Likin’ Lichen These strange, beautiful organisms thrive in Montana environments—from prairies and deserts to mountaintops and old-growth forests.
Hitting the Empowerment Bull’s-eye In more than 200 schools across Montana, archery students are building self-confidence, practicing discipline, and enjoying success in competition.
Reconstructing the Regulations Every two years, FWP and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission combine public opinion and scientific data to adjust seasons, harvest quotas, and other components of the hunting regulations booklets.
Who’s Who? The “good enough” guide to identifying Montana’s 15 owl species.
Double Bacon Cheeseburger with Fins Four decades ago, FWP introduced the high-calorie cisco into Fort Peck Reservoir. The result—bigger yet more elusive walleye and other game fish—demonstrates the challenge of big-reservoir fisheries management.
Birding for Boomers And everyone else brave enough to embrace one of the world’s most rewarding and frustrating activities.
Ghosts in the Woods Canada lynx live secretive lives in the backwoods of Montana, but new research is helping unveil some of their mysteries.
Welcome to Catfish Camp A well-spent week in search of solitude and sundry fish along the middle Missouri River.
A Long Ride 46 years of surveying birds in central Montana comes to a close.
Not Like It Was The Missouri River’s blue-ribbon trout fishery is changing. Is that good news or bad?
A Prairie Powerhouse Holder of five state fish records and a reliable walleye and perch factory, Nelson Reservoir endures the vagaries of drought and drawdown. Can it now survive its own popularity?
Collision Course Window strikes, dead birds, and what to do about it.
Fields of Belonging How a summer spent surveying mountain meadows brought the outdoors into a young woman’s comfort zone.
Snakebite A guide to keeping dogs alive and well in snake country.
Stream Savers For 50 years, Montana’s “310” permits have helped riparian homeowners and others protect the state’s most valuable aquatic assets.
Big Sky Season A photo essay
Get Smart Simply by taking out the trash, Missoula became North America’s largest Bear Smart Community, inspiring other towns to follow suit.
Upland Imports Transplanted from other states or other continents, Montana’s introduced upland bird species are now a welcome presence for many hunters. Here’s how they arrived and where to find them.
Interconnected More and more wildlife diseases are being detected in Montana. Keeping tabs on them helps protect domestic animals and people, too.
Ravenous Record-Setters Montana is home to some of the world’s largest tiger muskies, a voracious muskellunge–northern pike hybrid attracting anglers from across the United States.
Climbing for Dusky Grouse A reflection on how shifting seasons, wild places, and memories converge on a September mountainside.
The 44th Annual Photo Issue