Archive for the ‘Hunting’ Category
FWP Access Program Offers Tax Credits to Landowners
Landowners have until March 15 to submit applications to Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks for enrollment in a program that may qualify them for up to $2,000 in annual tax credits.... more
Mount Jumbo Wildlife Closure Begins December 1
Mount Jumbo's North Zone is closed from December 1 until May 1. Trespassing during the wildlife closure is prohibited and violators may be fined up to $500. ... more
The Rut Kicks in as Hunting Season Reaches Final Weeks
By DILLON TABISH - With the rut in full swing, the annual big game hunting season is counting down in Montana. The last day to hunt deer and elk is Nov. 30.... more
Two Dog Years
By ROB BREEDING - I’m in my early 50s and I’ve begun to measure my time in bird dog years. My current hunting partner, Doll, is 5 and I can reasonably expect another 5 to 7 years with her.... more
Hunters Need To Be Bear Aware
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Hunters along the Rocky Mountain Front, especially bird hunters in riparian areas, need to be aware they are in bear country.... more
Montana Hunting Guide 2014
By DILLON TABISH - The arrival of autumn marks the beginning of big game hunting season, a beloved time of year for the thousands of Montana residents who partake in the traditional custom.... more
Archery Season in Montana: Technology’s Role
By BRUCE AUCHLY-Let’s be clear. Advances in gear, archery equipment and clothing are wonderful. They are also not the culprit. The problem is not technology but what it does to us. ... more
Hunting is a Bargain for Nonresident College Students
By BRUCE AUCHLY - A discount on Montana’s big game combination license will be available beginning Sept. 9 for nonresident college students to hunt in Montana.... more
Hunters Must Expect to See Bears
With Montana's upland game bird season opening Sept.1—and the bow hunting season set to open Sept. 6—remember that slow moving, quiet and camouflaged hunters will soon be encountering bears.... more
Hunters: Make Fire Safety a Top Priority This Season
By JOLEEN TADEJ - About 5,000 Montana archery hunters can head afield beginning Aug. 15, and ALL early season hunters need to make wildfire prevention a top priority.... more
What Do Ants Taste Like?
By BRUCE AUCHLY-So does an ant taste like a bitter, or lemony, crunchy morsel to a rainbow trout? Nobody knows, and the trout I’ve talked to, don’t answer.... more
The Name Game
By ROB BREEDING - I used to correct people when they used the A word. Pronghorns are not true antelope, I’d explain, and are actually an animal in a family all by themselves.... more
Becoming an Outdoors Woman Summer Workshop August 1-3
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' popular Becoming an Outdoors-Woman summer workshop is set for August 1-3 at Boulder Hot Springs near Boulder.... more
Fish and Wildlife Commission Adopts New Hunting Regulations
Montana's fish and wildlife commissioners recently adopted a number of new regulations that will be in effect for the next two hunting seasons.... more
Winter Survival
By BRUCE AUCHLY - While we can adapt to winter's overdue cold spells, wild animals have three basic strategies for dealing with winter and they are the same each year, no matter the weather.... more
New Hunt & Fish Licenses; Deer & Elk Permit Applications Available
Montana's new 2014 hunting and fishing year begins March 1. Licenses are now on sale along with applications for resident and nonresident buck deer and either-sex elk hunting permits.... more
Christmas Shopping Suggestions for the Outdoor-Type
By ROB BREEDING - It's hard to buy Christmas gifts for the serious hunter or angler, but here are a few gifts I think most culinary-minded outdoors types would love to find under the tree:... more
Turkey Day Blues
By ROB BREEDING - Who was the bright boy who decided to foul a national sports holiday with a feast centered on an impossibly difficult-to-cook bird? ... more
Elk Totals Above Average, Deer Below Average on Rocky Mountain Front
By BRUCE ACHLEY - At the end of the fourth weekend of Montana’s big game general season, harvest numbers for elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer continues below the long-term average on the Rocky Mountain Fr... more
Elk Hunting: It’s a Young Person’s Game
By BRUCE AUCHLY - So why, you may ask, do I continue to go elk hunting. Each year it gets harder. The mountains are taller. My muscles ache more.... more
Hunters, The Time is NOW!
