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Courtesy MT FWP MILES CITY – The Hysham check station was busy on an extremely gusty Sunday Nov. 14 following the third week of the general season. "Overall, hunters seemed content with their hunts, and I was impressed with the quality of deer that were taken," said FWP Region 7 wildlife biologist Steve Atwood. Crews saw more hunters than usual, with 172 sportsmen and women coming through in 94 parties. The 10-year average is 139 hunters and 67 parties. Hunter success was average at 56 per...
A whitetail buck, his neck swollen from a surge in testosterone and muscle hypertrophy brought on by his biological need to mate, is rather oblivious to threats as he poses for a picture instead of turning tail to run, in the photo below....
MILES CITY – The general season opener brought mild weather and plenty of hunters afield. Below is a look at what Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff observed at three Sunday check stations operating in southeast Montana. Ashland check station “It was a pleasant weekend near Ashland, and hunters enjoyed being afield,” said wildlife biologist Ryan DeVore. The Ashland check station saw a total of 96 parties, or 197 hunters, come through. Seventy-five hunters were successful (38 percent), taking home 26 pronghorn (16 bucks, 10 does/fawns), 7 elk...
Courtesy MT FWP Region 7 Virtual Meeting: Oct. 12 (7:30 to 9 p.m.) FWP regional staff will hold virtual meetings across the state to discuss potential hunting regulation changes for 2022 and 2023. These meetings will be held via Zoom and allow the public to hear directly from FWP staff and ask questions about the proposed changes. The potential hunting regulation changes are available online for the public to review. The potential changes are coming now during the normal biennial season setting year to help make Montana’s hunting reg...
Courtesy PR Extension Office “MSU Extension Custer County Tara Andrews shared the following information recently and I thought it was relevant for our area,” said Powder River Extension Agent Mary Rumph. “My lawn is certainly suffering from the lack of rainfall; irrigating helps, but it just isn’t the same!” “After this long hot and dry summer many lawns are looking brown and crispy! Maintaining a lush green yard during the drought we’ve experienced takes a lot of watering or irrigation. Many people have cut back on watering and irrigation...
Courtesy MT FWP • Destination: SOUTHEAST MONTANA • Southeast Montana is typically dry and hot heading into fall, but this year conditions are especially dire. All of Montana is experiencing extreme drought, and fire danger is incredibly high. • The Missouri Breaks (HD 700) and Custer Forest Elk Management Unit (HDs 702, 704, 705) remain the two “core” elk populations in southeast Montana. Outside of these areas, elk numbers are generally low, but numbers have been increasing at a moderate rate, accompanied by a gradual expansion into previously...
HELENA – After a public comment period that drew more than 26,000 comments, the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted several changes to the 2021/2022 wolf hunting and trapping regulations at its meeting on Aug. 20. Changes include eliminating quotas, increasing the number of wolf trapping and hunting licenses allowed for individual hunters, extending wolf trapping seasons and the allowance of snares for trapping wolves. Wolf regulations were adopted as follows: A harvest of 450 wolves shall initiate a commission review with potential for r...
Courtesy MT FWP Destination: SOUTHEAST MONTANA Extreme drought, grasshoppers and hot conditions have taken their toll on habitat conditions and upland birds across southeast Montana. It has been a long, dry spring and summer for agricultural producers and upland game birds alike. The fall of 2020 provided fair to good bird numbers across most of the region and those birds found a very easy winter with little to no snowfall and limited severe weather. Spring surveys for upland birds across Region 7 were looking promising. However, A hot and d...
Courtesy MT FWP HELENA – Hot, dry conditions put stress on many of our wildlife species. More than 70 percent of Montana is experiencing severe drought conditions. You can help avoid conflicts with wildlife by following these suggestions: Keep food and attractants away from bears. Most of Montana is bear country. Heat and drought will likely reduce the amount of plants available to bears in the wild, increasing the chance they come near homes in search of easy food, such as garbage. Store garbage, pet food, barbeques, and livestock grain ins...
By PR Extension Office Montana and the surrounding region are currently observing large numbers of “miller” moths congregating near buildings at night where they are attracted to sources of light according to Powder River Extension Agent Mary Rumph. Any type of moth s that are abundant around homes have been called Miller moths. In Montana and surrounding states, it is typically the adult stage of the army cutworm, Euxoa auxiliaris. The larval caterpillar stage feeds on a variety of plants and crops during the spring season, and now in early...
By Jeff Noble The 2021 Bowhunter Education Class for first-time Montana youth and adult bowhunters will be offered in Broadus on the following dates: SATURDAY, July 24, 2021: from 12:00 to 7:00 pm; and SUNDAY, July 25, 2021: from 12:00 to 7:00 pm. Attendance on both days is required. Youths need to bring a parent with them on the first day, to sign permission slips (which are available at the FWP website). Also, everyone is required to register online in advance, at the FWP hunter education website. The course will take place at Jeff Noble’s of...
By PR Extension Office “Not surprisingly, grasshopper populations are increasing in our area,” according to MSU Powder River Extension Agent Mary Rumph. “Once grasshoppers are adults and have entered the yard and garden, management is extremely challenging. It often becomes a priority of choosing what is most valuable to you.” For example, Rumph said to consider focusing on the most vulnerable trees and plants for management (and those of importance). “Also understand that treating an area once is seldom enough…you might need to re-treat seve...
