Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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A Shepherd man lost his hunting privileges for 16 years and will pay fines and restitution exceeding $6,000 after pleading guilty to 16 state and federal charges of poaching mule deer and leaving some parts at a federal recreation area. Brayden Reed, 19, pleaded guilty in Yellowstone County Justice Court to four counts of unlawful possession of deer, two counts of wasting game, three counts of hunting during a closed season, two counts of unlawful use of equipment, two counts of hunting without...
Have you ever wanted to be a tour guide or work in caves? At Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park, you can do both. Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is hosting a hiring event for seasonal tour guide positions on Monday, July 11. Applicants can come to the main visitor center any time between 1 PM and 4 PM where on-the-spot interviews will be held. These positions will not exceed 90 work days. Tour guides lead hikes through the caverns two to three times a day. The position entails walking 6 miles of moderately steep terrain plus about 1,800 stairs...
Bannack State Park's signature event, Bannack Days, is scheduled for the third weekend in July, with many traditional activities, displays and re-enactments celebrating Montana's first territorial capital. Bannack Days are scheduled to happen Saturday, July 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, July 17, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for individuals ages 6 and older, or $20 per family. Admission is free for children ages 5 and younger. Food and drinks can be purchased from vendors...
Elk hunters interested in signing up for an opportunity to hunt cow elk on private lands enrolled in Elk Hunting Access (EHA) agreements can do so today through Aug 1. The resulting EHA public hunter list will be randomized with hunters contacted sequentially starting at the top of the list. This email contact will include instructions for timely next steps the hunter needs to take to participate in the access opportunity. The participating private lands are located in hunting districts 416, 426, 445 and 590. The required hunting licenses are E...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on several proposals slated to go to the Fish and Wildlife Commission in August. Under the new commission process, FWP is taking public comment on these proposals now and will present the collected comments and proposals to the commission for their review and decisions on Aug. 25. Commissioners can offer amendments to the proposals as they see fit. The proposals and supporting documents, commissioner amendments and collected public comment will be available on the FWP website two weeks...
Hunters interested in signing up for licenses or permits left over from the special license and permit drawing can do so from June 20 through July 20. This new process for the sale of surplus licenses began in 2020 in response to issues in years past. The old process was vulnerable to long lag times, confusion and a perception of inequity for those unable to use the first-come, first-served online option starting at 5 AM. Hunters can sign up for leftover licenses and permits that were not distributed by the drawing through MyFWP on the FWP...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Licensing Bureau is soliciting proposals from conservation organizations that are interested in conducting a competitive auction or lottery for some 2023 licenses. Licenses available for auction include bighorn sheep, Shiras moose, and mountain goat. Licenses available for auction or lottery include mule deer and elk. The Montana Administrative Rules that apply to these licenses include eligibility requirements and can be found at https://bit.ly/3zTjCyg. All proposals must be submitted by July 15. Written p...
Following conversations with officials in Park County, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has closed the Yellowstone River in Park County to all recreational use due to public safety risks caused by extremely high water levels, endangered and failing infrastructure, flooded and impassible access roads, and limited availability of search and rescue resources. All fishing access sites on the Yellowstone River in Park County are also closed from the Yellowstone National Park boundary to Springdale Bridge Fishing Access Site. Most fishing access sites...
More events are coming up this month as part of Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park’s summer speaker series. A full list of this summer’s events at the Caverns can be found at fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/lewis-and-clark-caverns. June 17 through 20: On Friday, June 17, the park will welcome Bill and Marti Cook. The Cooks are bear awareness instructors, and their presentation will include everything recreationists need to know about being safe while exploring bear country. They will also be available for questions throughout the day. This presentation wil...
An online education course is now available for people looking to get into trapping. The mandatory course is free and can be accessed on Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website. The education program will include online course work and a mandatory field day where new trappers can learn from experienced trappers about trapping ethics, humane techniques, avoidance of non-target species, fur management, and safety. This course also includes the mandatory wolf trapper certification for anyone looking to also trap wolves. Two field days are already...
Two people received relatively minor injuries Wednesday in a surprise close encounter with a moose in Big Sky. A group of seven people were walking between Turkey Leg and Sitting Bull roads at Big Sky Resort about 10 a.m. when they were charged by a cow moose. Two people in the group, a woman and a man, received relatively minor injuries. A game warden with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks responded and interviewed several people who had previously seen a cow moose and a calf in the area recently. It’s likely the moose was acting in defense of t...
Cave geology, skulls, and birds are the focus of Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park’s speaker series events happening on June 10, 11, and 13. The park will welcome Stuart Parker on Friday, June 10 at 8 PM at the campground amphitheater. Stuart will discuss the mountain building that occurred in this area and how it influenced the formation of the cave. Join park ranger Ramona Radonich on Saturday, June 11, at 8 PM. at the campground amphitheater for a closer look at the skulls of several animals that live in the park. It has been said that f...
Bats, snakes and flowers are the themes of talks that will be featured at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park in early June. The Caverns will welcome guest speaker Dan Bachen on Friday, June 3, at 8 p.m. at the Campground Amphitheater. The park is home to 12 species of bats. Bachen will present a natural history of bats in the state and the current state of research and knowledge surrounding them. Caverns park ranger Ramona Radonich will present “Goodness Snakes Alive!” on Saturday, June 4, at 8 p.m. at the Campground Amphitheater. In this pro...
