Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 243
A nice set of hooters - In the picture at left, a pair of young Great Horned Owls peek out from their nest, in a photo snapped earlier this week. Meanwhile, pictured below, a trio of baby foxes lounge in the sun near their den site. Babies of many species are showing up every day...
Fish, Wildlife and Parks is again asking the person responsible for putting plastic Zip Ties into the jaws of Missouri River walleye to stop. The illegal practice first came to light a year ago when FWP game wardens found two walleyes with Zip Ties in their jaws. This year, during the first week of May, FWP fisheries biologists discovered two more walleyes with Zip Ties in their jaws, including one that had caused an open sore in the fish’s jaw. The walleye were found in the Wolf Creek Bridge to Craig section of the Missouri. “We don’t put j...
Courtesy MT FWP A Great Falls man hooked into a little-known native Montana fish in mid-April on the Marias River near Loma and set a new state record. On April 19, Jason Karls landed a 13.29-pound blue sucker, breaking the old record set in 2014 by almost two pounds. Karls’ catch measured 34.56 inches long. The blue sucker is one of nine members of the sucker family, all native to Montana. The common carp, which is not native to Montana, is not a sucker but a member of the minnow family. The blue sucker’s natural distribution is in the Misso...
By MSU Extension Forestry Specialist Peter Kolb Some years evergreen trees growing in windbreaks or other exposed areas are afflicted with a bad case of spring needle discoloration that ranges from orange to brown or purple. On some trees only the needle tips are discolored and right next to them the entire tree is orange. This variability might be the result of individual tree genetics, microsite, soil water and an individual trees physiological vigor prior to going into winter. Different tree species will also show different affliction. This...
The wait is over. Hunters can now check the results of the 2019 nonresident combination and elk and deer permit drawing to see if they were successful. To view drawing results online go to MyFWP and click on “Lookup Draw Results, Register for Lists” tab, or login to your MyFWP account. To sign up for an account go to fwp.mt.gov/myfwp. Applicants can also contact FWP regional offices or call the FWP licensing office at 406-444-2950. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' deadlines to apply for moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat and bison is May 1;...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' deadlines to apply for special license drawings is May 1 for bison, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat; and June 1 for the elk B, deer B and antelope license drawings. Resident hunters applying for bison, moose, sheep and goat licenses need only submit a nonrefundable $10 application fee per license and then pay the full license fee of $125 if successful. Nonresident hunters need only submit a nonrefundable $50 application fee per license and then pay the full license fee of $1,250 if successful. In order to...
Courtesy PR Extension One of the most difficult noxious weeds to control in our area is Whitetop, possibly because it comes so early, catching us by surprise! It is a perennial, with creeping rhizomes, extending horizontally and vertically, creating large dense patches according to MSU Extension Agent Mary Rumph. The stems are erect and the leaves are alternate and clasping. Whitetop begins its life-cycle in the fall with seed germination and seedling establishment. Seedling leaves grow very rapidly, and lateral roots develop within three...
One of the earliest obnoxious weeds to appear in the spring, as early as the mustards, is a small yellow flowering annual known as bur buttercup, according to Powder River Extension Agent Mary Rumph. It seems harmless, a small, gray-green tap rooted plant with three to four deeply lobed, fine-haired leaves resembling antlers. However, by mid spring it forms solid, 3 to 4 inch tall mats. By early summer, it scatters its seed and its burs have turned from green to straw-colored to brown. The burs, though not as sharp as puncturevine seeds, are...
BOZEMAN, Mont., March 20, 2019 – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Montana is accepting applications for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Wetlands Reserve Easements. While NRCS accepts easement applications on a continuous basis, NRCS has set a deadline of April 19, 2019, to apply for 2019 funding. “Easements are sometimes a perfect fit for a landowner who is looking to protect his or her land from future development or to protect and improve wetlands or provide critical habitat for wildlife,” said Erik...
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is enrolling new landowners in Region 7 who are interested in participating in the Block Management Program. Block Management is a cooperative effort between landowners and FWP to help manage public hunting activities and provide equitable public hunting opportunities. In the Block Management program, landowners and FWP enter into voluntary agreements that determine how hunting will be conducted on the landowner’s property. Items such as permission requirements, times when permission will be granted, vehicle u...
By Bruce Auchly FWP Region 4 Information Officer Not all creatures have given up on spring ever happening. Some are counting on it. And soon. Great horned owls and Canada geese are sitting on eggs now, or soon will be. Two totally different Montana bird species with different diets and nesting habits have placed all their eggs in one spring basket. Great horned owls are sitting on eggs now, that will soon hatch if they haven't already, because they must. Think back to those January nights that,...
A couple of tiger muskies were reported caught recently in Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7, one at Gartside Dam near Sidney and one at Tongue River Reservoir. These are the only waters in the region that have tiger muskies, so it’s a rare and exciting opportunity. It’s also a chance to remind anglers that they need to abide by the statewide regulation for tiger muskie, which is one fish daily and in possession, and the fish must be over 40 inches in length. Fish not meeting these dimensions must be released. It's also worth mentioning that tige...
