George Bettas-Hunting and Conservation Editor for Elk Hunter Magazine

[Western Hunter]

Elk Hunter Magazine is proud to have George Bettas as the Hunting and Consevation Editor.  George lives in Stevensville, MT.  Check ou the interview with George below.

 

Click to view slideshow. 

 

1.        What do you like about elk hunting the most?

 

The deep personal satisfaction which is derived from the overall DIY elk hunting experience is what drives me to hunt elk year after year. It is a seamless process and involves a great deal more than the hunt itself, including the harvesting of a huge bull.  It is a total experience which ranges from the smallest detail to the most complex philosophical theories about hunting itself.  It starts with gathering information about the area I plan to hunt and ends with the satisfaction of cleaning my gear and putting it away for the next hunt, even if that hunt is only a week or so away.  Working with my horses and mules over the course of the year, always bringing along some young ones and preparing them so they are as ready as I am for the hunt is an integral part of this process.  And then there is the process of always keeping an eye out for a new technique or perhaps a new product which will add to the overall experience and ultimately, the success of the hunt.  Sharing as many of the components of this experience with my hunting partners as possible is key to the overall satisfaction.  Hardly a week goes by without at least a short telephone call or email from a hunting buddy sharing ideas about hunting something somewhere.  Mixed in there is the satisfaction of honing my skills with a rifle or bow and always learning new skills which will make me a better hunter. 

 

 

 

 I have been on one guided elk hunt and will more than likely never go on a guided hunt again, regardless of the species, unless it is the only lawful way to hunt that particular species. Why?  The answer is as complex as it is simple.  I like every aspect of the total experience.  I also like to be self-sufficient and in control of my own destiny.  Whether I succeed or fail to accomplish a goal it is because of me an nobody else.  A vacation trip to an exotic place with my family is no different.  I have never hired a tour guide, preferring to research and plan everything myself, simply because of the satisfaction of experiencing all aspects of the trip.  I have many close friends who are outfitters and I have guided brown bear hunters in Alaska with my brother.  Guiding is difficult, hard work and I have great respect for the outfitters and guides who make it possible for others to enjoy hunting and the outdoors as I do.  I also understand why many elk hunters hunt with outfitters.  For any number of reasons, it is the only way they can hunt elk and I applaud them for doing so.  Finally, I have purposely lived where I am close enough to hunt elk without having to travel very far.  In fact, I can see elk right out of my office window many days of the year.

 

 

 

2.       Do you prefer bow hunting or rifle hunting elk?

 

 

 

I have always been primarily a rifle hunter.  I spent most of my career in Washington State and had limited time off for hunting.  Also, there was an aversion among landowners and

 

Washington DFG to allowing bow hunting in September so seasons were usually after the rut or after the rifle season.  By the end of the rifle season in most of the SE Washington units 90% of the bull elk had been killed, so bow hunting was usually an antlerless hunt.  Fortunately that has changed over the years. Washington was one of the early states to go to “either/or†(either rifle, muzzle loader or bow) so I never got to hunt elk in Washington with a bow although I did kill several elk in Washington with a muzzle loader.  I did hunt Idaho a few times with a bow but when Idaho implemented their “modified†either/or seasons I stayed with the rifle.   I have always had one kind of bow or another and when I moved to Montana ten years ago I began hunting elk with my bow.  I truly love hunting elk and am fortunate to live in a state where I can use a rifle or a bow, so the short answer is, it makes no difference as long as I am hunting elk!

 

   

 

3.       How do you personally prepare for an upcoming elk hunt (physically), (gear), (shooting)

 

 

 

Preparation for elk hunting is a year-long process which has no beginning date or ending date.  It has mental, physical, material and skill related elements.  It involves the total spectrum of everything that goes into a successful elk hunt. My goal is that on opening morning of elk season, no matter where I may be hunting, I will be as prepared as anyone on the mountain, and more prepared than most.  The guys I hunt with are the same way.

