A new state habitat enhancement program is providing eastern Montana landowners incentives to extend their participation in the Conservation Reserve Program, a federal offering that in part improves wildlife habitat.

Through the Upland Game Bird Habitat Enhancement Program, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks recently funded five new projects located in Carbon, Garfield, Hill, and McCone counties.   The new habitat program provided additional incentives to landowners to extend their CRP agreements, enhance enrolled acres in a manner more productive to pheasants and other game birds, and to open those lands to upland game bird hunting.

Nearly 2,000 CRP acres have been enrolled in 3- or 5-year contracts under the Upland Game Bird Habitat Enhancement Program. Two of the five projects are located on 2009 Block Management Areas, which offer public hunting access to private lands. Upland game bird hunters must abide by Block Management Area requirements. For specific information about these Block Management area use rules, refer to the Region 1-5 Hunting Access Guide, available from any FWP regional or Helena headquarters office or upon request at the FWP Web site (http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/hunteraccess/blockman).

The remaining three projects offer an additional 1,000 acres of walk-in upland game bird hunting. Each project area is marked with special signs.

For details visit FWP’s Web site at fwp.mt.gov , Click “ New Opportunities for Upland Game Bird Hunters “.

For more information call Debbie Hohler at 406-444-5674, or E-mail to dhohler@mt.gov.

The hunting districts listed have Surplus licenses or permits available. These have been issued on a first-come, first-served basis since August 10, 2009. Licenses and permits must be purchased online at fwp.mt.gov or over the counter at local license providers or by mail-in application.

Updated October 26, 2009, 8:30 a.m.

You can view the list and download the PDF here!

Montana has more than 135,000 elk and thousands of hopeful hunters making plans for an elk hunt. This could be an exceptional year for elk hunting if the precipitation the state has seen this summer continues in the form of snow. Montana’s general elk hunting season opens Oct. 25.

“Hunters are going to see very healthy populations of elk and liberal hunting opportunities. If the weather works in hunters’ favor, and they do some advance work to gain access where it’s needed, plenty of elk are potentially available for harvest,” said Quentin Kujala, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife management section chief.

As in the past couple of years, all eyes will be on the weather.

Montana’s mild winters and late snows the past several years have contributed to lower elk harvests in some areas of the state, despite additional elk-hunting permits and more liberal seasons.

“This has been an unusually good year for precipitation in much of the state,” Kujala said. “We’re all hoping it leans toward snow and in the hunters’ favor this fall.”

Hunters may obtain a free Hunting Access guide from the FWP region where they plan to hunt and access FWP’s hunter tool kit on the FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov , on the hunter access page.

Read more…

At one time a hunting map was a many-creased affair with coffee stains and blurry pencil marks, dog-eared and soft from use. Today it is as likely to be a digital map downloaded from the Internet.

The maps available on the FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov on the Hunting page are of the digital variety.

FWP’s Hunt Planner features an interactive hunting map that can be a lot of fun to play with but requires some computing power to operate. On the Hunting page go to the Hunt Planner and select the region and a species you are interested in and click for the map. You can choose to display species distribution, county boundaries, roads, cities and more and zoom in and out on the map.

Another map option is to go to the Hunt Planner page and select the Montana Land Ownership Maps under the Resource column for maps showing public and private land ownership.

Both the public and the private land ownership maps are updated annually and are available in Adobe PDF formats that can be printed on a large format printer by one of the print shops listed at the bottom of the Web page.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has created a Web page to track the harvest status of the state’s first-ever, fair-chase wolf hunting season, which opened Sept. 15 in some backcountry hunting districts. The general wolf season opener is set for Oct. 25.

The Wolf Hunting Season Status Web page tracks Montana’s statewide harvest quota of 75 wolves across three specifically defined wolf management units, each with its own harvest quota. The site will be updated each weekday at 1 p.m. For weekend updates hunters can call 1-800-385-7826 for the latest wolf h arvest status and closure information.

To find the Wolf Hunting Season Status Web page, visit FWP online at fwp.mt.gov. Click “ Montana Wolf Hunt ,” then click “ Wolf Status .”

Jerry Churchill & his '08 Elkhorn bull elk

This is a great article to provide us with yet another way to prove that the outdoors is truly good for you!

