Sorted by date Results 226 - 244 of 244
(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...
Hunter success dipped at check stations in Hysham and Ashland on Sunday, but hunters were still happy and encountering wildlife. “Historically, we see the percent of hunters with deer/elk/antelope to be around 60 percent on the third weekend of the general season, but 51 percent was observed this year,” said Steve Atwood, area wildlife biologist for Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 7, who coordinated the Hysham check station. “Despite the lower success rate overall, hunters were satisfied and reported seeing good numbers of game.” Hunters...
A "maybe next year" buck tries his best to get poached by a road hunter as he obliviously chases does near the road, in the picture above. The Pumpkin Brigade is out in force this fall, but with less than two weeks remaining in big game season, the end is in sight....
Second tests on tissue samples from a white-tailed buck harvested in southern Liberty County and a mule deer doe harvested within the CWD-positive area in Carbon County came back positive for chronic wasting disease. The lab at Colorado State University confirmed the tests. The whitetail in Liberty County was harvested in hunting district 400, but outside both the current CWD-positive area and the 2018 priority surveillance area, which includes the northern half of Liberty County. As a result, FWP expanded the CWD-positive area to include all...
Courtesy MT FWP Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is requesting public review and comment on their Mountain Lion Management Strategy. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is committed to maintaining sustainable lion populations in all suitable habitats of our state. Over the last 25 years, FWP has made significant investments in field research that helps inform our lion management. With this and research done in other states and provinces, we propose to use the latest science and state-of-the-art methods and tools to monitor Montana’s lion pop...
Just a couple of months past his 89th birthday, long time Powder River County rancher Donald Kolka found his big bull elk in the land drained by the Little Pumpkin Creek. Since opening the letter with his coveted bull tag, Mr. Kolka had been laying plans for his hunt, plans which had quickly dismissed using one of his old rifles. A new rifle was warranted. A new rifle like a lever action .45-70 buffalo gun. When Mr. Kolka saw the big bull in the early morning light, the first shot hit its mark....
By order of the Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission, the hunting of all black bears in Bear Management Unit 700 closed one-half hour after sunset on Monday, October 29, 2018. 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....
Friday, August 24, 2018 Upland season starts Sept. 1 with mountain, sage and sharptail grouse along with partridge. Pheasant hunting starts Oct. 6. All seasons end Jan. 1, except sage grouse, which ends Sept. 30. Gray (Hungarian) Partridge While no formal surveys are conducted for huns in Montana, weather and habitat conditions suggest huns across the state will range from slightly above to below average this season, depending on the area of the state. A severe winter across most of the Region 7...
The badlands, farmland and rolling prairie of southeast Montana are home to a vast number of animals, including strong populations of mule and white-tailed deer, variable antelope numbers and a growing number of elk. Mule deer in the region recovered rapidly from their low point in 2012, and since 2016 remain at one of the higher densities seen in southeastern Montana since current surveys were initiated in the 1980s. Following back-to-back severe winters in 2009-10 and 2010-11, mule deer numbers bottomed out at 61 percent of long-term...
Fall is a time of year when bat observations are common in Montana. This time of year young bats are attempting to take care of themselves, some bats are beginning long migrations to warmer climates and some bats are grounded by disease or illness. A common misconception is that bats "carry" rabies. Bats are not asymptomatic carriers of rabies, that is, the rabies virus does not exist indefinitely in a bat host. When a bat contracts rabies, it dies. When a bat begins to show clinical signs of the disease, it becomes lethargic, loses its...
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports some exciting news…Chinook salmon are biting at Ft. Peck Reservoir! Casual and hardcore salmon fisherman have been waiting to hear whether salmon will be showing up this year, especially after the slower 2017 season. Interest in this unique fishery continues to grow and numerous social media outlets have been quick to alert anglers of the improving salmon bite in recent weeks. Boats rigged with downriggers have been flocking to the dam area in search of the prized Chinook (or king) salmon. Salmon were fi...
For the fifth year, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Outlook-area wildlife biologist Ryan Williamson is in full swing of trapping and banding this small game bird. Mourning doves are one of the most widely distributed and abundant birds in North America and are also a popular game bird with hunting seasons established in 40 of the lower 48 states. As part of an effort to estimate population size, harvest rates and regulations, mourning doves are banded throughout the United States including within Montana’s Region 6. “Banding mourning dov...
Here’s nothing new: It’s been hot recently. How hot? So hot, I saw a dog chasing a cat and they were both walking. So hot I’m being forced to use passive verbs. Okay, for those who suffer from the heat, extreme temperatures are no joke. However, maybe nature can teach us a few tricks to cope. In late summer, prairie amphibians, like the Great Plains toad are underground, waiting out the heat wave. All amphibians begin their lives in water, developing from eggs to swimming larvae (tadpoles) to adult frogs, toads or salamanders. Adult frogs...
A few important dates remain for hunters looking for license for this upcoming hunting season: On Aug. 6, hunters can buy over-the-counter and surplus B licenses (antlerless) for deer and elk. On Aug. 9, general antelope and antelope B drawing results will be available. On Aug. 13, surplus general antelope, antelope B and antelope archery 900-20 licenses go on sale. On Aug. 15, antelope archery season opens for the 900-20 license. The 900-20 archery antelope licenses were drawn on July 16. These licenses allow bowhunters to hunt antelope from...
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wants to remind anglers that as reservoir water temperatures increase, mortality associated with catch and release also increases. A study published in 2011 in The North American Journal of Fisheries Management found that walleye catch and release mortality rate rose from 0-1.8% with water temps below 68° F to nearly 16% when water temps were above 68° F. Walleye that are played for extended periods of time, handled extensively in the boat, and/or stored in a live well will see an increase in mortality if the f...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ wardens would like to remind watercraft users that they must stop every time they pass an AIS inspection station, even if they have previously been inspected. For example, if a person goes through an inspection station at 7 a.m. and receives a copy of the watercraft inspection form, and then drives past the same inspection station at 2 p.m. on their way home, they need to stop again. It’s not uncommon for folks to bypass inspection stations after already being inspected, thinking they are in the clear for the day...
Montana 2018-19 waterfowl and ‘webless’ migratory bird regulations released Waterfowl and webless migratory bird regulations are already complete for the 2018-19 hunting seasons. With all of the water and ducks across Montana this summer, there are signs that it could be an interesting and productive waterfowl season for Montana hunters. Montana's migratory bird regulations, set within the federal frameworks, will be very similar to last year. The regulations are online at http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/regulations and hard copies will be ava...
The weather has been extremely unpredictable, and so was the 2018 paddlefishing season on the Yellowstone and lower Missouri rivers. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7 fisheries manager Mike Backes, it took 15 harvest days to approach the 1,000 fish harvest target. Compare that to the 2017 season, which was fast and furious and closed in just over three days. The 2018 harvest season opened May 15 and closed on June 8. Catch-and-release fishing just concluded. According to tallies, 714 paddlefish were processed at Intake fishin...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is taking public comment on several items, including furbearer and trapper seasons and quotas, swift fox conservation strategy and the nongame check-off work plan. Further information on the items is provided below. Additional clarification and materials can be provided by calling the Wildlife Division office at 406-444-2612 or emailing [email protected]. Public comments can be submitted by mail or electronically. Comments can be mailed to Fish, Wildlife & Parks, P.O....
