Hunting Guide 2011 by Montana Standard

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011

Seasons show promise Elk, deer faring well � Game numbers healthy despite tough, long winter BY NICK GEVOCK of The Montana Standard

he winter of 2010-2011 was long, cold and fraught with heavy snow, but state biologists say despite the tough conditions most game herds in southwest Montana managed to survive. That bodes well for hunters heading into the field this year, with most areas of southwest Montana holding healthy numbers of deer and elk. Some areas were hit a little harder but overall biologists say game escaped major die offs. “Things fared pretty well given what they had to go through,” said Craig Fager, Dillon wildlife biologist with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. When hunters get out for the archery and rifle seasons, the game will be there. Fager said animals were utilizing different winter ranges than most years to cope with the heavy snows. That may have required longer migrations, but he said it also showed how hearty deer and elk are. “They just showed how amazingly adaptable they are,” he said. “They adjust accordingly and go about their business.”

AN ELK bugles in the forest. Herd numbers look fairly strong for this year’s season. FILE PHOTO

ELK Elk numbers look good throughout most of FWP Region 3, which runs north of Helena and goes south to the Idaho state line, and runs from east of Livingston west to near Anaconda. Elk counts in the Gravelly

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Mountains were at record levels, said Bob Brannon, FWP Sheridan biologist. But Brannon added that heavy snows may be bumping up those numbers because it forced elk to lower, more open terrain. See SEASON, Page 4

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011 Season ... Continued from Page 3 “We’ve got just about as high a count of elk as we’ve ever had this past winter,” he said. “But the higher numbers this year do not indicate a higher population as much as it indicates we missed those elk the last two years when they were always there.” Still, he said elk numbers in the Gravellys, Snowcrest, Centennial and Blacktail mountains are healthy. Brannon said two years of more limited harvest has helped boost numbers. This year the hunting districts that comprise the Gravellys have two weeks of cow or brow-tined bull hunting and then three weeks of bulls only. Farther west, the areas around Lima had strong numbers of elk in counts as well. Fager said most of his area – including the Lima Peaks, Pioneers and Tendoys – had healthy elk herds and good calf production. The one exception is the elk that remain in winter in the Big Hole Valley, where winter was harsh and long. “They endeared a hellish winter in that Wisdom country,” he said. “The snow was with us a long, long time – last year we had significant snow in mid November and we carried it into April.” But Fager said many of the Big Hole elk migrated out of the valley and they went farther to find feed, with most of them faring well through winter. Closer to Butte, elk numbers are slightly up in the Highlands, Fleecer Mountain and Mount Haggin and the Bull Mountains, said Vanna Boccadori,

NICK GEVOCK / THE MONTANA STANDARD

ELK FIND GOOD feed in southwest Montana valleys, such as this herd in the Madison Valley. The long winter did not signficantly affect their numbers, officials said. Butte FWP biologist. She said numbers are still slightly below the targeted population and the more limited brow-tined bull regulations will remain in effect, but she did issue more cow elk “B” tags in the Highlands and Bull Mountains. “Everything looks good,” she said. “Going into this fall calf crops look good and everything’s healthy because there’s so much grass this year.” Boccadori added that the healthy grasses produced by heavy spring rains will help elk and deer produce some larger antlers this year. The state FWP Commission did

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move to scale back the cow elk harvest in the Madison Range this year. For two years hunting districts 360 and 362 had a combined B cow elk tag that was unlimited, but this year those have been replaced with 500 tags good only on private land in the two districts, which covers the range on the east side of the Madison Valley.

MULE DEER Mule deer are faring okay, but in some areas of southwest Montana suffered losses worse than elk did, See SEASON, Page 6

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011 public land with whitetails in decent numbers. For the most part, whitetails have weathered the colder spring fairly well, biologists say. The state still issues a standard, region-wide B doe tag for white-tails and some hunting districts offer multiple whitetail B tags. Hunters who can secure access to a private ranch will have no problem filling the freezer.

