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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...
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...
Dear Montana Hunter, You can help prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease in Montana’s herds of elk, deer, and moose by getting your animal tested. By testing your animal for CWD, you are not only protecting our herds, but also the future of our hunting opportunities. Your test results help Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks gather data to evaluate the effectiveness of CWD management. FWP needs samples not only from hunting districts (HDs) where CWD is known to be, but also in HDs where it has...
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 – 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...
GREAT FALLS – The Golden Triangle Chapter of Pheasants Forever and the Golden Triangle Sporting Dog Club are hosting a free youth pheasant hunt on Saturday, Sept. 23, at a private upland shooting preserve near Great Falls. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will be at the event with hunting and access information and giveaways. The event is open to youth hunters who have completed a Hunter Education class. At the event, youth will participate in gun safety instruction and shooting at clay pigeon station before being accompanied into the field f...
GREAT FALLS – A hunter shot and wounded a grizzly bear on Tuesday near Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area near Fairfield. The surprise encounter happened on the morning of Sept. 12. The hunter was walking along a shelter belt hunting for upland birds on private land when he was charged by the bear, which based on evidence of the animal found at the scene is believed to be an adult male. The hunter fired twice with his shotgun at less than 15 feet, hitting the bear at least once and c...
HELENA – Two weeks ago, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ biologists were busy flying over Montana’s prairies counting pronghorn, or antelope. This week antelope licenses were drawn for the upcoming hunting season. These two circumstances are directly related and demonstrate how work on the ground directly affects hunters and the opportunities they have each fall. First, it’s important to set the stage. Every two years, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission establishes a quota range for mos...
GREAT FALLS - Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks has selected Jason Rhoten to serve as the new supervisor for the Region 4 administrative area. Rhoten began his FWP career in 2010 as the Glendive area fisheries biologist. He later worked in Columbus, where he was responsible for the management of waters including the Yellowstone, Stillwater and Boulder rivers, as well as the Beartooth mountain lakes complex. In 2019, he moved to Great Falls as regional fisheries manager, and he had served as...
GREAT FALLS – During a recent survey of bats at Lick Creek Cave in Cascade County, biologists detected the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS). WNS is a fungal disease that has killed over 6 million bats in North America since 2006, and biologists are closely monitoring the disease as it spreads westward across the United States. The disease causes a powdery white fungus to grow on the skin of hibernating bats, often on the face and wings, which causes irritation and dehydration. T...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public input on how it should move forward with developing shooting ranges throughout the state. An online survey is open now to gauge public interest in shooting ranges and public opinion on what should be included when considering the development of new shooting ranges or improvement to existing shooting ranges. This 10-minute survey will help gather detailed information to guide efforts throughout the next five to 10 years. FWP recently l...
HELENA - As part of the department’s response to declining trout populations in the Jefferson Basin, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks today launched a new web portal to collect information from members of the public who see sick or dead fish. The new portal, sickfish.mt.gov, enables Montanans and visitors to our state to report a description of sick or dead fish, including details on the location. Participants are encouraged to upload a photo to assist FWP biologists. Though FWP is interested in t...
The legal fight over the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s approval of a central Montana copper mine made an appearance in the Montana Supreme Court Wednesday. During an hour-long hearing, justices dove deep into weedy regulatory issues focusing on the safety of storing mine tailings and how the mine is expected to influence water quality in Sheep Creek, a tributary of the Smith River. The Black Butte Mine, which is expected to produce 14.5 million tons of high-grade copper over its 13-year operational life, is the focus of the l...
HELENA - On the final day of a groundbreaking constitutional climate trial that activists hope will establish solid legal precedent and incite systemic change to Montana's standard of approving fossil fuel projects, an 18-year-old plaintiff from Kalispell characterized the end of the lengthy legal proceedings as "just the beginning." "We're hopefully starting a trickle down of other litigation and activism nationally," Lander Busse, who was raised in Kalispell along with his brother, a...
HELENA – Going fishing soon? Don’t forget your camera. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wants to feature your fun on the next fishing regulations booklet. Winners will see their work on the front and back cover of the 2024 fishing regulation booklet. Think beyond the brag board. We’re looking for unique or unusual photos, perhaps a state record fish or a fish never previously seen on the cover. Help FWP show what diverse fish can be found in Montana. Photo contest: - Photo must be vertical (port...
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on a goldfish removal project and a parking access project. For more information, including how to submit comments, click on the link provided or visit fwp.mt.gov/public-notices. Goldfish removal near Big Sandy draft environmental assessment FWP proposes to remove the illegally introduced goldfish population from the affected pond near the town of Big Sandy. FWP would use the piscicide rotenone to eliminate distribution of the i...