 

 

 

Mental preparation begins with knowledge…..you can’t get enough of this.   I particularly enjoy the research on an area in terms of elk numbers, distribution, harvest information, age structure of the herd, and other biological data. This is a continual process with multiple areas and multiple states “in the mix†at any one time.   Concurrently, there is the research on the habitat quality, topography of the area, hunting pressure, access, what the elk do when they are hunted, what the outfitter activity is like in the area,  locations of outfitter and DIY hunters’ camps, private /public ownership boundaries, hunting season dates, weather data, horse feed, water sources, trail conditions, and the like.  This information is critical for new areas, but even when returning to an area you may have hunted previously there is always more to learn.  The other part of mental preparedness is having the mental toughness and positive attitude to stick it out until the end of the hunt and give every day your best effort to accomplish your goal. How many hunters do you know who are ready to bunch camp and head home after two or three days?

 

 

 

When it comes to physical preparedness, if you are out of shape you are out of luck…..or maybe you get really lucky and shoot a bull right out of camp or perhaps out of a Suburban.  I have been fortunate to always be in good physical shape because I am physically active in my daily life. I used to have an annual regimen with the goal of being in top shape for the opening of elk season in Idaho.  Until I was in my late 50’s I regularly  ran the stairs during the noon hour in the university football stadium…..at least until chukar season opened in Hell’s Canyon.  After about three weekends of chukar hunting I was really ready for elk season.   With two blown ACL’s, I no longer run the stairs, but I still hunt chukars. Even so, I do not believe you have to be a marathon runner or “fitness freak†to be a really good elk hunter.  I used to be a “ridge runner†and shot a lot of elk eating a candy bar because that was the only time I stopped moving while hunting.  Over time, I learned to hunt smarter and slower.  As a result, today I am a better elk hunter than I was 20 years ago.  Being over-weight is the most common physical fitness issue and perhaps one of the toughest to handle for some hunters.  You have to love elk hunting more than you love ice cream if you want to be a really successful elk hunter.  Follow a good, healthy diet and get regular exercise….mental discipline is key.  One evening after a day of hunting elk with a new hunting partner I learned something I have always taken for granted.  He said, “I have been busting my butt all day to keep up with you and while walking behind you all day long I noticed how effortlessly you move through the brush, rocks, scree, downfall or whatever.   There is definitely a technique involved in traversing rough, uneven country and you have it down pat.â€Â  I had never given it any thought but he was right.  Jogging, walking and climbing “stair masters†will help a lot and may be your only way to stay fit.  However, getting your boots on the ground and actually hiking and climbing in uneven country will add greatly to your ability to climb the steep slopes and traverse the holes where the big bulls hang out.

 

 

 

Having the “right stuff†is key to being successful year after year.  As a boy I learned from my dad that you don’t always have to have the best tools to do a job, but you have to have the right ones and once you get the right ones you have to take care of them.  As a hunter, I have always made sure the gear I had was adequate, in top shape and worked perfectly.  It does not have to be the†top of the line†but it must do the job.   I am amused with all of the “gadgets†which are available for the hunter today, especially the bow hunter.  Most of what is out there in the retail world you do not really need.  I like “systems†and have a system for much of what I do in hunting whether it be the boot/sock combination I am wearing or the horse packing gear I am using.  Make sure your equipment works and get it out in the field to make sure well before the hunt.   I was on a hunt recently where one of the guys was opening brand new Cabela’s boxes of gear in camp.  He had blisters so bad he could not walk after the second day of the hunt. You can have the best rifle, scope, binoculars, and other gear that money can buy, but if you can’t walk you are done.  Make sure your feet are toughened up ahead of time and make sure your boots and socks are broken in and fit perfectly, every time.  I am relentless about making sure my rifle is perfectly sighted in and I shoot it out to 700 yards to make sure my bullet is going where it is supposed to go.  Drop charts are fine, but you have to make sure of your rifle’s trajectory and accuracy before you take a shot at an elk or anything else…..at any range.  The same goes with your bow.  I go over my horse packing gear every spring and make sure the saddles, panniers, pads, manties, etc. are in perfect shape, clean and oiled properly.  The same goes with my tents, stoves, cooking gear, cots and all related gear.  Everything is inspected and cleaned before it is put away after a hunt.  Anything that is damaged or does not work gets fixed or replaced before the next trip.  I have a very close friend who used to backpack three Coleman stoves 6 miles in to his elk camp in Idaho……hoping at least one of them would work.  Not me!   To me there is nothing worse than to get 10 miles into a backcountry elk camp and finding that a tent has a hole in it or something does not work.  We are in camp to hunt elk….not repair gear.

