Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks seeks public comment on the proposed acquisition through donation of 22 acres of privately owned land adjacent to the existing Wing Dam Fishing Access Site, located approximately 1.7 miles upstream (north) of Cascade on the Missouri River at river mile 2166 .
(Headlines - May 01, 2007)

The public is welcome to attend the May 5 meeting of FWP's Region 6 Citizens Advisory Council. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Fort Peck Hatchery.
(Headlines - May 01, 2007)

The only Bowhunter Education course of this year in Malta will be held the week of May 14 at the Boy Scout building in Trafton Park.
(Headlines - May 01, 2007)

Paddlefishing rules that require anglers to pick one of three opportunities, snag during daylight hours and practice mandatory catch-and-release and catch-and-harvest are intended to distribute fishing pressure and alleviate harvest pressure on older female fish.
(Headlines - May 01, 2007)

The hunting of all black bears in south-central Montana hunting districts 510 portion of   BMU 510, which includes portions of Big Horn, Carbon and Yellowstone counties, will close at one-half hour after sunset on Thursday, May 3, 2007.   The closure notice for the hunt came shortly after Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials received word that the pre-established harvest quota for the district had been met.
(Hunting - May 01, 2007)

A yearling male gray wolf was lethally removed by a landowner west of Springdale this morning after a confirmed depredation on livestock.
(Headlines - May 01, 2007)

State parks in south central Montana area are now open with the exception of places were improvements are being completed. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) is asking potential visitors to Pictograph State Park and Cooney State Park to be patient with any inconveniences during times of spring construction.
(Headlines - May 01, 2007)

Frenchtown Pond, the popular, water – based State Park located 15 miles west of Missoula, will open on May 15, 2007 – some two weeks later than the traditional opening date of May 1.
(Headlines - April 30, 2007)

Fish, Wildlife and Parks together with the Missouri River Flyfishers club will hold their annual fly tying night for kids May 7 at FWP regional headquarters in Great Falls, 4600 Giant Springs Road.
(Headlines - April 30, 2007)

Great Falls 12th annual fishing day for youngsters will take place 9 a.m. to noon, June 2, at Wadsworth Pond on the west side of town.
(Headlines - April 30, 2007)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will hold two public meetings to discuss the 2006 bison hunt, which ended on Feb. 15. The first meeting will be in Gardiner at the Community Center on May 3 and the second will be in West Yellowstone at the Holiday Inn SunSpree on May 8. Both meetings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m.
(Headlines - April 26, 2007)

A Hunter Education class has been scheduled for those interested in the Lame Deer area. The class scheduled to be held in Colstrip has been cancelled; those wanting to attend this class may wish to attend the Lame Deer class instead.
(Hunting - April 25, 2007)

FWP will host an open house scoping session to discuss a proposal to develop a new boat launch on FWP property at Crystal Lake in Lincoln County.
(Headlines - April 25, 2007)

The winning entries have been chosen in the Flathead area competition for the State-Fish Art contest sponsored by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Snappy Sport Senter and Flathead Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
(Headlines - April 25, 2007)

The Flathead Fishing Fair will be Saturday, April 28 at Snappy Sport Senter in Kalispell from 9 am to 1 pm.
(Headlines - April 25, 2007)

A number of kids fishing days have been scheduled in northwest Montana to give young anglers an opportunity to fish and participate in fishing related activities
(Headlines - April 25, 2007)

Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks is working with the Tobacco Valley Rod and Gun Club to make improvements on their shooting range located southwest of Eureka.
(Headlines - April 25, 2007)

Lake Elmo State Park will be open to motorboat testing Saturday, May 19. Boaters may take short test runs on the lake from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to make minor adjustments to their engines and crafts. There will only be one day of testing at Lake Elmo, and the lake is closed at all other times to motorized craft except electric motors.
(Headlines - April 24, 2007)

Any women who want to earn a hunter education certificate but prefer to take the course only in the company of other women, can sign up for the annual Ladies Only Hunter Education Course on Tuesday, April 24. Registration will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the public meeting room at the Billings Fish, Wildlife and Parks office, 2300 Lake Elmo Dr.
(Headlines - April 24, 2007)

A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to several counts of illegal outfitting and other charges after an investigation revealed numerous violations last fall in Phillips County
(Headlines - April 23, 2007)

A Hunter Education course will be held at the Westby School the week of May 7
(Headlines - April 23, 2007)

While fly fishing may call for the grace of a dancer, paddlefish snagging can be more like mud wrestling, say some Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks employees who enjoy the sport. A native of the Mississippi River system, the paddlefish is found in its large tributaries including the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. Montana's spring paddlefish season opens May 15 downstream from Fort Peck Dam and on the Yellowstone River, and a year-round season is open upstream from Fort Peck Dam to Fort Benton.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

The seven-year itch has caught up with Montana’s 2007 antelope and pheasant hunting seasons. In Montana, the general antelope season opener is set by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission policy for the second Sunday in October, with the pheasant season set to open the day before, on Saturday. These hunting-season standards often correspond with the federal Columbus Day holiday, which annually falls on the second Monday in October. That's Oct. 8 this year.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Region 3 Citizens’ Advisory Committee will meet in Divide on Wednesday, April 25. The meeting will begin at the Divide Grange Hall at 12:00 p.m. and end at 7:00 p.m. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

While all Wildlife Management Areas in north central Montana open to the public May 15, the three WMA’s on the Rocky Mountain Front open at noon on that date.             For several years, the Sun River WMA west of Augusta has opened at noon on May 15. This year, the Blackleaf and Ear Mountain WMA’s join the noon opening time.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

A state fisheries crew will be working nights starting April 23 to gather brown trout population estimates on the Missouri River. Twice a year – spring and fall – members of the fisheries division of Fish, Wildlife and Parks electro-fish sections of the Missouri between Holter Dam and the town of Cascade. In the spring the work focuses on the river’s brown trout population, because many rainbow trout are in tributaries spawning.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

Spring’s high water can create swift, cold currents and dangerous eddies. For boaters, these conditions could lead to dangerous situations and even hypothermia. "Most boaters know that spring is an especially dangerous time to be on the water, but each year experienced and inexperienced boaters find themselves in risky situations they just didn’t anticipate," said Liz Lodman, Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Boating Safety Coordinator.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

Boat owners are already preparing for the 2007 season and that includes getting the proper decals on their vessel before launching. Sailboats 12 feet long and longer, all motorboats, and all personal watercraft must be registered, numbered, and display the proper decals. Required decals include: a permanent registration decal issued by the county treasurer’s office when a boat is registered, and two free validation decals.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

Loons are among Montana's "commuter" species. They winter along the Pacific coastline and return here in late April. While there are thousands of loons, only about 65 pairs nest each year in Montana and usually only about 30 of these pairs successfully hatch chicks. Montana's loon rangers help increase the odds that loons will succeed in reproducing.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

Warm water fishing enthusiasts range from retirees fishing the state’s reservoirs for walleye and northern pike, to youngsters angling for crappie or perch from the shores of a community pond. Now these anglers, their friends and relatives, can support projects that improve Montana’s warm water fisheries and habitats by contributing to the Warm Water Fisheries and Habitat Enhancement Fund.
(Fishing - April 20, 2007)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking a high school student to fill a slot on the agency's 13-member Future Fisheries Review Panel. "This is an unusual opportunity for a motivated student to become involved in the restoration of Montana's fishery resources," said Jeff Hagener, FWP director. Hagener said FWP is accepting nominations, including self-nominations, for the student position on the panel.
(Headlines - April 20, 2007)

Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet April 26 at the FWP Helena Headquarters, 1420 East 6 th Ave, beginning at 1 p.m.    The FWP Commission will make final decisions on several 2007 grazing and sharecrop leases; accepting title to 26-acres adjacent to the Fleecer Mountain Wildlife Management Area near Anaconda; granting FWP authority to close waters to fishing due to drought; and stocking tiger muskie in a number of lakes and reservoirs in FWP Regions 1, 6 and 7.
(Headlines - April 19, 2007)

A Hunter Education class has been scheduled for those interested in the Wibaux area.
(Hunting - April 18, 2007)

Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet April 26 at the FWP Helena Headquarters, 1420 East 6 th Ave, beginning at 1 p.m.    The FWP Commission will make final decisions on several 2007 grazing and sharecrop leases; accepting title to 26-acres adjacent to the Fleecer Mountain Wildlife Management Area near Anaconda; granting FWP authority to close waters to fishing due to drought; and stocking tiger muskie in a number of lakes and reservoirs in FWP Regions 1, 6 and 7.
(Commission - April 13, 2007)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) will conduct a public informational meeting on the Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation Project on Thursday, May 3, 6-9 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel at the Kalispell Center Mall
(Headlines - April 12, 2007)

In spite of recent precipitation events, and increasing snow-water equivalents in the Bighorn, Wind and Shoshone River basins, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has made a surprise decision to reduce critical flows on the Bighorn River even further below a minimum presented to and accepted by Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) at a recent snow-pack assessment meeting.
(Headlines - April 12, 2007)