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Season ... Continued from Page 4 biologists say. Across the region, mule deer are hovering just at to below average. In the upper Ruby Valley, mule deer numbers are below average, Brannon said. The number of doe “B” tags has been scaled back in several areas to account for the reduction and he has issued a limited number of buck tags in special draw districts. In the Tobacco Roots, the season for mule deer remains as a shortened season in an effort to boost numbers. The picture for mule deer is brighter around Lima, Fager said. His ground counts this spring showed a decent fawn production and survival.

“Deer fared pretty well despite a really, really hard winter,” he said. “We had just under 40 fawns per 100 does down in hunting district 300.” Boccadori said in her areas around Butte, mule deer continue to be below average in numbers. She said that’s been the trend of the past few years and this spring didn’t help. “The past few years we’ve had these cold wet springs and that doesn’t help with fawn survival at all,” she said. “Everybody’s kind of seeing it.”

WHITE-TAILED DEER White-tailed deer in southwest Montana remain healthy in most areas of southwest Montana where they’re found. The deer primarily live on private land in the river bottoms, although there are some areas of

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Pronghorn antelope in many regions of Montana suffered severe losses last winter and that is reflected in this year’s hunting opportunities. In southeastern Montana’s Region 7, FWP has cut in half the number of tags and many parts of regions 4, 5 and 6 have seen an even more drastic cut in opportunities. The herds in the intermountain valleys of Region 3 didn’t suffer nearly as badly, biologists say. Fager said in the Big Hole Valley, antelope appear to be down from recent years with a lower fawn production this spring. But antelope there are still above the target population. Brannon said in the Centennial Valley the herd is stable from last year, while the Blacktail Valley is also holding steady. In the Jefferson Valley down to Cardwell, the antelope herd is considerably down, he said. “It’s been a number of tough years and low production, so it’s going to be a number of years before they bounce back,” he said.

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011

Citizen wardens

Step up to stop poaching E

very Montana hunter needs to add something to his or her pack this season. A small notebook, pencil and basic digital camera should go inside a sealable plastic bag. Call it the anti poaching pack – the stuff you’ll badly need when you run into poachers. Simply put, hunters today are facing some serious threats to our outdoor heritage, our wildlife and our image. But despite the rhetoric from some, the most pressing culprit isn’t anti-hunters, predators or environmentalists. Our biggest problem is found among our ranks. And it’s slowly eroding public support for hunting. Poachers and slob hunters – those who break game laws or lack any

In the Hunt BY

NICK GEVOCK

sense of ethical hunting – are common, although they clearly aren’t the majority of us. And they need to be stopped to protect our wildlife, protect our outdoors heritage and protect our continued right to continue hunting. Game wardens can’t do it alone. There simply aren’t enough of them to patrol all of Montana, yet as hunters we collectively are out there every day of the season covering far more territory. We need to become citizen wardens and step up the fight against those

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who are slowly killing our outdoors heritage. Last year I was put in a horrible situation when I walked into the aftermath of a group of hunters who had “flock” shot a herd of elk. In about a minute’s time I heard more than 30 shots, and after walking directly toward the commotion found one guy dressing out an elk. Within 100 yards I walked upon two other dead cow elk and saw the bloodstained tracks of the herd heading toward private land. In the end, I illegally tagged one of the cows, took it home and wrote about the incident. I was later issued a written warning for illegally tagging an elk, which I had to forfeit to the See POACHING, Page 9

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HUNTING

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Poaching ... Continued from Page 8 food bank. To this day I’m proud the elk didn’t go to waste. And I learned some valuable lessons that day that I hope help guide me for the rest of my life when it comes to fighting poaching. The first is that no matter how hard you try, inevitably all of us will encounter a poacher or slob hunter some day. They may be shooting before or after legal time, using other people’s tags or blatantly taking more animals than they have tags for. At other times, it may walk the fine line between what’s legal and what’s ethical, although leaving an animal to waste is clearly wanton waste under Montana law. Whatever the case, these hunters are out there and if you hunt public land, you will bump into them. The second lesson learned is that when you come across a poaching incident, your day of hunting is over. By the time you record information, get within cell phone range and wait for a warden to report the incident, the day or at the very least half of it is blown. And finally, I learned that despite your best intentions, it’s hard to make the right choices when you’re in a tense situation and absolutely livid over the conduct of some hunters. Even if I had gone immediately to a game warden, the odds of getting a conviction are slim unless you have actual video of a hunter committing a crime.