 

 

 

4.       What tips for preparing for an upcoming elk hunt can you give the elk hunter that maybe slides a little on their conditioning throughout the year but finds out they drew a good tag and wants to get fit for the hunt (say they have two months to prepare).

 

 I guess the key to this question is what is meant by “slides a little.â€Â  The required fitness level depends upon the hunt….where it is, terrain, logistics, etc.  If it is a backpack hunt one will have to be in better shape than if you are hunting from a road camp.  In general, two months is too little and too late if it is a backcountry backpack hunt.  There is no one size that fits all, so if you are really out of shape you should consult your physician to plan a daily exercise routine.  If two months is all you have the first thing to consider is your diet.  Make sure you are eating a healthy, balanced diet.  You can find good dietary information on the internet.  You may also consult your physician.  As for physical conditioning:  (1) Begin exercising every day, slowly at first with more reps each day and adding new elements as you go. (2) Strengthen your legs as much as possible.  Get out and walk before work in the morning or in the evening.   Walk up and down the stairs during lunch at work or at home after work.  If you have access to a gym with a treadmill and stair machine use them. (3) Aerobic exercise is very important….walk, jog or run, depending upon what is best for you.  Wear your hunting boots when walking or jogging. (4) Get out and walk as much as possible on uneven ground and on whatever hills that may be available.  Wear your daypack or eventually your backpack while walking. (5) Get sufficient rest. (6) Stay with the program.  (7) Shoot straight!

 

 

 

5.       On a typical elk hunt what is always in your backpack?

 

For me, there is a difference between a day pack and a backpack.  I usually have a backpack on my elk hunts, but it will be either left in camp or put on a pack animal for use in getting elk quarters out of an area where you can’t get a pack animal.  I always carry a day pack while hunting, even when hunting with stock.  While hunting, my day pack is always “ready to roll,†meaning it contains everything I need for a hunt including food and water.  I refuse to wear a daypack when riding a horse or mule as it throws off your balance and gets in the way if you have to dismount quickly and deal with an obstacle in the trail or whatever.  In this case I either trail a pack animal for day packs or I use a cantle pack/saddle bag system which contains several small bags of gear that can be quickly put in an empty day pack when needed for “hot pursuit†of an elk.   In this case I may wear an empty day pack with the straps cinched down so it rides close to your back.

 

 

 

A lot of hunters carry too much in their packs.  Others do not even use one.  Hunting area, terrain, weather and personal preferences all play into what is in a pack.  I always carry light weight elk quarter bags in my day pack and have another set of heavier quarter bags on my horse or at camp.  Most wild game processors marvel at how clean our meat is when we drop it off to be processed.  Since I often leave camp well before daylight and return after dark I always carry a head lamp and extra batteries.  A quality knife and a sharpener or extra blades if you prefer the Havalon type knife are essential.  I always carry a 7.5’ topo map of the hunt area along with a quality GPS that I know how to use.  Last fall I was bow hunting with an acquaintance in the Montana’s Spanish Peaks Wilderness.  About mid-morning we found a great elk wallow, deep in the dark timber above camp.  He had a brand new GPS so I casually said, “Mark this on your GPS so you can find it tomorrow morning.â€Â  He looked at me with a blank stare on his face and said, “I don’t know how to use it.â€

 

 

 

Other items in my day pack include surveyor’s flagging for marking a blood trail, a down or Primaloft jacket or equivalent, rain gear, all-weather lighter, Knapp hunting saw, lip balm, rubber gloves for field dressing, camera, rifle bi-pod, extra ammo or broad heads, gloves, and nylon cord.  I always carry an empty stuff sack that will strap on the top of my day pack.  As you take off and put on layers during the day the stuff sack keeps them tidy and compact.

 

 

 

Finally, bear spray is essential in grizzly country.  Wear it where you can get at it quickly.  I keep it in my day pack when I am not wearing it so I do not forget it in camp or somewhere else.

