A public meeting will be held at Miles Community College, Room 106 in Miles City on September 14, 2005 from 7pm-9pm to accept comment on management decisions that might be necessary should chronic wasting disease (CWD) be discovered in the state's wild deer and elk herds. (A previous news release listed a different location for the public meeting but the meeting has been moved to Miles Community College.)
(Hunting - September 01, 2005)

Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet in Billings on Sept. 8 for a morning meeting and afternoon work session at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center, 1223 Mullowney Lane, beginning at 8 a.m.
(Headlines - September 01, 2005)

When scouting for a good place to hunt, most hunters know it is best to avoid the places others say are "hot," and to instead find their own sweet spot. Traditionally, scouting a hunting site and planning a hunt involved a lot of legwork. Today, some of that work can be done before ever setting foot on the land. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Internet hunting pages at fwp.mt.gov are one good place to begin.
(Hunting - September 01, 2005)

This is the time of the summer when anglers suddenly notice that the days really are getting shorter.   While evening fishing earlier in the summer often meant staying on the water until 10 pm or later, and arriving home close to midnight, it suddenly seems as though the evening fishing ends early, by 8:00 or 8:30 pm.
(Fishing - August 29, 2005)

TIP-MONT, the "crime stopper" program managed by Montana, Fish, Wildlife & Parks, offers substantial rewards to callers who report valuable information on natural resource crimes.   If the information leads to an arrest, a call to 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668) may lead to a cash reward of up to $1,000. "One of the most common violations this time of year is the use of a motorized vehicle to pursue game.
(Hunting - August 26, 2005)

Reporting violations observed in the field immediately is part of ethical hunting.   Montana’s 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668) call-in line is open 24 hours a day.   Callers can remain anonymous and may receive a cash award for their tip.   In past hunting seasons TIP-MONT has received many calls with useful information enabling FWP enforcement to better enforce Montana’s game laws and provide follow up on U.S. Forest Service violations.
(Headlines - August 26, 2005)

Montana hunters have the opportunity to take part in some of the finest hunting found anywhere.   But each autumn, some individuals unwittingly or knowingly violate the state’s game laws.   Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials ask that hunters take the time to review Montana's hunting rules and regulations to ensure they act within the law and are prepared to recognize when others violate the law.
(Headlines - August 26, 2005)

When planning a hunting trip, it is important for hunters to be mindful of the regulations associated with using State School Trust Land. Just a few tips: ·  A $2 state lands access fee is now included in the $6.25 price of the FWP conservation license. This license replaces the $10 state lands recreational use license for hunting, fishing and trapping activities on state lands.
(Hunting - August 26, 2005)

Think a travel planner might be a little pricey for a simple two-day get away? Think again. Visitors to Montana's 50 State Parks now have access to the services of an Internet travel guide and planner with the new Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks State Parks Travel Guide at fwp.mt.gov
(Parks - August 26, 2005)

Registration for the Fall Hunter Education Classes in Kalispell, Bigfork, Columbia Falls and Marion are coming up in September. By state law, anyone born after January 1, 1985 must have completed the Hunter Education Course to buy a hunting license in Montana. The minimum age for hunting in Montana is 12. Hunter Education classes are free of charge and open to hunters and non-hunters alike.
(Headlines - August 25, 2005)

Montana sets aside a full weekend just for young duck hunters.   The state's "Special Statewide Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend" is set for Sept 24-25.
(Hunting - August 25, 2005)

All hunters born after January 1, 1985 are required to provide proof of completing of a Montana hunter safety and education course, or a hunter safety course from any other state or province, prior to applying for or purchasing a hunting licenses, whether the hunting licenses is for the rifle or archery season. Duplicate certificates of completion for the Montana hunter education course may be obtained from FWP’s website, Hunter Education web page.
(Headlines - August 25, 2005)

Hunters interested in learning more about the lands enrolled in FWP's Block Management Program may contact the regional FWP office in the area where they plan to hunt.
(Hunting - August 25, 2005)

The mountain goat is the least common, and least studied, big game species in North America.   As difficult as it is to draw a mountain goat license, even mountain goat hunters could be considered a rare breed.
(Hunting - August 24, 2005)

Most upland game bird seasons begin Sept. 1, with the exception of ring-necked pheasants. Pheasant hunting for Montana residents and for nonresidents is Oct. 8-Jan. 1, 2006.
(Hunting - August 23, 2005)

It's tough to draw a Montana license to hunt bighorn sheep.   For the fall 2005 season, about two percent of all applicants, with or without bonus points, were successful in drawing one of the 407 bighorn sheep licenses, including either sex and ewe only licenses.   Hunters pursuing sheep this fall applied for the license drawing last spring.   Bighorn hunting season is generally open Sept. 15-Nov. 27, with some exceptions.
(Hunting - August 23, 2005)