By TONY REINHARDT - Weather is a huge factor during hunting season and this latest storm front making its’ way through the state is what many hunters have been waiting for. ... more
Big Game Harvest Continues Down on Rocky Mountain Front
By BRUCE ACHLEY - At the end of the fourth weekend of Montana’s big game general season, harvest numbers for elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer continues below the long-term average on the Rocky Mountain Fr... more
Dodging Deer
By ROB BREEDING - Judging by the deer carcasses that line roadways in the Northern Rockies pretty much year round, I’m convinced they rarely look before they cross the road.... more
Hunter Numbers Strong, Wildlife Harvest Down on Rocky Mountain Front
By BRUCE AUCHLY The number of hunters remains strong on the Rocky Mountain Front but the number of animals taken is mostly below the 10-year average at the close of the second weekend of Montana’s general ... more
Opening of Big Game Season Slightly Below Average on Rocky Mountain Front
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Hunters hit the Rocky Mountain Front for the opening weekend of Montana’s general big game season and took home slightly fewer elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer compared to the past three... more
Avoid These 10 Common Hunting Mistakes
By BRUCE AUCHLEY - Here are 10 problem areas, courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens, that hunters seem to stumble over year after year:... more
Diseased Deer Prompt Immediate Changes to Region 4 Deer Hunting
By BRUCE AUCHLY - The Fish and Wildlife commission has taken additional action to address the effects of disease on white-tailed deer in north central Montana.... more
Turning the Corner
By ROB BREEDING - The signs of change are in the air. Yesterday I wore fleece to work. And the other night when my students had to work late in the lab, I fixed them a pot of soup. ... more
Hunters Beware: Two Grizzlies Spotted on Sun River near Simms, Fort Shaw
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Two separate grizzly bear sightings since Sunday near the Sun River west of Great Falls have prompted state wildlife officials to alert homeowners and hunters in the area.... more
Fall is Here in Montana
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Fall is a welcome assault on the senses. We see it, hear it and smell it. For those who hunt, or wait for cooler water to fish again, there's not other season like it.... more
The Third Week in September
It's the autumnal equinox, which some equate with death. But for hunters, anglers, and hikers, the third week of September is a time to anticipate, to delight in, to anxiously await. ... more
Heads You Lose
By ROB BREEDING - I’ve got an elk head on the wall. I should say “had” an elk head on the wall. It’s been in storage for the last year. It will be back up on the wall soon, once I get situated in my new... more
No-Wait Nonresident Deer Hunting Licenses Going Fast
F.Y.I. - With fewer than 300 no-wait nonresidents deer combo hunting licenses left for sale out-of-state hunters still hoping to trek to Montana this fall need to move fast.... more
Hunters Must Expect to See Bears
With Montana's upland game bird season opening Sept.1—and the bow hunting season set to open Sept. 7—remember that hunters will soon be sharing the landscape with bears.... more
White-tailed Deer, Elk Harvest Up on Rocky Mountain Front
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Hunters on the Rocky Mountain Front took home more elk and white-tailed deer than average but fewer mule deer during the general big game season, which ended Nov. 25.... more
Elk, Whitetail Harvest Up, Mule Deer Below Average on Rocky Mountain Front
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Elk and white-tailed deer harvest numbers continue above average, while the mule deer harvest is down on the Rocky Mountain Front.... more
Avoid These 10 Common Hunting Mistakes
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Here are 10 problem areas, courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens, that hunters seem to stumble over year after year:... more
Bear Spray: Carry It and Know How to Use It
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and Jack Hanna tell why it's important to carry bear spray and know how to use it this hunting season.... more
FWP Offers New Improved Montana Hunt Planner Map
The Montana Hunter Planner just got rejuvenated—right in time for Montana's primetime hunting seasons. The new, improved Montana Hunt Planner is an interactive search and now combines a one-stop mapping servi... more
Hunting Access: Ask Early, Don’t Wait
It is Montana law that hunters obtain landowner permission to hunt on all private land. Here are a few tips that could improve your chances to secure permission.... more
North Central Montana Deer and Elk Hunting Outlook
By BRUCE AUCHLY - The news for big game this fall in north central Montana is decidedly mixed. Elk and white-tailed deer numbers are solid. However, that’s generally not the case for antelope and mule deer. ... more
The Itch to Hunt in Western Montana
By BRUCE AUCHLY - The itch starts about this time of year. The itch to be in the field, trying to bugle in an elk, following a dog along a coulee on a hunt for Hungarian partridge, scouting an antelope buck as ... more
It’s Skwala Season on the Bitterroot River
By BRYCE MCLEAN - It's a special time of year to fish in Montana. When you look through snowflakes to see a 22-inch brown come up for a dry fly, you'll know what I mean.... more
Missoula Story of the Week: Wolf Hunting in Montana
By TOM DIDDEL - A recap of this week's most talked-about story in Missoula. This week, it's wolf hunting in Montana and the controversy that surrounds it.... more
Between the Sporting Seasons
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Most outdoor enthusiasts are in the doldrums right now, wondering what to do between seasons and how to keep from going crazy.... more
Missoula Bucks Lightening their Loads
By PAUL QUENEAU - February is antler-shedding month for many whitetails and mule deer around western Montana. ... more
Fly Fishing Film Tour This Friday at the Wilma
By BRYCE MCLEAN - The Fly Fishing Film Tour is this Friday at the Wilma!... more
Don’t Underestimate Fishing in Winter in Montana
By BRYCE MCLEAN - People often underestimate winter fishing in Montana. Sure, you might go 4 days without catching a fish, but on the fifth day, you might catch the biggest trout of your life. ... more
Elk Hunting in Montana: A Bit of History
By BRUCE AUCHLY - Thanks to conservation efforts, there are now roughly 150,000 elk ranging in Montana. Whether or not you got your elk, these are the good old days of elk hunting.... more