The article is written by Diane Tipton who is an Information Officer for the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Diane states that hunting can be a healthy workout for the physically fit, but couch potatoes who set out Oct. 25 for the general hunting season with a rifle and an elk license may risk cardiovascular and other health-related issues.

And they are doing something about the situation.

Read the full article here!

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…

To help hunters determine who owns the land where they are thinking of hunting, FWP has developed a Directory of Montana Maps for both public and private land ownership.

“Identifying land ownership is an essential part of preparing for the hunt in Montana nowadays,” says Alan Charles, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks coordinator of landowner/sportsman relations. “Hunters have to do their homework, know where they are, and confirm ownership and property boundaries with local people.”

Hunters are required by law to obtain landowner permission before hunting on private land.

The Montana Access Guide to State and Federal Lands is available at FWP offices, and can be found through the Hunter Tool Kit link on the FWP Web site on the Hunting page under Hunter Access. The hunter’s online “toolkit” includes links to federal, tribal, state agency and local government sites with access-related information, and a link to the Montana FWP Hunt Planner.

For immediate access to Montana landownership maps, go to the Hunt Planner and select Montana Land Ownership Maps under the Resources list.

Access Courtesy Cards help hunters communicate with private landowners. The pocket-sized booklets of eight cards provide hunters with a handy means of exchanging information with landowners who provide access. Hunters retain their portion of the card as proof of permission and a convenient record for sending thank-you cards after the hunting trip.

Access Courtesy Cards are available at all FWP regional offices and the Helena headquarters office, or call FWP: 406-444-2602.

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.

Photo by moosewhisper

Montana’s first-ever, fair-chase wolf hunting season is set to open Sept. 15 in some backcountry hunting districts, but the general season opener is still several weeks away.

Wolf Hunting Seasons Wolf hunting season dates correspond to Montana’s early backcountry big game and general big game rifle seasons. Season dates are:

• Sept. 15–Nov. 29 in early backcountry deer and elk hunting districts 150, 151, 280, and 316
• Oct. 25–Nov. 29 in statewide Wolf Management Units 1, 2 and 3
• Dec. 1-31, if quotas aren’t met, the wolf-hunting season could be extended in specific WMUs. No more than 25 percent of the established WMU quota, however, can be harvested in December.Officials recently set the statewide harvest quota at 75 wolves. Wolf hunting l licenses will be valid within the three specifically defined wolf management units, each with its own harvest quota. When a WMU reaches its quota, FWP will close the season there upon 24-hour’s notice.

Wolf licenses and regulations are available online at fwp.mt.gov, or from any FWP regional office or license provider. Wolf hunting licenses are $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents. Hunters must have, or also purchase, a 2009 conservation license. A hunting access enhancement fee may also apply.

Harvest Reporting Requirements

Hunters have strict reporting requirements. Upon the harvest of a wolf, hunters must call 1-877-FWP-WILD (1-877-397-9453) within 12 hours to file a report. Hunters can call 1-800-385-7826 for the latest wolf h harvest status and closure information.

To learn more about Montana’s wolf hunting season, visit FWP online at fwp.mt.gov. Click “ Montana Wolf Hunt.”

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission recently selected four organizations to auction the 2010 bighorn sheep, mountain goat, moose, elk and deer hunting licenses. The annual hunting-license auctions raise funds for big game management efforts in Montana.

The Wild Sheep Foundation will conduct the bighorn-sheep license auction at its annual convention set for Feb. 4-6, 2010 in Reno, Nev.   Earlier this year, the high bid for the 2009 bighorn sheep license was $245,000. The Wild Sheep Foundation has a long history of hosting the auction license and for assisting states with wild sheep management, including financial assistance with the production of Montana’s first bighorn sheep conservation strategy.

The Great Falls Chapter of Safari Club International will conduct the auction for Montana’s mountain goat hunting license at its annual event in Great Falls. Over the past eight years, SCI has raised about $145,000 for conservation and recently contributed nearly $20,000 for mountain goat trapping and transplanting to the Ear Mountain area west of Choteau along the Rocky Mountain Front.

The elk and moose licenses will be auctioned by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation at its annual Elk Camp set for March 4-7, 2010 in Reno, Nev. The RMEF’s three-year average auction price for the elk license is $20,000. RMEF has provided funding for more than 600 conservation projects in Montana.

