Your trusted local news source since 1910
Your trusted local news source since 1910
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 54
GREAT FALLS - In the Augusta area of north-central Montana, the five-week general rifle season began with mild weather for the first three weeks of the season, followed by cooler weather and some snow arriving over the last two weeks of the season. Despite that favorable weather the overall harvest finished approximately 10 percent below recent average with 695 big game animals checked at the station during the 2024 season. A total of 2,650 hunters stopped at the check station, representing an approximate 16 percent and 24 percent reduction...
HELENA – Hunters have until Dec. 22 to purchase lottery chances for a guided bison hunt on the Blackfeet Reservation. The drawing will be held on Dec. 23. The lottery is a way FWP partners with the Blackfeet Tribe to demonstrate a shared commitment to managing fish and wildlife across the state and to facilitate hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities. The lottery is open to all hunters – tribal members, nonmembers, Montana residents and nonresidents. Chances are $10 each, and hunters can purchase up to 20 chances. At least 400...
HELENA – With less than a week to go before the final day of the general season, hunters can help ensure the future of public access for generations to come. During these final days, remember “It’s Up to Us. Respect access. Protect the hunt.” This is a message from FWP and partners to encourage hunters to always practice conscientious behavior and show respect for private land and the access landowners provide. There are five actions hunters can take to show respect for landowners to ensure...
HELENA – Muzzleloader heritage season opens on Saturday, Dec. 14, and runs through Sunday, Dec. 22. This season is for heritage muzzleloaders only; no other means of taking game, such as archery, is allowed. Note that some areas have elk shoulder seasons through Feb. 15, where firearms and archery equipment may be allowed. Hunters should also note that many of Montana’s Block Management Areas (BMAs), even though they are open for upland bird or waterfowl through Jan. 1, are not allowing the h...
GREAT FALLS – Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently detected in a mule deer buck taken by a hunter north of Great Falls in Hunting District 404. This is the first time CWD has been detected in that Hunting District. Two tests taken in the first round of testing from the deer came back as positive for CWD, but a final confirmation test was negative. FWP will treat these results as a first detection of CWD in HD 404. Hunters are encouraged to continue having their animals tested for the d...
GREAT FALLS - Based on data collected at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks check station in Augusta, the overall deer and elk harvest remains above average along the southern Rocky Mountain Front as the 2024 general rifle season nears the halfway point. Through the third Sunday and the end of the second full week of the general rifle season, a total of 309 deer and elk have come through the check station, or approximately 28 percent more than the ten-year average, and 12 percent higher than the...
HELENA – The final piece of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting agenda for Nov. 12 was released today outlining the 2024 wolf trapping season dates and proposing new changes to predator trapping to avoid incidental capture of a grizzly bear. This new proposal builds upon a federal court order that limits wolf trapping within a geographic area that includes all of FWP regions 1, 2 and 3, along with the western portions of regions 4 and 5 to Jan. 1 through Feb. 15. First, starting D...
HELENA – Hunters will again have the opportunity to thank landowners who allow hunting access on their land. The “Thank a Landowner” web portal is an easy way for hunters to pass on a note of thanks and a photo to landowners who have allowed them access. FWP collects these submissions and mails the letters and photos to all landowners who were identified. Last year, nearly 600 hunters submitted a thank you note to private landowners through the portal. This portal is part of the “It’s Up...
GREAT FALLS – Hunters in north-central Montana opened the 2024 general big game season on Saturday morning with warm, dry, and windy weather, resulting in fewer hunters afield along with a reduction in harvest success by hunters at the FWP check station in Augusta. A total of 194 hunters in 93 groups stopped at the Augusta check station over the weekend, a decline from the 10-year average of 215 hunters. Harvest success was also about 10% below average with 35 deer and elk checked, along with t...
GLASGOW- 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 p...
GREAT FALLS – Do you know the difference between pictographs and petroglyphs? If you want a chance to learn the answer while getting a first-hand look at both, join First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park for a guided rock art hike on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. A First Peoples Buffalo Jump Ranger will lead the guided hike to the pictographs and petroglyphs found on the cliffs in the park, and participants will learn about two distinctive methods for producing the rock art found i...
