Milk River Gobblers combine Youth Day and bear awareness

The Milk River Gobblers will be hosting a pair of events starting with a bear awareness presentation at Pepin Park Friday, Aug. 20, followed by the Gobblers’ Youth Day at Havre Trap Club Saturday, Aug. 21, which also will include the bear awareness presentation.

Jeff Dibblee, who handles public relations for Milk River Gobblers, said Chuck Bartlebaugh of Missoula’s Be Bear Aware Campaign will be putting on a seminar largely centered around bear spray.

Dibblee said the presentation will begin at 1 p.m. Friday in Pepin Park and last until all questions have been answered or people get tired.

“He sets up a really nice display on how to use the bear spray, what ranges there are effective in, when and when not to use it. He has a couple of stuffed grizzly bears that he’s going to bring along, a lot of brochures,” Dibblee said.

Diblee said Bartlebaugh will answer questions about bear spray, discuss when would be a good time to carry it, and how to use it. Diblee said there are a pretty good number of black bears in the Bear Paw Mountains, the Sweet Grass Hills and the Missouri River Breaks.

“Just, I want to say last week, the Rocky Boy reservation, they issued a Be Bear Aware alert for the reservation because it seems to be that they’re having some black bear problems out there. And this topic of this program that the Be Bear Aware (Campaign) is putting on pertains to both black bear and grizzly bear. So it is fairly important for our area,” Dibblee said. “We do have a lot of sportsmen in our area that hunt, fish and just recreate up in the Rocky Mountains. So what knowledge that they can pick up here pertaining to grizzly bears, and the use of the bear spray would probably save a life or keep a bear out of danger as well.”

Grizzly bears also have been seen in the area.

The Be Bear Aware Campaign website says its mission is to decrease the number of human-wildlife conflicts. The campaign emphasizes the importance of not trying to approach, follow, interact with or feed or touch wildlife.

It also emphasizes the importance of safety precautions, bear spray and the use of things like binoculars, spotting scopes and telephoto lenses.

The campaign website says it is a national nonprofit conservation organization. It uses information gathered from federal and state wildlife agencies, outdoor educators and its own 40-plus years of research to produce educational and public awareness programs and resources for use throughout North America.

For more information, visit https://bebearaware.org .

Following the bear awareness event will be the Milk River Gobblers Youth Day Saturday, Aug. 21 at Havre Trap Club with activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bartlebaugh will give his bear awareness presentation there as well.

A flyer for the event says the club is located one mile south of Havre and just down the road from the softball complex.

The event is open to all youth and those interested in turkey and bird hunting.

Activities include games, informational tables on birds and means of hunting, a turkey/duck call demonstration, camo face painting and a balloon and clay pigeon shotgun shoot. Diblee also said there will be an archery demonstration and guests from the Montana Trappers Association.

“They will be discussing how important it is to control the predation, which is coyotes, foxes, skunks, raccoons and such—the effect that these predators have on our turkeys, and upland game birds and waterfall as well,” Dibblee said.

The flyer says youth ages 14 and up will be eligible to win one of two Mossberg Youth .410 shotguns, green for boys and teal for girls. Youth must be present to win and have a parent or legal guardian with them to register for the gun.

Lunch will be provided. Diblee said hamburgers will be served and possibly braughtwursts will “all the trimmings that go with it.”

Dibblee said the Milk River Gobblers started out as a part of the Wild Turkey Federation before funding issues led to the creation of a separate group, the Milk River Gobblers, so money could be put back into Havre and the Hi-Line.

He said the group focuses on enhancement of wild turkey, hunting and preservation. Diblee also mentioned other big game birds such as grouse and sharptail pheasants, saying if the group can help with the habitat for turkey, other big game birds would also benefit.

“We’re doing quite well. We’re putting these events on, like this youth fun day. And in February, we put our banquet on. We have raffles and all that money stays right back into Havre and the area. It’s very beneficial for our community,” Dibblee said.