The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet Thursday, September 4, at the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Headquarters, 1420 East Sixth Avenue in Helena. Heading the agenda for the meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., will be final approval of the Future Fisheries Review Panel Project funding recommendations.
(Headlines - August 29, 1997)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has announced that a limited number of surplus elk permits and antelope and deer "B" licenses will go on sale September 2. The licenses will be sold first-come, first-served by mail only from the agency's Helena headquarters through September 12. After September 12, remaining licenses will be sold first-come, first-served in the regions for which the licenses are valid.
(Headlines - August 29, 1997)

This year's upland game bird hunting season for all species except ring-necked pheasant will open Monday, September 1, at one-half hour before sunrise. Pheasant hunters will have to wait until October 11 for their opening day. The daily bag limit for sage grouse is 2; daily bag limit for sharp-tailed grouse is 4 and mountain grouse daily bag limit is 3. Grouse season for sage grouse ends November 1, while sharp-tailed grouse and mountain grouse are open until December 15.
(Headlines - August 29, 1997)

Applications from hunters hoping to obtain tundra swan permits for the 1997 season must be postmarked by Friday, September 5. In the Pacific Flyway, which includes Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area -- 500 permits are being offered for swan hunting in Cascade, Chouteau, Toole, Liberty, Hill and portions of Teton and Pondera counties. Final season dates will be set in September. These permits are tentatively set to be valid from October 18 through December 1.
(Headlines - August 29, 1997)

The black bear hunting season reopens for the fall on September 15 in most areas of Montana and regulations require successful hunters to utilize the meat from bears they harvest. Like the meat from elk, deer and most other big game animals, bear meat cannot be wasted, thrown away or left in the field. Specifically, the regulation prohibits hunters from wasting black bear meat unless the meat is determined to contain trichinella.
(Headlines - August 29, 1997)

Upland game bird season gets underway in Montana on Monday, September 1, and this fall's big game special archery season opens on Saturday, September 6. Backcountry elk and deer seasons open on September 15, while the 1997 pheasant, waterfowl, antelope and the general big game seasons open in October. Although not required by law, upland bird hunters are urged to wear hunter orange garments at all times when afield to increase their visibility to others.
(Headlines - August 15, 1997)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission adopted tentative 1997 waterfowl regulations at its August 8 meeting in Helena. Public comment is now being sought on the proposals. Following are some highlights of the proposed regulations: Ducks :The season in the Pacific Flyway would be from October 4-January 17, 1998.
(Headlines - August 15, 1997)

Hunters headed afield in the coming weeks for the opening of Montana's upland game bird and special archery seasons should remember to purchase a State Lands Recreational Use License if they plan to hunt on accessible state school trust lands. State school trust lands are those colored blue on federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land- status maps.
(Headlines - August 15, 1997)

In an attempt to help populations of deer recover in areas where the winter of 1996-97 caused unexpectedly high population losses, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has adopted the following changes to the general deer hunting season in 1997: REGION 1 Either-Sex Whitetail Hunting Periods Change: Hunting for either-sex whitetails in most of the region now will be allowed only during the first week of the 1997 season (Oct. 26-Nov. 2).
(Headlines - August 15, 1997)

The FWP Commission adopted final bobcat, lynx and fisher harvest quotas for the 1998-99 furbearer season at its meeting in Helena on August 8. The final quotas adopted will allow a total of two lynx to be trapped, one from each side of the Continental Divide. A tentative quota proposed by the Commission in July would have allowed three lynx to be harvested in Montana during the 1998-99 season, which would have been an increase of one lynx over the quota that has been in place since 1991.
(Headlines - August 15, 1997)

Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials ask hunters heading afield for the opening of Montana's 1997 archery-only deer and elk hunting season on September 6 to remember that all big game hunting on private property requires landowner permission. While straightforward in most cases, this law may bring about some confusion when Montana's stream access law is brought into play.
(Headlines - August 15, 1997)

Hunters hoping to pursue mountain lions this fall and winter are reminded that the deadline for purchasing licenses each year is August 31. But because August 31 falls on a Sunday this year and September 1 is Labor Day, a legal holiday, FWP officials have announced that licenses must be purchased or applications for mountain lion licenses submitted through the mail must be postmarked by September 2, 1997. Mountain lion licenses are available only at FWP offices.
(Headlines - August 15, 1997)

The Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet Thursday and Friday, August 7 and 8, at the Fish, Wildlife & Parks headquarters, 1420 East Sixth Avenue in Helena. Heading the agenda for the meeting, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday at 2:15 p.m., will be the adoption of emergency fishing regulation changes for the Ruby River in southwestern Montana and tentative adoption of a plan developed by FWP for the long-term management of Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park.
(Headlines - August 01, 1997)

At its meeting on July 17, the Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission adopted tentative lynx quotas for the 1997-98 trapping season. Tentative fisher and bobcat quotas for 1997-98 were previously set on May 30. Fish, Wildlife & Parks researchers noted an increase in detection rates of lynx during track surveys conducted last winter west of the Continental Divide.
(Headlines - August 01, 1997)

The Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is now seeking public comments on proposed emergency changes in fishing regulations on the Ruby River in southwestern Montana. The proposed regulation changes, requested by FWP, were adopted by the Commission on July 7 at the same time it approved several land leases and a land purchase to secure about six miles of public fishing access to the waterway's renowned trout fishery.
(Headlines - August 01, 1997)

Fish, Wildlife & Parks is now accepting public comments on proposed permit harvest quotas for the 1997 fall wild turkey season. The FWP Commission is scheduled to adopt final quotas at its August 8 meeting in Helena. The proposed quotas remain the same as were in place for the 1996 fall season. Permits are available for hunting in three special permit hunting areas of western and southwestern Montana (comprising portions of FWP regions 1 and 3).
(Headlines - August 01, 1997)

The FWP Commission will set final harvest quotas for the 1997 deer, elk and antelope hunting seasons at its August 7-8 meeting in Helena. Draft quotas were adopted by the Commission in June. As soon as these quotas are finalized, FWP will complete this year's drawing for licenses and permits. The drawings are scheduled to be conducted on August 9, 10 and 11.
(Headlines - August 01, 1997)

Hunters hoping to pursue mountain lions this fall and winter are reminded that the deadline for purchasing 1997 licenses is August 31. Applications for mountain lion licenses submitted through the mail must be postmarked by that date. Mountain lion licenses are available only at FWP offices. Hound handlers must also obtain a free hound handler permit no later than August 31 to hunt OR chase mountain lions. A hound handler permit can be obtained in the same manner as a mountain lion license.
(Headlines - August 01, 1997)

All Bowhunter Education classes ended July 31, and no more classes will be taught until after January, 1998. Regulations state that: o All resident youth, 12 through 17 years of age, are required to present a Montana Hunter Education Certificate when purchasing any hunting license. These same youths also are required to present a Montana Bowhunter Education Certificate to purchase a Bow and Arrow License.
(Headlines - August 01, 1997)