GREAT FALLS – First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park is seeking volunteers to assist with trail work on two upcoming days this fall. Work will be conducted on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 9 - 11 a.m. at the north trailhead of the park, consisting of removing encroaching grass along the trail and leveling trail tread. Volunteers are asked to RSVP and meet at the trailhead. A barbeque lunch for volunteers will follow at the visitor center. On Saturday, Nov. 9, volunteers are needed to work on trails d...
BILLINGS – Every year, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff find big game animal carcasses dumped on public and private land. Carcass dumping is illegal and can spread disease. This hunting season, protect our herds and make sure you have a plan to properly dispose of animal carcasses. Under Montana state statute, dumping carcasses on public and private land without the owner’s consent is considered littering and can result in fines not exceeding $500. Conviction of littering while hunting can...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has released a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing potential environmental impacts from the statewide management of grizzly bears. Issuing the final EIS is a key step in a process that started in December of 2022, when FWP originally released the draft EIS for two months of public comment. The draft EIS went out for an additional 30 days of public comment in February of this year to ensure partner agencies, affected county governments, a...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks would like to hear from the public about their river recreation experience. A survey is available on the FWP website on the River Recreation Advisory Council page. The rising popularity of river activities in certain areas has led to challenges, such as conflicts among users and different types of recreation. Additionally, FWP has received feedback about congestion on waterways and at access sites. While most agree on the importance of protecting a...
HELENA – Young hunters can get a jump start this weekend on the pheasant and waterfowl seasons during the annual Youth Pheasant and Waterfowl Weekend, Sept. 21 and 22. FWP releases pheasants that have been raised by Montana Correctional Enterprises on state-owned lands with suitable pheasant habitat. This week, in advance of the youth weekend, FWP is releasing nearly 3,000 birds at wildlife management areas (WMAs) and on suitable state land around Montana. The purpose of the pheasant release p...
BILLINGS – Pictograph Cave State Park is hosting a Junior Ranger program on Friday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration is required for the event and space is limited. This free, hands-on program will feature activities and lessons on local animal identification and habitats, geology and pictographs. The program is open to all ages but is best suited for youth 6-12 years old. An adult guardian must accompany youth for the entire program. Youth and guardians should wear w...
GREAT FALLS – For thousands of years, humans helped navigate their travels by gazing up at celestial bodies in the night sky. On April 5, First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park is offering a chance for modern-day visitors to recreate that experience by holding a Star Gazing Party from 8 – 10 p.m. at the park’s visitor center. Rangers and staff from the park along with the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center will help visitors explore the night sky through storytelling and identification of celes...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will implement changes this year to the reservation process for state park sites. The changes will create more opportunities for recreationists to enjoy state parks and comply with legislation passed by the 2023 Legislature. Starting this year, visitors will have up to three months prior to their planned arrival date to make campsite and lodging reservations or purchase tour tickets. This is a change from the six-month booking window in the past. V...
HELENA – Starting Jan. 1, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will require Hunter and Bowhunter Education students age 12 to 17 who take the online course to pass an in-person field day. Students in that age group must pass both the online exam and the field day to earn a course completion certificate. For Hunter Education, the in-person field day will require students to practice and demonstrate key safety skills related to firearm handling, the four main rules of firearm safety, and the PROVE p...
GREAT FALLS – Giant Springs State Park in Great Falls is holding two events in October to help visitors get outdoors to celebrate autumn and learn new outdoor skills. Get in the Halloween spirit by attending the “Fishing for Pumpkins Festival” held on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 12 to 4 p.m. The festival will feature a variety of family-friendly events celebrating the changing seasons, including a bean bag toss, pumpkin carving, sack races, musical chairs, face painting, migration challenge game, spook...
HELENA – General antelope season opens this 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, inc...
HELENA – Montana’s two-day, youth-only deer hunt is coming up Oct. 19 and 20, and general deer season opens Oct. 21. Now is a good time to consider signing up for the Apprentice Hunter Program. The apprentice hunter program allows people ages 10 and older to hunt as apprentices with a mentor for two seasons without completing a Hunter Education course. Fish, Wildlife & Parks highly recommends that interested people visit the website at fwp.mt.gov and read the packet on the Apprentice Hunter Pro...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has recently received questions on Montana’s Stream Access Law and how it is applied across the state. For landowners and recreationists alike, it’s important to know about the law and understand how it applies to private land and water-based recreation. “The public has a right to enjoy water-based recreation on rivers and streams in Montana below the high-water mark,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple. “The public also has the right to access rivers and...
