How to Recognize a Montanan ‘In the Wild’

One of the phenomena of being Montanan is that you probably have a story about running into other Montanans when you leave the state. This might also be the "pink punch buggy effect" (you see one pink punch buggy, then you see them everywhere), but it often feels serendipitous when you're somewhere else in the world and you run into somebody from Montana.

That's what recently happened to me on a recent trip to Oregon. I was visiting the Oregon Aquarium when I saw this T-shirt.

It says:

Feed the Bears.

Squat with your spurs on.

Let your kids ride the Elk.

Picnic in Poison Ivy.

Drive fast and pass on Curves.

We thank you for your support.

Yellowstone Paramedics.

If the t-shirt wasn't indicator enough that this guy is from Montana, the worn circle in the back pocket of his jeans where he's keeping his chew might be the next indicator. Not pictured, this guy was also wearing cowboy boots. I didn't even have to ask; I knew he was a Montanan. Though, I guess there's a possibility he could be from Wyoming.

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Montana T-Shirts

While the t-shirt is funny and points to a type of humor that Montanans might appreciate more than others, I saw another Montana t-shirt during my travels. It was worn by a bartender in a small town with only a couple hundred people. I didn't ask that person either, but a bartender in a small town in Oregon wearing a t-shirt that says Montana on it? Odds are good that the t-shirt represented a little touch of home for that bartender.