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hunting outlook
New show The Gunfather
premieres Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 8pm ET on the Outdoor Channel
September 10, 2014
2 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Hunting Outlook 2014 is published by the Ravalli Republic newspaper, a division of Lee Enterprises
Sherry Devlin, Editor Jim Coulter, General Manager Dara Saltzman, Production & Design Kathy Kelleher, Jodi Lopez, Justine Morris and Frannie Cummings - Project Sales Cover photo by Perry Backus Hunting Outlook 2014, copyright 2014, Ravalli Republic.
ravalli republic
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4 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014
PERRY BACKUS/RAVALLI REPUBLIC
Bitterroot elk numbers contine to rebound PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic
Bitterroot elk hunters should go into this season wearing a smile, knowing the area’s elk herd continues to rebound. After numbers dropped alarming low five years ago, state wildlife biologists have documented improvements in the herd, including the most hard-hit area in the West Fork of the Bitterroot.
Biologists counted 7,383 elk in the Bitterroot this spring. Those numbers are close to the same as last year. But there’s far more than just overall numbers to consider. The most encouraging news comes from the surveys this spring that found an average of 33 elk calves for every 100 cows throughout the valley. “That’s the highest calf count that we’ve had in the Bitterroot since 2006,” said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional
Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - 5
wildlife manager Mike Thompson. “Even more encouraging than that is that we’ve seen a steady gradual upward trend since 2011.” “This doesn’t look to be a one-year spike,” he said. “It appears to be part of a longer trend.” In 2009 – when elk numbers hit bottom in this most recent downturn – biologists counted 13 calves per 100 cows. The current upswing is happening even in the West Fork where elk numbers had plummeted dreadfully low just a few years ago. At its worse, biologists could only find nine calves for every 100 cows in the West Fork’s Hunting District 250. This year, they counted 29 calves per 100 cows, which is a little bit behind last year’s count, when they saw 33 calves. “We’ve had two good years in a row in the West Fork,” Thompson said. “Our overall numbers are up to 1,182 in HD 250.” At its worst during the most recent downturn, the West Fork elk herd dropped to 865 animals. Since 2011, elk hunting in the West Fork has been limited to a few permits as FWP went conservative in hopes of getting the herd to bounce back. The number of bull elk surviving the winter has been increasing ever since. This spring, biologists counted 20 bull elk for every 100 cows they saw. Thompson said FWP will likely take a cautious approach to increasing the hunting opportunity in HD 250. “We want to really be sure that we’re out of the woods before we start making changes,” he said. “We’ve only had a couple of years of good calf recruitment in the West Fork. We don’t want to be too quick on the trigger.” The news is equally good in the popular HD 270 in the East Fork of the Bitterroot. Biologists counted 34 calves per 100 cows this spring. “That’s the highest number we’ve had there since 2006,” Thompson said. “We even had a bump in bull numbers, at 17 bulls per 100 cows in HD 270. That’s quite a jump that actually puts us over the objective in our elk plan.” The objective is 15 bulls per 100 cows. Thompson said that numbers aren’t the only place he’s found encouragement when it comes to the Bitterroot elk herd. Over Labor Day, a number of volunteers banded together to cover nearly every drainage on the west side of the valley in hopes of getting a good count on mountain goats. “Way up in the heads of these drainages, they heard elk talking to one another,” Thompson said. “These elk were way back in the backcountry.”
In HD 240, which includes a good part of the Bitterroot Range, there has been a growing concern that elk have been moving down onto the valley floor and away from public national forest lands. “It was good news to know that there are still some back in there,” Thompson said. While the Bitterroot’s elk herd appears to be on the upswing, Thompson said the news isn’t as hopeful from the area west of Missoula and south of I-90. “While we were able to catch the downswing in the Bitterroot early – hats off the Craig Jourdonnais and the community – we haven’t been able to prevent the decline in the lower Clark Fork.” In the Upper Fish Creek area, biologists used to routinely count 400 elk in the spring. The numbers now are hovering close to 50 animals. “I don’t know that we have the capability to try to prevent the decline beyond the threshold,” Thompson said. “I don’t know if they will bounce back. Most likely we’ll always have elk in that area, but their numbers may remain low.” Thompson said he would guess that wolves are the primary factor in the decline in the elk herd there. “While it didn’t turn out to be the wolf in the Bitterroot, the lower Clark Fork has a high density of them,” Thompson said. “Just on the other side of the mountains, Idaho had a similar issue. A study there found wolf predation to play an important role in lower elk numbers.” The other place in the region with a worrisome elk herd is found in the area around the Blackfoot Clearwater Wildlife Management Area north of Highway 200 and east of the Rogers Pass. “The calf-cow ratio is down in the teens,” Thompson said. “It’s been there for a while. We’re watching those populations very close.” Calves counted in the spring survey have survived their first full year when they are most vulnerable to predation. “It’s always good news when we get calves through the first two or three months of their life,” Thompson said. “There is a lot of mortality during that time.” Thompson said the department has received a lot of reports this year from people saying they’ve seen good numbers for this year’s elk calves. “That’s good news,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see how well they do through this winter.”