The Mule Deer Foundation, at its annual convention scheduled for Feb. 11-14, 2010 in Salt Lake City, will host the deer-license auction. The Mule Deer Foundation generated $13,500 for the 2008 deer auction license and has provided more than $5,000 to mule deer related enforcement efforts in Montana in 2009.

From the FWP Site

Montana’s first wolf hunting licenses will go on sale Aug. 31.

Licenses will be valid within three specifically defined wolf management units. Hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private lands.

How to purchase

• Hunters can purchase a wolf license online at fwp.mt.gov , or from any FWP regional office or license provider.
• Hunters must have, or purchase, a valid 2009 conservation license.
• Wolf hunting licenses are $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents. Regulations and Seasons
• Regulations are available via the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov , and from most FWP license providers.
• Hunters cannot use any motorized vehicle—including OHVs and snowmobiles—to hunt wolves.
• The use of dogs, bait, scent, lures, traps, lights, electronic tracking devices, or any recorded or electrically amplified bird or animal calls to hunt or attract wolves is prohibited.
• Additional rules and regulations that apply to big game hunting are also in effect.
• Wolf hunting-seasons:
  • Sept. 15–Nov. 29—in early backcountry deer and elk hunting districts 150, 151, 280, and 316.
  • Oct. 25–Nov. 29—in entire Wolf Management Units 1, 2 and 3.
  • If a WMU’s quota isn’t met, the wolf hunting season could be extended in that area to run Dec. 1-31. No more than 25 percent of the established WMU quota, however, can be harvested in December.

Read more…

With elk archery season opening Sept. 5, and backcountry elk season set to open Sept. 15, no elk hunter wants to shoot the wrong elk in the right place, or the right elk in the wrong place. Elk hunters—know your bulls.

An antlered bull elk is any elk with an antler or antlers at least four inches in length measured from the top of the skull.

A brow-tined bull is any elk with an antler or antlers with a visible point on the lower half of either main beam that is greater than or equal to four inches long.

A spike bull is an elk with antlers that do not branch, or if branched, the branch is less than four inches long measured from the main antler.

An antlerless elk is a female, or a juvenile male with antlers less than four inches in length measured from the top of the skull.

To learn more, check the 2009 big game deer, elk and antelope regulations on page 27.

Photo by © Daryl L. Hunter

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking comment on the state’s first-ever Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep conservation strategy, which will guide management of the prized big game species for the next 10 years.

“The conservation strategy for bighorn sheep draws together in one document Montana’s bighorn sheep management history and future goals and objectives,” said FWP’s Tom Carlsen, the wildlife biologist managing the project.

Montana has never produced a comprehensive plan for bighorn sheep management even though Montana has successfully reestablished bighorn populations across the state.

The strategy establishes eight statewide objectives and offers key narrative histories of all existing herds, including past and current management and the opportunities and challenges facing each population.

There are now 45 populations of bighorns across Montana with 36 sustaining limited hunting. Officials estimate that 5,700 bighorn sheep inhabit Montana, excluding Yellowstone and Glacier national parks.

The comment deadline is Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. To comment, visit FWP’s Web site at fwp.mt.gov. Click   “ Bighorn Sheep Plan.” Send written comments to: Bighorn Sheep Strategy, Montana FWP, P.O. Box 200701; Helena, MT 59620-0701.

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee recommends the use of bear spray and reminds hunters and others that despite its proven effectiveness, it is not a substitute for using proper bear safety techniques in the first place. The IGBC provides these guidelines:

When to use bear pepper spray:

Bear pepper spray should be used as a deterrent only in an aggressive or attacking confrontation with a bear.

How to use bear spray:

Each person should carry a can of bear pepper spray when working or recreating in bear habitat. Spray should be tested once a year and the expiration date checked. Do not test spray in or near camping area.

Selecting a bear spray:

Purchase products that are clearly labeled “for deterring attacks by bears,” and that are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, bear spray has demonstrated the most success in fending off threatening and attacking bears and preventing injury to the person and animal involved, said the IGBC.

For more on living with bears and being bear aware, see the FWP home page at fwp.mt.gov and click on Wild Things then Be Bear Aware. For more on bear resistant products, go to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Web page.