FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—FEBRUARY 10, 2012



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—FEBRUARY 10, 2012

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

NEW, STREAMLINED ELK AND DEER PERMIT APPLICATION PACKET AVAILABLE NOW—NEW DEADLINE IS MARCH 15

Along with the new March 15 deadline to apply for 2012 deer and elk hunting permits, the new streamlined eight-page application packet—that contains all the information residents need to apply— is now available at all license providers, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices and online at fwp..

The new deadline was approved by the Montana FWP Commission in response to hunters’ requests for more time to plan their fall deer and elk hunts, according to FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim in Helena.

“The new packets also offer a fast and convenient way to identify hunting districts where buck deer and bull elk permits are available,” Aasheim said. “Hunters have consistently asked FWP to make things simpler and easier to understand, so we attempted to boil down all the permit application essentials into a brief packet. It’s different, so were urging hunters to go online or pick one up locally to get accustomed to the new format.”

Aasheim said more than 80,000 applications have been printed and distributed statewide to FWP license providers. “We’re also reaching out to more than 86,000 hunters who participate in the bonus point system with direct mail postcards to alert them of the new March 15 deadline and easy-to-use deer and elk application and information packet.”

As in past years, Aasheim said a 2012 elk license is needed to apply for a special elk permit. But also new this year, to accommodate the new application deadline, elk licenses are now on sale for residents. In past years, elk licenses were not available for sale until mid-February.

“People are busy and they’re seeking more convenient ways to participate so we’re trying to be responsive to those needs,” Aasheim explained. “Most Montana hunters are used to their hunting regulations arriving in April, but today they can pick up a new application packet and begin to plan now and then apply for their deer and elk permits by March 15.”

Successful applicants will receive their permits in April and, as a result, have three extra months to make preparations for their fall hunts.

“Everything needed to apply is in the new application and information packet,” Aasheim said.

Aasheim noted Montana’s final deer and elk regulations—including those listed as pending in the deer and elk permit application packet —will be finalized by the FWP Commission on Feb. 16. The Commission’s action on the pending hunting districts in the deer and elk application packet will be available online Feb. 17. He said 2012 regulations will be posted online by March 15, and hard copy regulations will be on the shelf at FWP offices and local licenses providers by April 1. Hunters who’d like to review Montana 2011 regulations can do that online at fwp.. Click the “For Hunters” tab.

Nonresidents who wish to apply for big game combination, elk combination or deer combination licenses and deer and elk permits for the 2012 fall Montana hunting season can also apply online or download an application from FWP’s website. To request an application by mail, write to:  Licensing Section; Montana FWP; P.O. Box 200701, Helena MT; 59620-0701; or call: 406-444-2950. The application deadline is March 15.

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|Hunters, mark your calendars for March 15, May 1 & June 1 |

|March 15 is the new deadline to apply for 2012 deer and elk hunting permits; the new streamlined eight-page application packet that |

|contains all the information residents need to apply is now available at all license providers, FWP offices and online at fwp.. |

|The application deadline for moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat and bison licenses remains May 1. |

|Montana no longer offers “cow permits” for elk or “doe permits” for deer. |

|Cow elk hunting opportunities are available as “Elk B” licenses; and doe hunting opportunities are available as “Deer B” licenses. The|

|deadline to apply for Elk B, Deer B and Antelope licenses is June 1. |

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MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS COMMISSION TO MEET FEB. 15-16 IN HELENA

Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet Feb. 16 in Helena at FWP headquarters, 1420 East 6th Ave., beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The FWP Commission will make final decisions on a variety of 2012-2013 hunting season dates, quotas and district boundaries, the nonresident falcon take and raptor propagation rules.

The FWP Commission will also hear a petition on proposed restrictions on Upper Thompson Lake and an informational presentation on the upcoming statewide fisheries management planning process.

The 2012-2013 hunting season quotas, district boundaries, dates and related decisions include the:

• mountain lion permit increase in HD250,

• wolf season extension and management harvest in the Bitterroot Valley in wolf management unit 250,

• bison harvest management,

• moose, sheep, goat seasons, quota ranges and hunting district boundaries,

• deer, elk, antelope seasons, quota ranges, hunting district boundaries,

• black bear seasons, quota ranges and hunting district boundaries,

• mountain lion seasons and hunting district boundaries,

• bison hunting seasons and hunting district boundaries,

• upland game bird hunting seasons, quotas, and boundaries,

• migratory bird hunting regulations,

• game damage quotas, and

• 2012/2013 final hunting season dates.

The commission will meet Feb. 15 beginning at 2 p.m. to prepare for the Feb. 16 meeting.

FWP ensures its meetings are fully accessible to those with a disability. Individuals with special needs may request arrangements by contacting FWP at: 406-444-3186.

For the full agenda and background on the scheduled topics go to the FWP website at fwp. on the home page under the heading FWP Commission.

The FWP website will also offer live streamed audio of the meeting on Feb. 16, or the public may view a live television feed at FWP regional offices.

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ELK-BRUCELLOSIS WORKING GROUP SET TO MEET IN BOZEMAN

A working group charged with developing elk management options in areas where the transmission of brucellosis between elk and livestock is a concern is set to meet in Bozeman Feb. 21-22.

The working group is leading an effort to examine effective elk management options and risk prevention efforts in several southwestern Montana hunting districts. The areas generally include hunting districts that border or are near Yellowstone National Park.

