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Notice to Hunters—Significant Archery Regulation Changes

Significant season changes for the 2008 and 2009 hunting season include the implementation of limited archery permits for either sex elk in seven hunting districts within the Missouri River Breaks and unlimited archery permits for either sex elk in 23 other hunting districts in Regions 4, 5 and 7. The unlimited permits are scheduled to become limited in 2009. The limited permits must be applied for by June 2. The unlimited permits may be purchased or applied for by June 2. Please see individual hunting district regulations for additional specifics. Click here to view Archery Map. An advisory committee has been assembled to further evaluate some of these archery regulations.

There are also changes and additions to A9/B12 antlerless elk licenses available through the drawing or over-the-counter. In addition to adjusted numbers of these licenses for 2008, a conservation license is now the only prerequisite to this antlerless elk license for both residents and nonresidents alike.

The 900-archery antelope license has been adjusted from an unlimited to limited structure. 5600 of these licenses are available thru the drawing. The June 2 drawing application deadline applies to these licenses and all other elk, deer and antelope permits and licenses as well. Please see individual hunting district regulations for additional specifics.

The mountain lion season structure in Region 2 has been adjusted to limited permits in all hunting districts except the Missoula Special Management Area. 2008 mountain lion quotas will be finalized at the June 12 Commission meeting. Lion licenses must be applied for or purchased by August 31. Please see individual hunting district regulations for additional specifics.

Recent Hunting News

Black Bear Season To Close In Portion Of Bear Management Unit 520

By order of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, the above listed hunting shall be closed to hunting of ALL BLACK BEARS in a portion of BMU 520. Deer/Elk hunting districts 520 and 560 within BMU 520 shall be closed to hunting of ALL BLACK BEAR hunting one-half hour after sunset on Friday, October 10, 2008. (October 08)

2008 Pheasant Season Outlook

Pheasant hunting opportunities will vary this year across the state Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials say. The general season is Oct. 11—Jan. 1, 2009. (September 29)

Black Bear Season To Close In Bear Management Unit 700

The hunting of all black bears in Bear Management Unit 700 – Region 7, in portions of Big Horn, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, McCone, Musselshell, Prairie, Powder River, Richland, Rosebud, Treasure, Yellowstone and Wibaux counties, will close one-half hour after sunset on Thursday, October 2, 2008. The order halting the hunt came shortly after Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials received word that the pre-established harvest quota for the district had been met. (September 29)

Improved Hunter/Landowner Relations--How Hunters Can Address 12 Landowner Concerns Related To Public Hunting Access

The Private Land/Public Wildlife Council, a group of 15 citizens including hunters, landowners, outfitters, legislators, and an FWP Commissioner appointed by Governor Schweitzer to make recommendations regarding hunting and fishing access issues, has identified the top twelve concerns among landowners related to public hunting access and how hunters could address those concerns. (September 09)

Duck And Goose Hunting Outlook

Montana duck and goose hunters can look forward to some good hunting beginning Oct. 4 in the Central and Pacific flyways. The seasons and bag limits will be similar to last seasons. Montana's youth waterfowl season is Sept. 27-28. (September 15)

Duck Facts For Young Hunters

What do ducks eat? Ducks eat different foods, depending on their species and age, including: seeds, roots, stems of wetland plants, grains like barley from a farmer's field, even midges and mayfly nymphs. Are ducks waterproof? Yes. Ducks have a top layer of waterproof feathers. A special gland near the duck's tail produces oil that gradually coats its outer layer of feathers. Underneath its waterproof coat are fluffy, soft feathers that keep the duck warm. (September 15)

2008 Antelope Season Update

Antelope hunters in Montana can expect a range of antelope hunting opportunities this fall, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials say. (September 15)

Youth Pheasant And Waterfowl Hunting Opportunities

Youth Waterfowl and Pheasant Weekend Sept. 27-28 Montana's young hunters will have a special treat Sept. 27-28, the weekend of the youth waterfowl and pheasant special seasons. Legally licensed hunters age 12 through 15 will be able to hunt ducks, mergansers, geese, coots and ring-necked pheasants statewide on these two days. (August 15)

Antelope Insights For Hunters

Antelope tend to use landscapes with a 10 percent or less slope, though they can and do occupy steeper terrain. Antelope generally avoid slopes of 20 percent or more. (September 15)

FWP'S Automated Licensing Has Some Confused

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park's automated licensing system has some hunters and anglers assuming hunting is more "high-tech" these days than it is. (September 05)

