Avoid These 10 Common Hunting Mistakes

With the general deer and elk season coming up this weekend, a lot of folks will be hitting the field. Remember, it is up to the hunter to be familiar with the current year’s hunting regulations to be safe, ethical, and law-abiding. Below is one major regulation change this year in Regions 6 and 7 regarding mule deer doe hunting, along with the 10 most common mistakes hunters make.

REGULATION CHANGE

This year, in Regions 6 and 7, antlerless mule deer hunting is only permitted on private land. This includes mule deer B licenses for a particular hunting district, or a general deer license where mule deer doe harvest on a general tag is allowed. It’s important to note that private lands enrolled in Block Management are open for these opportunities if the landowner allows. There is NO mule deer doe harvest allowed in hunting districts 621 and 622.

10 COMMON MISTAKES

With all the rules and regulations that need to be followed regarding hunting big game in Montana, here are 10 problem areas, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens, that hunters seem to stumble over year after year.

TRESPASSING: Hunters must have permission of the landowner before hunting on private land. In Montana, private land does not have to be posted for a hunter to be guilty of hunting without permission. Ask first. It’s up to us…respect access, protect the hunt!

SHOOTING FROM ROADS: State law makes it illegal for anyone to shoot on, from, or across a public road or right of way. The right of way generally lies between the fences on either side of the road. It’s also known as the shoulder or borrow pit.

SUNRISE-SUNSET: Make sure of sunrise and sunset times. Big game season runs from one half hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset. Use only the sunrise-sunset tables supplied by FWP, not the sunset times shown on a cell phone or watch.

VALIDATING YOUR TAG: After harvesting a big game animal, hunters must validate their hunting tag before the carcass is removed or the person leaves the site of the kill. Proper validation means completely cutting out the date and month on the tag, or properly validating an E-tag. It also means thinking ahead so you don’t, say, validate a deer tag for an elk. Excitement is no excuse. Starting last year, a validated tag DOES NOT need to be attached to the animal…it can instead accompany the carcass. If using E-tags, make sure to log in and download any tags BEFORE leaving cell service!

TAG YOUR OWN: Hunters must use their own tags when shooting an animal. Transferring licenses between spouses or using a family member’s tag is illegal. Some states allow tag-sharing, but not Montana.

DRIVING: Drive only on established roads. On public land, stay on the road. On private land, drive only where the landowner allows you to. Driving off a road is a sure way to make an enemy of a private landowner and probably get a ticket.

CHECK STATIONS: Hunters are required to stop at all check stations, going to or coming from the field, with or without game. Driving by a check station not only hurts FWP’s efforts to gather data, but it is also illegal and can result in a ticket.

EVIDENCE OF SEX: When transporting a big game animal, evidence of the animal’s sex must remain with the carcass if the license is for a specific sex of animal (like an antlerless deer). An either-sex license (like a general deer) does not require proof of sex. The proof of sex DOES NOT need to be attached to the carcass.

CARCASS DISPOSAL: To help prevent the spread of CWD, unused animal parts should remain at the kill site or be disposed of in a class II landfill after processing. It is illegal to dump carcass parts on public land away from the kill site.

HUNTER ORANGE: Big game hunters must wear at least 400 square inches of hunter orange above the waist and visible from all sides. Keep in mind that a binocular harness or a backpack may “block out” some of the 400 square inches. A good idea is to hang an orange vest on a backpack and wear a hunter orange hat. Although it’s not required for bird hunters, it’s a good idea to put on some orange, at least a hat or vest.

If you make a mistake, such as accidentally harvesting a game animal that you didn’t intend to, do the right thing and notify an FWP game warden, or go to http://www.tipmont.mt.gov and follow their instructions. Hunters should field dress the animal but DO NOT transport the animal until you’ve received instructions.

To learn more, see the 2024 deer-elk-antelope regulations here: https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/hunt/regulations/2024/2024-dea-regulations-final-for-web-with-web-quality-maps.pdf.