The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission on Thursday denied a request to list the kinkajou as a controlled species in the state, which would have allowed the house cat-sized animal to be kept as a pet.

According to National Geographic Magazine, kinkajous, also sometimes called honey bears, are a relative of the raccoon native to Central and South America. The tree-dwelling animal can grip with its tail and uses its long tongue to remove honey from beehives and nectar from flowers.

The legality of owning a kinkajou varies by state.

In order for exotic wildlife to be imported into Montana, it must first be classified as a controlled, non-controlled or prohibited species. A review committee that includes the Montana departments of Livestock, Agriculture and Public Health and Human Services as well as Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; a representative of the exotic pet trade; and a citizen member makes recommendations when classification is requested.

Kinkajous and other unclassified exotics are considered prohibited unless the classification changes.

The state received a request to classify the kinkajou by someone interested in having one as a pet, Commercial Wildlife Program Manager Mike Lee told the commission. While it was believed the animal could survive for a time in warmer months, the committee determined it would not survive a Montana winter.

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Kristen Berube lives a crazy, laugh-filled life with her outdoorsman husband Remi and their three camo-clad children in Missoula, Montana. A graduate of Montana State University and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, she loves being a mom and enjoys hiking, fishing, and camping.

Most women wait all year for the day that their significant others get to show their love. We put up with all of their chest bumps, grunting, snorting, farting, and gorilla behavior so that one day of the year we actually get a SENSITIVE mate. We in theory should get tokes of their affections, you know, like flowers, chocolates, back massages and fancy dinners. If you are attached to an outdoorsman, you are more likely to get a bouquet of Ponderosa boughs, dead animals, an exhilarating hike through bear infested woods, and fried road kill for your tokens. I think that outdoorsmen are similar to cats in that they will present you with a dead carcass and expect to be petted. Keep this in mind when you un-wrap your Valentine’s Day gifts from the CAMO man. He really is trying to impress you in his own special, creepy way. The best thing is all you have to buy is a new design of camo for him, wrap it in camo paper and you have the happiest outdoorsman this side of the Mississippi! I would highly suggest making him buy your dinner before giving him his new camo….Or else he will want to go try it out his new camo and forget all about your hot date!

On the twelfth day of Valentine’s Day my CAMO love sent to me:

12 Fly Rods a'Casting

11 Squirrel Tails

10 Beaver Pelts

9 Head Mounts Mounted

8 Labs Shedding

7 Elk a Rutting

6 Earthworms Wiggling

5 Golden Hooks

4 Sets of Camo Panties

3 Blazing Shotguns

2 Dead Mallards

And a Mountain Lion in a Pine Tree

Good Luck!! I hope that you are just as lucky as me to have an outdoorsman in your life!! Happy Valentine’s Day!!

“Confessions of a Camo Queen: Living with an Outdoorsman” is her first book.

It is available for purchase at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1560376287/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk