Hunting regulation changes remain open for public comment
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Research Biologist Kelly Proffit works with a captured mule deer in the Fisher River area in early March. The deer was captured with the help of a helicopter crew using net-guns, said FWP Wildlife Biologist Tonya Chilton-Radandt, after which she and Proffit took biological samples and recorded data such as fat levels, before collaring and releasing the deer. (Courtesy photo)
A series of proposed changes to hunting regulations, including an adjustment to the mule deer season in Lincoln County, is open for public comment.
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved suggested changes to the 2022, 2023 hunting seasons for additional public feedback during a Dec. 14 meeting. The modifications, compiled by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, generally aim to reduce the number of hunting districts and simplify license and permit structures.
Among the most significant local proposals, FWP officials suggested consolidating hunting districts 101 and 109 and extending mule deer hunting regulations from Hunting District 109 into the remade district.
Currently, hunters with a general license may take an antlered mule deer buck during the six-week archery season and the first three weeks of the general season in Hunting District 109. For the last two weeks of the general season, hunters can apply for limited draw permits to harvest mule deer.
In Hunting District 101, which covers a swath of east Lincoln County stretching from Cripple Horse Creek to the Canadian border, hunters may use a general license to harvest mule deer throughout both the archery and general season.
By extending the three-week general license season to hunting district 101, FWP officials hoped to simplify regulations. If approved, FWP would adjust the number of limited permits. The change would not affect overall population trends in the area, according to documentation from the agency.
While discussing the proposals, Patrick Tabor, vice chair of the commission, cited widespread concerns about the low populations of mule deer in the area. After speaking with FWP officials, Tabor said he understood that most regulatory changes would be unlikely to affect herd numbers since habitat loss was the primary culprit for the historic decline.
“There’s this genuine concern about the long-term sustainability of the population and all the various things we can do,” Tabor said.
To address the roughly two-decade decline in the mule deer population in northwest Montana, FWP recently completed a study that addressed habitat use. Decreased logging and increased succession of logged forests has had a significant impact on herd numbers, according to Neil Anderson, wildlife manager of FWP Region 1. FWP is working with the U.S. Forest Service to expand the mule deer summer range by identifying areas where officials could improve habitat conditions.
While FWP officials have discussed antler restrictions for mule deer bucks, Anderson said these restrictions have failed to significantly change the ratio of bucks per doe or the age structure of herds. Some states that enacted antler restrictions are now attempting to repeal them, according to Anderson. In some areas, the three-week general season has shown success, but not in others.
“I think what we were trying to do is to use this simplification process as a springboard to reach out to our folks, our stakeholders in our area, to have some more meaningful discussion on mule deer management and what that should look like,” Anderson said.
A list of the proposed hunting regulation changes will be available on the FWP website. The comment period for the changes will run 30 days. Along with a virtual meeting and an in-person gathering at Thompson Falls Elementary School, FWP will host a public comment session at the Ponderosa Room on Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. The commission will meet in early February to adopt final regulations.