About Us

Thank you for your interest in the Montana Bowhunters Association.  On this page you will find links to the following information about us:

• MBA Mission
• MBA Position Statement:
  Why not choose your method of hunting using only a Bow or only a Rifle?
• Equipment Non-Issue:
  Compound or Traditional, it doesn't matter .
• 2005 Accomplishments and Actions
• What Experts Say About the MBA
• JOIN the MBA

MBA Mission

Established in 1973, the Montana Bowhunters Association was established as a nonprofit organization by and for Montana's bowhunters . It's sole purpose remains the same today as it was then: To unite the state's bowhunting sportsmen to work towards a common goal of preserving and promoting the sport of bowhunting in Montana.

In addition to preserving and promoting bowhunting, some of the MBA's major goals are:

• promoting ethical bowhunting through education
• improving landowner - bowhunter relationships
• a voice in management of Montana's big game and an opportunity to assist in the preservation of wildlife habitat

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2005 Accomplishments and Actions

The Montana Bowhunters Association’s (MBA) mission since 1973 is to unite the state’s bowhunting sportsmen to work toward a common goal of preserving and promoting ethical bowhunting in Montana. Fundamental to these endeavors is promoting ethical bowhunting through education, improving landowner- bowhunter relationships, securing increased bowhunter opportunities, working to maintain sportsmen’s access to public wildlife, and providing a voice in the management and preservation of Montana’s big game and wildlife habitat. The Board of Directors worked steadfastly this past year to carry out the MBA mission.

Below is a list of MBA’s important accomplishments and actions for 2005.

