Doe hunting OK'd for Region 1 next year for first week
Hungry Horse News
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission last week approved several changes to the 2016 and 2017 hunting regulations for Northwest Montana Region One.
Elk
The commission approved an elk shoulder season to address problems caused by a herd of elk in Hunting Districts 101 and 109 near Eureka.
The shoulder season will be Aug. 15 through Oct. 16.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will issue up to 50 B licenses for antlerless elk. The hunt applies to private land only, excluding Plum Creek/Weyerhaeuser, F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. and Stimpson lands.
Deer
The first week of the general rifle season will allow either-sex white-tailed deer hunting regionwide, and the last week will allow either-sex deer hunting on private lands other than those owned by Plum Creek/Weyerhaeuser, Stoltze and Stimpson.
That change applies to all Northwest Montana hunting districts except 140, 141, 150, 151 and 170.
The rest of the general season will be restricted to antlered bucks.
Also excluding districts 140, 141, 150, 151 and 170, the rest of the region will allow antlerless harvest from a vehicle for handicapped hunters throughout the entire season.
In Hunting District 170, an extended archery season will run from the end of the general season through Dec. 15 — excluding the Kuhns Wildlife Management Area north of Kalispell.
Previously a bucks-only public hunting ground, the Kuhns property will allow antlerless harvest during the general season.
The commission tabled a proposal to designate the Owen Sowerwine Natural Area as archery-only for big game, pending more input from local hunters and landowners.
Turkeys
In response to surging populations, the turkey hunt has been expanded.
Regions One, Two, Five and Seven would each be able to issue new regional turkey licenses. Hunters could then harvest a turkey from each of those regions.
On top of that, female or beardless turkey licenses would be available in Region One, with wildlife managers able to increase or decrease the number available to each hunter in response to turkey population numbers.
In Region Two, Missoula and Ravalli counties also will have a beardless turkey license for the fall season.
Under the proposal, a hunter could then hold up to nine turkey tags per year: one general hunting area license, one regional area license for each of the four participating regions, beardless turkey-only licenses in Regions One and Two and one each of the spring and fall special drawing-only licenses.