Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF)

On May 14, 1984, four elk hunters from northwest Montana -- a pastor, a realtor, a logger, and a drive-in owner -- pooled their time and money to formally establish RMEF. They had noticed that organizations existed to look after ducks and turkeys, but nothing was dedicated specifically to elk. That gap bothered them enough to do something about it.

Early Struggles and Growth

The early days were genuinely scrappy. RMEF set up in a doublewide trailer on a vacant lot outside Troy, Montana, with borrowed money and drained bank accounts. The founders mailed 43,000 brochures promising a magazine and an annual convention. Fewer than 250 people responded -- less than half a percent.

Rather than fold, they honored their commitments, borrowed more money, and printed 32,000 copies of the first issue of Bugle magazine, hand-delivering copies to grocery stores and gas stations across the West. By the end of 1984, membership had climbed to roughly 2,500.

The first RMEF convention was held in Spokane, Washington in April 1985. That same year, the organization funded its first habitat project -- a prescribed burn on Elk Creek in the Kootenai National Forest near Libby, Montana. The name was fitting.

The 1988 Turning Point

1988 was a turning point. RMEF completed its first land acquisition -- the 16,440-acre Robb Creek property in Montana -- and secured a $500,000 corporate gift from Anheuser-Busch, announced by former board member and company vice president Ray Goff.

Membership had reached 32,000, the volunteer base hit 2,000 across 70 chapters, and the organization had already protected or enhanced more than 110,000 acres of elk country. That year, RMEF moved its headquarters 175 miles southeast to Missoula, where it remains today.

Now in its fifth decade, RMEF has completed nearly 15,000 conservation and hunting heritage projects -- a pace that works out to roughly one square mile of habitat conserved per day since founding.

Key milestones in RMEF's organizational development and conservation impact

Idaho draws the line at January 1, 1975. Born before that? You're grandfathered in and can skip straight to buying your license.

Born before January 1, 1975? You're grandfathered in and can skip straight to buying your license.