Staff at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park are pleased to announce cave tour tickets can now be reserved in advance for the 2022 season. Starting June 1, visitors can reserve tickets for June 4 through Sept. 30 by visiting fwp.mt.gov/stateparks or by calling 1-855-922-6768. Visitors are encouraged to visit fwp.mt.gov/stateparks frequently as tour options, times and availability may change throughout the season. Beginning May 28, the upper visitor area will be open, and cave tours will be offered six days per week, Wednesday through Monday. Days...
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is kicking off its interpretive program season over Memorial Day weekend. The birds and the bees have returned to the park, and AmeriCorps member Taryn Eveland will present a program titled “The Birds & The Bees” on Friday, May 27, at 8 p.m. at the campground amphitheater. In this talk you will discover how these animals face and overcome the challenges of building a home in the wildly diverse landscapes of the park. On Saturday, May 28, at 8 p.m. at the campground amphitheater, park ranger Ramona Radonich wil...
Every Friday, Saturday, and Monday in June, Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park will offer interpretive programs that cover the amazing plants, animals, and geology outside of the cave. The park’s Friday Night Speaker Series takes place at the Campground Amphitheater and begins at 8 p.m. Most programs last about an hour. Speakers and dates are as follows: June 3: Dan Bachen: Wildlife Monitoring June 10: Stuart Parker: Geology of Caves June 17: Bill & Marti Cook: Bears June 24: Dianna Kellie: History of the Area The park’s Saturday evening pro...
Staff at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park are pleased to reopen the cave for the 2022 season. Tours will be offered until September 30. Visitors are encouraged to visit the state parks website frequently as tour options, times and availability may change throughout the season. Tour reservations will be taken this summer starting Memorial Day weekend by calling 1-855-922-6768 or by visiting fwp.mt.gov/stateparks. During the month of May, the upper visitor area will be open and cave tours will be...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on proposals for mountain lion quotas and special limited licenses, trumpeter swan reintroductions, new Rainbow Lake fishing regulations, and pheasant releases. The Fish and Wildlife Commission will make a final decision on these proposals at its June 23 meeting. Under the new commission process, FWP is taking public comment on these proposals now and will present the collected comments and proposals to the commission for review. Commissioners can offer amendments to the proposals as...
After deer and elk permits were drawn Thursday, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks uncovered an error in the drawing process affecting less than three percent of applications across the state in 10 hunting districts. This year the Fish and Wildlife Commission changed several elk hunting districts to “first and only choice” for applications, meaning if hunters want to hunt any of these districts, they forfeit the option to list a second or third choice on their application. Due to an error in the current licensing system regarding “first and only...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff are seeking public comments on a proposed fee-title acquisition of about 3.5 acres of private land west of Dillon to become a new fishing access site along the Beaverhead River. FWP is undertaking the process of acquiring the parcel as a donation from the Beaverhead Trails Coalition, a nonprofit in Dillon. A neighboring landowner donated the property to the coalition in 2021. The site would be known as Cornell Park Fishing Access Site. Following the acquisition, FWP staff would restore 325 feet of...
Volunteer instructors will host a Bowhunter Education course at the Montana WILD Education Center in Helena this month. The class is scheduled over three days: • April 29, 6 to 9 p.m. • April 30, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. • May 1, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students will need to pick up a course manual from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks headquarters, 1420 E. Sixth Ave., or Montana WILD, 2668 Broadwater Ave, and complete it prior to the first day of class. Students can sign up for Hunter and Bowhunter Education courses by visiting fwp.mt.gov/h...
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park will host its largest volunteer event of the year on Saturday, April 9, as part of an early celebration of Earth Day later in the month. The event includes repairing the park’s damaged and winter-worn trails, as well as removing invasive weeds, to keep the park’s trail system healthy and easy to use. The project will begin at the group use pavilion on April 9 at 9 a.m. and is expected to last until 12:30 p.m. Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves, sturdy shoes, drinking water, and clothes for out...
The 2022 license year opens March 1, which means that is the day you can buy new hunting and fishing licenses and begin applying for permits and special licenses. The deadline to apply for deer and elk permits is April 1. Applications for most species – deer, elk, antelope, deer B, elk B, antelope B, moose, sheep, goat, bison, bear, turkey – can be made beginning March 1. This spring Fish, Wildlife & Parks will be launching the new MyFWP mobile app that will store and display licenses, permits, and digital carcass tags, known as E-Tags, which c...
Hunter and Bowhunter Education classes will be offered in several locations throughout southwest Montana this year. Many of these classes have been scheduled and will soon be open for registration. Hunter and Bowhunter Education classes are taught by skilled volunteer instructors and offer hands-on learning experiences, mentoring opportunities, and the ability for students to ask questions of experienced hunters. Students learn how to handle firearms and archery equipment safely, basic survival skills, hunting ethics, wildlife management, game...
A Helena man received a lifetime ban from hunting and trapping in Montana as part of his sentence for illegally killing a trophy moose east of Townsend in 2019. Shiloh Berry, 41, was sentenced Friday in Broadwater County District Court after pleading guilty last fall to unlawful possession of a game animal, hunting without a valid license and waste of a game animal. In addition to the lifetime ban from hunting and trapping, Berry's sentence includes a three-year suspension of fishing...
