FWP hosting meetings on possible hunting reg changes
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is hosting a series of virtual and in-person public meetings across the state to present proposed hunting regulations for 2024-2025 hunting seasons.
Locally, the Region 1 meeting will be held at FWP region headquarters in Kalispell from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14.
Every other year, broad changes to hunting regulations are considered through a public process that includes public scoping and comment on regulation changes proposed by FWP. Ultimately the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts most hunting seasons for two-year intervals. This season-setting process looks at all aspects of hunting regulations, including season structure, regulations and hunting district boundaries.
The commission will vote on hunting regulations for the 2024/2025 hunting season during its Dec. 14 meeting, which will include the opportunity for the public to comment.
There are a number of proposed season and quota changes involving elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer in Region 1.
One proposal includes Hunter District 103-50, the special permit area for mule deer bucks that is known as the North Fisher unit. It calls for mandatory reporting and check-in of mule deer harvested in the HD 103-50 area. Because Chronic Wasting Disease was found in white-tailed deer within the permit area, the agency wants to increase the sample size of deer for CWD.
“This area consists of 13 permits, yet we get almost no information on CWD prevalence in this mule deer herd,” the document states. “Given the high prevalence documented in Colorado and other states in mule deer herds with limited buck harvest, we need to determine CWD risk in the population by increasing the sample size of deer for CWD.”
The goal is to test every mule deer harvested in the permit area in perpetuity.
The other proposal in the Libby area is within the CWD Management Zone, which includes Hunter Districts 100, 103 and 104. It also seeks to require mandatory reporting as well as testing of animals harvested with the 199-20 license. The other part of the plan is to limit the number of licenses a hunter may get to one.
According to the proposal, the rationale is due to fewer people submitting samples and making it more difficult to evaluate Chronic Wasting Disease prevalence in the Libby CWD MZ. In the 2019-20 season, 616 samples were collected, but in the 2021-22 season, the number dropped to 364 samples, a 40% decrease. The decline in samples testing has also reduced local support for the license.
The license was first implemented with the goal of reducing white-tailed deer densities to control the prevalence and spread of CWD. But, in the 2022 season, the license was changed from an unlimited number to 2,000 licenses available through a drawing with one license per hunter.
The licenses didn’t sell out and the remainder went into surplus status. That opened the door to hunters being able to buy up to seven licenses, which many people did. It ended up being the only place in Montana where up to seven white-tailed bucks could be harvested by one hunter. Many local hunters have criticized this.
The agency wants to increase the number of whitetails sampled for CWD from within the CWD MZ and limit the number of licenses available to hunters to increase fairness and public support of this opportunity.
In north Lincoln County, the agency is considering some changes for the management of white-tailed deer.
It would:
- Designate the North Tobacco portion of Hunter District 101 for white-tailed deer management;
- Create an unlimited B license, valid on private lands in the North Tobacco portion of HD 101. Licenses would be limited to two per person with the general season beginning Aug. 15 to align with game damage timing;
- Modify the existing LPT 101-00 to maintain some antlerless white-tailed deer hunting opportunities in the rest of HD 101. The private land only restriction would be removed and the quota would be reduced to 100.
The goal is to reduce damage by white-tailed deer on private agricultural lands. Agency personnel also hope reducing local deer densities may also lower the risk of disease and help mitigate urban deer conflicts in Eureka.
There are other proposals in Region 1, including removing an either-sex harvest opportunity for elk in Hunter Districts 120 and 130. The goal is to increase elk numbers in those districts.
Another involves eliminating the either-sex harvest for white-tailed deer in HD 130 (Swan Valley).
A proposal in Hunter District 170, which includes the Creston area in the Flathead Valley, would establish an Elk B license with a quota range of five to 100 for the archery through late season (Feb. 15). It would only be valid on private land north of Lake Blaine Road and west of Highway 35. Hunters would have to secure access before applying. The agency recommendation is to start at 25 licenses.
The objective is to increase antlerless elk harvest within the Flathead Valley to help curtail growth of the valley elk herd and reduce game damage complaints.
To view proposed regulations and to comment, go to fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/commission/december-2023-meeting.
Public comment on the proposals will be accepted through Nov. 21. Prior to the Dec. 14 Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting, any of the commissioners can propose amendments to the FWP proposals. Any amendments will be discussed at the Dec. 14 meeting.
The public meetings schedule is as follows (all meetings are from 6 to 8 p.m.; Zoom links will be provided online at a later date):
- Region 1 – Nov. 14, Region 1 Headquarters, 490 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell
- Region 2 – Nov. 8, Region 2 Headquarters, 3201 Spurgin Road, Missoula
The public can comment on items that will be before the Fish and Wildlife Commission at its Dec. 14 meeting.
These items include:
- Game Damage Management Season
- Translocation of marten
- Consolidated Public Use Rules (ARM)
- Weapons restrictions in certain state parks
- Flathead Indian Reservation Non-Member Fishing and Bird Hunting Regulations
For more information on these proposals and to comment, go to go to fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/commission/december-2023-meeting.
Public comment will be accepted through Nov. 21. A full agenda of the Dec. 14 commission meeting will be posted at a later date.