Courtesy MT FWP Late winter is a difficult time for wildlife. After using fat reserves through most of the winter, along with trying to find what food is available, many animals are at their most vulnerable. In addition, this has been a snowy and cold late winter. That’s why Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, along with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are asking shed hunters and other recreationists to give wildlife their space until the snow melts and the animals are less stressed. Shed hunting – looking for antlers shed each year by ma...
For those hunters interested in applying for elk or deer permits for the 2019 season a critical deadline is approaching, March 15. Fortunately, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks online application process and application packet make it simple to apply. An easy-to-use application packet is available at FWP offices and online at fwp.mt.gov. Resident hunters need a 2019 conservation, elk or deer license, and base hunting license to apply for a special elk or deer permit. Everything else needed to apply is in the application and information packet....
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has approved the open water fishing contests for the 2019 season. Participants must comply with state fishing regulations, including daily and possession limits. Applications for fishing contests may be approved, approved with conditions, or denied by the FWP Fisheries Division in Helena. Conditions placed on contests may help to minimize fish mortality, regulate harvest, reduce user conflicts and/or require additional access site maintenance when needed. Information on the approved fishing contests can be found...
HELENA, Mont. – Damaging floods caused by ice jams are a fact of life along many Montana rivers and streams. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) would like to remind residents that February and March have the greatest potential for ice jams, and conditions can change rapidly. “Montana experiences the highest number of reported ice jams in the continental US, with most occurring in February and March” said DNRC Director John Tubbs. “Flooding can happen in any community and it can happen quickly. Residents in flood...
By Bruce Auchly FWP Region 4 Information Officer Ever wonder on a cold, snowy winter day what fish are doing under the ice? The short answer is: about the same as the rest of the year. They breathe, eat and try to avoid being eaten. There are, however, some differences in winter. First, it’s important to remember that freshwater fish like reptiles and amphibians are coldblooded. (Scientists prefer the more precise word, poikilotherms, but we’ll forgive them.) That means their body temperatures are controlled through external means, in this cas...
Courtesy Montana FWP According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, a wolf was legally harvested Jan. 7, 2019, by a local hunter near Glasgow in Valley Co. FWP officials have inspected and tagged the animal. This is the first wolf to be harvested in Region 6, which is part of wolf management unit 400, since wolves were removed from the endangered species list in Montana in 2011. FWP manages wolves across Montana under a statewide management plan, including eastern Montana. FWP is committed to responsibly managing Montana’s wolf population w...
It’s that time of year when ice anglers will be heading out to Montana's waters for the ice fishing season. Ice fishing is a great winter activity that the entire family can enjoy. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reminds anglers that safety should be the number one concern during a day out on the ice. While the first ice of the year often offers some of the best fishing, it also can be quite variable from location to location and from day to day. Anglers should be familiar with the water body they plan to fish. The safest ice anglers are t...
Montana FWP Test results from CWD surveillance samples taken during the last week of Montana’s general hunting season showed nine more deer to be suspect of chronic wasting disease. South of Billings in Carbon County, two mule deer — a buck and a doe — and a white-tailed buck from CWD-positive areas showed suspect for the disease. Along the Hi-Line, three mule deer from CWD-positive areas in Blaine County and two mule deer bucks from the CWD-positive area in Valley County all returned as suspect for the disease. A mule deer buck from Phill...
Now that the local big game hunting season has been put to bed for the year, we figured a wrap up of the season was in order. From talking to folks around the county, the first phrase on everyone’s lips tended to be something along the lines of “There were a lot of hunters.” With good game numbers in the area, a world record bull elk taken in 2016 near Birney, and Montana FWP’s hunting outlooks saying to go east and south for game, our area continues to fill up with hunters. This sentiment was echoed by Broadus area FWP Biologist Ryan DeVore,...
Two mule deer bucks, standing beside the road, busily engaged in rutting behavior. One, a typical deer in a state which hunts the rut, the other, a normal buck in a state with no rut hunt. Are you able to guess which buck comes from which state? That's right, the big deer on the left was photographed last weekend alongside a county road in Wyoming, while the mediocre buck on the right was photographed earlier in the week in Powder River County. These deer are both pretty normal to see in their...
A bobcat hunkers down, completely still, perhaps thinking he's hidden behind a prairie dog mound. Furbearer season will open on December 1st, so this fellow is perfectly safe, for now....
As hunting season draws to a close this weekend, this mule deer buck says goodbye to hunters as he easily clears a fence. With a little luck and some decent weather, he'll survive another winter along Powder River. (Photo courtesy Weston Straight)...
(Courtesy USFS) Christmas tree permits are now available for all seven Ranger District offices and numerous vendors across the Custer Gallatin National Forest. Forest Service offices in Bozeman, West Yellowstone, Livingston, Gardiner, Red Lodge, Ashland, MT and Camp Crook, SD will have permits available from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday for $5.00 each, with a limit of three permits per household. Permits are sold in person and cash, check, debit and credit are accepted. Those with a permit may cut a Christmas tree anywhere on the Cus...
