SEELEY LAKE - Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) officials held a meeting Jan. 4 in Seeley Lake to discuss proposed changes to the 2016 and 2017 hunting regulations. FWP is accepting public comment on these changes through Jan. 22.
FWP Region Two Wildlife Manager Mike Thompson explained that public comment is welcome, not only on the proposed changes, but also on the full regulations.
Scott Eggeman, FWP’s wildlife biologist based in Seeley Lake, presented the proposed changes for the Seeley Lake, Ovando and Potomac area districts.
Local District Proposed Changes and Public Comment:
HD 230: Establish white-tailed deer B-license (quota 50, range 10-1000).
HD 281: Establish 281-00 elk B-licenses during archery and general season (quota 25, range 5-150), valid on private land only.
HD 285: Increase white-tailed deer B-license from 50 to 75.
One hunter in attendance wants to see some kind of restrictions in the area to allow white-tailed bucks to get bigger before being harvested. He explained that he has hunted the area for 35 years and in the last 15-20 years he has seen fewer bucks and fewer large bucks. He proposed that they put a point limit on the district restricting taking bucks with fewer than eight points.
Other hunters in attendance agreed that the bucks aren’t what they used to be.
Eggeman said he has been thinking of this option but he is concerned with limiting opportunity for meat hunters who aren’t looking for big bucks. He felt that he would have to have a lot more public comment before recommending it.
Another option Eggeman said he considered was to allow the first week or so to be either sex to satisfy the meat hunters and take the pressure off the bucks. He decided against this option because Seeley Lake would have the only either sex district in the state and hunters might flock here to take advantage of it.
HD 292: Establish a shoulder season and 292-00 antlerless elk permit (quota 300, range 5-500) in the Blackfoot drainage of the district, valid on private land from Aug. 15 to Nov. 27. And increase white-tailed deer B-licenses on private land in the Blackfoot Drainage from 50 to 75.
Eggeman explained that the area has chronic early season game damage (damage to agricultural crops). The early elk hunt and added deer B-licenses in theory would push animals off of private land, reducing damage and provide better hunting opportunity on public land.
A member of the public questioned how good the access would be to the private land. Eggeman has met with several landowners and he feels that there would be good access.
A local person has volunteered to be a hunt coordinator acting as a liaison between hunters and landowners. FWP will also ask permit holders if they would like their information released to area landowners. This would allow landowners to directly call hunters when they have animals on their land causing damage.
Thompson recommended that hunters make some calls to private landowners ahead of applying for permits.
Proposed Statewide Changes:
• Require a person to already have a bow and arrow license when applying for any archery-only deer, elk or antelope license or permit.
• Require a person to already have a deer license when applying for any deer permit, same as currently for out-of-state and elk permits.
• Unlimited elk permit application deadline of March 15 will be adhered to.
• No longer require mandatory reporting and inspection for mountain goats.
• Change the mandatory reporting requirements for presenting a harvested black bear for tagging to ten days.
• The B*-licenses are changing to Antlerless Permits. This change is an attempt to help clarify the difference between the B*-license and B-license in past seasons.
The Antlerless Permit allows or “permits” the hunter to use their general season bull license on an antlerless animal in the given district. Because the hunter uses their bull license with the permit, they cannot take a second animal. Also, hunters with a permit will not be allowed to hunt bulls in the district they have the permit for.
The B-license will remain the same and allow a hunter to shoot an antlerless animal in the drawn district and then use their general season license for a second animal.
Public comment on Proposed Statewide Changes:
• Special opportunities for senior citizens should be just like what is offered for youth hunts. The hunter who requested this didn’t care what but explained that he reads the regulations each year and sees all these youth hunts but never for “old farts.”
• Ten-year-olds are too young to hunt even when they are required to be with an adult. Several reasons people felt this way came out at the meeting. One, it gives parents the ability to put a lot of pressure on young kids to kill things. Second, the lack of marksmanship of most young kids causes a lot of animals to be injured and not killed. Third, younger kids carry smaller rifles that require an even better shot to kill a large animal like an elk. Fourth, why can kids hunt if they are not old enough to go through a hunter safety course?
There will be another public meeting in Condon at the Swan Valley Community Hall Jan. 18 from 6-8 p.m. to discuss 2016-2017 proposed changes for Region 1.
To make comments on the proposed changes or other areas of the hunting regulations you may call the Wildlife Division office at 406-444-2612 or email fwpwld@mt.gov Comment is also accepted online at fwp.mt.gov/hunting. Look for the Opportunity for Public Comment section. The comment period closes Jan. 22.
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