My Best Shot : Living the Montana Conservation Ethic

Autobiography of one of Montana''s leading conservationists.

Jim Posewitz has fought for Montana’s wildlife and wild places all his life. During his 32-year career with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Posewitz created and led the ground-breaking Ecological Services Division that helped protect the Rocky Mountain Front and many other vitally important lands and waters. In one of his major conservation successes, Posewitz joined the growing list of Montanans who, through the years, stepped up on behalf of Montana s free-flowing Yellowstone River. After that long, interesting career, he helped establish grass-roots conservation and hunting organizations and wrote popular books on the North American wildlife conservation model, including the nationally bestselling Beyond Fair Chase. In this engaging and inspiring autobiography, Poz shows how determined individuals can and must protect America’s democracy of the wild.



“No one has done so much to protect, and where necessary to restore, Montana’s great fish and game populations and the habitats that sustain them as Jim Posewitz. This is his beautifully told, and sometimes gripping, story of why and how he did it. The plain fact is that “Poz” has been the mighty voice of the Montana conservation movement since the 1950s, and everybody who lives in this part of the country is in his debt.”

—Gordon Brittan, Regents Professor of Philosophy, Montana State University-Bozeman



“Conservation is never easy, never comfortable, and often inconvenient. A read of Jim Posewitz’s life and career will inspire all of us that our work on behalf of landscapes and wild places will be our most rewarding endeavor, no matter how daunting the task or how slim the odds of success.”

—Randy Newberg, public land hunter and creator of Fresh Tracks and On Your Own Adventures television shows



“Jim’s latest book is the capstone on his body of work. Not only do you read Jim’s path to his conservation ethic but you also learn how actions by individuals matter. Inspiring and a must read for the next generation of conservation soldiers!”

—Land Tawney, 5th generation Montanan and President & CEO of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers



“This book details an era in Montana when resource protection based on environmental legislation and individual activism reached its zenith. It is a case study of what an individual—Jim Posewitz—with some help from others, can accomplish given vision, foresight, drive, determination, and, at times, self-sacrifice. It is a story that needed to be told of an era and of a life well lived!”

—Bob Martinka, retired after a 30-year career with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks