Archive for the ‘Hunting’ Category

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

Oh Deer

By BRUCE AUCHLY - It was great to see seven mule deer walk by the front of the house yesterday. Why? Because they passed by the newly fenced vegetable garden in the back of the house.... 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

River to Table: A “Blast and Cast” Trout and Duck Harvest

By BRYCE MCLEAN and MATT DEVLIN - As big game season comes to an end, we find ourselves looking for other ways to spend our weekends. Fortunately, fishing season lives on and duck season still has two months to... more

How to Lose a Staring Contest with an Elk

By PAUL QUENEAU - Montana’s rifle hunting season is over, my freezer sits empty, but I’m more grateful than ever for this place that I live.... more

Hunting for Clarity on Thanksgiving Break

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER - Whether you're in Missoula or not, if you live or have ever lived in Montana, count yourself lucky. 20 years of Big Sky Country have taught me to be thankful.... more

Paul Queneau Showcases Missoula’s Stunning Fall Foliage

Paul Queneau sent us so many gorgeous fall color photos for his post, Missoula's Fall Colors: The Best Ever?, that we couldn't resist putting them all in one big gallery for you to enjoy.... more

Montana’s 2011 Elk Season Outlook

Montana's general elk season is Oct. 22 – Nov. 27 and Montana’s elk hunters should experience some good hunting this year, especially in parts of western and central Montana.... more

Avoid Common Violations by Remembering These Montana Hunting Regulations

BY MFWP. Before heading to the field for Montana’s big game season opener on Saturday, Oct. 22, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials ask that hunters avoid common violations by remembering these tips:... more

Missoula’s Bucks are Ready to Rumble

By PAUL QUENEAU A tension is mounting around Missoula. Look any direction from town and you may likely see gangs of mule and whitetail deer bucks growing increasingly at odds. Turbulent. Agitated. A month... more

Confessions of a Desert Diva

11/12 Blog by Verina Palmer Martin. I really hate to admit it, but I’m not the same Montana girl my daddy raised. More precisely, I’m not the tomboy he took camping, hunting, fishing and competitive trapsho... more

How to Get in Hunting Shape

10/26 Blog by 'Captain Catchem' Mark Ward. You have no idea how fast a herd of elk can explode in the opposite direction when they get a whiff of my liniment on the second day of the hunting season. As to askin... more

2011 Hunting Checklist

10/17 Blog by "Captain Catchem" Mark Ward. The opening day for the 2010 Montana deer and elk general rifle season is fast approaching on Saturday, October 23. Antelope season already started on October 9. If yo... more

No Place Like Missoula in the Fall

Blog by "Captain Catchem" Mark Ward. When someone from out-of-state thinks about Montana’s unique scenery,... more

Living with Wildlife

Residing in Western Montana means learning to live with wildlife. In Missoula, that often includes sharing your yard with birds, raccoons, skunks, deer, black bears, and even mountain lions. The Montana Depa... more

Take a Hike

The seemingly endless hiking and backpacking opportunities in and around Missoula offer thousands of miles of trails in wilderness areas, Forest Service lands, and BLM lands. Information on hiking in the bac... more