FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—APRIL 20, 2012



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—APRIL 20, 2012

Contact: Diane Tipton at 406-444-3079, or visit the FWP website at fwp.

SPRING TURKEY HUNTING SEASON OPENS

Montana's spring turkey hunting season began April 14 and runs through May 20. Montana has a spring turkey gobbler season and an either-sex fall season.

The 2012 turkey hunting regulations are available at all Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks region offices and on the FWP website at fwp.. Hunting tips can be found online by going to the turkey pages on the online Field Guide.

FWP Region 7 wildlife managers said hunters should expect the upcoming turkey hunting season to be similar to the 2011 season in the eastern half of the state in prime turkey habitat.

Turkey numbers remain well below average due to the cool temperatures and record precipitation of spring 2011, combined with a couple of past years of heavy spring snow, spring rain and cold weather.

Hunters should plan to do pre-hunt scouting to locate the birds and in many cases hunting opportunities will be on private land requiring landowner permission.

Here is a rundown on how turkey populations are doing in some popular turkey hunting areas.

Observers in the Glendive area are seeing fewer birds than normal, but in general it is still a relatively productive area—especially along the Yellowstone River downstream from the city of Glendive.

In the area surrounding Jordan turkey production was fair. There may be a few more birds on the ground here than there were last year, but the hunting experience is expected to be similar to last year's season.

In Forsyth and Miles City observers say while turkey numbers appear to have recovered slightly, they remain lower than average. Green up is also progressing slowly in this area.

In the Ashland, Broadus, and Ekalaka areas turkey numbers are also well below normal. On the Ashland Ranger District of the Custer National Forest mainly isolated pockets of birds remain.

Wildlife managers say birds are more likely to be found along riparian corridors. As the landscape greens up turkeys will disperse.

Hunters are reminded that to transport any turkey taken during the spring turkey gobbler season that one leg and foot must be left naturally attached for evidence of sex.

Biologists are looking for improved turkey production this spring.

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FWP INCREASES RATES AND EXPANDS OPPORTUNITIES TO COST-SHARE ON CRP SEED MIXES

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announced today that Montana's Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program's seed mix cost-share rates have increased to align with recently released federal rates.

The seed mix cost-share program enables FWP to share the cost of conservation practice approved seed mixes, including CP 25 and CP 2. An additional native, pollinator-friendly seed mix, CP 42, is also now available for cost-share through FWP.

FWP's cost share is $16 an acre for CP2 and CP 25 plantings, and $18 per acre for CP 42 plantings.

Priority counties that FWP has identified for the seed mix cost-share program include: Cascade, Choteau, Daniels, Dawson, Fallon, Fergus, Glacier, McCone, Pondera, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Teton, Toole, and Wibaux. Producers may enroll up to 640 acres.

For more information on the cost-share program and an application, go to the FWP website at fwp. and search for: "Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program." There is no deadline to apply.

Send applications to: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks—Wildlife Division; Attention: Upland Game Bird Habitat Enhancement Program; P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 50620.

For details, contact Debbie Hohler at: 406-444-5674, or by email: dhohler@.

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SOME BEAR HUNTING TO CLOSE IN MAY

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials remind black bear hunters that some black bear hunting districts close in May. Black bear hunting season opened April 15.

Hunters that purchase a black bear license now that the season has opened are reminded that they must wait 5-days after purchase to hunt.

If you are a black bear hunter, please check the 2012 black bear hunting regulations for the date when hunting closes in the hunting district that you hunt in. Black bear hunting districts close at various dates in May and June.

For details on Montana's spring black bear hunting season, go to the FWP website at fwp. to the Hunting page and click Hunt Planner and then Hunting Guides.

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MOOSE, SHEEP, BISON AND MOUNTAIN GOAT APPLICATION DEADLINE IS MAY 1

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds all hunters that May 1 is the deadline to apply for the moose, bighorn sheep, bison and mountain goat licenses available through a special drawing.

Applying for drawings for special big game hunting permits and licenses is a lot easier these days for hunters who apply using FWP's automated licensing online service at fwp. . Application information is also available on the FWP website.

It is also convenient to purchase 2012 SuperTag chances online to enter the SuperTag Lottery. Eight lucky hunters will win a SuperTag license for the hunt of a lifetime. Among the eight hunts are one for a moose, a bighorn sheep, a mountain goat, an antelope, an elk, a deer, a bison, and a mountain lion. An unlimited number of chances can be purchased at $5 a chance. Proceeds go to enhance hunting access and boost enforcement.

