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. FWP wardens rely heavily on hunters, landowners, and citizens to report crimes they observe involving wildlife or fish, private land, and violations in State Parks and on U.S. Forest Service lands.
(Headlines - December 01, 2006)
Snowmobile riders who relish playing in new snow have some great weekends ahead this month, but experienced riders know early deep snows and mild weather can lead to a potentially dangerous avalanche season. Once avalanche conditions exist, human activity is the most frequent avalanche trigger. "If there is enough snow on the ground to ski or snowmobile, then there is enough snow to avalanche," said Doug Chabot of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center.
(Headlines - December 01, 2006)
With the winter season for mountain lion hunting with hounds opening Dec. 1, lion hunters need to be wolf-aware to avoid conflicts between hounds and wolves. "Wolves look at all domestic dogs as competitors," said Carolyn Sime, FWP wolf coordinator. "Competition for territory, food or a mate drives wolves to be aggressive toward dogs. Sime said that in Montana only a few cases of wolves killing domestic dogs are reported each year, though some incidents may go unreported.
(Hunting - December 01, 2006)
The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will make a final decision on rules for commercial use of lands managed by FWP at its meeting Dec. 14 in Helena at the FWP headquarters. Examples of commercial uses include guided angling and rafting, guided walks and tours, guided trail rides, and commercial filming.
(Headlines - December 01, 2006)
Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet Dec. 14 at the FWP Helena Headquarters, 1420 East 6 th Ave, beginning at 8 a.m.
(Headlines - December 01, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlfie & Parks wildlife managers I've talked to say this was a fine year for antelope hunters. That is a testimony both to the abundance of antelope in Montana this hunting season and to the patience and skill of antelope hunters. My 16-year old son, Nate, and I relish the challenge of hunting antelope. Their exceptional eyesight, exotic form and speed—some hunters call them "speed goats"—demand the best of us and teach us something new about hunting every trip out.
(Headlines - December 01, 2006)
Results at the six northwest Montana check stations indicated that the 2006 big game season ended on a strong note for whitetail deer hunters. In total, hunters checked 1,938 whitetails, the highest number since 1996.
(Headlines - November 29, 2006)
While white-tailed deer harvest matched last year, both mule deer and elk harvest was up this fall in Region 6.
(Headlines - November 29, 2006)
Hunters owe their harvested game - and the law - the respect of consumption
(Headlines - November 29, 2006)
Glasgow's Home Run Pond will open for the winter on Saturday, Jan. 13.
(Headlines - November 29, 2006)
The fall big game hunting season has ended and the Hysham check station harvest numbers were very similar to the 2005 season. The check station at the Hysham rest area along Interstate 94 was open all but one weekend since the beginning of the antelope rifle season. The Hysham check station is the primary location in Region 7 to gather harvest and biological data from hunters throughout the season.
(Hunting - November 29, 2006)
The number of big game animals taken continued to be high through the end of the season, even though hunter numbers remained below average.
(Headlines - November 29, 2006)
MT, Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission has approved an archery only special anterless mule deer hunt in and adjacent to the town of Colstrip, MT. Hunters must possess a 2006 conservation license, a special anterless mule deer license, an anterless mule deer “B” license or a deer “A” license. Two hundred (200) special anterless mule deer licenses will be sold on a first come, first serve basis through FWP’s automated license system (ALS) beginning Friday, December 1, 2006. Archers may purchase the special l
(Headlines - November 28, 2006)
The Dec. 7 meeting of the Missouri Breaks Elk Working Group will review the recently completed big-game season and discuss options for game-damage seasons later this winter.
(Headlines - November 28, 2006)
Montana’s 2006 general deer and elk rifle season are history and no damage hunts are planned, though that could change.
(Headlines - November 27, 2006)
With the end of the 2006 general deer and elk rifle season, it’s time to look at the numbers in north central Montana and figure out how the hunting season went.
(Headlines - November 27, 2006)
A state wildlife team will check wild waterfowl through December for avian influenza viruses at a popular Great Falls city park pond.
(Headlines - November 27, 2006)
The Sun River working group, a new organization of landowners, outfitters and sportsmen that addresses wildlife issues in the Sun River drainage, will meet 6 p.m., Dec. 13, at the Choteau Public Library.
(Headlines - November 27, 2006)
Big game season in west-central Montana ended Sunday with harvest totals above the five-year average for deer and elk. White-tailed deer hunters saw the greatest success this year with a season total of 1,468 checked through the region’s three check stations, 59 percent above average.