 

 

 

6.       Do you think it is imperative to be in superhuman shape to hunt elk?

 

Absolutely not!  I am amused at the amount of articles you find in hunting magazines which go into conditioning to be almost superhuman. Being in shape is more about having a healthy lifestyle than anything else. If you eat healthy foods, get a reasonable amount of physical exercise and refrain from excesses (alcoholic beverages, candy, junk foods) you will be in good physical shape year-round.  As hunting season approaches you will not have to go on a binge diet or exercise program, you will simply need to increase your physical conditioning regimen to the point where you will be able to match your physical abilities with where and how you are hunting.   If you are primarily a back pack hunter and want to hunt the backcountry you have to be in better shape than you do to hunt the lower, more accessible country.  In a lot of areas there are large numbers of elk, including trophy elk, at lower elevatins, on ranches or in the desert.  These areas do not require near the physical conditioning that is required in the backcountry.  I have a friend who is a Montana outfitter and his fellow outfitters were kidding him about the Merrill loafers he was wearing in most of the hunting photos he was showing them with his clients.  When the ribbing stopped his response was, “When all you have to do is move your foot from the gas pedal the brake my Merrill’s are good enough.â€Â  It all depends on where and how you are hunting.  I hunt elk primarily in the backcountry of Idaho and Montana where the hills are as “steep as a cow’s face†and at 70 years of age I am certainly not in superhuman shape.  But, I am in good enough shape that I can keep up with my hunting partners, most of whom are half my age, and I always get my fair share of bulls.

 

 

 

7.       What do you like to do when you are not hunting?

 

I have been a teacher and mentor all of my life.  Next to planning and executing my own hunts I truly enjoy mentoring young hunters and helping them be successful.  Throughout my career at Washington State University I always had a number of young hunters whom I was mentoring.  With each incoming freshman class I always had a few new “recruits†who one way or another figured out I was a hunter and made it a point to meet me.  Today, all of them are very successful in their careers, have wonderful families plus, they are outstanding hunters and conservationists.  Even though I am no longer teaching, I meet new hunters to mentor every year.

 

 

 

I grew up without a television in my parent’s home so my life has never centered around a TV like some people.  As a result, I spend a lot of time doing other things whether it is a hobby, reading or researching a new hunting area.  I always have a backlog of good elk hunting spots and I have shared many of them with young hunters whom I have mentored over the years.  As with anything in life, some people can put it all together and some can’t get it, even with the best of intentions.  I have a lot of great stories about the successes of these hunters over the years, but one of my favorites involves Randy and his brother Rusty Ulmer.  They were students at WSU and wanted to hunt elk in the Idaho backcountry with their father.  I knew there was something unusual about these guys when they took their boots off and put on extra wool socks to hunting whitetails!  I sent them to the end of the road in the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness and they came back with two big six-point bulls and two cougars!

 

 

 

I have been fortunate to live in an area where there is always something to do outdoors.  I can hunt elk, mule deer or whitetails from Labor Day to the end of January in Montana or Idaho.  And then there are chukars, pheasants or Hungarian partridge to hunt from September through January.  Steelhead fishing takes up spare time February-May and the Chinook salmon begin running in the Salmon River soon thereafter.  Spring black bear and turkey seasons open in April and bear season runs into June. Snowmobiling the backcountry of Idaho and Montana fills in during the winter months.  In July there is 50 tons of hay to put up for my horses and mules.  Backcountry pack trips take up the open times all summer long and then there are prairie dogs to shoot on a spare summer weekend.

 

 

 

Fitted in among everything else is family time and the volunteer work I have done for REMF, the Mule Deer Foundation, and the Boone and Crockett Club.  Finally, I have “flunked retirement†twice and am working pretty much full-time as the Executive Director of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Foundation.

 

 

 

8.       What kind of movies do you like?

 

My wife enjoys movies and is very good at researching what is good and what is not.  I watch whatever she picks and am seldom disappointed.

