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MILES CITY – The 2024 paddlefish season for the yellow tag area of the Yellowstone and lower Missouri rivers ended June 30, short of the harvest cap of 1,000 fish. The overall harvest estimate was 782 paddlefish, and female paddlefish represented 43% of the total harvest. Harvest estimates for the past two seasons were 776 in 2023 and 769 fish in 2022, continuing the trend toward a more dispersed fishery since open river passage began with the new Intake Bypass Channel near Glendive. It was also an average year for tag sales, with a total of 2,...
Glasgow ̶ Paddlefish anglers planning to harvest a fish in the Upper Missouri River (between Fort Peck Dam and Fort Benton) need to apply for an Upper Missouri River paddlefish tag by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 22. For 2024, a total of 1,000 tags are available for the drawing. A 2024 fishing license is necessary before applying, and applications can be submitted online at fwp.mt.gov or at an FWP office. Anglers have the option to apply individually or as a party (up to five people) and have the option to purchase a bonus point at the time of...
Helena – If you’re interested in providing input on how Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is crafting fishing regulations for the next two years, now is your chance. FWP is taking public comment and asking for ideas on initial proposals for the 2025-2026 Fishing Regulations. The initial 64 proposals are online now and available for review and comment. Just go to fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities/fishing-regulations. FWP is also looking for ideas for regulation changes that aren’t captured in these initial proposals. To answer quest...
HELENA – Landowners have until March 15 to apply for Unlocking Public Lands (UPL) Program or the Public Access Land Agreement (PALA) Program. These programs are designed to provide public access to state or federal land where access is either limited or doesn’t exist. For enrollment in UPL, landowners will receive an income tax credit in the amount of $750 per agreement and up to a maximum of $3,000 in tax credits in exchange for allowing access across the private lands via roads or trails to reach inaccessible public land. Landowners must ho...
Helena – General antelope season opened Saturday, Oct. 7, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 12. For information about what to expect this season, check out Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks hunting forecast. FWP provides online information about hunting access, including our popular Block Management Program, which provides hunting access to more than 7 million acres of private land. FWP’s interactive Hunt Planner is a mapping tool that allows users to look at information for various species, including hunting districts and regulations. The hunt pla...
Helena – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks along with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services are advising hunters to have their deer, elk, and moose tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). FWP strongly recommends that hunters receive a negative CWD test result before bringing their deer, elk, or moose to a meat processor or donating it to a food bank. While it is not a requirement, FWP is asking hunters to have a negative CWD test result in hand before bringing their animal to a processor for donation. If the animal tests p...
FWP regional staff will hold virtual meetings across the state to discuss potential hunting regulation changes for 2022 and 2023. These meetings will be held via Zoom and allow the public to hear directly from FWP staff and ask questions about the proposed changes. The potential hunting regulation changes are available online for the public to review. The potential changes are coming now during the normal biennial season setting year to help make Montana’s hunting regulations simpler and easier to understand. Over the last several weeks, FWP b...
Potential hunting regulation changes for 2022 and 2023 are available online for the public to review. The proposed changes are coming now during the normal biennial season setting year to help make Montana’s hunting regulations simpler and easier to understand. To see the potential changes and make comment visit https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities/hunting-reg-changes. Over the last several weeks, FWP biologists have worked on these potential changes with a sharp focus on the science behind the regulations. The potential cha...
As the summer heats up, boaters, floaters and swimmers are hitting the water to cool down. Montana’s many rivers, lakes and reservoirs offer fun recreational opportunities like swimming, boating and floating, but it’s important to remember to be safe while enjoying the water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury/death for people of all ages, and that potentially, half of all boating deaths could be prevented with the use of life jackets. The CDC also states tha...
With the ongoing drought and fire danger, 19 Block Management Program cooperators in Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7 have restricted or closed access to their land until fire conditions improve. The most updated list is available below, or people may visit the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov to check for any possible additional closures or changes to existing restrictions. Click on Hunting, then Block Management, then under the various regions to track closures. "You may experience additional...
Paddlefish anglers with a yellow harvest tag that are anxious to fish on the Yellowstone River or Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Reservoir in 2016 need to be aware of two issues. First, for anglers with a yellow paddlefish harvest tag, opening day of paddlefish season is Sunday May 15; however the first harvest day is Tuesday May 17. This oddity of opening day results from designated Catch and Release days (Sunday, Monday, and Thursday) and mandatory Catch and Harvest days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). Thus, in 2016, the...
Landowners have until March 15 to submit applications to Fish, Wildlife, & Parks for enrollment in a new program called Unlocking Public Lands that may qualify a landowner for up to $3,000 in annual tax credits. Through this program, a landowner who enters into a contractual agreement with FWP to allow public recreational access across private land to reach a parcel of otherwise inaccessible state or federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or United States Forest Service (USFS) land is entitled to receive a $750 annual tax credit per contract,...
Landowners have until March 15 to submit applications to Fish, Wildlife, & Parks for enrollment in a new program called Unlocking Public Lands that may qualify a landowner for up to $3,000 in annual tax credits. Through this program, a landowner who enters into a contractual agreement with FWP to allow public recreational access across private land to reach a parcel of otherwise inaccessible state or federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or United States Forest Service (USFS) land is entitled to receive a $750 annual tax credit per contract,...