(Headlines - November 27, 2006)
Public access at Poker Joe Fishing Access Site (FAS), located on the Bitterroot River between Florence and Stevensville, is limited until an access agreement between Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) and adjacent landowners is reached.
(Headlines - November 22, 2006)
With less than one week to go in the 2006 general big game hunting season, hunters in southwest Montana were still out in high numbers pursuing their quarry, although harvest success was mixed across the region. 2,675 hunters passed through the nine southwest Montana check stations with 122 elk, 104 mule deer, and 46 white-tailed deer.
(Headlines - November 22, 2006)
The hunting of all mountain lions in southwestern Montana hunting districts 370 and 380, which include portions of Broadwater, Jefferson and Lewis and Clark counties, will close at one-half hour after sunset on Tuesday, November 21, 2006. The order halting the Fall Hunting Season Without Dogs came shortly after Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials received word that the pre-established harvest quota for lions in the districts combined has been met.
(Hunting - November 20, 2006)
Trapping season in Montana gets into full swing Dec. 1. While trapping began Nov. 1 for beaver, otter, muskrat and mink, Dec. 1 marks the season opener for the remainder of Montana’s furbearers: bobcat, marten, fisher and wolverine.
(Headlines - November 20, 2006)
State game wardens are looking for the owner of two illegally set traps in the Great Falls area.
(Headlines - November 20, 2006)
Hunters need to be aware that the deer season has closed in four hunting districts in north central Montana.
(Headlines - November 20, 2006)
With one week remaining in the general big game season, harvest totals remain steady around west-central Montana. Cumulative elk and mule deer harvest remains on par with the five-year average while white-tailed deer harvest totals tally in about 40 percent above average.
(Headlines - November 20, 2006)
The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission recently classified several additional exotic wildlife species for personal possession. A new state law requires the FWP Commission to classify exotic species into controlled, non-controlled or prohibited categories.
(Headlines - November 17, 2006)
Montana’s 2006 general big game hunting season will close Sunday, Nov. 26 at one-half hour after sunset. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds Montana anglers that the state’s general fishing season on most streams and smaller rivers closes on Nov. 30.
(Hunting - November 17, 2006)
The Private Land/Public Wildlife Council will meet Dec. 5-6 in Helena to discuss hunting and fishing access issues.
(Headlines - November 17, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking applications for the 2007 federal Land & Water Conservation Fund grants. Applications are due Feb. 28, 2007.
(Parks - November 17, 2006)
Some furbearer general trapping seasons are open or will open soon. In some trapping districts, beaver, otter, muskrat and mink seasons opened Nov. 1, and some bobcat, marten, fisher and wolverine seasons will open Dec. 1.
(Hunting - November 17, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ annual game harvest survey will begin Dec. 1 and continue into mid-March of next year. FWP wildlife managers use the information collected during the survey to estimate the annual wild game harvest and to recommend quotas for upcoming hunting seasons.
(Hunting - November 17, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on 2007 open-water fishing contests proposed for spring, summer, and fall. Contest participants must comply with all applicable fishing regulations, including daily and possession limits. Comments will be accepted until Dec. 18.
(Fishing - November 17, 2006)
Idaho giant salamanders have invaded Montana. Don’t be alarmed. Despite their monstrous name, the amphibians only get 7.5 inches long. It’s also likely they’ve always lived here undetected, but Idaho got all the credit. Researchers at the Montana Natural Heritage Program in Helena and The University of Montana organized and conducted an extensive survey of the salamanders in 2006 to better document their habitat and distribution in western Montana.
(Headlines - November 17, 2006)
A story about a canid is a guaranteed conversation starter in Montana. Whether the subject is wolves, coyotes, or domestic dogs, many Montanans have personal experiences to share and they usually find fascinated listeners. Five members of the canid family are commonly found in Montana. Two are foxes—the red and swift fox. Those that get the most attention, however, are the gray wolf, the coyote and the domestic dog.
(Headlines - November 17, 2006)
Deer harvest numbers are up a little bit while actual hunter numbers seem to be down slightly during the third week of big game season at the Hysham check station in Southeastern Montana. The Hysham check station is located at the westbound rest area along Interstate 94 just outside of the town of Hysham and is run most weekends during the big game hunting seasons.
(Hunting - November 16, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks recently authorized federal agents to remove two wolves from private land west of Wisdom.