This year 407 lucky hunters, 374 residents and 33 nonresidents, drew a Montana bighorn sheep license. In total, 20,040 hunters applied for the license. Bighorn hunting season generally opens Sept. 15, in all but a few districts in the state. The season generally ends Nov. 27, with some exceptions.
(Hunting - August 23, 2005)

Elk hunters this fall will have the opportunity in some hunting districts to shoot an antlerless elk, cow or calf, in addition to the elk they harvest with their general elk hunting license under the 2005 elk regulations. This opportunity, new last year, will also be available this season.
(Hunting - August 23, 2005)

Montana's early trappers, mountain men, and miners considered packing their gear on horses an essential skill. Packing wild game out of the backcountry during hunting season is also a long-time Montana tradition. Most of us modern day packers learn the ropes from a friend or mentor and we're hooked. Packing my wild game out is an important part of the hunt for me. It is a tradition that is based on simple, very practical skills.
(Hunting - August 23, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announces improvements to the facilities at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. Families are encouraged to visit the park and enjoy the new playground located in the campground. In addition, the park now has nine miles of trails that can be hiked year-round. A new latrine has been added in the lower picnic area for hikers in the off-season.
(Headlines - August 22, 2005)

Some archery only antelope hunters are already afield. These hunters hold a 900 series license to archery hunt antelope in any hunting district starting with 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The new 900 series license is a multi-region archery only, either sex antelope license that was available on an unlimited basis. The 4,394 archers holding these licenses had to apply for them or purchase them over the counter before June 1. This new multi-region archery only season runs Aug. 15-Nov. 7.
(Hunting - August 22, 2005)

Terrestrial time has neared its peak in Montana. Patterns such as grasshoppers, ant, crickets and beetles are tough to beat during the hot summer months, and this year is no exception. Savvy anglers will often fish a dropper fly off the back of the terrerestrial, and doing so is quite simple. To attach the dropper, simply tie a 12 to 18 inch piece of tippet material directly to the bend of the upper fly hook, and tie the dropper to it.
(Fishing - August 19, 2005)

The deadline to apply to hunt tundra swan is Sept 9. Tentative swan season dates in the Pacific Flyway are Oct. 15-Dec. 1, and in the Central Flyway they are Oct. 1-Jan. 5, 2006. In the Pacific Flyway, which includes Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area near Fairfield, there are 500 permits available for swan hunting in Cascade, Chouteau, Toole, Liberty, Hill, and the portions of Teton and Pondera counties east of U.S. Highway 287 from Augusta to Choteau, and U.S.
(Hunting - August 16, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials have added a public meeting in Butte to the schedule of statewide meetings on a new chronic wasting disease (CWD) management plan. The Butte meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 6 from 7-9 p.m. at the Forest Service Butte District Office (1820 Meadowlark Lane).
(Headlines - August 16, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) will offer fall hunter education classes in Bozeman and Belgrade beginning in September.
(Headlines - August 15, 2005)

Several thousand surplus big game hunting licenses and permits will be available from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks beginning Friday, Aug. 12. This year, more than 830 elk permits, 6,270 antelope licenses, and 10,660 deer B licenses, that were not sold during Montana's recent special drawings, are available to resident and nonresident hunters.
(Hunting - August 12, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials are seeking public comment on management decisions that might be necessary should chronic wasting disease be discovered in the state's wild deer and elk herds. CWD, a fatal brain disease in deer and elk, has not yet been found in the wild herds in Montana.
(Hunting - August 12, 2005)

Although not as hot as the past few summers have been, summer in Montana still means dry, hot weather, and this year is no exception. While the conditions can provide for some good fishing with terrestrial flies on the state’s coldwater rivers and streams, it can also mean tough times for coldwater fish being released.
(Fishing - August 11, 2005)

Montana's upland game bird hunters appear to have a favorable season of hunting ahead. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials say grouse and pheasant hunting in the north central and eastern portions of the state are expected to be significantly improved over 2004. The season for most upland game bird species begins Sept. 1.
(Hunting - August 11, 2005)

The final mourning dove and sandhill crane seasons for Montana were recently set by the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission.
(Hunting - August 11, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds black bear hunters that licenses must be purchased by Aug. 31, a Wednesday, for the fall season.
(Hunting - August 11, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds mountain lion hunters that licenses must be purchased by Aug. 31, a Wednesday, for the fall season.
(Hunting - August 11, 2005)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission recently set the final 2005-2006 furbearer quotas.  The commision made few changes in the proposed tentative regulations. Among the changes was an increase in the otter quota in western Montana's FWP Region 2, which was increased from 19 to 20.
(Hunting - August 11, 2005)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission is seeking comment on tentatively approved fishing regulations that would remain in effect through 2007.
(Fishing - August 11, 2005)

