Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking a current high school student to fill a two-year term on the Future Fisheries citizen review panel. FWP’s Future Fisheries Improvement Program grants approximately $1 million annually for projects to improve and restore Montana’s wild fish habitats. The 14-member citizen review panel meets twice a year to review proposals and recommend projects to the Fish & Wildlife Commission for funding. Review panel members are appointed by the governor, or his representative, and must represent a variety of int...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on several proposals slated to go to the Fish and Wildlife Commission in October. Comment is open through Sept. 19. After public comment, commissioners can offer amendments to the proposals as they see fit. The proposals and supporting documents, commissioner amendments and collected public comment are available on the commission webpage. The commission will make a final decision on these proposals at its meeting on Oct. 19. 2024 Fishing Regulations FWP is asking the commission to...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host a trapper education field day in Billings on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the FWP office located at 2300 Lake Elmo Drive. Students must register for the field day in advance at: fwp.mt.gov/hunt/education/trapping. Capacity is limited to 35 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Students must also complete the free online education course prior to the field day. To purchase a Montana resident Class C Trapping License, residents 12 and older must complete a Montana trapper...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Law Enforcement Division will hold its first ever Women’s Warden Workshop on Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Montana WILD in Helena. The workshop is open to anyone 16 years or older who is interested in becoming a warden. Registration is not required. The workshop will cover topics including: a day in the life of a warden how to become a warden opportunities to meet FWP’s female wardens case presentations mock investigations ride-along opportunities Anyone who is interested in the warden profess...
The upland game bird season is less than one month away, and hunters will soon be able to refer to the Projects Access Guide, published annually by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program (UGBEP). Hunters can now view and download the new guide and maps online: https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/habitat/upland-game-bird-enhancement-program/access-guide. The guide contains all active projects administered through the UGBEP including Open Fields, habitat management leases, food and cover plots, CRP enhancements, shelterb...
Block Management Area (BMA) Program information for 2023 will be available to hunters beginning Aug. 10. Hunters can request their BMA Access Guide online and can print individual BMA property maps and rules at fwp.mt.gov/hunt/access/blockmanagement. The Block Management webpage allows hunters to download the Access Guide, up-to-date BMA maps and rules for every individual BMA enrolled in the program. These individual BMA property maps and rules are important for hunters to know and understand for each property they plan on hunting. Not all...
HELENA –Anyone training bird dogs using game birds not raised in captivity needs to hold a bird dog training license, whether on private or public land. If you are training dogs with captive-reared birds, a license is not required. These licenses can be purchased online through the FWP Online License Service, any FWP regional office or any license provider. The license is $5 for residents ages 18 and over and $10 for nonresidents 18 and over. For residents and nonresidents ages 12 to 17, the license is free. Bird dog training season with w...
HELENA – While mule deer populations remain steady in portions of the state, spring green-up surveys conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife biologists showed populations in some parts of the state remain lower than desired, and as a result, licenses available to hunters in those areas have been cut back. Over the past few years, persistent drought, particularly in southeast Montana, has affected both survival and recruitment rates for mule deer. This drought has also, at times, been coupled with hard winters, making it e...
Last year, the Fish and Wildlife Commission approved an amendment to the “hoot owl” rule that directs fishing restrictions during drought. The amendment allowed Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to implement restrictions in designated reaches of Montana streams according to the Statewide Fisheries Management Plan. The Statewide Fisheries Management Plan is scheduled to be finalized later this fall after public review and comment this summer. Given this timeline, hoot owl restrictions this summer will continue to be implemented as they were in pas...
Volunteer instructors are hosting a Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks Bowhunter Education in-person classroom course in Glasgow, July 25-27. The course will be held at the Glasgow FWP office Quonset from 5:15-9:15 p.m. each evening. Who needs bowhunter education? All first-time bowhunters in Montana must complete a Bowhunter Education course or show proof of a prior year's archery license from another state or province. Students must be at least 12 years old by Jan. 16, 2024, to take a Bowhunter...
July 1 marks the beginning of the archery-only paddlefish season in the Fort Peck Dredge Cuts below Fort Peck Dam. Archery anglers need to purchase a 2023 blue paddlefish harvest tag to target paddlefish in the Dredge Cuts. As in previous years, harvested paddlefish are required to be reported within 48 hours. Anglers can self-report their harvested paddlefish and voluntarily submit a dentary (jaw) sample at three self-creeling locations near the Dredge Cuts: Floodplain (Winter Harbor), Nelson Dredge, and Roundhouse Point boat ramps. Anglers...
Working with the 68th Legislature, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) simplified licensing requirements on state lands as part of Governor Gianforte’s Red Tape Relief Task Force. The two agencies consolidated the conservation license and state lands recreational use license into one annual conservation license, supporting the maintenance of places like fishing access sites (FAS), wildlife management areas (WMA). On Montana school trust lands, conservation license sales...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on proposed 2023 Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) grant proposals. Public comments will be accepted through Friday July 14, at 5 p.m. The OHV program received 12 grant requests and proposes to award $500,000. The program receives funding through OHV/motorbike registrations, gas tax and the Summer Motorized Trail Pass revenues. Montana’s Off-Highway Vehicle Program supports projects such as trail maintenance, signs, trail stewards, ethics education, noxious weed control, safety and mapping e...
Anglers on Fort Peck Reservoir this summer may be asked a few questions about their fishing experience when they come off the water. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is conducting an angling “creel” survey at one of the state’s largest and most popular warm water fisheries. The information collected help biologists understand angler catch rates of popular game fish and determine level of satisfaction with the fishery. The data-gathering surveys will be based at marinas and boat ramps around the reservoir. Creel clerks will ask several quest...
GLASGOW –Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is holding a public listening session regarding mule deer management in Region 6 in northeast Montana. The listening session is from 6-8 p.m. at the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow on Wednesday, March 15. Hunters, landowners, and wildlife enthusiasts are encouraged to attend. Region 6 wildlife staff will provide a background on mule deer management, the current status of mule deer populations in the region, trends in hunters and harvest, and an update on CWD. Following the presentation, the floor will be o...
Montana’s watercraft inspectors intercepted the 27th mussel-fouled vessel for the year. On Aug. 29, vacationers traveling from Michigan to Glacier National Park with a kayak strapped on their van stopped at the Nashua inspection station where inspectors found a zebra mussel attached to the kayak’s hull. The kayak had last been in Michigan’s Lake Cadillac, a known mussel-infested waterbody. Inspectors thoroughly decontaminated the kayak before sending the vacationers on their way. The Nashua watercraft inspection station is managed by the McCon...
Montana watercraft inspection stations have intercepted 13 boats carrying invasive mollusks into the state this year. As of May 30, inspectors have caught 12 boats with invasive zebra or quagga mussels and one boat with red rim melania snails attached to watercraft. The mussel-fouled boats typically come from mid-west states or Arizona after having spent several weeks or months in mussel-infested waters. All boat owners must have their watercraft inspected when entering Montana. Last week, a pontoon boat that was purchased in Minnesota came...
