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.

To get HIP certified, Montana migratory bird hunters are asked to estimate the number of ducks, geese, cranes, doves and coots or snipe they bagged last season. Their answers are entered into Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Automated Licensing System to assist with migratory bird management.