Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 243
Courtesy MT FWP Montana’s watercraft inspection stations set another record for boats inspected in 2019. More than 112,00 watercraft have been inspected so far this year, surpassing last year’s number by 3,000 inspections. Inspectors have intercepted 16 boats with invasive mussels coming into the state. AIS monitoring crews have surveyed 300 unique waterbodies for aquatic invasive plants and animals. No mussel veligers or adult mussels were detected in the waters of Montana this year. That news has prompted FWP to initiate the process to lift...
Courtesy MT FWP With the big game season opener on October 26, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks would like to stress the importance of being safe this year. Last hunting season, Montana experienced more hunting-related injuries and deaths than the past several combined. One of the deaths even resulted in the hunting partner being charged with negligent homicide. All of these tragedies had the same factors in common: loaded firearms. The incidents involved loaded firearms that were being transported in trucks, ATVs, or snowmobiles or by people w...
Courtesy Marla Prell, FWP Region 7 Information Officer Nearly 400 hunters came through three check stations set up around FWP Region 7 on Sunday during the opening weekend of big game season. Overall, traffic and harvest numbers were down from 2018, but many still managed to harvest something on a very cold, blustery day punctuated by snow. The weather was a stark contrast to last year's mild opener, and to short-sleeve temps just a few days ago. "Most of the deer hunters admitted to not v...
Last Tuesday, a group of local residents met with Montana FWP Broadus Area Wildlife Biologist Ryan DeVore to discuss a planned study to look at pronghorn antelope in Southeastern Montana. The local portion of the study will take place in Carter County and eastern Powder River County. The western border of the study area will be from the Wyoming border up Highway 59 to the Big Powder Bridge, then following the river downstream to the Powderville area. The northern boundary of the study area then...
By MT FWP Montana’s watercraft inspection stations are closing for the season, but boaters can still obtain an inspection at FWP regional and area offices. Late-season anglers and hunters utilizing boats for waterfowl or big game hunting need to follow the principles of clean, drain, dry to help protect our waters from invasive aquatic weeds, animals and diseases: Clean all mud and debris from the watercraft, trailer, anchor, waders, decoys, and fishing equipment. Pull drain plugs and make sure all compartments, bilges and ballasts are dra...
On Tuesday, October 22nd at 7 PM, Montana FWP will hold an open house at the Sagebrush Inn, in Broadus, to discuss a pronghorn study, as well as to answer questions about the CWD Management zone. Biologist Ryan DeVore will be on hand to discuss the CWD Management Zone south of Hwy 212 and west of the Powder River, and its impact on local hunts and the economy. A six year long pronghorn study in Region 7 will be conducted to research how antelope numbers are recovering better in some regions than others, following decimation of herds over a...
By MT FWP By order of the Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission, the hunting of all black bears in Bear Management Unit 700 will close one-half hour after sunset on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. To check Montana’s black bear harvest in quota areas, go to Hunting and choose Drawing and Quota Status, http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/status/, or call the toll-free number at 1-800-385-7826....
Non-residents planning to bring their watercraft into Montana must now purchase an AIS Prevention Pass (AISPP) before launching on state waters. The AISPP was initiated by the 2019 Montana Legislature to help fund the fight against aquatic invasive species. Non-residents can purchase the ASIPP online at fwp.mt.gov or at any FWP office. Boat owners must carry a paper or digital receipt as proof of purchase. The AISPP expires each year and is not transferable between vessels. “Protecting Montana’s waters relies on making sure we address the thr...
By MT FWP If you have not checked your license and carcass tags in a while, please do so well in advance of your hunting trip to ensure they haven’t faded. Hunters and anglers with faded licenses can have them replaced at no cost at their regional Fish, Wildlife & Parks office. Replacement at an FWP office for faded licenses does not count against the number of replacements an individual is allowed. Faded licenses can also be mailed to FWP for replacement: P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701, or to your regional FWP office. Also, between Sep...
By MT FWP Destination: SOUTHEAST MONTANA – Region 7 Southeast Montana experienced above-average rainfall this summer, which produced abundant forage and cover for wildlife. Good habitat conditions will benefit wildlife populations, but that can actually make hunting more difficult, especially during the early season. With water and green forage available nearly everywhere on the landscape, critters remain spread out and difficult to find. They won’t be concentrated near wetter areas or areas with thermal cover until the forage dries out and i...
By MT FWP Please note that a few language changes and clarifications were included in the 2019 hunting regulations. Those changes include: Archery Equipment (MCA 87-6-401) Addition to legal Hunting Bow wording: • Camera devices attached to bows for the sole purpose of filming is allowed. Evidence of Sex: • It is unlawful to destroy evidence of the sex of a game animal so as to make the determination of the sex of the game animal uncertain. • FWP recommends leaving evidence of sex naturally attached while transporting from the field. Glandul...
In 2019, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will continue chronic wasting disease surveillance in high-priority areas in parts of northern, western and southern Montana, primarily from hunter-harvested animals. Hunters who harvest a deer, elk or moose in these areas should stop at a local CWD-sampling check station to have the animal sampled. FWP staff will collect samples and submit them for testing. There will be Special CWD Hunts occurring during the general hunting season around Libby and in...