(Headlines - November 16, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), in collaboration with USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Dept of Livestock, and the Dept. of Health and Human Services, is sampling waterfowl across Montana as part of a National Surveillance Plan for the detection of avian influenza. Testing at Anaconda’s Washoe Park Duck Pond will begin Nov. 17.
(Headlines - November 16, 2006)
The North Shore and Red Lodge boat launches at Cooney State Park are open for full use again after increased precipitation this fall.
(Headlines - November 15, 2006)
A TipMont reward of $750 was given to an anonymous citizen for providing critical information that led to the prosecution of a Kalispell man that wasted a black bear this fall by dumping it in a local slough.
(Headlines - November 15, 2006)
Elk harvest in southwest Montana remained steady during the third and fourth weeks of the general big game season and hunter numbers region-wide are well above the three-year average. Overall, 2,815 hunters checked 134 elk, 81 mule deer, and 20 white-tailed deer on Nov. 4 and 5 and 2,864 hunters checked 100 elk, 92 mule deer, and 28 white-tailed deer on Nov. 11 and 12.
(Headlines - November 15, 2006)
White-tailed deer harvest is up 57 percent from last year and 45 percent above the five-year average for west-central Montana through the third week of big game season.
(Headlines - November 14, 2006)
The deer and elk harvest continues to lag behind last year in northwest Montana.
(Headlines - November 13, 2006)
The trend of low hunter numbers and high harvest success rates continued into the third week of the big game hunting season in south central Montana.
(Headlines - November 09, 2006)
For the fourth time, the state/tribal agreement on fishing and bird hunting on the Flathead Reservation has been reauthorized. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Chairman James Steele, Jr., Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath, and Governor Brian Schweitzer signed the agreement to extend it through October 2010.
(Headlines - November 09, 2006)
Bears can still be out and active as late as the final weeks of big game hunting season, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) officials advise hunters to prepare by thinking ahead as to what they would do in case of an encounter and to carry and know how to use pepper spray.
(Headlines - November 09, 2006)
FWP will begin a new approach to establish a fishing access site in northwest Montana originally proposed on Lake Five near Coram. Sites on Lake Five as well as other sites in northwest Montana will now be considered for the new access.
(Headlines - November 09, 2006)
Five wolves were killed on private land south of Avon on Nov. 6. Since February 2006, three cattle were confirmed to have been killed by wolves and one additional calf was probably killed by wolves.
(Headlines - November 09, 2006)
Hunter numbers and whitetail deer harvest are down as compared to last year at the six northwest Montana check stations through November 5, according to Wildlife Manager Jim Williams. “Hunter numbers are 10 percent down as compared to last year,” he said. “This is probably related to the warm, rainy weather we experienced over the weekend.”
(Headlines - November 08, 2006)
FWP is seeking information on a male violator who shot a simulated wildlife decoy in the Holland Lake area of the Swan Valley on Saturday at approximately 3:30 PM and fled the scene traveling north on Highway 83.
(Headlines - November 08, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will build new housing and office facilities at Camp Baker in Smith River State Park, northwest of White Sulphur Springs, MT.
(Headlines - November 08, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will purchase and operate Cottonwood Grove fishing access site (FAS) on the Missouri River about six miles southwest of Great Falls.
(Headlines - November 08, 2006)
The Private Land/Public Wildlife Council is seeking public comment through Nov. 17 on draft recommendations on legislative proposals related to hunting, outfitting, FWP enforcement, and upland game bird program issues. The previous deadline of Oct. 30 has been extended to allow for additional public comment.
(Hunting - November 03, 2006)
If you are among the 50,000 nonresidents planning to snowmobile in Montana this year, don’t forget to purchase the $15 nonresident temporary permit that is required for nonresidents to snowmobile on public lands.
(Parks - November 03, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announced that shooting range development grant proposals will be accepted through May 1, 2007 for projects scheduled to begin after July 1, 2007.
(Headlines - November 03, 2006)
A two-day Snowmobile Safety Instructor Workshop will be held Dec. 2-3 in Dillon at the University of Montana Western Campus beginning at 9 a.m.
(Parks - November 03, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking trail recreationists to serve on the State Trails Advisory Committee. The committee advises the agency on the expenditure of $1.2 million of Recreational Trails Program funds and recommends solutions to trails issues. "We are seeking five new committee members with broad recreational trail backgrounds" said Bob Walker, FWP Trails Program Coordinator.
