The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission adopted final moose, sheep, goat and mountain lion quotas that are mainly unchanged from last year, with some isolated reductions in quotas. Antlered bull moose quotas in FWP Region 3, the Bozeman area, went from 5 to 1 in hunting district 310 and in hunting district 313 the antlered bull moose quota went from 15 to 5. Final bighorn sheep quotas were reduced by 1 to 3 sheep in some hunting districts in FWP Region 4, the Great Falls area.
(Hunting - June 28, 2002)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is seeking public comment on the tentatively adopted deer, elk and antelope quotas for the 2002 hunting season. Final quotas will be adopted at the FWP Commission's August meeting. The tentative deer quotas are essentially unchanged from last year except for some isolated increases or decreases in antlerless whitetail and mule deer B licenses in FWP Regions 2, 3 and 4.
(Hunting - June 28, 2002)

Tentative fall turkey season quotas in special permit turkey hunting areas are generally proposed to increase. In another proposed change, the fall turkey special permit application deadline is now August 1, 2002. The statewide fall turkey season is Sept. 1- Dec. 15. General fall turkey hunting areas that do not require a permit are: Hill, Chouteau, Fergus, Wheatland, Sweet Grass, Stillwater and Carbon counties and all counties to the east of these counties.
(Hunting - June 28, 2002)

Montana's Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is seeking public comment on tentative furbearer regulations for the 2002 and 2003 trapping and hunting seasons. In one change, trappers and hunters would be required to personally present, within five days of harvest, the pelts of furbearers that require tagging and personally provide harvest information to the FWP office responsible for the trapping district where the animal was taken.
(Hunting - June 28, 2002)

August 1 is the application deadline for special permits to hunt sandhill cranes. The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is seeking public comment on tentative regulations for the four limited permit areas to hunt sandhill cranes in Montana: Central Flyway -Sept. 7-15, 2002 · Wheatland County and that part of Sweetgrass County north of I-90 (50 permits).
(Hunting - June 28, 2002)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is seeking public comment on a tentative, one-time waiver of the 22-inch minimum, one bass per day limit on Noxon Rapids Reservoir for the Montana B.A.S.S. Federation. The B.A.S.S. Federation requested the waiver in order to sponsor the B.A.S.S. Federation Western Divisional Tournament. The same waiver was granted when the tournament was held in Montana in 1994.
(Fishing - June 28, 2002)

Women can learn to canoe on the Yellowstone River near Livingston this summer. The Montana Becoming an Outdoors Woman program has teamed up with Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) to offer a 5-day canoeing adventure for women. The class begins in Livingston and runs August 21-25. The Yellowstone is a wide, swift moving river whose banks are lined with shimmering cottonwoods and is home to bald eagles, osprey and a healthy fish population.
(Education - June 28, 2002)

Learn to build a survival shelter, cast a fly rod, shoot a bow and arrow or cook up a Dutch-oven treat during the “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” (BOW) workshop this summer. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is sponsoring the 9 th annual BOW summer workshop August 9-11. These popular workshops provide women an opportunity to learn outdoor skills such as fishing, shotgun and rifle shooting, canoeing, map and compass reading, backpacking and more.
(Education - June 28, 2002)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on a statewide river recreation advisory council as the agency continues its effort to address managing recreation on Montana’s increasingly popular rivers. "Managing rivers for multiple use is challenging to say the least," said Charlie Sperry, FWP recreation management specialist. "In some situations the amount of recreation taking place is detracting from the quality of the experience.
(Headlines - June 28, 2002)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has approved the first four fishing access projects funded through the Private Land Fishing Access Program. "Approval of these four sites kicks off the new Private Land Fishing Access Program," said Allan Kuser, FWP Fishing Access Site coordinator.
(Fishing - June 28, 2002)

Decisions on closing Montana rivers, lakes and reservoirs to angling this summer will be streamlined. The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission, at its June meeting, agreed that FWP Director Jeff Hagener, and a Commissioner representing the area where the body of water is located, may close angling based on a process outlined by FWP. In 2000 and 2001 the Commission delegated this same authority.
(Fishing - June 28, 2002)

Over the course of this July 4th holiday, thousands of boaters will be on the water and accidents are bound to happen, says Liz Lodman, Boat Education Coordinator for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. "Wearing a life jacket might be the best move boaters can make," Lodman says. Lodman reminds all boaters that: A U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket is required for each person on board a boat. The life jacket must be in good condition and fit the intended wearer.
(Education - June 28, 2002)

Early each summer a new year's young wildlife start off with the chance to live their entire lives in the wild. For too many creatures this chance is short lived when well-meaning people are tempted to "help" nature. "Too often humans think of wild young such as bear cubs, deer fawns and mountain lion kittens as they would domestic puppies or kittens found in the woods," said Kurt Cunningham, FWP Education Bureau Chief.
(Wild Things - June 28, 2002)

