Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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The Montana Master Hunter Program (MHP) is accepting applications for the 2024 program. The deadline is Nov. 30. Led by One Montana, the MHP is for hunters who want to continue to improve and hone their skills, build relationships with landowners to aid their wildlife management goals and be an advocate for conservation and wildlife. Classes will be held in Bozeman (March), Missoula (April), and Kalispell (May). To apply or learn more, visit https://www.mtmasterhunter.com/how-to-apply [mtmasterhunter.com]....
Montana’s general hunting season has reached the midpoint this week with steady hunter numbers and mixed success rates as recorded at game check stations in southwestern Montana. Wildlife biologists with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks use check stations to collect data on hunter participation and success, as well as the species, sex, and age class of the animals harvested. This supplements data collected through hunter-harvest phone surveys each year. On Nov. 4 and 5, biologists operated four check stations in the region and met with 995 h...
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 foodbank. 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 positive for CWD,...
Fishing will close starting Oct. 1 for sections of the Big Hole, Ruby and Beaverhead rivers to protect trout during spawning season. The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted emergency fishing regulations in June in response to struggling fish populations in the three rivers. These restrictions limit fall angling during the brown trout spawning season in some stretches of the rivers. Trout abundances in several areas of the three rivers have steadily declined since 2011 and are at or near historical lows. Meanwhile, fishing pressure in...
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 streams from the public road right of ways and easements...
Staff at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park are seeking volunteers to help with a post-season cleaning of the caverns. Volunteers in this event will get the chance to see the park up close as they work to reduce some of the impacts from visitors in the cave and on outdoor trails. This includes removing lint and dust from the cave formations, steps, and pathways. Trail work will involve pulling noxious weeds and repairing rutted trails. The event will be on Saturday, October 7, from 9 AM to 12 PM. Volunteers will meet at the Main Visitor Center...
Bear specialists with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks have concluded a field investigation into a grizzly bear encounter that injured a man south of Big Sky last week. The attack happened Friday, Sept. 8, in the Yellow Mule area of the Madison Range. During the encounter, one of the victim’s companions fired a pistol at the bear before the bear left. The victim suffered serious injuries from the bear and was flown to a hospital. FWP staff flew over the area Saturday to look for a bear that may have been wounded. No bears were found during the a...
On September 15, 2023, 9-year-old Sarah Simons of Texas was sworn in as Montana's first-ever honorary game warden. The ceremony occurred at the community center in West Yellowstone during a vacation to Yellowstone National Park with her family. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Chief of Law Enforcement Ron Howell presided over the ceremony and administered the oath of office to Sarah in front of her family and several other Montana game wardens. Upon completing the oath of office, Sarah was...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking a current high school student to fill a two-year term on the Future Fisheries citizen review panel. FWP’s Future Fisheries Improvement Program grants approximately $1 million annually for projects to improve and restore Montana’s wild fish habitats. The 14-member citizen review panel meets twice a year to review proposals and recommend projects to the Fish & Wildlife Commission for funding. Review panel members are appointed by the governor, or his representative, and must represent a variety of int...
Westslope cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling passage will be improved in the Mount Haggin Wildlife Area when four culverts are removed or replaced in the French Creek watershed. A landowner’s streambank on the Musselshell River will be stabilized with natural materials to stop erosion while also creating fish habitat. These projects are two of eight that recently received funding by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission through the Future Fisheries Improvement Program (FFIP). Approximately $427,500 in funding was approved to improve M...
An angler killed a grizzly bear in self-defense this week in the Tom Miner Basin. The encounter happened on Aug. 30 on private land along Tom Miner Creek. Two anglers were walking through dense vegetation when they were charged by a grizzly bear. One of the anglers shot and killed the bear. No people were injured. The bear’s behavior was likely defensive in the surprise, close encounter. The bear was an adult male grizzly. This incident is still under investigation. Montana is bear country. Grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and...
A small portion of the Jefferson River will be closed to all recreation while construction of a new bridge on Meridian Road continues. The closure will extend from Williams’ Bridge Fishing Access Site to the bridge site on Meridian Road beginning Tuesday, Aug. 22. The closure will be lifted on Saturday, Aug. 26. For updated information on restrictions and closures of waterbodies and lands, visit fwp.mt.gov/news/current-closures-restrictions....
Block Management Area (BMA) Program information for 2023 will be available to hunters beginning Aug. 10. Hunters can request their BMA Access Guide online and can print individual BMA property maps and rules at fwp.mt.gov/hunt/access/blockmanagement. The Block Management webpage allows hunters to download the Access Guide, up-to-date BMA maps, and rules for every individual BMA enrolled in the program. These individual BMA property maps and rules are important for hunters to know and understand for each property they plan on hunting. Not all...