What you need to know about chronic wasting disease in Montana • CWD is a contagious neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. It is always fatal and there is no known cure. • It was first found in Montana in 2017. • It is not known to infect humans, but it is strongly recommended that humans not eat meat from infected animals. • CWD can cause large declines in deer and elk populations. • Symptoms include poor body condition, excessive salivation and drooling, drooping head and ears and disoriented behavior. What Montana Fish, Wil...
Don’t wait until opening day to discover your license and carcass tags are faded and need to be replaced. Hunters and anglers with licenses that are displaying faded text making them difficult to read can have those licenses replaced at no cost at their regional Fish, Wildlife & Parks office....
As you are hitting the field this fall, be sure to take a break from scanning the horizon for game and look down at the ground once in a while. Not only will this hopefully help you avoid stepping on a cactus or a rattlesnake, you might also see one of eastern Montana’s rarely seen critters…the greater short-horned lizard; and FWP would like to know about it. The greater short- horned lizard, Phrynosoma hernandesi, or “horny toad” is a Species of Greatest Inventory Need (SGIN) in Montana due to insufficient data to determine their status....
Bozeman, MT — Montana’s Fishing Access Sites accommodate roughly 3.9 million visits from people every year. These visits happen on about 330 Fishing Access Sites across the state that vary in size from less than one acre to several hundred acres. These sites are owned and managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to give recreationists access to the state’s water resources. Funding for the acquisition, enhancement and maintenance of these sites is generated from fishing licenses sold to anglers. But a large portion of people who use Fishi...
Fall is right around the corner and as we all gear up for hunting season we want to remind everyone of important dates coming up. Aug. 15- 900 archery season opens Sept. 1 - Turkey and Upland Game Bird (excluding Pheasants) Season Opens, Special Permit Sandhill Crane Opening Sept. 7 - Archery Antelope, Archery Bighorn Sheep, Deer & Elk Archery, Mountain Lion Archery without Hounds Opening, Archery Black Bear, Wolf Archery Opening Sept. 15 - Fall Black Bear, General Big Horn Sheep, Backcountry Deer & Elk (HD'S 150, 151, 280, 316), Mountain...
BILLINGS – Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has scheduled a wolf trapping certification class for Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, in Billings. The certification course is free and open to individuals ages 11 and older. Preregistration is required online at the FWP web site – http://fwp.mt.gov – and follow the links to education, hunter education and wolf trapper education and certification. The class is capped at 30 students and registration will close when that number is reached. The class will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at FWP’s Region 5 headqua...
(MILES CITY) - A father and son from Canada were sentenced April 10 in Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena following a lengthy Montana license fraud investigation. As part of the case, 50 big game animals were seized on a search warrant executed in Custer County, Montana. They included 15 elk, 22 mule deer, 11 antelope, one bighorn sheep and one mountain goat. Some were classified as trophy animals. Larry and Shane Adams lived in Emo, Ontario and operated a fly-in fishing business...
The 900-20 Archery Only Antelope licenses were drawn with Deer B and Elk B licenses in mid-July. All other antelope will be drawn on Aug. 8. This delay gives local biologists time to complete antelope population surveys that often don’t even start until mid-July, and then to set the final quotas accordingly. On Aug. 12, hunters can buy over-the-counter and surplus B licenses (antlerless) for deer and elk. Also, on Aug. 12, surplus general antelope, antelope B and antelope archery 900 series licenses go on sale. The antelope archery 900 s...
The 2019 winter and spring aerial surveys of deer populations in Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Region 7 revealed above long-term average numbers for both mule deer and white-tailed deer. "We had abundant precipitation last spring and summer, which made for excellent forage conditions and deer going into winter in good body condition," said Wildlife Biologist Melissa Foster. "The winter was mild up until February, when we got about six weeks of bitter cold and snow. Seems like most deer had eno...
Beginning July 1, donations to the voluntary wolf mitigation account will be accepted through Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Those interested can submit a donation two ways: • By selecting the Wolf Mitigation donation option under the Conservation heading on FWP’s Online License Service Website • In person at any FWP License Provider The voluntary wolf mitigation account was established by House Bill 291 in the 2019 Legislature and became effective July 1. Funding from the account will be used by the Montana Department of Livestock to contr...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wants to remind trappers that the requirement for all traps to have a center swivel and an additional chain swivel becomes effective this coming trapping season, Nov. 1, 2019. Modifying traps to meet this regulation will take a significant amount of time and expense on the part of trappers, and FWP wants to thank trappers for their support of this regulation change and their willingness to adapt and modify their equipment as increasingly humane options are developed. The center swivel requirement applies to all...
Montana FWP issued a May 22 memo to game wardens advising them to not cite Crow Tribal members who violate Montana state hunting laws in the Custer Gallatin National Forest east of the Yellowstone River, which includes the Ashland Ranger District. The memo comes as a response to the recent US Supreme Court ruling against Wyoming in the case of a Crow tribal member, Clayvin Herrera, who poached a bull elk on the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming in 2014. Herrera argued that the kill was covered as a part of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty, which...
A black bear was killed by a homeowner on the southern edge of Miles City on Memorial Day, after it was found raiding trash cans near a garage, according to Montana FWP officials. Black bear sightings and problems have become more common in SE Montana over the years....