On June 18, 1805, William Clark of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition came upon Giant Springs on the banks of the Missouri River in north central Montana. Ever since, untold numbers of visitors, retracing the expedition’s route, have found Giant Springs to be the pleasant spot described 200 years ago. "We proceeded on … to the largest fountain or spring I ever saw," Clark wrote, "and doubt if it is not the largest in America known.
(Headlines - June 28, 2002)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on a statewide river recreation advisory council as the agency continues its effort to address managing recreation on Montana’s increasingly popular rivers. "Managing rivers for multiple use is challenging to say the least," said Charlie Sperry, FWP recreation management specialist. "In some situations the amount of recreation taking place is detracting from the quality of the experience.
(Headlines - June 20, 2002)

Wildlife officials with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said today spring rains may help stabilize mule deer populations that suffered significant fawn losses over winter in parts of south central and eastern Montana.
(Hunting - June 19, 2002)

With bears, the old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," couldn’t be more accurate. "Many bears die because people unknowingly attract them with food. Once a bear associates homes or campsites with food, it is extremely hard to reverse that behavior," said Glenn Erickson, FWP Wildlife Division bureau chief. "Prevention is the best solution.
(Wild Things - June 14, 2002)

Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks bear specialists say that campers, hikers and anglers are more likely than ever to see a bear this summer."Grizzly bears are continuing to gradually expand into new areas and Montana’s black bear population is thriving," said Tim Manley, FWP grizzly bear specialist in northwest Montana. "I urge the folks I see when I’m out in the field to brush up on their bear facts and to be bear aware.
(Wild Things - June 14, 2002)

Each spring in Montana, especially on Montana's western rivers, several drowning deaths associated with early season boating occur. "This spring's high temperatures will make raft and canoe enthusiasts anxious to go floating, though some rivers are still discolored and strewn with hazards that can be lethal," said Liz Lodman, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Boat Education Coordinator.
(Headlines - June 14, 2002)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds Off-Highway Vehicle users it is a good time to brush up on OHV safety and the laws on OHV operation. "When the weather warms up, OHV users thoughts turn to their vehicles and to getting ready for that first ride," said Ray Paige, FWP Trails Program Specialist. "This is the perfect time to do a safety check of the vehicle, your riding gear and the basic tools and survival items you routinely bring with you on a ride.
(Headlines - June 14, 2002)

As the state's wildflowers come to bloom, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks warns recreationists and landowners that there may be imposters in the midst of the old favorites like lupine, balsamroot and mountain bluebells. "Increasingly some of the colorful displays blanketing our roadsides and meadows are the result of noxious weed infestations, not wildflowers," said Ron Aasheim, FWP Conservation Education administrator.
(Habitat - June 14, 2002)

Applications for the approximately $643,495 in federal Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) dollars that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will grant to local public outdoor recreation projects this year must be received in the FWP Helena headquarters office before 5 p.m., July 1, 2002. Typical facilities eligible for funding include ball fields, campgrounds, golf courses, ice-skating ponds, picnic facilities, tennis courts, playground equipment, and hiking trails.
(Headlines - June 14, 2002)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds sometime anglers and ice fishermen, and anyone who has yet to give fishing a try, that a new two-day fishing license is now available. The $5 fee for the two-day license is refundable, if residents return it to a FWP license provider and purchase a season fishing license. A $4 resident Conservation License is a prerequisite for purchasing the Two-Day Fishing License, as it is for purchasing an annual Fishing License.
(Fishing - June 14, 2002)

For years a life jacket for each person on board a boat was standard boat operating procedure. In recent years, new technology has given anglers smaller floating devices, known as "float tubes" and "belly boats," to get to their favorite fishing spots. Float tubes and belly boats are not classified as a vessel and so don't require a life jacket, though anglers are encouraged to use life jackets if they are floating.
(Fishing - June 14, 2002)

As the summer boating season begins, FWP urges all boaters to follow three basic rules on the water: Designate a skipper who won’t drink alcoholic beverages while on duty. Require that approved lifejackets be on board and readily accessible for every passenger, and children under 12 years of age must wear their life jackets. Do not exceed a boat’s safe carrying capacity.
(Headlines - June 14, 2002)

Ten years ago, two young anglers watched a man dump a bucket of fish into Lake Mary Ronan and drive away. Hurrying to the spot, they saw yellow perch swimming around. They had just witnessed an illegal fish introduction. The two young anglers contacted the local game warden and within a few hours biologists chemically treated the cove with rotenone, killing nearly 50 perch, bass, and rainbow trout. Unfortunately, at least a pair of perch escaped.
(Habitat - June 14, 2002)

Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet June 18-19 in Helena at the FWP headquarters, 1420 East Sixth Ave, beginning at 8 a.m. both days. On Tuesday, June 18, the FWP Commission will discuss the 2004 and 2005 budget.
(Inside FWP - June 12, 2002)

The Beaverhead/Big Hole biennial rule, which was designed to redistribute anglers and improve the angling experience on southwestern Montana’s Beaverhead and Big Hole rivers, is entering its second year. Anglers are reminded to examine the rule, which is included in the 2002-2003 Fishing Regulations, before they take to the water. The rule was enacted by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission and went into effect in May 2001.
(Fishing - June 11, 2002)