BUCKS GATHER to rest in an irrigated field near Dillon But that’s no reason not to try. As hunters, we all have a responsibility to police ourselves – and each other. We have to be conscious that in a country where only 5 percent of the population hunts, we’re a tiny minority. And at a time when we are under sharp criticism, the actions of poachers and slobs are fodder for the campaigns of people who are working diligently to end all hunting. Seriously, how can someone defend hunting when some among us are willing to fling bullets at animals, fail to follow up on a shot, leave animals to waste or take other abhorrent actions. It’s hard enough to explain to nonhunters See POACHING, Page 10

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011 Poaching ...

Common hunting violations

Continued from Page 9 that unfortunately sometimes animals get wounded and get away. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible to justify taking reckless, abundant shots at animals and leaving them to die slow, miserable deaths when they escape. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where we can make a difference by policing ourselves. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the â&#x20AC;&#x153;anti-poaching packâ&#x20AC;? can be invaluable. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re out one day and witness hunting violations, take down as much information as you can. Write down license plate numbers and physical descriptions of the people involved. Record the time. Make a note of exactly where you are. And make a call to a game warden as quickly as you can. The camera can also be a powerful tool. Snap photos that offer proof that someone was there, such as a shot of their vehicle at the trailhead or along a certain road. Take photos of the animal or animals involved if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re close. It can be intimidating if the people involved see you recording this information. But you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to confront them; just take the notes and leave. And it may seem frivolous if it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lead to an arrest and conviction. That doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we have to try. Even a conversation with a game warden can have an effect on many slob hunters to get them thinking about their actions or at least feel stupid explaining what they did.

Every hunting season some individuals unwittingly or knowingly violate the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game laws. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials urge hunters to review Montanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hunting rules and regulations to ensure they act within the law and that they recognize when others violate the hunting regulations and related laws. Any violation afield can be reported to TIP-MONT on (800) TIP-MONT, that is (800) 847-6668. Here are some of the most common game violations: ďż˝ Failure to obtain permission from landowners before hunting on private property, ďż˝ Wasting part of a game animal suitable for food, ďż˝ Failure to properly validate a license/tag or to securely fasten the tag in a visible manner to a game animal immediately after it is taken and before it is moved or transported from the kill site, ďż˝ Taking game from the wrong hunting district, ďż˝ Using someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tag on a game animal you killed. We owe it to ourselves as hunters, to the game we pursue and most importantly, to the next generation of sportsmen and women to crack down on those who are slowly destroying our outdoors heritage. Reporter Nick Gevock may be reached at nick.gevock@mtstandard.com

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011

Bowhunters enjoy ‘early’ season M

ontana’s archery-only hunting season for deer, elk, antelope and black bear begins Sept. 3. The bighorn sheep archery season begins Sept. 5. A bow and arrow license, plus the proper hunting license is required during the deer, elk, antelope, black bear and bighorn sheep archery only season or to hunt in areas limited to only archery equipment. Depending on the species and hunting district, some licenses were available only by special drawing. For details on legal archery equipment and the documentation necessary to purchase a Montana bow and arrow license, check the 2011 big game hunting regulations BOWHUNTER JASON DAWES of Butte took available at FWP offices, license providers and on the FWP website this 6-point bull elk in the Highlands a few at fwp.mt.gov under Hunting. years ago.

Antelope archery season under way

Many archery antelope hunters will be afield soon with a 900 series license to archery hunt antelope of either sex in any hunting district starting with a 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Hunting in the 900 series archery hunt is restricted to archery equipment only and runs Aug. 15 to Nov. 13. Applications for the 900 series archery hunt for antelope were due June 1 and the license drawing is completed. Sept. 3 to Oct. 7 is the archery antelope season. The general rifle season for antelope is Oct. 8 to Nov. 13. Most antelope hunting licenses, including those for the general rifle season, are available only through special drawings with a June 1 application deadline.