Montana’s Fish & Wildlife Commission will meet Nov. 12 in Helena. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Montana WILD Education Center, 2668 Broadwater Ave. Commissioners will take final action on 2016 fishing regulations; elk hunting shoulder seasons pilot projects beginning in late November in up to seven hunting districts; duck-hunting zone adjustments in Montana’s portion of the Central Flyway; and an addition to the Wall Creek Wildlife Management Area near Ennis. On land matters, commissioners will be asked...
Apprentice hunters, 10-17 years of age, will have the opportunity to obtain a certification to participate in several Montana hunting seasons later this summer. Apprentice hunters will be required to be accompanied by an adult mentor. The Fish & Wildlife Commission is only seeking comment on the proposed rule that defines the completion of hunter education; establishes the process for designating and identifying a mentor; and defines certain mentor responsibilities. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will conduct a public hearing on the proposed...
Paddlefish harvest season closed at Intake fishing access site and in the Yellowstone River and the Missouri River below Fort Peck Dam effective Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 12:00 pm. Thereafter, catch-and-release paddlefishing is allowed only at Intake fishing access site from 6 am – 9 pm, through Saturday, June 13, 2015. With Montana’s paddlefish harvest target expected to be reached, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission agreed today to close the 2015 paddlefish harvest season on the Yellowstone River and the Missouri River below Fort Pec...
BILLINGS — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has lifted its consumption advisory for fish caught on the Yellowstone River near where an oil pipeline broke west of Glendive. On Jan. 17, 2015, the Bridger pipeline broke where it crossed the Yellowstone River upstream from Glendive, dumping 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the water. FWP advised anglers to use caution when deciding whether to eat fish caught downstream from the spill until biologists could test for petroleum in the edible muscle tissues. Sampling for contaminated fish – as well as...
Every five years, North Dakota Game and Fish Department biologists establish a benchmark for deer licenses in the state – a number that will guide management decisions for several years. The five-year goal is an effort that involves biological information from deer surveys and hunter-harvest figures, plus observations and input from game wardens, hunters, landowners and others who have a stake in North Dakota deer management. For this 2010 five-year plan, Game and Fish presented draft goals at the spring advisory meetings, and made numerous c...
Montana’s annual youth-only deer hunt is set for Oct 16-17. The two-day special season is open to properly licensed youngsters ages 12 to 15 who’ve passed a hunter safety course. Additionally, 11-year-olds who passed hunter safety may hunt if they’ll be 12 by Jan. 16, 2015. The youth hunt is typically scheduled during the public schools’ two-day vacation in October, which is scheduled for Oct. 16-17 this year. This puts youth rifle hunters in the field during the final days of Montana’s archery season. “Archers and our young hunters nee...
Mule deer numbers have experienced recent declines in many areas of Montana but should be improving with favorable weather and habitat conditions in 2014. Recent seasonal insect-related disease outbreaks have reduced white-tailed deer populations in parts of eastern, central and west-central Montana. Other areas have stable populations with favorable weather and habitat conditions in 2014 enhancing recruitment levels across the state. Bottom line, deer hunters in Montana will find improving populations but a mix of hunting opportunities when...
Block Management is a cooperative effort between Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), private landowners and public land management agencies to help landowners manage hunting activities and provide free public hunting access to private and isolated public lands. Region 7 alone has over 320 Block Management Area (BMA) cooperators providing over 2.4 million acres of access. Each BMA has its own rules agreed upon by the landowner(s) and FWP regional personnel. Hunters, be sure to read, understand and follow the rules for the BMA you plan to hunt....
Block Management is a cooperative effort between Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), private landowners and public land management agencies to help landowners manage hunting activities and provide free public hunting access to private and isolated public lands. In Region 7 alone, there are over 320 cooperators forming 266 Block Management Areas (BMAs) providing over 2.4 million acres of access. Block Management Areas are unique and range in size from 200 to more than 100,000 acres. Some BMAs have diverse habitat types and offer a wide variety of...
Proposed administrative rules to establish a voluntary management stamp to enable anyone to make a donation to Montana’s wolf program won’t be adopted this year, state wildlife officials said today. Instead, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will convene a diverse group of representative interests to discuss how to balance the challenges and benefits of creating a new or additional way for those who don’t hunt or fish to contribute to wildlife management. The proposed rules would have directed FWP to make available for sale a $20 wolf stamp...
Things are looking up for Montana antelope with populations continuing to recover from previous years’ winter mortality and reduced recruitment in central and eastern Montana. This year, there are even a few more special licenses available reflecting that reduced but improving status. Successful antelope license applicants may recognize increased fawn production in many areas as populations respond to generally favorable weather and habitat conditions in 2014. Montana’s antelope archery season will close Oct. 10 and the general rifle sea...
The Private Land/Public Wildlife Council is seeking comment through Sept.12 on draft recommendations regarding access to public and private land and on improving relationships among those who enjoy, participate and make hunting possible in Montana. Council members worked over the past eight months to develop draft recommendations to help achieve a number of goals, including: (1) maximizing access to public lands; (2) improving communications and relationships among outfitters, landowners, hunters, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks; (3)...