2008 Montana Neighbor Award Nominations Sought

Rural Montana has a lot of good neighbors, and now there is a way to recognize the most outstanding among them. (September 05)

Stop At Game Checking Stations

Officials at biological checking stations gather information needed to manage the state's wildlife resources. When hunters stop at these biological check stations, they may be asked a variety of questions including how many deer, elk or antelope they saw and in which drainages or the general locations where their hunting took place. (August 15)

Regulation Changes In Store For Many Big Game Archers

Montana elk and antelope archery hunters need to keep a sharp eye out for several regulation changes for the 2008 hunting seasons that require many archers to have permits in hunting districts that may not have required them in the past. (September 05)

Bighorn Sheep Season To Close In Hunting District 300

By order of the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission, hunting district 300, which includes portions of Gallatin and Park Counties, will be closed to all hunting of bighorn sheep, effective one-half hour after sunset on Friday, September 5, 2008. (September 03)

Common Sense Precautions Advised For Hunters In Area Of Recent Anthrax Outbreak

With the recent deaths of nearly 300 domestic bison and some free-ranging wildlife caused by naturally occurring anthrax bacteria in southwestern Montana, some hunters have expressed concern about pursuing game in the affected area. (September 03)

Deer, Elk, Bison, Antelope & Lion Supertag Winners Announced

Hunters from Montana, and Washington recently won Montana's deer, elk, antelope, bison, and mountain lion SuperTag lotteries. (August 27)

Important Dates For Hunters

Important dates for hunters (August 27)

Elk And Brucellosis Stir Cooperation And Action

As Montana seeks to manage the risk and stop the spread of brucellosis, hunters and landowners will be working together this fall. (August 27)

Over-The-Counter Antelope Licenses And Surplus Big Game Licenses Available

Hunters can soon buy over-the-counter antelope licenses and surplus licenses for deer, elk and antelope. (August 08)

Game Bird Hunters, Don't Be Caught Without One

Pheasant hunters, don't be caught without one leg and foot left naturally attached to all birds you harvest. The leg and foot must be attached at all times, including while transporting the bird. On game birds such as grouse and partridge, one fully-feathered wing must be left naturally attached for species identification. (August 15)

Upland Game Bird Hunting Outlook

Upland game bird hunting in Montana may be a mixed bag this year. Most game bird hunting begins Sept. 1. Pheasant season opens Oct. 11. "The eastern plains experienced a mild winter, while in the mountains we had a heavy snow pack. Both are good conditions for game bird survival," said Rick Northrup, FWP game bird coordinator. Then came the end of May and a two to three week span of cool, moist weather just at the peak hatch for many upland game birds. (August 15)

Permission Is Required For All Hunting On Private Land

Don't wait until it is too late. Hunters who haven't already asked permission from private landowners to hunt need to do so as soon as possible. (August 22)

Hunters—Be Sure You Have The Right Stuff!

A recent survey of hikers in Glacier National Park revealed that 35 of the 50 people interviewed who thought they were carrying bear spray actually had the wrong product. Hunters may have the same false sense of securtiy. Grizzly bears can be found throughout western Montana. In recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded and bears are returning to historic ranges. (August 22)

Hunters Need To Know Montana's Food Storage Rules

Hunters, if you haven't traveled in Central and Northwestern Montana recently, you may be surprised and sobered by the signs instructing visitors on how to avoid problems with local grizzly bears. (August 22)

Common Sense Steps For Harvested Game

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds hunters that simple, common sense precautions will help to ensure that their game is properly, and safely, field-dressed and butchered this season. (August 15)

Bison Hunting Applications Available Aug. 8

Applications for Montana’s upcoming bison hunt will be available online and from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices on Friday, Aug. 8. (August 08)

Some Archery-Only Antelope Hunting To Open Aug. 15

Some archery-only antelope hunters will be afield Friday, Aug. 15. (August 08)

Upland Game Bird And Pheasant Season Details

In Montana, upland game birds consist of sage and sharp-tailed grouse, blue, ruffed and Franklin’s grouse, pheasants, Hungarian (grey) partridge, and wild turkeys. Most upland game bird seasons begin Sept. 1. The exception is the ring-necked pheasant opener, which is set for Oct. 11. Upland bird seasons run through Jan.1, 2009—with the exception of sage grouse season, which closes Nov. 1, and mountain grouse season, which closes Dec. 15 . (August 15)

