2017 was a very challenging and rewarding year.  On the rewarding side I was able to hunt more than a dozen times and was able to bag a rag-horn bull elk.  On the challenging side, my family had to deal with two separate fires in Montana, the Lodgepole Complex fire and the Lolo Peak fire.  30,000 acres of my sister’s ranch was burned in Garfield County and my crew went over to help them fix nearly 30 miles of fence.   After four days of fence fixing I was called back home to Florence as my own home had been placed under mandatory evacuation.  The fires were spectacular and devastating.  Ultimately my home and my family were fine after the fires died out.  It is enlightening to see the strength of the human spirit and the caring of Montana communities when hard times come around.  Those fires are not unlike the challenges we face in the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation (MTWSF).

Our chapter is continually being asked to help out other organizations, weigh in on legislative actions, or put feet on the ground to help with sheep captures.  Fires, whether literal or figurative will always face those of us that fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

I was honored that the board elected me president of the MTWSF Chapter.  Brian Solan left some big shoes to fill and thankfully he’s agreed to stay on as Volunteer Executive Director. My first couple of months have been very informative, challenging and fulfilling.   Our chapter has weighed in on some federal and state wild sheep issues. We are looking at a possible land acquisition near Plains, Montana, and are helping fund a multi-faceted, ten-year project in the Petty Creek area of Western Montana.

We have totally remodeled our website and continue to improve it for our members.  Many of our board recently attended the National WSF Sheep Show where we saw our Montana Governor’s Wild Sheep tag sell for $335,000!  Now our board is feverishly preparing for our 2018 MTWSF fundraiser and banquet in Bozeman on March 9th and 10th.  There is more seating at this year’s MTWSF banquet, but don’t wait to purchase your tickets as we fully expect to sell out.   Please attend for camaraderie, education, networking, and most of all to help “keep sheep on the mountain”.

Shane Clouse

Montana Wild Sheep Foundation President
shane@shaneclouse.com ? (406) 370-4487

My Twice-in-a-Lifetime Bighorn Sheep Hunt

Story by:  Jim McEnroe

After 37 years of applying for a Montana bighorn sheep tag, I finally drew one in 2017 in Area 680. 

I’d had sheep fever since age 16, when I drew North Dakota’s once-in-a-lifetime permit and harvested a 13-year-old California bighorn in the Badlands south of Medora. I never thought I would ever draw the Montana permit, and was shocked when I not only did but also drew a Montana mountain goat tag for this year as well.

Read the whole article in our March 2018 Newsletter.

A Frigid Day in November

Story by: Lena Phelps

It was a frigid early November morning on the last day of my sheep hunt.  The temperature was hovering just above zero with almost a foot of snow on the ground.  My husband and I made our way up to the Front Range and planned on hiking back into the mountains on a trail we had been on earlier in the season. 

Read the whole article in our March 2018 Newsletter.