Migratory Bird Hunters Get HIP Again This Season

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Everyone who hunts doves, ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, snipe, or coots in Montana must be "HIP" certified for the upcoming hunting seasons. HIP stands for Harvest Information Program.

HIP certification is an annual program that involves answering a few simple questions about last year’s harvest when purchasing this year’s migratory bird, dove and snipe license.

Information from hunters about the harvest is essential to wildlife biologists so they can better manage wildlife resources in Montana and the United States.

To get HIP certified, Montana migratory bird hunters will be asked how many ducks, geese, cranes, doves and coots or snipe they bagged last season.    Hunters don’t need to know the exact numbers.   Broad ranges are given for each group of birds. The questions are simple and easy to answer, and will be immediately entered into Montana’s new Automated Licensing System. The whole process should take only a minute.  

That’s it, and there is no cost. From those who are HIP-certified, a sample of hunters will be selected to record their daily harvest of various migratory game birds, and return the completed record at the end of the 2008 hunting season.   These surveys will provide more accurate information and further help in the management of migratory birds.