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, and certification delivers essential information to wildlife biologists so they can better manage wildlife resources in Montana and the United States. The program is entering its seventh season.
Most waterfowl seasons open in Montana in early October, but snipe and dove open Sept. 1.
To get HIP certified, Montana waterfowl and migratory bird hunters will be asked a few simple questions about their past year’s hunting success when they purchase their migratory bird hunting license. Montana migratory bird hunters will be asked how many ducks, geese, cranes, doves and coots or snipe they bagged last season. Hunters don't need to know the exact numbers. Broad ranges are given for each group of birds. The questions are simple and easy to answer, and will be immediately entered into Montana's new Automated Licensing System. The whole process should take only a minute.
That's it, and there is no cost. From those who are HIP-certified, a sample of hunters will be selected to record their daily harvest of various migratory game birds, and return the completed record at the end of the hunting season. These surveys will provide more accurate information and will help in the management of our migratory birds.