(Parks - November 03, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking applications for the 2007 federal Land & Water Conservation Fund grants. Applications are due Feb. 28, 2007.
(Parks - November 03, 2006)
The likelihood a big-game hunter will encounter a bear is real in Montana. Here are precautions that could help to prevent potential conflicts between hunters and bears.
(Hunting - November 03, 2006)
Montanans who plan to travel out-of-state or to Canada to hunt deer, elk and moose, should know that it is now illegal to import heads and spinal cords from harvested game animals from a state known to have CWD in wild animals.
(Hunting - November 03, 2006)
Before going afield to hunt, it is always wise to review the proper ways to handle and transport wild meat. For example, it is illegal to transport back to Montana the head and spinal cord of an animal harvested in a state with CWD in their wild game populations. CWD has not been detected in free-ranging deer or elk in Montana and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game managers have identified these and other measures as ones which may prevent or help slow the spread of CWD into the state.
(Hunting - November 03, 2006)
Although hunting is not a "team sport," sportsmanship and ethics are as important in hunting as they are in any other outdoor activity. If hunters keep a few simple thoughts in mind, they can hunt safely and set a good example for other hunters.
(Hunting - November 03, 2006)
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.
(Hunting - November 03, 2006)
Pheasant hunters, don't be caught without one leg and foot left naturally attached for identification of sex on all birds. The leg and foot must be attached at all times while transporting the bird. Montana's pheasant season continues until Jan. 1.
(Hunting - November 03, 2006)
In the 1950's, popular outdoor magazines carried enthusiastic ads for a correspondence course that would train you to be a game warden. "Don't be chained to a desk, store counter or factory machine. Enjoy an outdoor life with the extra rewards of hard muscles, bronzed skin, vibrant good health. Sleep under pines!" the advertisement proclaimed. In Montana, this call to be a game warden is still strong.
(Headlines - November 03, 2006)
Finding a career comes easily to some, others have to search, and in a few cases, the process is a life's work in itself. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens seem to be among those who recognize their calling early in life. It is a job that requires strong intellectual and athletic abilities and a dedication to the state's natural resources. With only 72 field wardens in the state, those who aspire to be a game warden must also have perseverance.
(Headlines - November 03, 2006)
The hunting of all mountain lions in western Montana hunting districts 280, 281, 284 and 293, which includes portions of Powell and Lewis & Clark counties, will close at one-half hour after sunset on Saturday, November 4, 2006.
(Hunting - November 03, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks authorized federal agents Thursday to remove a wolf on a Garfield County ranch east of Jordan that was likely responsible for a rash of eastern Montana livestock depredations that began late last year. Since last December, a wolf or wolf hybrid was suspected of killing more than 120 sheep and injuring a number of others in eight different incidents in Dawson, Garfield and McCone counties. The latest incident was reported in McCone County on Oct. 13.
(Headlines - November 03, 2006)
Hunter numbers were strong during the second week of the big game season in southwest Montana and elk harvest remained steady. With just a few exceptions, elk harvest was at or above the three-year average. Overall, 2,682 hunters passed through the nine game check stations on Oct. 28 and 29 with 122 elk, 75 mule deer, and 30 white-tailed deer.
(Headlines - November 02, 2006)
Two ewes were recently confirmed killed by wolves on private land in the Blacktail area east of Dillon. USDA Wildlife Services confirmed the depredations on Oct. 23.
(Headlines - November 01, 2006)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement recovered the remains of a dead wolf south Dillon on Oct. 16. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests that anyone with information about this incident call 406-582-0336 or 1-800-TIP-MONT.
(Headlines - November 01, 2006)
Redd counts for all three drainages were higher than last year, with the Flathead increasing 53 percent, the Swan up 21 percent, and the South Fork at record levels. According to FWP Fisheries Biologist Tom Weaver, better flows improved access to traditional spawning areas for the adult bull trout this summer as compared to last year.
(Headlines - November 01, 2006)
The Flathead Reservation Fish and Wildlife Board announced that a report on efforts to meet the goals of the Flathead Lake and River Fisheries Co-management Plan is now available for public comment. The report covers the results of the first 5 years of the Fisheries Co-management Plan and makes recommendations for mid-term adjustments. The major recommendation in the report is an increase in the nonnative lake trout daily angling limit on Flathead Lake from 20 fish to 50 fish.
(Headlines - November 01, 2006)
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