Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is launching several research efforts in response to trout declines in the Big Hole, Beaverhead, and Ruby Rivers. FWP, in partnership with Montana State University, has a four-pronged approach, including the following three studies: Fish mortality study: A mortality study on the Big Hole, Beaverhead, and Ruby Rivers, as well as the Madison River, will include tagging adult fish to assess how flows, water temperatures, angling, and disease influence survival. This study would also help measure the success of...
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...
Elk hunters interested in how Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks manages elk will get a chance to weigh in on the new draft elk management plan starting today. The plan will be available on FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities/draft-elk-plan. The public is invited to comment on the plan; deadline for comments is July 31. “We’re anxious for public input on this new draft plan, particularly on the hunting district objectives and the suite of management tools we have laid out,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple. The plan wa...
Hunters who will not be able to use their license this season have the opportunity to donate that license. Residents and nonresidents can donate their hunting license to a disabled military veteran or disabled active-duty service member who is working with an organization that uses hunting as part of the rehabilitation process. The license donor program began in 2013, and each year between 40 and 60 hunters donate their licenses. Reasons vary, but according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks...
Hunters can sign up for leftover licenses and permits that were not distributed by the drawing through MyFWP on the FWP website. The resulting Surplus License List will be randomized with hunters at the top of the list contacted via email with instructions to finalize their purchase within a specified time. To be placed on the Surplus License List, resident, and nonresident hunters can sign up through the MyFWP portal. This process requires hunters to keep their email address current in their ALS records. Payment of the license fee is not...
New emergency fishing regulations are in place for the Big Hole, Beaverhead and Ruby rivers. The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the new regulations during its June 8 meeting. These restrictions limit angling during the brown trout spawning season and harvest in some stretches of the rivers. Trout abundances in several areas of the three rivers have steadily declined since 2011 and are at or near historical lows. Meanwhile, fishing pressure in these areas has increased. The emergency fishing regulations aim to be responsive to...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will kick off the biennial hunting season-setting process earlier to allow for more public engagement and greater transparency. Public involvement will begin in June and end in November. In the past, public involvement happened primarily in December and January. FWP will conduct scoping meetings around the state from June 15 to July 15. FWP staff will look to hunters to provide broad input on regulation changes they’d like to see. Staff will also look for feedback on a few specific proposals. These scoping meeting...
A hunter killed a grizzly bear in self-defense last week in the Madison Range southeast of Ennis. The person was hunting black bears in a remote parcel of private land in the backcountry on June 5 when he was charged by a grizzly bear. The hunter shot and killed the bear with a pistol and was not injured. The hunter notified Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks the same day. Officials from FWP, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest conducted a field investigation with help from the landowner and confirmed the...
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet on June 8 in Helena at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks headquarters. The meeting will begin at 8:30 AM. The meeting will be streamed live on the FWP website and YouTube. The public can participate in person or via Zoom. To make a comment via Zoom, you must register by following the link here by noon on June 7. The commission will make final decisions on the following items: • Elk Hunting Access Agreements for 2023 • Private Land Recreation Management Area biennial rules • Consolidated publi...
A small portion of the Jefferson River is closed to all recreation. The closure extends from Williams’ Bridge Fishing Access Site to the bridge on Meridian Road. High river flows coupled with ongoing repairs to Meridian Bridge have created a hazardous obstruction for people floating on the river. The closure will remain in effect until further notice. For updated information on restrictions and closures of lands managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and waterbodies, visit fwp.mt.gov/news/current-closures-restrictions....
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is kicking off its summer interpretive programs next month with talks that highlight the flora, fauna and night skies of Montana's first state park. The park's Saturday evening events will each begin at 8 PM at the campground amphitheater and last about an hour. Join park ranger Ramona Radonich for the following programs: June 3: Birds of a Feather: See what birds make their home at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. Binoculars will be available. June 10: Flower...
Beginning May 15 and running through June 30, nonresident hunters can register their name to the Alternate’s List on MyFWP. Every year, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks gets several unused nonresident combination licenses (big game, general elk, and general deer combination licenses) returned by customers. FWP resells these returned licenses through the Alternate’s List. The Alternate’s List is an option for nonresident hunters to express their interest in purchasing one of these returned licenses by registering their name to this listing. A hun...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host several fly fishing classes in Bozeman next month. These classes will be free and geared toward helping new anglers become familiar with the basics. Topics will include fly casting, fly tying, fishing knots, and how to choose the right fly. All class equipment will be provided, but participants should be prepared to be outdoors for much of the class. Space is limited, and participants must sign up in advance. Classes for adults will be on these dates: June 10 June 17 June 24 Classes for youth will also...