So far this year, FWP and its partners have inspected 66,000 watercraft for aquatic invasive species. Of those, 35 were mussel-fouled and more than 200 were found with aquatic weeds. FWP and partner agencies, which include tribes, counties and conservation districts, operate more than 17 road-side watercraft inspection stations across the state. To find a watercraft inspection station or to learn more, go to CleanDrainDryMT.com or call the FWP Aquatic Invasive Species Bureau at 406-444-2440. A July survey for Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) in...
Several events have been scheduled at Lewis & Clark Caverns state parks. There is no cost to Montana residents to attend these programs. An $8 entrance fee applies at Montana state parks for all nonresident vehicles. Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park has more fun interpretive programs planned in August that highlight the wildlife, night skies, and more from Montana’s first state park. Each of these programs will begin at the campground amphitheater. Join park ranger Ramona Radonich for the following: August 5 at 8 PM: “Goodness Snakes Ali...
Anyone training bird dogs using game birds not raised in captivity needs to hold a bird dog training license, whether on private or public land. If you are training dogs with captive-reared birds, a license is not required. These licenses can be purchased online through the FWP Online License Service, any FWP regional office or any license provider. The license is $5 for residents ages 18 and over and $10 for nonresidents 18 and over. For residents and nonresidents ages 12 to 17, the license is free. Bird dog training season with wild birds on...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is advising anglers that portions of the Beaverhead River, Bitterroot River, and the entire Jefferson River are closed to all fishing daily from 2 PM to midnight, effective Wednesday, July 19. The restrictions will stay in effect until conditions improve. The hoot-owl restrictions are issued for: Jefferson River – the entire river, from the Missouri River to the confluence of the Big Hole River and Beaverhead River Beaverhead River –from the confluence of the Big Hole River to Anderson Lane. Bitterroot River – f...
Hunter Education classes and a Trapper Education field day are scheduled in several areas of southwestern Montana next month. All in-person classes are free. HUNTERS EDUCATION: • Livingston begins Aug. 2 • Butte begins Aug. 14 • Bozeman begins Aug. 21 Trapper Education field day in Livingston on August 25. Registration is required to attend these classes. To sign up or to see other classes happening in Montana, visit register-ed.com/programs/montana. Hunter and Trapper education classes are taught by skilled volunteer instructors, offer...
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 15, from 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday, July 16, from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. 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 during the...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is launching several research efforts in response to trout declines in the Big Hole, Beaverhead, and Ruby Rivers. FWP, in partnership with Montana State University, has a four-pronged approach, including the following three studies: Fish mortality study: A mortality study on the Big Hole, Beaverhead, and Ruby Rivers, as well as the Madison River, will include tagging adult fish to assess how flows, water temperatures, angling, and disease influence survival. This study would also help measure the success of...
Working with the 68th Legislature, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) simplified licensing requirements on state lands as part of Governor Gianforte’s Red Tape Relief Task Force. The two agencies consolidated the conservation license and state lands recreational use license into one annual conservation license, supporting the maintenance of places like fishing access sites (FAS), wildlife management areas (WMA). On Montana school trust lands, conservation license sales...
Elk hunters interested in how Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks manages elk will get a chance to weigh in on the new draft elk management plan starting today. The plan will be available on FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities/draft-elk-plan. The public is invited to comment on the plan; deadline for comments is July 31. “We’re anxious for public input on this new draft plan, particularly on the hunting district objectives and the suite of management tools we have laid out,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple. The plan wa...
Hunters who will not be able to use their license this season have the opportunity to donate that license. Residents and nonresidents can donate their hunting license to a disabled military veteran or disabled active-duty service member who is working with an organization that uses hunting as part of the rehabilitation process. The license donor program began in 2013, and each year between 40 and 60 hunters donate their licenses. Reasons vary, but according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks...
Hunters can sign up for leftover licenses and permits that were not distributed by the drawing through MyFWP on the FWP website. The resulting Surplus License List will be randomized with hunters at the top of the list contacted via email with instructions to finalize their purchase within a specified time. To be placed on the Surplus License List, resident, and nonresident hunters can sign up through the MyFWP portal. This process requires hunters to keep their email address current in their ALS records. Payment of the license fee is not...
New emergency fishing regulations are in place for the Big Hole, Beaverhead and Ruby rivers. The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the new regulations during its June 8 meeting. These restrictions limit angling during the brown trout spawning season and harvest in some stretches of the rivers. Trout abundances in several areas of the three rivers have steadily declined since 2011 and are at or near historical lows. Meanwhile, fishing pressure in these areas has increased. The emergency fishing regulations aim to be responsive to...
