By Tyler Burton
My good friend JD caught some footage of our Mule Deer Hunt during Montana’s 2018 season in the fall. If you enjoyed the video, give me some feedback! Thanks for watching.
Beyond the Hunt: 5 Most Valuable Things That Hunting Has Given Me
From a very young age I spent a lot of my spare time in the outdoors. My dad would take me out hunting all the time as a kid, and I was hooked the very first time my he threw me on his shoulders and waded across the backwaters of the Flathead River for a morning duck hunt. The passion only grew with the more time I spent outside. Throughout the years I have spent a fair amount of time in the outdoors, and I still fall in love a little more each time I get out there.
I have come to learn that there is so much more to hunting than the hunt itself. Being outside, away from civilization and able to completely unplug and disconnect from anything or everything. Its liberating. Not to mention the experiences with family and friends that serve as some of the best memories. Hunting has become somewhat of a lifestyle for me, and from that lifestyle, here are a few of the things that hunting has given me.
5 Most Valuable Things That Hunting Has Given Me
1. A Lifelong Hunting Partner
The bond that my dad and I have developed from our years of spending time together away from civilization is something that is incomparable. He has passed down his love for the outdoors to me, and has taught me many things on our adventures. Whether it’s in the truck on the drive out, around the campfire after a long day, or sitting at the top of the mountain we just climbed, the time that I have been able to spend with my dad is something that I will cherish forever. He and I still have many, many hunts left to go on. My dad will always be my hunting partner.
2. An Escape
Something about the solitude and isolations in the mountains makes all of my problems, stresses, lingering due dates, or whatever else it may be, disappear for a bit. Every time I get away from civilization for a while I come back recharged, clear minded, and humbled by the realization that I am just a very small piece of this puzzle.
3. Memories- and the friends they are made with
Some of my favorite memories and best stories come from hunting experiences. My brothers first elk. The annual antelope trips. My childhood best friend chasing a grouse through a field after he shot his last .22 bullet, or found a fish in his pocket that he had caught a few days earlier. Pool games and shuffle board at the last chance saloon. The chicken fried steak at Trixie’s. My first solo elk with a bow. Or sitting around the fire at low camp and drinking an ice cold keystone light, as if it were tradition or something.
4. A Passion
What are you doing if you’re not doing what you love? Hunting gives me something to do with my free time, to put effort into and concentrate on, to prepare for, and something to feel very passionately about. Everyone needs a passion, something they love to do simply because it makes them happy.
5. Food for the Winter
A freezer full of elk meat is one of the most beautiful sights that there is. As someone who has doesn’t buy beef, I couldn’t tell you exactly how much I’m saving a year on red meat. But as someone who typically eats meat 2-3 times a day, I can say that it’s probably somewhere around a metric s**t ton.
Beyond the Hunt. Its about the places you go, the things you see, the people you do it with, and memories made.
Author: Shelton Todd
Zoo Town Brew Fest Lineup
If you live in Missoula, and enjoy drinking beer, then I am sure that you are fully aware of what has happened in the last 10 years, but first, go back in time to 1986. At this time, Missoula Brewing had been out of business for over 20 years, and Americanized pilsners like Ranier dominated the market. In 1987, German brewmaster Jürgen Knö¨ller opened up Bayern Brewing, and the local craft beer industry had once again been established in Missoula. Five years after Bayern’s opening, Jürgen and a few other local business owners started an annual tradition that still holds today. The annual Garden City Brewfest had begun, and craft brew lovers have flocked to Caras Park in downtown Missoula for the event ever since.
Now, look back to just ten years ago. Believe it or not, there were only three breweries in Missoula. In the past 10 years, the love for craft beer has blown up to ridiculous proportions, and the greater Missoula area is soon to be home to over 10 breweries!
When you live in a city like Missoula, which is in a state that takes 2nd in the nation for breweries per capita, one brewfest is simply not enough. The first brewfest of 2016 was the Winter Brewfest, which was on February, 19th but there are still five more to come!
Remember, drink responsibly!
April 1st
Backcountry Brewfest
Caras Park
April 16th
Bacon & Brew Fest
Caras Park
May 7th
Garden City Brewfest
Caras Park
September TBA
Mavericks Brewfest
Caras Park
October TBA
MBA Fall Fest
Caras Park
The Outdoor Life of a University of Montana Student
Attending school at the University of Montana has given me great opportunities to further academic accomplishments. But I must admit, those academic goals were not even close to the main reason I chose to go to the University of Montana in the first place. I chose the school because of all the outdoor opportunities living in the great state of Montana offers. Looking back on the past four years, it’s been pretty amazing to be able to call this state my home and to have so many amazing outdoor resources available at my fingertips. This blog post will take you through an average year of what it’s like to be an outdoor fanatic attending school at the University of Montana.
- Winter (Late January-Early March)
Winter as a student living in Missoula is pretty sweet. Unlike many northern states, the days in the valley are often mild enough to fly fish, hike, bike, or do many other outdoor activities. And for those of you who love the snow and cold, there are four great ski resorts within an hour and a half drive from Missoula. Lost Trail Powder Mountain is my favorite – they boast upwards of 300″ of snow every year. One of the great things about Montana is that it provides a great home base for road trips around the Northwest. This past February, trips to the Olympic Pennisula, WA and Fernie, British Columbia were taken.
2. Spring (Mid March-Late May)
Spring is a great time to spend time outdoors in Montana. You will find seemingly everyone in Missoula coming out of their winter hibernation to enjoy the beauty of Montana in the spring time. Personally, this is my favorite time of year to fly fish. Most rivers in western and southwestern Montana boast great fly fishing for wild trout this time of year.
-Winter can always rear its ugly head during the Spring!
-And the next day it’s sunny and 70 degrees.
-Turkey hunting is also on the menu in the spring!
-Springtime sunset from the “M”
3. Summer (Early June-Late August)
Summer in Montana is in my opinion like nowhere else. Because of the lack of humidity, I don’t know where you can find more comfortable summertime weather than in Montana. For me, this season is dominated by guiding fly fisherman, hiking the mountains scouting for elk, and just enjoying the great weather.
4. Fall (Early September-late December)
All I can say is Fall is by far my favorite season in Montana. It is the time to stock the freezers with wild game for the winter ahead, and to enjoy the vibrant changes of the seasons. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let these photos do the talking.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos illustrating what it’s like to live in Montana throughout the year. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to go to school here at the University of Montana and have all of this out my back door.
-Trevor Anderson