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GRIZZLY BEAR CAPTURES IN WESTERN MONTANA BEGIN

Anyone recreating in western Montana this spring and summer is urged to keep an eye out for warning signs indicating grizzly bear monitoring work is underway.

As part of an Interagency Program to monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and Tribal wildlife managers announced that pre-baiting and scientific capture operations are once again about to begin in parts of western Montana.

Throughout the summer months, biologists will work in the Blackfoot Valley, along the Rocky Mountain Front, in the Swan and Clearwater River Valleys, within Glacier National Park, and in the North and Middle Forks of the Flathead River.  Capturing will continue intermittently through the end of October.

Traps will also be set periodically on private and public lands where bear/human conflicts are occurring.

All areas where work is being conducted will have warning signs posted along the major access points to the trapping sites.  It is critical to public safety that all members of the public heed these signs.

Monitoring of grizzly bear distribution and population trends are vital to ongoing recovery of grizzlies in the NCDE.  In order to attract bears, biologists utilize natural food sources such as fresh road–killed deer and elk.  Potential trapping sites are baited with these natural foods and if indications are that grizzly bears are in the area, snares or culvert traps will be used to capture the bears.  Once captured, the bears are sedated, studied, and released in accordance with strict protocols.

For more information regarding grizzly bear trapping efforts, call FWP in Missoula at 406-542-5500, FWP in Kalispell at 406-752-5501, and the FWP Bear Management Office in Choteau at 406-466-5100.

Officials in Glacier Park can be contacted at 406-888-7800, on the Blackfeet Reservation at 406-338-7207, or on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Reservation at 406-883-2888.

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BOAT VALIDATION DECALS NEEDED

If your motorboat, sailboats or personal watercraft has been in storage for awhile and you're servicing it for the 2012 season, don't forget that watercraft need to sport the new, free 2011-2014 validation decals.

Boaters who have permanently registered their boats, sailboats, or PWC must still obtain two free boat validation decals every three years at FWP regional and area offices, or on the FWP website at fwp. at Boat Validation Decals.

Owners who order validation decals on the FWP website will receive the decals in the mail. A current boat registration receipt issued by the County Treasurer is needed to obtain the decals.

If you are a new boat or PWC owner, the County Treasurer's office will provide the first set of validation decals when you register your watercraft.

For more information, see FWP Montana Boating Laws at fwp., or call: 406-444-2535.

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FWP FISHERIES BIOLOGIST NAMED OUTSTANDING FISHERIES PROFESSIONAL

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks fisheries biologist Pat Saffel of Missoula was recently recognized by the Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society at their annual conference in Helena as “Outstanding Fisheries Professional” for 2011.

Saffel is Fisheries Program Manager for FWP’s Region 2, overseeing the lakes, rivers and streams of the Clark Fork Basin of west-central Montana. AFS recognized Saffel for his excellence in fisheries management, coordination of restoration activities, and impact on social issues related to this complex geography.

“I was in the right place at the right time and the credit needs to be shared among FWP staff, other government agencies and private companies and landowners,” Saffel says. “The names are too many to mention and indicative of the cooperative effort needed to accomplish large scale conservation.”

Saffel led efforts over the past few years to identify priority areas to put some $45 million to work on river and tributary enhancements in the Clark Fork Basin watershed under the State’s Natural Resource Damage Program. After more than three years of work, the plan was recently approved by the Upper Clark Fork Steering Committee and signed by the Governor as part of the overall remediation plan.

“Achieving the kinds of conservation that I have been involved in takes many people with a shared vision,” says Saffel. “I have been very fortunate to have worked with terrific people, had money available to work with, and Montana’s natural resources to protect. I am just happy they all came together.”

Saffel is a graduate of South Dakota State University (B.S.) and the University of Idaho (M.S.) and worked as a regional biologist in Thompson Falls for several years prior to moving to his current position in 2001.

The American Fisheries Society is the oldest and largest professional society for fisheries scientists in the world, and the Montana Chapter presents one "Outstanding Fisheries Professional” award annually.

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YOUTH TRAPPER CAMP OFFERED IN JUNE

The 2012 Youth Trapper Camp is accepting applications.

The three-day camp, established 13 years ago, by the Montana Trappers Association, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and Montana 4-H, offers youth the opportunity to learn all aspects of trapping from qualified instructors.

Held in the Bears Paw Mountains, south of Havre at Beaver Creek Park, the camp is set for June 15-17. Fees are $50 per camper, with a $20 scholarship available to the first 60 applicants. All meals, snacks, drinks and educational materials are included. Adults are encouraged to attend with their children. The camp is handicap accessible.

