State authorities are seeking the party or parties responsible for illegally shooting a mule deer doe behind a downtown apartment building in Havre earlier this week and leaving it to rot.

Havre Game Warden Wes Oedekoven said a complaint about the downed deer, left on a hillside behind the Eagles Manor Apartments at 20 3 rd Street West, was received about 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 1. Oedekoven said the animal had been shot in the head with a small-caliber firearm. It was determined that the shooting had taken place within 12 hours of the deer being found.

Anyone with information about the incident can call Oedekoven directly at (406) 262-2407 or they can contact FWP’s Turn In Poachers program at 1-800-TIP-MONT. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

Photo by Wende Carroll

Once again Dennis provides us with a double meaning of “After the Ride”!  Even though I can only imagine myself in his boots, I do feel that he is a little more comfortable where he is living as it starting to come through in his writings.

I do look forward to his posts, even if they are infrequent!

Give Dennis a read and afterward post a few comments for him!

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has tentatively adopted a new rule for the sale of nonresident big game combination licenses that increases opportunities for resident and nonresident family members to hunt together.

The new rule implements HB 585 passed during the 2009 legislative session to help promote the state’s hunting heritage. It makes an additional 500 nonresident deer and elk and 500 nonresident deer combination licenses available to former Montana residents with family members who reside in the state and hunt here. The license fee would be the same as similar nonresident combination licenses obtained through the annual drawing.

“Nonresident applicants for these licenses must be sponsored by a family member with a valid Montana hunting license who will accompany them in the field on the hunt,” said Hank Worsech, FWP licensing Bureau Chief.

Worsech said if more applications are received for the license than there are licenses available, a drawing would be conducted to issue the licenses and any unsuccessful applicants would be placed in the appropriate general nonresident combination license drawing.

The proposed deadline to apply for the license would be March 15, 2010.

For details on the new rule, go to the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov under Public Notices. Public comment on the wording of the new rule will be accepted through Dec. 4 by email to: hworsech@mt.gov , or   via mail to: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Licensing Division, PO Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701.

The FWP Commission is scheduled to make the new rule final at its meeting Dec. 10, 2009.

Elk hunters on the Rocky Mountain Front are doing well three weeks into Montana’s five-week, big game season, according to data collected by Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The elk harvest as collected at FWP’s Augusta check station is about 25 percent above the 10-year average.

Through the third week of the five-week deer and elk general season hunters have taken 200 elk. The 10-year average is 151.

Part of the reason could be hunter effort.

Read more…

Many general deer seasons ended October 31, and hunters can save themselves some hassle and save Fish and Game expenses by filing mandatory harvest reports early.

All deer, elk and antelope hunters must complete and submit a report for each tag issued within 10 days of harvest or within 10 days of the close of the season for which their tag was valid.

The easiest way is to submit the harvest report card online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov, and click on the red “Harvest Reports” logo below the photo. Or go to https://www.idaho-hunt.com and use your hunting license or tag number and the first four letters of your last name.

Submitting online is the surest way to have hunt information included and the only way to get confirmation that the report was received.

Reports also may be mailed to: Idaho Fish and Game, Hunter Harvest Reports, P.O. Box 70007, Boise, ID 83707-0107 or called in toll-free at 1-877-268-9365 or faxed to 775-423-0799.

While numbers remain robust in much of northeastern and eastern Montana—FWP Regions 6 and 7— the hard winter of 2008-09 clearly took a toll on animals in some areas.   Consequently, antelope numbers statewide are largely at or below those seen over past few years.

“Antelope hunting will be something less than what we’ve been used to in some areas,” said Quentin Kujala, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife management section supervisor. “Numbers are still strong in much of eastern Montana and have in fact increased in specific portions of southwest Montana, but hunters will likely see decreased numbers in a large portion of central Montana—portions of FWP’s Region 4 and 5.

In FWP Region 5 in the Billings area, n o new instances of viral blue tongue infection have been found as they were in 2007, but in hunting districts 513, 530, 540 and 550, fawn recruitment and total numbers have yet to rebound. In other areas of FWP Region 5 antelope numbers have increased and the hunting outlook is good.

In FWP Region 4 hunters can expect very good hunting opportunities to the north, but region wide not the exceptional circumstances in recent years. Antelope numbers are returning to average in contrast to the very high numbers seen in recent years.

Kujala said many archery antelope hunters are already afield with a 900 series license to archery hunt antelope in any hunting district starting with a 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The 900-series season runs until Nov. 9.

Montana’s antelope archery season is Sept. 5—Oct. 10 and the general rifle season for antelope is Oct. 11—Nov. 8.

Antelope hunters must apply in advance for licenses.

Read more…

By DAVE BUCHANAN/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Saturday, September 12, 2009

The Colorado Wildlife Commission on Thursday adopted the season structure for the 2010-2014 hunting seasons and, except for a few notable changes, left the existing structure pretty much alone.

Colorado again will have four big-game rifle seasons, starting with an elk-only first season, followed by two deer and elk combined seasons, with a final limited deer and elk wrap-up.

Nothing was done in regard to a proposal to swap archery and blackpowder rifle seasons.

The commission adopted what’s being called a hybrid preference point draw. There are several premier elk units, such as 1, 201 and 10, where it takes nearly two decades of preference points to draw a license.

Which means, of course, that even if you started accruing points in the past decade, you’ll never catch up, as the point totals mount each year.

Starting next year, though, every hunter with five or more preference points can enter into an auxiliary random draw, where 20 percent of the licenses will be set aside for any unit requiring 10 or more points to draw.

This includes deer, elk, pronghorn and bear units statewide.

For those hunters not expecting to draw but willing to gamble their first license choice, this opens an interesting realm of possibilities.

Read more…

MISSOULA (AP) — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials say weather and a reduced number of yearlings could hamper elk and deer hunters this year.

A combination of hard winters, liberal hunting allowances and increased predator activity has reduced the number of antlerless elk and deer permits released this year. Wildlife Manager Mike Thompson says the adult elk and deer population numbers are good, but hunters’ ability to find them will likely depend on snow and cold — which are a little less likely because of a predicted El Nino winter.

Game Bird Coordinator Rick Northrup says the grouse populations in western Montana should be close to average. But he says the colder, wetter springs that hit northeastern and southern Montana this year may have depressed chick survival.