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011 SEASONS:

START

Antelope 900 Aug. 15 Archery Sept. 3 General Oct. 8 Bighorn Sheep Archery Sept. 5 General Sept. 15 Bison Nov. 15 Black Bear Archery Sept. 3 Fall Sept. 15 Deer & Elk Archery Sept. 3 Youth (Deer Only) Oct. 20 General Oct. 22 Backcountry HD’s 150, 151, 280, 316 Archery Sept. 3 General Sept. 15 Moose Sept. 15 Mountain goat Sept. 15 Mountain Lion Archery Sept. 3 Fall Oct. 22 Winter Dec. 1 Wolf Archery Sept. 3 General Oct. 22

END

Archery hunters, know your bulls

Nov. 13 Oct. 7 Nov. 13

With elk archery season opening Sept. 3, and the backcountry general elk season set to open Sept. 15, elk hunters need to know their bull elk. Here is a quick cheat sheet. An antlered bull elk is any elk with an antler or antlers at least four inches in length measured from the top of the skull. A brow-tined bull is any elk with an antler or antlers with a visible point on the lower half of either main beam that is greater than or equal to four inches long. A spike bull is an elk with antlers that do not branch, or if branched, the branch is less than four inches long measured from the main antler. An antlerless elk is a female, or a juvenile male with antlers less than four inches in length measured from the top of the skull.

Sept. 14 Nov. 27 Feb. 15, 2012 Sept. 14 Nov. 27 Oct. 16 Oct. 21 Nov. 27 Sept. 14 Nov. 27 Nov. 27 Nov. 27 Oct. 16 Nov. 27 April 14, 2012 Oct. 16 Dec. 31

EQUIPMENT REGS: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ hunting regulations specify under the heading “Archery & Crossbow Equipment,” the equipment that is legal for archery hunting in Montana. For example, for FWP enforcement purposes, a bow is considered legal if it is at least 28 inches in total length. Bows shorter than 28 inches are prohibited for use in Montana. In another example, an arrow is defined as a projectile at least 20 inches in overall length. An arrow must weigh no less than 300 grains with the broadhead attached. Crossbows are not a legal weapon during the archery equipment only season.

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011

Upland game bird outlook not too bad

pland game bird hunters who have been watching the weather won’t be surprised that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials expect eastern Montana’s pheasant and grouse numbers to be well below average this fall. In western and central Montana, game bird counts will be similar to or slightly down from last year. Upland game bird hunting begins Sept. 1. Pheasant season opens Oct. 8. The most severe winter conditions, including prolonged, deep snow, occurred east of a line that ran from north of Shelby to the southeast corner of the state—a vast area. FWP officials said this extreme winter weather followed by a very wet, cold spring significantly reduced the winter survival and spring production of upland game birds. “Fortunately, western Montana counties avoided some of this extreme weather and hunters should find some upland game bird populations in western Montana that are similar to what they saw last year,” said Rick Northrup, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game bird coordinator. Southwestern and South Central Montana (FWP Region 3, 5) In southwestern Montana, late May and early June rains were generally less of a factor than in the east. FWP is anticipating average to slightly improved dusky and ruffed

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grouse numbers. Spruce grouse and gray partridge, later nesters, are not expected to have been impacted by June’s early, cold rain. Partridge numbers were 80 percent of average last year and FWP expects them to be near average this year. Spruce grouse, though not prevalent in southwestern Montana, are expected to be above average in number. Also in FWP Region 3, FWP expects sage grouse and pheasant numbers to improve over last year. 4x4 IRS LE Utility ATVs Choose Your Own Path.

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011 UPLAND GAME BIRD HUNTING SEASONS Opening day for most upland game bird hunting seasons occurs on the same day every year — Sept. 1. The 2011 general pheasant season opens Oct. 8. Here are the statewide hunting season dates. UPLAND GAME BIRDS OPENS CLOSES Mountain Grouse Sept. 1 Dec. 15 Partridge Sept. 1 Jan. 1, 2012 Pheasant Oct. 8 Jan. 1, 2012 Youth Pheasant Weekend Sept. 24-25 Sage Grouse Sept. 1 Nov. 1 Sharp-tailed Grouse Sept. 1 Jan. 1, 2012 Turkey Fall Sept. 1 Jan. 1, 2012 Daily Bag Limits � Two sage grouse, four sharp-tailed grouse, and three mountain grouse in aggregate and eight partridge in aggregate. � Three cock pheasants daily. Possession Limits � Two times the daily bag limit for sage grouse and four times the daily bag limit for sharp-tailed, mountain grouse and partridge. � Three times the daily bag limit for pheasants. The annual bag limit for turkey is two wild turkeys. The total combined limit of the spring and fall seasons cannot exceed two turkeys per hunter.

