Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 70
HELENA – Montana’s famed fisheries provide amazing recreational opportunities, from blue ribbon trout streams in the west, to the world-famous Fort Peck Reservoir in the east. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks provides abundant fishing opportunities, while protecting native fish species, and critical aquatic habitat. This includes managing fisheries under drought conditions. A new draft comprehensive statewide fisheries management plan is a key piece of that management and is now out for public comment. “The intent of the statewide manag...
Landowners have until March 15 to submit applications to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for enrollment in the Unlocking Public Lands (UPL) Program or the Public Access Land Agreement (PALA) Program. These programs are designed to provide recreational public access to state (Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) or federal (Bureau of Land Management or United States Forest Service) land where no or limited legal public access currently exists. For enrollment in UPL, landowners will receive a tax credit in the amount of $750 p...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife staff completed its final assessment of grizzly bear activity in occupied grizzly bear habitat. Effective Saturday, Dec. 24, wolf trapping season is open in all areas of occupied grizzly bear habitat across the state, including deer and elk hunting district (HD) 130 in northwest Montana. Hunters and trappers should note that wolf harvest quotas exist in each FWP trapping district and wolf management unit 313. Those harvest quotas can be viewed and followed on the FWP Wolf Dashboard. In August, the...
OVANDO – Wildlife officials euthanized two grizzly bears this week that were responsible for at least 10 conflicts in the upper Blackfoot Valley over the past two months. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife specialists reported that the conflicts began in mid-July in the Ovando and Woodworth areas where the bears broke into three grain sheds. FWP worked with the property owners to install an electric fence at all sites to prevent more issues. The bears moved on from that immediate area but stayed close to places where people live and recrea...
MISSOULA — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public input on revisions to the statewide Elk Management Plan last adopted in 2005. FWP began work on the revised plan in 2020, when a citizen’s group was convened to develop guiding principles for the new plan. At this point of the process, FWP is seeking input on the existing elk population objectives and local elk management challenges that should be considered in the revision. The scoping period started earlier this summer and continues through Oct. 15. “We’ve been hearing concern...
MISSOULA – An effort to restore native sharp-tailed grouse to western Montana is underway, and this fall Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is reminding hunters and others to be especially careful to identify grouse when in the field. FWP biologists, with the help of conservation groups and private landowners, relocated approximately 75 sharp-tailed grouse from eastern Montana to western Montana in the fall of 2021 and then more this spring. Birds were released in the lower Bitterroot Valley near Florence, in the Flint Creek Valley near Drummond a...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on proposed 2022 snowmobile grant proposals. Public comments will be accepted through Monday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. Montana’s Snowmobile Program received 25 grant requests and proposes to award $460,000 including $27,000 to the newly formed Scenic Montana Trails group in Seeley Lake. The program receives funding through snowmobile registrations, gas tax and Snowmobile Trail Pass revenues. Montana’s Snowmobile Program supports projects such as grooming, trail maintenance, signs...
HELENA – After internal review and review by the State Trail Advisory Committee, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks recommends 30 applicants receive funding worth $1.44 million through the Montana Trail Stewardship Grant Program (MTSGP) for projects in 2022. This includes $65,000 for the new Scenic Montana Trails non-profit for Seeley Lake to Garnet over-snow grooming and $48,150 to Swan Valley Connections for Mission Mountains and Swan Front Trails and Backcountry Services. Comments will be accepted until May 26 at 5 p.m. The MTSGP applications r...
SEELEY LAKE — Staff from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are working together to begin a recreation visioning process for Placid Lake State Park and adjacent TNC lands, located just southwest of the town of Seeley Lake. They are asking for public input early in the process to help understand current issues and priorities and to generate ideas for the future of the area. For decades, Placid Lake State Park has provided the only public access to the lake, a popular spot for camping, boating, swimming and f...
MONTANA - Wolf trapping is now open in all Montana Wolf Management Units. After monitoring grizzly bear activity across much of the state, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists have determined the potential risk for trapping conflicts in grizzly bear areas is low. FWP biologists have been monitoring grizzly bear activity with a variety of methods since early November. This includes monitoring collared grizzly bears, sightings of bears in the field, weather assessments and reports from the public. The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission...
Hunting regulation proposals for the 2022/2023 seasons were approved for public comment by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission last week and are now out for review and comment online through Jan.14. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will hold public meetings throughout the state to provide information and answer questions. Montana hunting season regulations are adopted biennially for most game species. This is a second opportunity for the public to provide input on 2022/2023 draft hunting regulation proposals. Earlier this fall in an effort...
MISSOULA – After the first two weekends of big game season, west-central Montana hunter check stations show that elk harvest is off to a slow start, but hunter traffic through the stations is up from last season. The number of hunter trips through the Darby, Bonner and Anaconda check stations totaled 3,387 for the first two weekends of the season, up eight percent from this point in the 2020 season. Those hunters checked enough deer to keep deer harvest on track with last year, while the 92 elk reported so far marks a five-year low. At the c...
