Members of the Montana Tavern Association have a lot in common, beginning with their possession of alcohol beverage licenses and the ability to put the licenses to work in a profitable hospitality business.
They are also Montanans at heart who have learned to love the state's many amenities, especially those involving the outdoors.
They are fisherman and campers and boaters and floaters. They hike, climb, ski, bicycle and motorcycle. A good many of them hunt: moose, elk, deer, antelope as well as smaller game such as waterfowl and upland game birds. Indeed, there is a dedicated, and quite expert, contingent of shotgunners in the bar business.
This year Kent Frampton, one of the MTA's most committed bird hunters (feathered and clay), has organized a sporting clays shooting event in conjunction with the 52nd Annual MTA convention to be conducted in Kalispell Sept. 10-13.
As noted elsewhere in this issue, Monday is reserved for more leisurely pursuits: golf, poker, shopping, parties and, now, shooting, while association business gets conducted the other days.
The shotgunning will take place a ways south of Kalispell in Polson along the south shore of Flathead Lake at the Van Voast Farm, home of Big Sky Sporting Clays.
Frampton emphasized that the shooting is to be primarily all about fun with competition rated a distant second.
"We don't care if you've ever picked up a shotgun before," he said. "This is the time to do it in a low-pressure situation that is all about learning a little, practicing and having a bunch of fun. And we've found the more shooters we have, the more fun we have."
Frampton said that for those already in Kalispell, provided transportation will leave the Bulldog Convention Center West Coast Outlaw Inn at 9 a.m. and should arrive at the range within the hour. Shooting will commence shortly after.
Those who may be approaching the convention site from the east or south and will be passing through Polson should go through town and cross the Flathead River Bridge, then almost immediately turn south (left), go past the airport and proceed toward Irvine Flats. The Van Voast place is very close to three miles off Highway 93.
Terri Van Voast said she would fire up the barbecue grill to make sure shooters were well fed. Burgers, salad, chips, soft drinks and a light dessert are on the menu.
She said this range includes 14 stations and features many different "presentations" of the clays, from the "rabbits" that skip along the ground to those the zip straight up. They will pass overhead, will be in-coming, crossing... "We'll feature a lot of different flight patterns and a variety of bird sizes and shapes," Van Voast said.
"It's been compared to 'golf with a shotgun,'" she said with a chuckle. A typical round includes 100 targets but shooters could opt for half that many, too.
The cost is only $50 and can be paid in advance to the Montana Tavern Association office or paid at the site. The fee includes lunch, soft drinks, birds and transportation from and to the convention site.
Shooters can bring their own shells or purchase them from Big Sky Sporting Clays at $5.50/box of 25 rounds.
If you don't own a shotgun or don't want to transport one, a shotgun or two might be available from Big Sky and Terri said shooters can certainly share.
One would guess that a call to Frampton (752-7070) could produce a loaner for the day, too.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, September, 2007, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.