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011

Be prepared to come across bears 

ith Montana’s upland game bird season opening Sept. 1 and bow hunting season underway Sept. 3, hunters will soon be sharing the landscape with the state’s bears. Grizzly bears are found throughout western Montana, not just the Rocky Mountain Front, Bob Marshall Wilderness complex and the Yellowstone ecosystem. Black bears also range widely across the state. Upland game bird hunters and archers hunting in bear country should: � Carry bear spray and know how to use it; � Hunt with a partner, or let someone know your plans, and periodically check in; Archery hunters should: � Get harvested game out of the woods quickly; � Carry a lightweight tarp or space

blanket to put the entails on and pull them well away from the carcass and then cover the carcass with the tarp to reduce the scent, if the carcass is left unattended; � When returning to a site where harvested game is left unattended, study the site at a distance for any movement or changes and signal your approach by making plenty of noise,

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011 Early migratory bird seasons set The hunting-season framework for Montana’s webless migratory game birds—mourning doves, common snipe and sandhill cranes—will follow federal recommendations and remain similar to last year except for proposed changes in the sandhill crane season dates and the crane permit total for the Warm Springs area (280-010) that is proposed to go from 30 to 5. Other proposed season changes include: � Hunting season dates for the Rocky Mountain population of sandhill cranes with permits obtained in a special drawing would be Sept. 10-Sept 25; � Season dates for mid-continent sandhill cranes would be: Sept. 24-Nov. 20. For more information on the early migratory bird seasons, visit FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov on the Hunting page. Duck numbers shooting up With the duck factories of North America producing a record high number of waterfowl, Montana’s waterfowl hunters have something to look forward to this fall. The tentative opening date for the general waterfowl season is October 1, with the Youth Waterfowl Season the preceding weekend on Sept. 24-25. Waterfowl estimates are available for 2011 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent release of its report on breeding ducks and wetland conditions.

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Use judgment around campfires  ith record flooding this spring and rain in July, it is easy to forget that August is fire season in Montana, say Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials. “As early season hunters take to the field we are especially concerned about accidental fire starts caused when dry vegetation accumulates in a vehicle’s skid plate or catalytic converter,” said Ron Aasheim, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks spokesman. “Hot temperatures have cured summer’s lush vegetation, increasing the likelihood of grass fires.” Driving on roads with drying vegetation along the edges or growing down the middle of a two-track road can and does cause autumn fire starts. “Hunters have an especially big

responsibility to be fire conscious,” Aasheim said. “It is a matter of human safety and of protecting the resources of Montana.” Hunters should take the time needed to: � Avoid going off road with vehicles and avoid roads with tall vegetation in the middle. If you must drive off road or on vegetated roads, take the time to clean out the vehicles undercarriage/skid plate often. � Avoid parking over dry grass and other vegetation. If it is necessary to park in a field, inspect the undercarriage of the vehicle for vegetation that may have accumulated there and remove it before leaving the vehicle. � Prior to setting out on a hunt from home, make certain the vehicle’s undercarriage and its skid plates are

free of all vegetation and other woody debris that may have collected there from a previous trip. � Hunters should carry a fire extinguisher, shovel, axe, water, and, if possible, a cell phone for communications in addition to other outdoor safety gear. Good judgment is essential in the first few seconds of a fire start when it is small and easily extinguished. “It is also essential to know when to back off and who to call for help if you come upon a fire or accidentally cause one in the outdoors that is too big to easily put out,” Aasheim said. “FWP urges hunters to have a personal safety action plan when outdoors, for fire starts as well as in the case of other types of accidents, severe injuries or other emergency.”