2008 Upland Game Bird Hunting Seasons To Open Sept. 1

Opening day for most upland game bird hunting seasons occur on the same day every year—Sept. 1. The statewide hunting season openings are: Sage Grouse Sept. 1––Nov. 1 Sharp-tailed Grouse Sept. 1––Jan. (August 15)

Bird and Bowhunters, Avoid Becoming The Hunted

With Montana’s upland game bird and bow hunting season underway Sept. 1 and Sept. 6, it is a good time to review the basics of hunting safely in bear country. (August 15)

Hunters: Know Your Bulls

With elk archery season opening Sept. 6, and backcountry elk season set to open Sept. 15, no elk hunter wants to shoot the wrong elk in the right place, or the right elk in the wrong place. Some elk management units also have special regulations that state the type of bull elk that is legal to harvest. Elk hunters need to know their bulls. An antlered bull elk is any elk with an antler or antlers at least four inches in length measured from the top of the skull. (August 15)

Stop Poachers—Enough Is Enough! Call 1-800-Tip-Mont

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks toll-free hotline for reporting wildlife poaching, property damage, and violations of fish and game laws is in operation 24 hours a day. (August 15)

Permission Is Required For All Hunting On Private Land

Don't wait until it is too late. Hunters who haven't already asked permission from private landowners to hunt need to do so as soon as possible. (August 15)

Hunters Are Asked To Report Signs Of Wolves

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks requests that hunters report any sightings or signs of wolves. A gray wolf is, on average 2.5 feet tall; 5-6 feet long; 70-120 pounds with a broad snout, round ears and fur ranging from gray, black or tan to white. (August 15)

FWP Calls On Hunters To Be Weed-Aware

Noxious weeds—like knapweed, leafy spurge and Canada thistle— are spreading across Montana. Hunters need to be aware of these silent invaders. FWP recommends that hunters and others: (August 15)

Stop Poachers—Enough Is Enough!

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks toll-free hotline for reporting wildlife poaching, property damage, and violations of fish and game laws is in operation 24 hours a day. (September 05)

Access: Ask Early Don't Wait

Montana's some 23,000 landowners own nearly 60 million acres of private land, much of with excellent hunting. The only catch is gaining the landowner's permission to hunt. It is Montana law that hunters obtain landowner permission to hunt on all private land. (August 15)

FWP Block Management Region Contacts

Hunters interested in obtaining access to more than eight million acres of private lands enrolled in FWP's Block Management Program may contact the regional FWP office in the area where they plan to hunt, or check the "Hunting" pages on the FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov . (August 15)

Are Off-Highway Vehicles And Hunting Compatible?

The Montana Hunter Behavior Advisory Council reported ten years ago that motor vehicle use during hunting, including off-highway vehicles, is creating serious problems. Today the situation is magnified, as growing numbers of hunters use OHVs. (August 15)

Black Bear Hunters Must Keep Meat

The black bear hunting season reopens for the fall on Sept. 15 in most areas of Montana. Hunters should check the regulations for exceptions. (August 15)

Migratory Bird Hunters Get HIP Again This Season

Everyone who hunts doves, ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, snipe, or coots in Montana must be "HIP" certified for the upcoming hunting seasons. HIP stands for Harvest Information Program. (August 15)

Visit FWP's Hunting Pages Online Now

Lucky hunters with extra time in their lives are already scouting for good public hunting locations and while others are planning when they will contact that landowner they know to ask for permission to hunt. (August 15)

Montana's 2008 Hunting Season Offers Veterans Discounts

Veterans will enjoy discounts and new opportunities during Montana's 2008 hunting season. (August 15)

Archers Reminded to Have Licenses In Order Before Hitting the Field

Fall hunting officially gets underway Friday, August 15th with opening of archery antelope season in many Montana hunting districts. Sportsmen are reminded that, to hunt antelope with a bow and arrow in a special August archery season, they need to have drawn a special 900-series tag and bought a bow-and-arrow license. (August 15)

Off-Highway Vehicle Registration Reminder

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds-off-highway vehicles owners, including motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), quadricycles, dune buggies, amphibious vehicles and air cushion vehicles, have registration and use rules that are worth reviewing before setting off on a hunt. (August 22)

Firearms, Bears, And Bear Spray

I’ve been studying bear-human conflict for the past 17 years, and have heard all sides of the ‘firearms versus bear spray’ debate among big game hunters. The issue is: If you're hunting and you encounter an aggressive bear—is it better to shoot it, or use bear spray to repel it? (August 22)

Recent Hunting News

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