Big Sky Outdoor News & Adventure

Private Land/Public Wildlife Council Meets Feb. 1-2 In Lewistown – MFWP
Friday, January 15, 2010
Hunting
The Private Land/Public Wildlife Council will meet Feb. 1-2 in Lewistown at the Yogo Inn to discuss hunting and fishing access issues.

Council members will meet Monday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m. to determine priorities and begin to work on identified issues. The meeting will continue Tuesday from 8 a.m.- noon.

The 15-member council, made up of landowners, outfitters, hunters, anglers, legislators, and an FWP Commissioner, is appointed by the Governor and charged with reviewing FWP hunting and fishing access programs, offering recommendations to help achieve program goals, and addressing issues related to private land and public wildlife.

Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting and observe council proceedings. A public comment period is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 1.

For more information about the PL/PW Council, contact Alan Charles, FWP Coordinator of Landowner/Sportsman Relations, by phone: 406- 444-3798, or by email: acharles@mt.gov . Or, visit the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov on the Hunting page under hunter access

Reward Increased Substantially for Information Related to Two Moose Poachings Near Cardwell MFWP
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Headlines – Region 3
Thanks to private citizens, a sportsmen’s group, and local businesses, the reward for information about two bull moose poached near Cardwell in October of last year has increased by $4,000.

Anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the poachings of the two bull moose along the Jefferson River near Cardwell could receive up to $5,000.

Both moose were trophy class animals (40- and 48-inches) that were shot and left to rot in the vicinity of Cemetery Road and the Jefferson River south of Cardwell.

“I believe someone out there knows what happened to these moose,” said Boulder-Whitehall Warden Justin Gibson. “Those responsible may have bragged about it or let it slip out in conversation. I’m asking anyone with knowledge of these crimes to report to FWP.”

FWP received generous donations totaling $4,000 from an anonymous private citizen, the Jefferson Valley Sportsmen’s Association, and the Whitehall Ledger newspaper and local citizens and businesses. These donations will supplement any TIP-MONT reward.

Anyone with any information about these incidents is encouraged to call FWP Warden Justin Gibson at 406-439-4017 or 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800- 847-6668 ). Callers can remain anonymous or confidential and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1000 from TIP-MONT, plus the additional donated funds, upon conviction of the individual(s) responsible for this crime.

Friday, January 08, 2010 – MFWP
Hunting
The Private Land/Public Wildlife Council will meet on Feb. 1-2 in Lewistown at the Yogo Inn to discuss hunting and fishing access issues.

Council members will meet Monday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m. to determine priorities and begin to work on identified issues. The meeting will continue Tuesday from 8 a.m.- noon.

The 15-member council, made up of landowners, outfitters, hunters, anglers, legislators, and an FWP Commissioner, is appointed by the Governor and charged with reviewing FWP hunting and fishing access programs, offering recommendations to help achieve program goals, and addressing issues related to private land and public wildlife.

Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting and observe council proceedings. A public comment period is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 1.

For more information about the PL/PW Council, contact Alan Charles, FWP Coordinator of Landowner/Sportsman Relations, by phone: 406- 444-3798, or by email: acharles@mt.gov . Or, visit the FWP Web site at fwp.mt.gov on the Hunting page under hunter access.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Hunting – Region 6
As a reminder, Montanans have a variety of opportunities to review and comment on 2010-2011 hunting regulation proposals by going online or by attending one of the many public meetings soon taking place across the state.

In FWP Region 6, hearings to discuss the proposed hunting regulations are scheduled in the Antique Room of the Duck Inn in Havre on Jan. 11, at the Jubilee Room of the Sheridan County Library in Plentywood on Jan. 14, at the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow on Jan. 19, and at the Malta High School cafeteria in Malta on Jan. 20. Each of the hearings will run from 7 – 9 p.m.

The full statewide hearing schedule is available on the FWP Web site at “fwp.mt.gov” under the “2010-2011 Hunting Season Comments” section.

In addition, open houses designed for members of the public to meet informally with FWP Region 6 staff to discuss any other items of interest are scheduled on Jan. 11 at the Antique Room at the Duck Inn in Havre and on Jan 14 at the Main Bistro in Plentywood. Each of the open houses will run from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

FWP held seven summer meetings across the state and received more than 370 comments that led to several hunting season proposals. In years past, FWP would propose “tentative” seasons and season structures, from general regulations to types of special permits offered in specific areas, and then ask for comment on the proposals without a formal scoping session.