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New nonresident combo license available The Montana State Legislature, in a new law effective July 1, established a preference point system to distribute nonresident big game and deer combination licenses. In a preference point system, licenses go to applicants who hold the greatest number of preference points. Purchasing Preference Points Preference points for a nonresident big game or deer combination license may be purchased for a nonrefundable fee of $50. Applicants may purchase only one preference point per license year. Preference points can be purchased: � When applying for the nonresident combination license; or � Between July 1 and Sept. 30, for those who did not apply for a nonresident big game license, or who did not purchase a preference point at the time they applied for a nonresident big game combination license. The application deadline is Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. Preference points purchased at the time of application are awarded prior to the drawing. Distribution of Licenses Seventy-five percent of the nonresident combination licenses will be issued to individuals with preference points and 25 percent will be issued to those applicants who do not have preference points. Retaining Preference Points When you are successful in obtaining a nonresident combination license, your preference points are zeroed out. Hunters must apply for the license at least every other year to retain their preference points. Failure to apply for the license for two consecutive years zeroes out the preference points.

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011 College students have an opportunity

Last step in the hunt: Carcass disposal

A discount on Montana’s big game combination license will be available beginning Sept. 12 for nonresident college students to hunt in Montana. Qualifying students may purchase the $70 big game combination license at any Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regional office or the Helena headquarters office. The big game combination license includes conservation, fishing, upland game bird, deer and elk licenses. Students eligible for the discount include: � Nonresident full-time students taking 12 credits or more at postsecondary institutions in Montana, � Nonresident students who are former Montana high school graduates now enrolled full-time at out-of-state postsecondary institutions and who have a parent that is a Montana resident. The nonresident student must present a valid student identification card and an enrollment verification form from their school showing they are full-time students. Former residents who are now full-time students at outof-state colleges must present a valid student identification card, current enrollment verification form, a parent’s Montana FWP ALS number and a copy of their Montana high school diploma or General Education Development degree. A $10 hunting access enhancement fee—and proof they have passed hunter education instruction in Montana or another state — are also required.

How to best dispose of a big game carcass after the meat is in the freezer is a question all hunters face. The answer is simple enough but the regulations and reasons behind it are not understood by many hunters and that leads to violations, say Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks enforcement officials. “All carcass parts remaining after processing a game animal should be disposed of in a regulated landfill or at a transfer station,” said Tim Feldner, of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ enforcement bureau. In many communities, fur buyers and hide tanners will purchase deer and elk hides. Montana State Law, applicable on all state-owned and managed sites, prohibits leaving dead animals or refuse on public property, including all state-owned and managed lands which would include FWP managed fishing access sites and wildlife management areas. These laws may surprise some hunters, especially some old timers for whom dumping big game carcasses in the woods was standard practice. “It is not only illegal to dump big game carcasses, it is a bad idea for health and sanitation-related reasons,” said Feldner. “Even on private land there are restrictions that apply to the handling of animal carcasses.” For example, human health-related state laws prohibit the placing of animal carcasses in any Montana lake, river, creek, pond or reservoir.

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22 � THE MONTANA STANDARD HUNTING GUIDE AUGUST 2011

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HUNTING GUIDE 2011 Access: Ask early, don’t wait, be courteous Montana’s millions of acres of private land offers some good hunting opportunities — the only catch is gaining the landowner’s permission to hunt. It is Montana law that hunters obtain landowner permission to hunt on all private land. Here are a few things to keep in mind that will greatly improve results when attempting to secure hunting access to private land. � Show courtesy to the landowner and make hunting arrangements by calling or visiting at times convenient For all of your custom processing needs

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to the landowner. � Plan ahead and secure permission well in advance of the actual hunting date. � Provide complete information about yourself and your hunting companions, including vehicle descriptions and license numbers. � Explain what type of hunting you wish to do, and be sure to ask any questions which can help clarify the conditions of access. � Follow the landowner’s instructions, and bring with you only the companions for whom you obtained landowner permission.          

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    THE MONTANA STANDARD HUNTING GUIDE AUGUST 2011

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