HELENA – Hunters interested in participating in game damage hunt opportunities need to register online for the Hunt Roster beginning Tuesday, June 15, through MyFWP. The roster is used by Fish, Wildlife & Parks to quickly respond to landowners who are eligible for game damage assistance in the prevention or reduction of property or crop damage primarily caused by deer, elk and/or antelope. To register, hunters can log into their MyFWP account or click “look up draw results, register for lists” within the menu. Then select a preferred hunti...
By Liz Riter The 28th Annual Kid's Conservation Field Day was held on May 20 at the Little Powder Bridge. A field day was not able to be held last year, so 3rd and 4th Graders were invited to this fun educational session. There were ten stations for the kids to learn about conservation. The stations include viewing animal prints made by Gene Smith, Powder River Conservation Board Chairman, and Jessica Beagles, then the students got to make their own hand or footprints. Shanna Talcott, District...
Bozeman, MT, May 27, 2021— The Custer Gallatin National Forest is recruiting volunteers to fill two vacancies on the 15-member Southern Montana Resource Advisory Committee (RAC), with a deadline of July 1, 2021. The Southern Montana RAC covers Park, Sweet Grass, Stillwater, and Powder River Counties and generally meets 1-2 times a year for a day-long session. Resource Advisory Committee members review and recommend projects to be carried out on National Forest System lands within the Custer Gallatin National Forest and within the counties f...
Attention All Watercraft Owners! Clean, Drain, Dry! Courtesy Liz Riter The Watercraft Inspection Station opened last Wednesday, May 12, 2021, at the Powder River Taxidermy. If you are launching a motorized boat or non-motorized watercraft like a raft, or paddleboard you can get it inspected at the Taxidermy from 6 am to 6 pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. You can be inspected here and then go straight to your intended desination, saving time so you can get right onto the...
In-person classes with field day still an option Courtesy MT FWP During the last year, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offered hunter and bowhunter education classes online due to COVID concerns. Since last spring, more than 17,000 Montanans completed the online courses, which is nearly double the number of students in a typical year. “The biggest increase we saw was among adult bowhunter education students,” said FWP outdoor skills and safety supervisor Wayde Cooperider. “It seems the online courses were popular with our students.” Because o...
By Mary Rumph, Powder River Extension Agent Ticks are out and about and ready to attach onto warm blooded species, so take precautions to protect yourself from this crawling insect that can be a disease vector. The most common ticks we have in Montana this time of year are the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni, and the dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis. Ticks can be transported into the home from pets and humans. The two species look very similar. The two species of the black-legged ticks, (also known as deer ticks, Ixodes scapular...
Courtesy MT FWP The spring black bear hunting season starts April 15. Hunters need to be aware that black bears must be presented for in-person inspection and tagging within 10 days of harvest. The hide and skull must be presented in a condition that allows full inspection and tooth collection (i.e. unfrozen). For local tagging information, contact the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks office nearest to you. Three Black Bear Management Units have quotas and mandatory 48-hour reporting: Units 510, 520, and 700. When the quota is reached or a...
Courtesy MT FWP As part of the multi-year Targeted Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff conducted elk capture operations in the Ashland area southwest of Broadus. All elk tested negative for brucellosis. In the Ashland area, 100 female elk were captured with the aid of a helicopter in Hunting District 704 south of Highway 212 and between the Powder River and Hanging Woman Creek. Forty female elk were outfitted with radio collars to track their movement for three years. This capture was a collaboration with...
Courtesy MT FWP The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission in its February meeting approved increasing the fall black bear quota in Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Bear Management Unit 700 from eight to 12 bears. Indicators used by FWP biologists to assess black bear numbers suggest that black bear populations in southeastern Montana continue to grow and expand. “Since our inaugural black bear season in 2006, black bears have continued to flourish and expand across southeastern Montana,” said Regional Wildlife Manager John Ensign. “What once were rare...
Courtesy MT FWP The new license year opens March 1, which means that is the day you can buy your 2021 hunting and fishing licenses and begin applying for permits and special licenses. The deadline to apply for deer and elk permits is April 1. Applications for most species – deer, elk, antelope, deer B, elk B, antelope B, moose, sheep, goat, bison, bear, turkey – can be made beginning March 1. Hunters and anglers can buy licenses and apply for permits on the FWP website beginning at 5 a.m.; click on “Buy and Apply.” Most FWP offices will be o...
Courtesy MT FWP Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will offer an online wolf trapping certification class on March 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. The class is required for trappers. To register for the class, please visit the FWP website follow the link “Wolf Trapper Education & Certification.” Because of current COVID-19 restrictions, the class will be online via Zoom. Students will be sent the Zoom address for the class after they register....
Public asked to keep a look-out for dead/dying bats this winter HELENA – Samples taken in six eastern Montana counties this past summer have tested positive for the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) disease in bats. The presence of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) does not necessarily confirm the presence of the disease, but biologists are closely monitoring the situation and further sampling and testing will be conducted. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff is asking the public to report any dead or dying bats they o...
Courtesy MT FWP Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is launching a new website that will improve customer service, make it easier to use, and to provide a more mobile-friendly experience. The completely re-designed website will have more intuitive navigation that will make finding information easier for customers, whether they click to buy a fishing license, reserve a campsite, or find information about hunting regulations. “We’re excited to share this new website with the public,” said FWP director Martha Williams. “At FWP we know people look to u...