6 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Upland game bird season information Ravalli Republic
Most of Montana’s upland game bird seasons run Sept. 1 through Jan.1, 2015 — with the exception of sage-grouse season, which closes Sept. 30. New this year is the closure of sage grouse hunting in much of the southern and northern portions of Montana. Sage-grouse hunting is open in these counties only: Beaverhead, Broadwater, Cascade, Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Madison, Petroleum, Pondera Teton, Silver Bow; and portions of Blaine, Hill, Liberty, Phillips, Toole, Valley, and Roosevelt south of Highway 2. The general pheasant season runs Oct. 11–Jan. 1, 2015. The youth only special pheasant weekend is Sept. 27–28. Daily Bag Limits • Two sage grouse, four sharp-tailed grouse, three mountain grouse and eight partridge in aggregate. • Three cock pheasants daily.
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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. In the fall, two either-sex turkeys may be harvested, at least one must be harvested in eastern Montana’s FWP Region 7 or two turkeys, one either-sex and one hen, in the fall in Region 1. Fall turkey hunting is open to all hunters with a valid turkey license in the general hunting areas described in the upland game bird regulations. Special turkey hunting permits, with applications made in July, are valid only in areas specified in the regulations and must be used with a valid turkey license. All areas open to hunting upland game birds by firearms are open to either-sex hunting of that species by falconry.
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For the youth only special pheasant weekend, the bag limit, shooting hours, hunter safety requirements and all other regulations that apply to the regular pheasant season apply to the special youth season. For other details, see the upland game bird hunting regulations which are available on the FWP website at fwp. mt.gov, at FWP regional offices and from FWP license providers. Hunters planning to hunt upland game birds on Indian reservations should check Indian reservation regulations for season dates, bag limits, licensing requirements, shooting hours, legal species and shot gun shell requirements, which may differ from state regulations.
Region 3 reported average numbers for southwestern Montana. In Region 5, pheasant crow counts varied but were below the long-term average. Overall, Region 5 expects the 2014 season will be similar to last year’s season. Sage-Grouse • Statewide, male attendance at leks averaged 13.1 males/lek, which is 54% below long-term average and down from 14.9 males per lek last year. The continued drop is likely a function of cool, wet conditions during the brood-rearing season in 2013 which led to low brood survival. The drop in abundance was more apparent in eastern Montana; abundance estimates in southwestern Montana were stable but still below long-term average. Consequently, hunters can expect numbers to Here’s a rundown on the current be near average to well below average status of Montana’s top upland game in areas open to sage-grouse hunting. birds, as provided by Montana Fish, Preliminary reports suggest nest and Wildlife and Parks. brood success are excellent in 2014 Gray (Hungarian) Partridge which may mitigate additional declines. • While no formal surveys are conSharp-tailed grouse ducted for huns in Montana, various • Region 6 reported fair to average observations along with weather numbers in good habitat. Lek surveys and habitat conditions suggest huns and other observations in Region 6 inwill be average to below average dicate sharp-tail numbers will be near again this season. Observations in Rethe long term average across the region. gions 4, 6, and 7 suggest average numGeneral observations from Region 5 suggest bers. Observations from Region 5 suggest below average numbers. Region 7 reported that numbers will be below average and lower sharp-tail populations will be near the long-term than last year. average where habitat conditions are good. Mountain Grouse Chukar • Observations in western Montana suggest average to PERRY BACKUS/RAVALLI REPUBLIC • Region 5 reports that chukar numbers remain below slightly above average numbers of all species. Prelimiaverage but may have some potential for improvement this nary information from Region 5 suggests overall blue grouse year. and ruffed grouse numbers will likely remain below the long term average. Pheasants • Montana is experiencing a large decline in CRP acreage along the northern tier of the state, which may have an impact on hunting experiences in Regions 4 and 6. In this area, spring “crow counts”—where wildlife biologists travel specific routes to count and record the “crowing calls” of cock pheasants to determine population trends—were 42 percent above the long Mercantile • Sporting Goods term average. Region 7 reported that populations will vary Convenience Store • Laundromat between fair to near the long-term average in good habitat. In northwestern Montana, weather in Region 1 resulted in below average numbers on the Ninepipe Wildlife Management Area.