Applications are available online at MTA website at . For more information contact Jim or Fran Buell via email at 7mbuell@, or call 406-376-3178.

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SHED HEADS COMING OUT SOON

By Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Statewide Information Officer

Shed crazy, shed seeker, shed junky—these are a few of the hundreds of colorful "handles" shed antler hunters use when chatting on the Internet with other self- proclaimed "shed fanatics" about their finds. This Internet-enabled aspect of shed antler hunting is a new twist on a popular spring outdoor activity.

Male deer, elk and moose grow antlers each year, some to a magnificent size, then they drop off to re-grow late winter and spring. Pronghorn antelope shed only their horn "shells" which are black, hollow fibrous sheaths.

Hunting for and collecting these shed antlers in spring has always been a popular activity for outdoorsmen, but it is being considered a "sport" or even a competition for some participants these days.

A national club for antler collectors, the North American Shed Hunters Club, formed in 1991. Members represent the club at annual events where collectors can boast about their finds and have them scored. Internet chat rooms make it possible for an antler hunter to share their experiences, photos and videos with like-minded collectors everywhere. A query on shed antler hunting on YouTube turned up 1,280 video clips on the topic.

So who collects shed antlers these days and why?

"Many collectors are taxidermists that use the antlers in their work, artists, furniture makers and the like," said Aaron Berg, FWP warden in FWP Region 2.

Money is also a factor for some. Nice matched sets or atypical antlers can be readily found on E-Bay or other Internet sites, or antlers are sometimes sold by the pound—which is lawful if they are legally obtained in the first place.

There are plenty of antler hunters who just appreciate nature too.

"There are many we see who still enjoy the warm feeling of finding a nice antler, knowing the big bull that shed it is still out there somewhere walking around," said Mark Schlepp, FWP Region 4 in Fairfield at Freezout Wildlife Management Area.

That brings us to opening day at some of Montana's WMAs—a popular, some might even say raucous, event. WMA's provide critical winter range for deer and elk and host all kinds of other wildlife species. Some of Montana's famed elk herds shed their antlers on these sites.

"When the Blackfoot-Clearwater WMA near Seeley Lake opens, hundreds of people can be staged on the road ready to get onto the range to hunt for antlers," Berg said. "We've observed everything from people wrecking their cars in the race to get through the gates, to troublesome encounters with grizzly bears."

On opening day of a WMA, wildlife managers are most concerned about protecting elk, deer, grizzly bears and other species from disturbance just when their energy reserves are most depleted. Shed hunters should carry bear spray and practice good bear avoidance techniques. Steer clear too of deer and elk, the females are heavily pregnant and soon to give birth.

Last year on opening day at Madison/Wall Creek WMA, about 7,000 acres near Ennis, more than 70 vehicles lined up waiting for the gate to open at noon.

"Many people park their rig in line the day before and camp there like they would at a concert," said Kevin Hughes, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 3 Wildlife Area Manager. "One guy parked his truck at the gate three days in advance so he could be first in line."

In addition to WMAs, any other public land that offers good wintering range for wildlife offers shed antler hunting opportunities. FWP wildlife managers say hunters who search for antlers where they plan to hunt in the fall can gather valuable information about the age and size of the animals in the area and their movement patterns. If that location is on private land, remember to get landowner permission prior to making an antler hunting trip.

Springtime searching for shed antlers, hiking, and other such activities are not allowed through the Block Management Program, but instead require permission from the private landowner.  Block Management only covers public hunting and typically is only in effect during fall hunting seasons. 

All WMAs with seasonal closures open at noon on various dates depending on the site.

WMA locations, opening dates and more can be found on the FWP website at fwp.. Click Habitat on the Fish & Wildlife page.

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FWP NEWS APRIL 20, 2012

• SPRING TURKEY HUNTING SEASON OPENS

• FWP INCREASES RATES AND EXPANDS OPPORTUNITIES TO COST-SHARE ON CRP SEED MIXES

• SOME BEAR HUNTING TO CLOSE IN MAY

• MOOSE, SHEEP, BISON AND MOUNTAIN GOAT APPLICATIONS DEADLINE IS MAY 1

• GRIZZLY BEAR CAPTURES IN WESTERN MONTANA BEGIN

• BOAT VALIDATION DECALS NEEDED

• FWP FISHERIES BIOLOGIST NAMED OUTSTANDING FISHERIES PROFESSIONAL

• YOUTH TRAPPER CAMP OFFERED IN JUNE

FWP OUTDOORS EXTRA

SHED HEADS COMING OUT SOON

By Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Statewide Information Officer

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