Among the proposed changes for the 2010 -11 hunting seasons are: moving the general deer and elk season opener to Saturday, instead of Sunday and the antelope opener to the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend; issuing antlerless elk licenses instead of antlerless elk permits; adopting a new four-year waiting period for those who obtain some either-sex elk permits; implementing party applications for deer and elk permits and licenses; regrouping the 23 elk-archery districts outside the Missouri River Breaks into one “bundle” of limited either-sex archery permits; allowing bow hunters to pursue bears and mountain lions during the archery season; creating a two-day deer season for youth to run on the third Thursday and Friday in October; and requiring nontoxic shot for all bird hunting on wildlife management areas across the state.

Details on these and other proposed hunting regulation changes are available on FWP’s Web site. The proposed regulations cover all hunting in Montana except for furbearers and migratory waterfowl.

Comments, which are due by 5 p.m. on Jan. 22, may be submitted at the public meetings or electronically on the FWP Web page. Written comments also may be sent to: FWP—Wildlife Bureau, Attn: Public Comment, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will hold a northwest Montana hearing on the 2010-2011 tentative hunting regulations at the Red Lion Hotel, Kalispell Center Mall, on Saturday, January 16, 2010. Other informational meetings may be scheduled in other towns, but this is the main hearing for collecting public comment from hunters across Region One. FWP Commissioner Bob Ream, who represents western Montana on the Commission, will be on hand to listen to the comments of northwest Montana hunters on the tentative regulations.

The schedule calls for an open house to be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. FWP biologists and managers will be on hand to explain information on wildlife populations and proposed regulations. The actual hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Each member of the public who wishes to speak will have a time allotment for each tentative regulation.

Proposed changes include a Saturday opener for deer, elk, and antelope seasons, a youth deer hunting opportunity just prior to the general opener, and an antlerless elk “B-tag” system. No changes are proposed for deer hunting regulations in northwest Montana because major restrictive changes were made last winter in anticipation of declining whitetail deer numbers. These tentatives don’t address the wolf-hunting season; those comments will be collected this spring.

The Commission approved the tentative regulations Dec. 10. Text of the regulations is available online at http://fwp.mt.gov and follow the “2010-11 Hunting Season Comments” link under “For Hunters.” Printed copies will be available at the public meetings. Comments gathered at the meetings will be submitted to the Commission before regulations are finalized. People also may submit comments online by following the link to “2010-11 Hunting Season Comments” on http://fwp.mt.gov and filling out a form. All comments are due by 5 p.m. January 22. The FWP Commission will adopt final regulations at its Feb. 11, 2010 meeting in Helena.

Monday, January 04, 2010
Headlines – Region 4
Fish, Wildlife & Parks has set meeting dates in north central Montana to discuss the tentative 2010 big game hunting regulations.

For the 2010 hunting season some of the proposed changes affecting FWP Region 4 include:

ELK

· Create five either sex permits valid throughout the hunting district (HD) 425.

· Adjust the A9/B12 antlerless elk license to be valid on private and DNRC lands in all Region 4 HDs except 401, 410, 417, 420 and 455. Currently not valid in 12 HDs.

· The addition of general license opportunity during the last nine days of general firearm season in HD 448.

DEER

· Convert any general A license from either sex mule deer to antlered buck only mule deer for both archery and firearm seasons.

· Combine unlimited resident and nonresident single region antlerless whitetail license.

STATEWIDE ISSUES

· Statewide deer and elk opener one day earlier than traditional Sunday for firearm season.

· Statewide create youth deer hunting season on third Thursday and Friday of October.

· Move opening day of the general firearm season for antelope to Saturday of Columbus Day weekend and adjust the antelope archery only season to end the day before this opener.

All of the proposed changes are on the FWP web site under recent public notices: request for public comment – 2010-2011 hunting season proposals – interested persons letter.

Here are the R4 season setting meeting dates & places. Everything starts at 7PM.

· Jan. 5, Fort Benton, city hall;

· Jan. 7, Wolf Creek, elementary school;

· Jan. 11, Chester, high school auditorium;

· Jan. 11, White Sulphur Springs, city hall;

· Jan. 12, Augusta, Catholic church;

· Jan. 12, Shelby, Marias River Electric Coop;

· Jan. 13, Stanford, city hall;

· Jan. 14, Conrad, Pondera shooting sports club;

· Jan. 14, Lewistown, FWP office;

· Jan. 19, Great Falls, MSU-COT Heritage Hall.