This link will take you to the complete vacancy announcement http://statejobs.mt.gov/pls/mjs/MJS0110W.
(Comprehensive Fish & Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CFWCS) - April 11, 2007)

Two young male grizzlies were hit and killed by a train early Monday morning about a mile north of Whitefish.
(Headlines - April 10, 2007)

Spring Hunter Education Classes have been scheduled for Kalispell, Marion, Bigfork, and Olney.
(Headlines - April 09, 2007)

Applying for special big game hunting permits and licenses is a lot easier these days for the increasing numbers of hunters who use the Internet instead of laboring over a paper application. Resident and nonresident hunters can apply for special permits and licenses simply by going to the FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov and using FWP's Online Services.
(Headlines - April 06, 2007)

Montana’s spring black bear hunting season begins April 15. All spring black bear hunters must purchase their licenses on or before April 14.   Licenses purchased after April 14 can only be used for the fall black bear season. Black bear hunters are limited to only one black bear license a year. Black bear hunters are   reminded that they must successfully complete the FWP bear identification test before purchasing a black bear license.
(Hunting - April 06, 2007)

Paddlefish snagging is a spring ritual for many Montana anglers. Paddlefish, like many other native fish of Montana’s eastern rivers, evolved to spawn when mountain snowmelt and rainfall swell stream flows in prairie drainages. Each year the availability of paddlefish depends on the snow pack in the headwaters of the Missouri, Yellowstone and Powder River drainages. The timing and volume of runoff determines the timing and quantity of the paddlefish moving up the major rivers.
(Fishing - April 06, 2007)

Last year, about 2,000 Montanans took part in efforts to study the habits of pygmy rabbits and cavity-nesting birds. They weren't members of a select group. They just checked the box on their income tax form marked with the soaring eagle. Last year about 2,000 Montanans’ tax-deductible contributions provided more than $25,000 to help support wildlife viewing opportunities in the state.
(Headlines - April 06, 2007)

Some of the most demoralizing scenarios that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks folks experience each spring involve people who take a deer or antelope fawn, wild rabbit, infant raccoon, duckling or other newborn from the wild because they think it is abandoned, or that it would make a good pet. Unfortunately, in most cases these newborns are healthy wild animals with a parent nearby.
(Headlines - April 06, 2007)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking grant proposals for projects that address wildlife conflicts in urban and suburban settings. FWP’s "Living With Wildlife" grant program promotes the successful coexistence of people and wildlife. The program emphasizes local involvement, partnerships, cost sharing, and human/wildlife conflict prevention.
(Headlines - April 06, 2007)

Hunters, listen up!   You could make a dream hunt a reality by simply purchasing a $5 SuperTag lottery chance in their name. In last year's drawing, three of the five winners of big game hunts purchased only one SuperTag chance. FWPs' new SuperTag hunting license lottery debuted last year to rave reviews from big game hunters.
(Headlines - April 06, 2007)

Montana's 2007 big game auction licenses drew a total of $211,000 from events held by conservation groups this winter. The foundation of North American Wild Sheep auctioned the 2007 bighorn sheep auction license for $140,000 and the moose license for $20,000. The Mule Deer Foundation auctioned the 2007 mule deer auction license for $15,000. These licenses were auctioned at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City in January.
(Hunting - April 06, 2007)

The public is invited to a community clean-up day and picnic at Brush Lake State Park over Memorial Day weekend.
(Headlines - April 06, 2007)

Pre-registration is required for a May 11-12 Bowhunter Education course in Glasgow
(Headlines - April 06, 2007)

Sign up for April 23-28 Hunter Education course scheduled for Glasgow
(Headlines - April 06, 2007)

The marmot, one of the largest rodent species in North America, will challenge any notions you have about this wildlife family. Marmots can grow to about the size of a cat, are socially adept, communicative, and entertaining to observe. A colony of 10 to 20 marmots will live together in a system of burrows, and hibernate there in winter. They are highly interactive, communicating in loud whistles with each other. They eat grasses, berries, lichens, mosses, roots and flowers.
(Headlines - April 05, 2007)

Anyone who wants to see firsthand the spectacle of sage grouse drumming and dancing on their mating grounds is invited on a field trip early Saturday morning, April 7.
(Headlines - April 04, 2007)

A Bowhunter Education course is scheduled to start April 11 at the Froid School
(Headlines - April 04, 2007)

Students are encouraged to pre-register for a Hunter Education course scheduled for April 16-20 in Malta
(Headlines - April 04, 2007)

The next meeting of the Missouri Breaks Elk Working Group will be held Monday, April 16 in the Malta High School cafeteria.
(Headlines - April 04, 2007)