The start of the general deer and elk hunting season produced the highest number of harvested white-tailed deer at game check stations in northwest Montana Region 1 since 2017. In west-central Montana Region 2, big game hunting season got off to a good start with steady hunter traffic through the four hunter check stations and a harvest on track with last year’s opener. Region 1 update Overall, hunters in northwest Montana (Region 1) reported harvesting 209 white-tailed deer, including 102 bucks, as well as 12 mule deer and 21 elk at four c...
SEELEY LAKE – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are seeking information on a female grizzly bear that was shot and killed in the Woodworth area south of Seeley Lake. The bear was discovered by a local landowner on Sept. 8, south of Woodworth Road on the boundary of the Blackfoot Clearwater Wildlife Management Area. Wildlife officials investigated the scene and determined that the bear had two gunshot wounds and was likely killed sometime during the first weekend of September. The adult female grizzly had b...
OVANDO – Wildlife officials captured a grizzly bear in the Ovando area on Sept. 2 and relocated it to the north side of the Rattlesnake Wilderness the same day. The bear was captured after it repeatedly returned to an abandoned shed in search of grain and horse food. The 211-pound female grizzly did not have a prior history of conflicts. In fall, bears are increasingly active in preparation for winter denning and many conflicts involve bears getting into livestock feed and unsecured garbage as they search for food. Montana Fish, Wildlife & P...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is accepting applications for the Northwest Lion Ecoregional Population Committee, which will advise the Fish and Wildlife Commission on management of mountain lions in northwest Montana. The committee will be asked to develop a target that maximizes public satisfaction related to mountain lion hunting opportunity, mountain lion conflict and ungulate population trends. The committee will provide a recommendation on what the mountain lion population should look like five years from now. In 2019, the F...
HELENA – Montana has some of the longest hunting seasons in the West, healthy herds of game and access to millions of acres of public land. However, hunters must be mindful of fire danger and of private landowners who are facing grass shortages, poor crop production and fatigue from monitoring for fire. Hunter harvest helps to reduce wildlife densities on a stressed landscape and perhaps to help lessen winter depredation on haystacks or winter range. In addition to the following hunting forecast, FWP provides online information about hunting a...
OVANDO - DNA results received Wednesday, July 14 confirmed the bear killed by wildlife officials Friday, July 9 was the same bear who fatally attacked a camper in Ovando early on the morning of July 6. The DNA samples from the bear, saliva sample at the scene of the attack and samples from two chicken coops that were raided in the area all match up. Montana is bear country and recreationists can be bear aware by following some simple guidelines: • Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it • Avoid surprise encounters by traveling in gro...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public review and comment on several wildlife-related items approved for comment during the recent Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting. Proposals include the 2021 wolf hunting and trapping season, nongame check-off workplan, pheasant releases, Jordan urban wildlife plan, 2021 elk and deer muzzleloader season, 2021 elk shoulder season and 2021 contractual public elk hunting access agreements. More information on these items can be found on the FWP website under “Public Comment Opp...
DNA results received Wednesday confirmed the bear killed by wildlife officials last Friday was the same bear who fatally attacked a camper in Ovando early on the morning of July 6. The DNA samples from the bear, saliva sample at the scene of the attack and samples from two chicken coops that were raided in the area all match up. Montana is bear country and recreationists can be bear aware by following some simple guidelines: • Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it • Avoid surprise encounters by traveling in groups, making noise and bei...
OVANDO – After searching by helicopter and on the ground, the grizzly bear that killed a woman Tuesday morning has not been found. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear specialists and wardens are continuing to monitor culvert traps set in the area. The woman was identified as 65-year-old Leah Davis Lokan of Chico, California. The search even included the use of infrared technology from Two Bear Air Rescue out of Kalispell, but efforts to find the bear are now focusing on traps near Ovando. Details surrounding the circumstances of the attack i...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announced that 42 trail organizations, communities and various land-managing agencies throughout Montana will receive federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant awards for their projects in 2021. This includes the full funding for the Seeley Lake Driftriders Snowmobile Club. Fifty-three RTP applications were received this year from a variety of eligible applicants, including federal and state agencies, towns, cities, counties, private clubs and nonprofit organizations. The Recreational Trails Program current...
Each spring, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) receives calls from people who have picked up deer fawns or other wildlife. It's important to remember that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks no longer accepts, holds or rehabilitates moose, deer, elk and most other animals. Often times, people think they are rescuing an orphaned animal. However, it's important to understand that wildlife care for their young much differently than humans. They have strategies to provide the highest chance of s...
Montana's first watercraft inspection stations opened for the 2021 season. Inspection stations near Dillon and Ravalli opened earlier this month. The watercraft inspection station at Clearwater Junction will open April 17 and operate from dawn to dusk. The Anaconda station opened March 20 and intercepted the first mussel-fouled boat of the year. A used motorboat that had been recently purchased in Wisconsin was found with zebra mussels attached to the anchor. The Anaconda inspectors reported...
Bears are emerging from dens with the onset of spring, and people are reminded to “Be Bear Aware.” Bears can be found throughout Montana. In recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded and bears are sometimes found in historic ranges beyond western Montana As bears begin foraging for food, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is asking residents to remove or secure food attractants such as garbage, bird feeders and pet food. The most common human-bear conflicts involve unsecured food attractants. People venturing into the outdoors sho...
