Social distancing, other pandemic protocols in place at FWP offices.
As the state continues operating under Phase 2 of Gov. Steve Bullock’s Reopening the Big Sky Plan, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices and visitor centers are open with COVID-19 protocols in place.
Strict adherence to Phase 2 guidelines is critical: stay at home if you feel sick, make sure to frequently wash and sanitize your hands, and maintain at least six feet of distance from other people.
FWP front offices around the state are set up to help facilitate these simple guidelines, including signs on floors to help keep people spaced out, hand sanitizer for customers, and glass dividers between front counter staff and customers.
FWP's Helena Area Resource Office at 930 Custer Ave. W. in Helena remains closed.
Please note that many FWP employees are still working remotely, so for business beyond front desk license purchases and other related information, please plan to reach out to the appropriate staff member directly by phone or email or ask front desk staff for contact information.
License buyers can purchase licenses online or from license providers around the state. Hunters applying for special licenses or permits need to do so online and need to have a valid email address. FWP will mail carcass tags to those who purchase online, and people who have had trouble printing their licenses will receive them in the mail.
In response to COVID-19 and to protect the public as well as staff, FWP has decided to mail our carcass tags, just as we have done in years past. We understand that some people don’t have access to a printer at home. If you purchased a license that requires a carcass tag already this year and have not printed it at home yet, FWP will also mail your carcass tag to you. Please disregard the email with the link to print, it will no longer work.
If you’re trying to reach FWP staff to ask very localized questions outside of licensing issues, please call:
FWP strongly encourages hunters to have their animals tested for CWD. Testing for CWD involves removing lymph nodes in the neck, just below the jaw. Hunters can have their deer, elk and moose tested for CWD in a few ways.
Due to the COVID pandemic, staff presence in FWP offices can vary as many continue to work remotely. Not all regional offices can offer help with sampling, so please call ahead to check on availability and to ensure your visit is timely, quick and smooth.p>
Also, please come prepared to wear a mask, as required by Gov. Steve Bullock’s directives, should social distancing be difficult to achieve. FWP staff will be wearing a mask as well.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks encourages early mail-in certification for eligible Apprentice Hunters in order to avoid crowds and frustration prior to season openers and the youth hunt. COVID-19 safety protocols are in place at FWP offices and lobby occupancy is very limited, therefore wait times outside may be long.
The "Apprentice Hunter" law allows anyone 10 years of age or older to hunt two license years without completing hunter education. An apprentice hunter may not obtain a big horn sheep, black bear, mountain lion, or wolf license.
Apprentice hunters, ages 10-15, may hunt in the two-day youth pheasant and duck hunt (Sept. 26 and 27) and two-day deer hunt (Oct. 15 and 16) and throughout the general season.
FWP recommends that people interested in this program read the Apprentice Hunter Program packet before seeking certification through your regional office. The packet outlines guidelines for both the apprentice and the required mentor, including what apprentices can and cannot do, who can act as a mentor, and how the certification process works.
Consistent with adjustments made during spring, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will continue with the adjusted harvest reporting requirements for the fall black bear hunting season.
The archery-only season starts Sept. 5 in most areas. The general fall season starts Sept. 15. All successful black bear hunters are required to report their harvest through the FWP Harvest Reporting Line 1-877-FWP-WILD (1-877-397-9453) within 48 hours of harvest. Unlike in years past, FWP will not require a mandatory carcass inspection, hide seal or tooth collection.
In place of mandatory tooth collection, FWP will be initiating a voluntary tooth collection process whereby a hunter may extract and submit a tooth to FWP to determine the age of the harvested black bear. FWP biologists use this age information, along with the sex of the bear, to manage bear populations in Montana.
Download Black Bear Tooth Submission Form (PDF)
All reporting and inspection requirements remain in place for wolves, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bobcats, and otter, as described in the printed 2020 hunting regulations for those species. For information about specific times and locations for tagging animals, contact regional FWP offices. The archery-only seasons for wolves, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep open Sept. 5 in most areas
Hunting regulations require that if you are successful in harvesting a bighorn sheep or mountain goat, you present the complete head and cape (bighorn sheep) or the head/top of head with horns attached (mountain goat) to FWP for inspection and pinning.
Due to the COVID pandemic, staff presence in FWP offices can vary as many continue to work remotely. To help accommodate this required inspection and pinning, please try to call ahead to one of our offices for this service. This will help us ensure that your visit is timely, quick, and smooth.
Inspecting and pinning animals often requires the successful hunter and FWP staff to be in close proximity with each other. Please come prepared to wear a mask, as required by Gov. Steve Bullock’s directives, should social distancing be difficult to achieve. Our staff will be wearing a mask as well.
To protect public health and reduce overall spread of COVID-19, we have temporarily cancelled all in-person Hunter Education classes. Since the in-person options aren’t feasible under Phases 1 and 2 of Gov. Steve Bullock’s Reopening the Big Sky plan, FWP will cover the online tuition fees for all Montana residents until the state reaches Phase 3 of the plan and in-person hunter and bowhunter education courses are available once again.
The online courses are available to Montana residents who are at least the age of 12 by Jan. 16, 2021.
The 2020 paddlefish seasons on the Yellowstone and Lower Missouri rivers (yellow tag) are canceled in response to Gov. Steve Bullock’s extension of the directives for social distancing and non-resident quarantine to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Upper Missouri Paddlefish remains open for those who drew a tag. Tags are being mailed. Snag and release permits will not be issued, so this season will only be open for those who drew a tag.
The Montana Governor’s Office of Outdoor Recreation has updated additional guidance to the “RECREATION GUIDELINES” that are specific for guides that will allow them to put customers in their boats.
Camping is open at most FWP fishing access sites and state parks.
Group-use sites, including fishing piers, are also open, but social distancing guidelines must be strictly followed.
Visit stateparks.mt.gov for Montana State Parks COVID-19 updates and closures.