Montana's popular early youth waterfowl hunt appears to have a lot of support among adult waterfowl hunters, based on a 2004 survey. The special statewide two-day youth waterfowl season—Sept. 24 and 25—is a popular opportunity for youngsters ages 12-15 to hunt ducks, mergansers, geese and coots before the general waterfowl season.
(Headlines - August 11, 2005)

With the fall waterfowl flights shaping up to be similar to last season, Montana duck and goose hunters can look forward to a continuation of last season's liberal seasons and regulations. Migrating ducks returning to important nesting areas in the north-central United States and southern Canadian prairies early this spring were greeted by variable conditions, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's annual waterfowl survey.
(Hunting - August 11, 2005)

The 2005 fall hunting seasons are about to begin in Region 7, starting with an early antelope archery season, followed by the September opener for sharptailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, sage grouse, morning doves and fall turkey.
(Hunting - August 08, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Montana Outdoors was recently ranked among the top two state conservation magazines in the country by a national organization of conservation communicators. At the annual Association for Conservation Information awards ceremony, held in July in Salt Lake City, Montana Outdoors tied for first place in the magazine category with Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine.
(Headlines - August 05, 2005)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Foundation reached an agreement last week with the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation to design and construct a state-of-the-art nature education center for Montana. Under the agreement, the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation will match up to $2 million in funds raised for the design and construction of an education center to be built near Spring Meadow Lake State Park west of Helena. The new facility will be named the Siebel Nature Education Center.
(Headlines - August 05, 2005)

Women interested in learning advanced navigating skills using a map and compass are invited to attend a one-day clinic on Saturday, Oct. 1, 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. at the York Community Club, 20 miles from Helena.  Participants will do field work in the surrounding Big Belt Mountains.
(Headlines - August 05, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wildlife Division administrator in Helena, Don Childress, received the "Phillip Schneider Lifetime Achievement" award at the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies'   recent annual meeting in Alberta.
(Headlines - August 05, 2005)

The image of a Montana game warden saddling up his horse and riding out to patrol the backcountry seems true to the West, but it isn't a common sight.   "I love horses and riding, and we do use them, but horses are a lot of work!" said Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game warden Jim Miller, of Livingston, a warden since 1989.
(Enforcement - August 05, 2005)

Rosebud Battlefield State Park, near Lodge Grass, was selected for a $46,075 American Battlefield Protection Program Grant awarded to the Montana Preservation Alliance by the National Park Service. Rosebud Battlefield is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is being considered for listing as a National Historic Landmark.
(Parks - August 05, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on 52 grant applications competing for $800,000 in grants for trail maintenance and development work. Montana’s Recreational Trails Program, administered by FWP, provides grants to   cities, counties, state and federal agencies and private associations.
(Parks - August 05, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on 14 grant applications for off-high vehicle projects.   Off-highway vehicles (OHVs) typically include off-highway motorcycles (dirt bikes) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
(Parks - August 05, 2005)

This is a brief synopsis of fishing conditions and reports from select waters across the state.   For more detailed information, contact a fly shop, bait store, or boat marina for the particular water.  Late July and early August make up the traditional "dog days" of fishing.  With hot temperatures and little or no precipitation, the phrase is a good description for this time of the fishing season this year.
(Fishing - August 04, 2005)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Foundation reached an agreement last week with the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation to design and construct a state-of-the-art nature education center for Montana. Under the agreement, the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation will match up to $2 million in funds raised for the design and construction of an education center to be built near Spring Meadow Lake State Park west of Helena.
(Headlines - August 03, 2005)

The public is invited to attend an Aug. 9 meeting in the Sheridan County Library in Plentywood to weigh in on deer management in Hunting District 640.
(Headlines - August 02, 2005)

Anglers age 14 and younger are invited to Glasgow's Home Run Pond on Aug. 18 to fish with tackle similar to that used on the Lewis & Clark Expedition 200 years ago.
(Headlines - August 02, 2005)

Prospective hunters are encouraged to sign up for Valley County's final Hunter Education course of the year, held Aug. 15-20 at the Fort Peck Interpretive Center.
(Headlines - August 02, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is seeking public comment on a proposed stream enhancement project on public land along approximately 1,000 feet of Lolo Creek, 14 miles west of the town of Lolo.
(Headlines - August 01, 2005)

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will review a public request to implement a no-wake regulation within Georgetown Lake’s Stuart Mill Bay at their August 4 meeting in Helena.
(Headlines - August 01, 2005)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials are seeking public comment on management decisions that might be necessary should chronic wasting disease be discovered in the state's wild deer and elk herds. CWD, a fatal brain disease in deer and elk, has not yet been found in the wild herds in Montana.
(Hunting - August 01, 2005)