1. $500 Contribution to Camp Make A Dream
2. Provided a copy of the Montana Bowhunter to the men and women serving in our armed forces free of charge
3. Participated in the statewide Montana Hunting and Fishing Outdoor Shows
4. Sponsored the Canyon Ferry Carp Safari
5. $250 Donation to Kovar’s Native Programs
6. Furnished the MBA’s Archery Equipment to several groups and individuals including the Kids Kamp at Jack Creek Preserve, Montana Natural Resource Youth Camp program, and FWP Region 1
7. Compiled an account of recent MBA Policies and Directives
8. North American Bowhunting Coalition (NABC)
   Participated in the historic and unprecedented meetings that brought together state and provincial level bowhunting organizations as well as organizations at the national level to share information and develop strategies to resolve issues of greatest concern and to establish a permanent communications network of bowhunting organizations that will work together on behalf of bowhunting.
9. Signed on to the NABC Crossbow Position Letter
   Donated $100 to the NABC
   Provided coalition member organizations with a copy of the MBA’s Crossbow Action Plan.
10. Crossbow
    DEPT. OF THE INTERIOR LETTER (June 2005) announced its decision that Montana did not discriminate against a disabled person when it denied a request to use a crossbow during archery season.
11. Rocky Mountain Front
    MBA joined other hunting and conservation organizations to a letter asking our congressional delegation to support permanent protection on the Rocky Mountain Front
12. Pombo Amendment to a Budget Reconciliation Bill
    Submitted written comments to our congressional delegation urging them to remove the “for sale” language of our public lands from this legislation.
13. Aerial Herding
    Submitted written comments supporting adoption of Aerial Herding rules to help ensure the protection and well-being of our wildlife, to mitigate the potential damage to private property, safeguard human safety, and reduce the disruption of human activities.
14. Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan
    Commended FWP for taking a proactive approach to establish a Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan
15. Teton Spring Creek Environmental Assessment Scoping Process
    Requested adoption of the ‘No Action’ alternative and retention of the area as archery only.
16. Proposal for new Net Client Hunting Use
    Submitted comments not to support a proposal for new Net Client Hunting Use (NCHU) on five separate privately owned ranches located in parts of Choteau, Blaine, and Hill Counties
17. Elk Management
    Encouraged the FWP to implement late season bowhunting opportunities for elk in areas troubled by elk depredation
18. Roadless Areas
    Urged the Governor to petition the Secretary of Agriculture for the permanent protection of all inventoried roadless lands in Montana
19. State’s Right Issues
    Letter to Senator Baucus thanking him for his strong support of S2978, introduced by Sen. Reid (NV) on October 11, 2004. This bipartisan bill, which was passed into law affirms the states’ right to regulate access to hunting and fishing, and was needed to redress a recent Ninth Circuit decision which is contrary to years of case law.
20. Electronic Arrow Tracking Devices
    Endorse the sanction against the use of any electronic device for bowhunting including arrow tracking devices in a letter to FWP.
21. Game Damage Hunt and Weapon Restriction Area Reviews
    Urged adoption of a policy that would first attempt to reduce game damage issues by adjusting the hunting season structure, increasing, and/or modifying the permit numbers before implementing any game damage hunt, focus on securing public access to private lands, and limiting game damage hunts to only landowners that allow reasonable public hunting.
22. Block Management Program
    Explore ways to increase funding of the BMP.
23. 2006 Tentative Process
24. CWD
    Supported the proposed guidelines to restrict the importation of deer, elk, and moose animal parts into Montana from states or countries with a diagnosed case of Chronic Wasting Disease.
25. Trophy Restitution
    The statute governing the trophy restitution, initiated by the MBA, provides authority for the Commission to define what constitutes a trophy elk for restitution purposes. The MBA supported the proposal for a broader definition that affords FWP Enforcement with additional means to enforce the law and protection of our public wildlife resources.
26. Deer and Antelope License Limits
    Opposed adopting restrictions on the number of antlerless deer tags an individual may purchase. The public should not be accountable for the FWP’s inability to manage transferability of these tags.
27. Bowhunting Opportunity
    Requested retention of late season structure for archery in Hunting Districts adjacent to HD 260
28. Opposed the early rifle elk season opening date for HD 283
29. Request to FWP to remain committed to the archery only season structure within the Teton Spring Creek area with unlimited available B-tags sold over the counter and with an extended season open from the end of the general hunting season until January 15 of the following calendar year
30. CWD and Transporting Animal Carcasses
    Supported adoption of the guidelines for transporting animal carcasses into Montana from areas infected with Chronic Wasting Disease.
31. Youth Hunting Opportunities
    Supported the hunting opportunities that allow youth hunters to pursue antlerless elk with a general elk license in hunting districts where special permits are typically required to harvest antlerless elk.
32. Elk Management
    The tentative proposal to consolidate elk hunting opportunities within the 5 week general season does not adequately address the population reduction objectives. Eliminating the late season hunts and switching to either sex during all or portions of the general season will serve to concentrate elk even further on private land “elk refuges,” thereby subjecting the elk that remain on public lands to excess hunting pressure and overkill. These elk should not be over harvested for the sake of maintaining a population objective in a hunting district while leaving the elk that are causing the most damage virtually unharvested.

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What Experts Say About the MBA

Gene Wensel
Stevensville, MT

"As one of the `Founding Fathers' of the Montana Bowhunters Association many years ago, I want to say how proud I am of what the MBA is and stands for. We've come a long way! As one of our original bumper stickers said, `Support Bowhunting - Montana's FIRST sport.' "

Patrick Graham
Former Director, MT Dept of FWP

"The Montana Bowhunters Association has never failed to impress me with their commitment to the welfare of our wildlife and the habitats they require, ethical hunting and the future of Montana's hunting heritage. We at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks do not look at them as customers but as partners in wildlife conservation."

M.R. James,
Bowhunter Magazine

"My role as Bowhunter Editor/Founder involves speaking before many of the state and provincial bowhunting organizations throughout North America. Over the years I've had the pleasure to meet and become acquainted with the leaders and members of various hunting groups - and among my all-time favorites are those bowhunters from the Big Sky Country. In fact, I enjoyed my many visits to Montana so much that I moved there in 1988! Now as a Life Member of the MBA, I'm proud of my involvement with this outstanding bowhunting organization. It's one of the most active, most concerned, most caring and most involved pro-bowhunting groups I've ever seen. I encourage all serious hunters concerned with the future of our sport to join and support the MBA."

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