 

 

 

9.       What is your favorite food?

 

 

 

My mother immigrated from Italy with her family when she was six years old and my father’s family is Italian so I particularly enjoy real Italian food….but I am spoiled and there few Italian restaurants that can measure up to my mom and grandmother.  I had a wonderful friend and hunting partner from Pennsylvania who owned an Italian restaurant with his mother and brother.  Everything they served was made from scratch….as Italian as it gets.  As a gourmet Italian chef his contribution to our annual Idaho elk camp was the food.   We made special foam-lined boxes so he could ship enough frozen Italian food next-day air to last us for the entire hunt.  It was a wonderful time for more than a decade, but sadly he passed away about six years ago.

 

 

 

10.   Tell us something the readers would never guess about you?

 

 I used to hunt a lot of coyotes in the winter and in order to get the hides really clean before I stretched and dried them I would take them into town and wash them at the Laundromat after midnight.  I found it interesting that nobody ever asked me what I was doing….maybe they thought I had a fetish for fur coats.

 

 

 

11.   Tell us about your business and your websites?

 

 

 

After I retired from Washington State University I moved to Montana to work as the Executive Director of the Boone and Crockett Club.   Up until that time conservation had always been my avocation and this was an opportunity for it to become my full-time job. I had been a regular member of the Club since 1989 over a ten year period I had served as a Club officer in numerous roles, including Vice President-Administration.  In these various roles I helped the Club in many areas, especially with its communications programs.  I started Fair Chase magazine and served as its editor for nearly a decade, putting together the editorial policies and staff during its formative years to make it the quality publication it is today.  When the opportunity presented itself to become the Club’s Executive it was a natural progression for me.  While I was the Club’s Executive we refined the Club’s administrative structure, strengthened the big game records, marketing, publications and conservation education programs.  In doing so, I recruited the best talent I could find to add to the Club’s small, but efficient staff.  Once all of that was accomplished it was time for me to move on again and after six years I retired with the plan to spend more time with my recreational pursuits.

 

 

 

A short time later I was recruited by the Board of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Foundation and have worked with the Foundation the past four years.   I am currently working as the Executive Director of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Foundation.  The Foundation was created in 1999 with the mission of raising private funds for projects beyond the scope of where Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department can spend hunting and fishing license dollars.  The Foundation has also developed lasting partnerships with federal agencies and other conservation organizations whose missions coincide with the Foundation’s mission. The United States Forest Service, Pheasants Forever, Prickly Pear Land Trust, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Madison Valley Ranchlands Group, and the Foundation for Animals are some of the Foundation’s partners for whom it has provided funding.   Since 1999 the Foundation has raised more than $4.5 million which have been used in support of the Foundation’s various programs and projects and were raised primarily through foundation grants, philanthropic donations and corporate partnerships.  http://www.mfwpfoundation.org/

 

 

 

In addition to raising money for and funding projects with the Foundation’s partners, in 2002, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton appointed the Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks Foundation to be the Trust Manager of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust.   This Trust was established from the sales of 265 cabin sites on Canyon Ferry Reservoir near Helena, Montana, generating $14,945,403 which was deposited in a permanent perpetual public trust and invested and managed by the MFWP Foundation.  The MFWP Foundation works with a citizens’ advisory board and a joint board of state and federal officials in funding projects which will protect and enhance Montana lands for conservation and public access. Since 2005 the value of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust has grown to nearly $20,000,000 and it has provided nearly $5 million in funding conservation projects of more than 20 different governmental agencies and conservation organizations.

 

 

 

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12.   What elk calls do you use and why?

 

 

 

I have used about every elk call known to man, including an empty 30-06 cartridge! Using my voice and a vacuum cleaner hose I bugled in my very first bull.  Now I use any one of a number of diaphragm calls and a grunt tube. 

 

 

 

13.   Anything else you would like to tell Elk Hunter Magazine readers?

 

 

 

My wife, Bobbi, and I live on a small acreage in the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, Montana.  I have two daughters, both of whom are teachers.  Ashley teaches at Riley Elementary School in Riverside, California.  Elizabeth teaches in the child development program at the University of Idaho.  Both of them hunted and horse packed with me, especially when they were youngsters.

 

 

 

My best hunting partner is my brother, Rich who is retired school teacher who now guides brown bear hunters in Cold Bay, Alaska with Rod Schuh, R&R Guide Service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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