The Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area, 38 miles northeast of Missoula, is closed to all access due to grizzly bear danger, according to Bill Thomas, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks information officer in Missoula.  FWP officials believe a hunter found dead on the WMA on Wednesday was mauled by a grizzly bear.  The WMA was posted as closed and officials set traps Wednesday night The WMA will remain closed as state and federal wildlife officials work to locate or trap the bear.
(Headlines - November 01, 2001)

  The hunting of all mountain lions in southwestern Montana hunting districts 320 and 333, which include portions of Madison, Silver Bow, Gallatin and Jefferson counties, will close at one-half hour after sunset on Saturday, November 3, 2001.  These hunting districts will reopen to the winter season of mountain lion hunting on December 1, 2001.
(Headlines - November 01, 2001)

                By order of the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission, hunting district 501, which includes portions of Carbon, Park and Stillwater counties, will be closed to all hunting of bighorn sheep, effective one-half hour after sunset on Friday, November 2, 2001.
(Headlines - October 31, 2001)

The hunting of all mountain lions in northwestern Montana Hunting District 124, which includes a portion of Sanders County, will close at one-half hour after sunset on Wednesday, October 31, 2001. This hunting district will reopen to the winter season of mountain lion hunting on December 1, 2001.
(Headlines - October 29, 2001)

            Montana drivers are more likely to be involved in collisions with deer, elk or other wildlife during the fall months of September, October and November than any other time of the year, according to statistics from the Department of Transportation’s Traffic and Safety Bureau.  "An average of 236 vehicular collisions per month with wildlife were reported statewide last year in September, October and November," said Jack Williams, DOT statistician.
(Headlines - October 26, 2001)

     Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet Thursday, November 8 in Helena at the FWP headquarters building on 1420 East Sixth Ave., beginning at 8 a.m.  During the meeting, final decisions will be made on the 2002 Annual Rule for the sale of Nonresident Combination Licenses, and on proposed revisions that clarify aspects of the Bonus Point System announced in 2001 related to the annual special license drawings.
(Headlines - October 26, 2001)

                                                              Antelope hunters are reminded that Montana’s antelope hunting season ends one-half hour after sunset on Sunday, November 4.
(Headlines - October 26, 2001)

            The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is seeking comment through November 30 on a tentative proposal to reintroduce bighorn sheep into the Greenhorn Mountains of southwestern Montana in 2003 or later.
(Headlines - October 26, 2001)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on proposed changes in landowner floating opportunities on the Smith River.  The FWP Commission approved the tentative biennial rule during its October 12 meeting in Helena.  The Commission will adopt a final rule during its December 13 and 14 meeting. The changes proposed in the rule would provide expanded floating opportunities for landowners along the Smith River between Camp Baker and Eden Bridge.
(Headlines - October 26, 2001)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Internet Team was recently recognized by the Western Conservation Administrative Officers Association for its outstanding performance using information technology to provide outreach and education to anglers, hunters and recreational users. In a letter of nomination, Dave Mott, the agency's chief of Administration and Finance, highlighted the Internet team's FWP website work during Montana's 2000 fire season.
(Headlines - October 19, 2001)

The State Park Futures Committee II, appointed by Governor Judy Martz, will meet for the first time October 22 and 23 in Helena. The committee of four citizen participants and five legislators is charged by the governor to review the operation, management and program direction of Montana's State Parks. The group, which will meet four or five times over the next year, will prepare a report with recommendations to the 2003 Legislature.
(Parks - October 12, 2001)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on the second draft of the 2001 Fort Peck Fisheries Management Plan. This document is the result of an effort this summer to encourage comment from a wide spectrum of the public on the initial draft. "Once again, we've attached questionnaires to the second draft of the plan to stimulate as much comment as we can get," said Bill Wiedenheft, FWP Region 6 fisheries manager.
(Headlines - October 12, 2001)

Hunting is a privilege. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' new Hunter Education training program helps make that point with those who have lost their hunting privileges as a result of a hunting violation.
(Hunting - October 12, 2001)

My favorite way to hunt antelope is to spot and stalk. I drive slowly down county roads and established trails, spotting for antelope. If there is a good vantage point along the trail, I'll use my binoculars and spotting scope to scan the countryside. When I do locate a buck that I am interested in, I'll try to locate precisely where I am and where the buck is on a BLM map or topographic map with a 1:100,000-mile scale. The maps are useful in planning the stalk of the animal, too.
(Hunting - October 12, 2001)

Montana's Wolf Management Advisory Council will meet in Helena, Wednesday, Oct. 17 to review Montana's forthcoming draft wolf management plan. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at the Board of Investments, 2401 Colonial Dr. beginning at 9 a.m.
(Headlines - October 12, 2001)

Mule deer populations in most parts of Montana fared better over the past year of drought than FWP predicted.  Wildlife managers were concerned that the lack of quality forage due to the drought, combined with a potentially harsh winter conditions could reduce fawn survival. "We were happy to see in our spring aerial surveys that with the relatively mild winter we had better fawn winter-survival rates than we hoped.
(Hunting - October 05, 2001)

Although hunting is not a "team sport," sportsmanship and ethics are as important when hunting as when engaged in any sport.  But it might not seem that way at first.  If you're playing a team sport and all eyes are upon you, it makes sense to monitor your behavior and be courteous and mindful of others. "But when hunters get away from it all and enjoy the beauty of remote places-they may forget there are other people in the area.
(Hunting - October 05, 2001)

TIP-MONT, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' 'crimestoppers' program established in 1985, has a new state program coordinator, Debbie Bingham.  Bingham, an 11-year FWP veteran brings a unique sense of family and commitment to her work. "I grew up in Montana being a game warden's daughter and knew what it was like to be able to see my dad only occasionally," Bingham said. Bingham was born in Missoula.
(Hunting - October 05, 2001)

You have finally captured the permit of your dreams, your rifle is shooting a one inch group at 150 yards, and your boots are well oiled and ready for that first snow.  Despite your careful preparation, there's still a pit at the bottom of your stomach as you contemplate opening day.  There is still one last, big, question mark. Where?  The process of nailing down a place to hunt has become a significant source of anxiety for a majority of hunters today.
(Hunting - October 05, 2001)

Fall fishing at Helena's Spring Meadow Lake State Park will get a big boost next week when Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stocks the lake with up to 400 rainbow trout weighing between three and four pounds each.  The stocking, scheduled for next Thursday, October 11 between noon and 2 p.m., is open to the public. "It will be wet and wild," said Gary Bertellotti, FWP Hatchery Bureau Chief in Helena. "These trout are big fish at 24 plus inches.
(Headlines - October 05, 2001)

Hunters traveling to central and eastern Montana may find fewer white-tailed deer due to a recurrent disease that has affected whitetail populations in some widely scattered areas, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said today.      As a result, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park's Commission reduced today the number of white-tailed deer B hunting licenses available in FWP's Regions 5 and 6.
(Headlines - October 04, 2001)

Montana's Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet Thursday, October 11 and Friday, October 12 in Helena at the FWP Headquarters building on 1420 East Sixth Ave., beginning at 1 p.m. on Thursday and resuming at 8 a.m. on Friday.
(Commission - October 03, 2001)