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8 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014
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10 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014
What to do with big game carcasses Ravalli Republic
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 can lead to violations and fines. “All carcass parts remaining after processing a game animal should be disposed of in a regulated landfill or at a transfer station,” said Ron Aasheim, spokesman for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Helena. In many communities fur buyers and hide tanners will PERRY BACKUS/RAVALLI REPUBLIC
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purchase deer and elk hides. Montana 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 those for whom dumping big game carcasses in the woods has been standard practice. “It is not only illegal to dump big game carcasses, it is a bad idea for health and sanitation-related reasons,” Aasheim said. “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. Another serious issue is disposing of the uneatable portions of a harvested carcass in a location away from where it was harvested. “This practice could facilitate the transmission of as yet undetected or even unidentified wildlife diseases from one area of
the state to another,” Aasheim said. Laws that apply to the disposal of big game carcasses can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations. These laws include those that apply to the management of refuse and debris on U.S. Forest Service lands and other related issues. U.S. Forest Service enforcement sources say forest rules on dumping and proper storage and disposal of potential bear attractants—which a big game carcass is—are also posted at most ranger offices. Hunters who go out-of-state are reminded that it is illegal to bring heads and spinal cords from harvested game animals back into Montana from any state or Canadian province where Chronic Wasting Disease is present in either wild animals or game farm animals. Skull caps and antlers with no tissue remaining may be transported back to Montana. For more information on sanitation laws and other rules in effect on state and federal lands, please check the websites of the land management agencies responsible for the lands you plan to hunt.
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12 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Montana’s game laws
Ravalli Republic
Every hunting season some individuals unwittingly or knowingly violate Montana’s game laws. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials urge hunters to review Montana’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 at 1-800-TIPMONT, that is 1-800-847-6668 or Report a Violation online on the Enforcement web page. Here are some of the most common game violations: • Failure to obtain permission from landowners before hunting on private property. • Wasting part of a game animal suitable for food. • 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. • Taking game from the wrong hunting district. • Using someone else’s tag on a game animal you killed, or tagging a game animal that someone else killed. • Shooting game animals on or from any public highway or
public right-of-way. • Taking game without a license or the proper permit. • Failure to validate a big game tag. • Not leaving evidence of the sex or species of the game animal attached. FWP encourages hunters to protect the future of their sport by hunting responsibly and reporting hunting violations to the tollfree 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668) number or report a violation online at fwp.mt.gov, then click “Enforcement”.
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14 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Hunter access information Montana Fish, Wildlife
and
Parks
Montana’s millions of acres of private land offer 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 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. • Be sure to thank the landowner after your hunt. Hunters and landowners can learn more by investing some time on Montana’s Hunter-Landowner Stewardship Project, an information program for anyone interested in promoting responsible hunter behavior and good hunter and landowner relationships in Montana. Visit FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov, then click the “For Hunters” tab. For more information on hunting access in Montana, check out the “Hunter Access” pages on FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov.
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Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - 15
Montana 2014 Big Game Hunting Seasons Ravalli Republic
Antelope • 900 • Archery • General Bighorn Sheep • Archery • General Bison • General 2014 Black Bear • Archery • Fall Deer & Elk • Archery • Youth-Deer Only • General
Aug. 15–Nov. 9 Sept. 6–Oct. 10 Oct. 11–Nov. 9 Sept. 5–Sept. 14 Sept. 15–Nov. 30 Nov. 15–Feb. 15, Sept. 6–Sept. 14 Sept. 15–Nov. 30
Backcountry (HDs 150, 151, 280, 316) • Archery Sept. 6–Sept. 14 • General Sept. 15–Nov. 30 Moose • General Sept. 15–Nov. 30 Mountain goat • General Sept. 15–Nov. 30 Mountain Lion • Archery Sept. 6–Oct. 19 • Fall Oct. 25 –Nov. 30 • Winter Dec. 1–April 14, 2015 Wolf • Archery Sept. 6–Sept. 14 • General Sept. 15–March 15, 2015 • Trapping Dec. 15–Feb. 28, 2015
2014 Duck & Coot Season Dates Central Flyway Duck & Coot Oct 4 - Jan 20, 2015 Falconry Sept 24 - Jan 20, 2015 Youth Weekend Sept 27 - Sept 28 Pacific Flyway Duck & Coot Oct 4 - Jan 17, 2015 (ex. Scaup) Jan 11 - Jan 21, 2015 Scaup Oct. 4 - Dec 28 Falconry Oct. 4 - Jan. 17, 2015 Jan 11 - 21, 2015 Youth Weekend Sept. 27- 28
Sept. 6–Oct. 19 Oct. 16 –17 Oct. 25–Nov. 30
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