Harry told me, “The best thing about drawing a special permit is the day you get it in the mail. It all goes downhill from there.”
By Bernie Kuntz , November 18, 2011
A tribute to Jake
He lived almost 94 years, and when Jake finally passed on the 22nd of October, it was a relief for my brother Jim and me. After the strokes, he had withered away to a skeleton — a stark contrast to the powerful, robust 212-pound man he had been most of his adult life.
By Bernie Kuntz , November 11, 2011
Fine times in SE Montana
A pronghorn antelope buck and doe are watching Laurie and me from 500 yards or more, across a deep wash half a mile from camp. It is not far from where I took a pronghorn buck in 2006, but these two have us pinned down with no opportunity for a stalk.
By Bernie Kuntz , November 04, 2011
Tracking pheasants at Pumpkin Creek
By Bernie Kuntz , October 28, 2011
View your ad here! Cost effective targeted advertising.
Contextual advertising starting as low as $79/month. This includes targeted ad delivery and search results!
Add your business to the Marketplace »
RSS Feeds