Staff at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park are pleased to reopen the cave for the 2023 season. Tours will be offered from May 1 through Sept. 30. Both first-come-first-served tours and reservable tours will be offered. Visitors are encouraged to visit the state parks website frequently as tour options, times and availability may change throughout the season. Reservable tours are available from May 25 through Labor Day. To make those reservations, call 1-855-922-6768 or visit fwp.mt.gov/stateparks. During the season the upper visitor area will...
With the exception of Eureka, watercraft inspection stations are open. All vehicles transporting any type of boat, including canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and rafts are required to stop at all inspection stations they encounter. Watercraft inspection stations are Montana’s first line of defense to prevent the movement of AIS, which can have devastating impacts on Montana waterways. More than 2,400 watercraft have been inspected so far this year. Of those, 13 boats were found to be transporting invasive mussels. Recently, a pontoon boat was i...
Hunters in Montana, along with Fish, Wildlife & Parks, are concerned about declining mule deer populations in much of the state. In response to this concern, FWP is embarking on research efforts to look into the declines and engage hunters about their attitudes on mule deer management and hunting. Mule deer numbers have typically been tracked over large areas using aerial surveys and declines can be attributed to several different things including winterkill, short-term habitat changes, like those that result from drought to potentially...
The drawings for Montana deer and elk permits and for nonresident combination licenses are complete and applicants can find their results online. You can see your results by visiting fwp.mt.gov, click on MyFWP Login in the upper right hand corner, then click on Lookup Draw Results, Register for Lists tab on the left-hand menu, or login to your MyFWP account. You may also sign up for an account at myfwp.mt.gov. Applicants may also call any FWP Regional office or the licensing office at 406-444-2950. For unsuccessful applicants, refunds will...
The new license year opens on March 1, which means that is the day you can buy your 2023 hunting and fishing licenses and begin applying for permits and special licenses. The deadline to apply for deer and elk permits is April 1. Applications for most species – deer, elk, antelope, deer B licenses, elk B licenses, antelope B licenses, moose, sheep, goat, bison, bear, and turkey – can be made beginning March 1. Hunters and anglers can also take advantage of the MyFWP mobile app if they haven't al...
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 is seeking public comment on several proposals slated to go to the Fish and Wildlife Commission in February. Comment is open through Feb. 3. After public comment, commissioners can offer amendments to the proposals as they see fit. The proposals and supporting documents, commissioner amendments, and collected public comments are available on the FWP website. The commission will make a final decision on these proposals at its meeting on Feb. 22. Fish removal projects for 2023-2026: For 2023 - 2026, there are 26...
In a Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission meeting held on December 20, the Commission chose not to reinstate the full 5-week general rifle season in HD 313. “Today’s inaction to increase public access and elk hunting near Gardiner means the public land hunter loses another season of extended opportunity in HD 313,” said Mac Minard, Executive Director, Montana Outfitters, and Guides. “Not only will this prime public land be unavailable to hunters, but adjacent districts will continue to be overcrowded. Reinstatement of the normal...
With help from several partners, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks this month completed the purchase of an 829-acre addition to Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area. The new parcel, known as the Willow Creek addition, is about 4 miles south of Anaconda and shares 2.5 miles of boundary with the WMA. It contains winter range that mule deer and elk use heavily, as well as high-quality pronghorn fawning and summer range. “We’re thrilled to see the Willow Creek addition be conserved with the rest of Mount Haggin WMA for the perpetual benefit of Mon...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is extending the public comment deadline on the draft grizzly bear management plan and associated draft environmental impact statement (EIS) to Feb. 4. The purpose of the draft plan and draft EIS is to guide the long-term management and conservation of grizzly bears across the state. “We know the holidays are a busy time for people and their families,” FWP Director Hank Worsech said. “We want to make sure people have a chance to share their best ideas with us and so extending the comment period by 30 days will...
Effective immediately, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is opening wolf trapping season in all areas of occupied grizzly bear habitat across the state, with the exception of deer and elk hunting district (HD) 130 in northwest Montana (See map). In August, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved wolf hunting and trapping regulations for the 2022 season, which ends March 15, 2023. The regulations include a floating start date for wolf trapping in occupied grizzly bear habitat. The intent of the floating start date is to avoid conflict...
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park will again host holiday candlelight tours of the entire developed cave route. This special event allows visitors to see and enjoy the caverns by the warm, festive glow of candle lanterns. Participants must make a reservation prior to their tour. Tours will be offered from Dec. 16-18 and Dec. 21-23. The starting times of these tours will vary, depending on park staffing for the day. However, all tours will be during the day, with a portion of the two-hour walking tour being outdoors along trails that may have...