The meeting is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Feb. 21, and continue through Feb. 22, at the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ office in Bozeman at 1400 S. 19th St.

Brucellosis is a contagious bacterial infection in domestic animals, wildlife and humans worldwide. In Montana, brucellosis has been detected in elk, bison and, several years ago, in cattle in areas surrounding Yellowstone National Park. The disease results in miscarriages in some pregnant animals, including domestic cattle, and bison and elk.

The meetings are open to the public and include time for public comment at the end of each day. Additional public comment opportunities will be offered if the FWP Commission considers recommendations from the working group.

For more information, call 406-444-2612.

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KEEP MONTANA'S OUTDOOR CRIME STOPPER NUMBER HANDY

Montana’s TIP-MONT "crimestopper" program is at work year round because wildlife crimes and vandalism occur year round.

It is a good idea to keep the TIP-MONT number handy. It is 1-800-TIP-MONT, or 1-800-847-6668.

The TIP-MONT program rewards callers who report natural resource crimes, hunting and fishing violations, or vandalism in a Montana State Park or on other public lands. The caller may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if the information they provide leads to a conviction.

To report violations or suspected violations, call 1-800-TIP-MONT, or go to the FWP website's online report form.

For more on TIP-MONT, visit FWP at fwp. and look for TIP-MONT on the Enforcement page.

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ICE FISHING: HARD LESSONS ON HARD WATER

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

Ice fishing puts the angler in touch with the elements in a way no other outdoor activity does. Fishing "hard water" is alluring for its simplicity—ice, water, wind, fish, a line in a round ice hole, and time.

Wind might be the element ice anglers have had enough of this year. One dedicated angler, who sometimes sleeps overnight on the ice during the season, recently had a wind-powered adventure he and his friends will remember for winters to come.

Retiree Robert Morris of Helena made his ice shanty from a recycled pop-up camper about 7 x 11 feet with 10 inch tires that carries a 2x4 framed plywood shack. This winter he is set up at Canyon Ferry Reservoir a few miles out from the Silos propped on jack stands with tie downs to the ice. His fishing buddy's ice shack was sitting on skis and lashed to Morris's shack with a lead rope.

During one of the longest nights this winter, Morris was up at 4 a.m. to fish for ling. The wind was already growling when he checked his line with a flashlight and crawled back into his sleeping bag. All was well for a time, until out of the black a heavy weight wamped his ice shanty hard enough to break its moorings and hurtle it across the ice.

"I was suddenly sailing at highway speed on the ice in the black night, with the wind slamming my friend's ice shack into mine, twisting and spinning us," Morris said.

Morris said he felt pretty certain, with all the open water and pressure cracks along the ice at that time, that he was a goner.

"I started calling a few close friends to say thanks and let them know what happened to me," he said. "Odds were they'd be out looking under the ice for me come morning."

When the strange assemblage slowed, Morris hurriedly crawled out to take stock. The tongue of his ice house trailer was snagged on a sled he uses to pull groceries to his fishing site.

"I lifted the trailer tongue onto the ice hoping to add some traction," he said. "I thought of abandoning the whole thing and hiking to shore, but in the dark I had no idea where I was."

Even as he climbed back into his ice shack it took off again, traveling another few city blocks with the trailer tongue scraping and jittering over the ice.

"My fishing poles, supplies, jack stands, everything was strewn far and wide across the ice back the way I'd come," he said.

When first light dawned, he was finally able to reorient himself for a nearly two mile walk back to the Silos.

"I was so glad to be alive," he said. "I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz blowing out of Kansas in my little ice house on wheels."

"He walked in just as I was about to listen to my phone messages," said Sharon Walker, manager of the general store at the Silos at the Townsend-Canyon Ferry Lake KOA. "Boy was I glad he was there in person before I listened to that message—otherwise I would have been scared to death that we'd lost him."

Friends in the Silos area helped Morris gather his belongings over the next few days. He had lots of help, a lot of fellow ice anglers were scouting around for their ice houses and belongings too. But none had ridden the night's high wind as Morris did.

"A few days later I was back out on the ice anchoring my ice house with bolts screwed into 2x4's under the ice," Morris said. "I spend 19 or 20 days a year out on the ice in winter. It's one thing that I really enjoy—even after this experience."

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SIDEBAR:

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks does not monitor the thickness of the ice or the wind velocity on the state's fishable lakes and reservoirs. But there are some measures ice fishermen and others recreating on the ice can take to make every trip safer.

• Don’t fish alone. Let others know exactly where you and your fishing partners are going and when you plan to return.

• Keep fishing holes small and few. When drilling fishing holes with an ice auger, keep the diameter under 8 inches. Bigger holes are not necessary to land fish and can create a safety hazard for others.

• Watch your step. Avoid ice fishing near feeder streams or known springs; brush, logs, plants or docks; multiple ice cracks or ice that is popping or otherwise audible; and dark-colored ice that may be weak.

• Spread out. Too many people congregated in one area may be more than the ice can safely support. Disperse weight and fishing holes.

• Be prepared for weather conditions. Dress in layers and wear thermal underwear, fleece or wool, and wind and waterproof outerwear, especially for feet, hands and head. Take extra clothes, food, water, sand for on-ice traction, and a sled for easy on-ice transport of all equipment.

• Be prepared for emergencies. Carry equipment such as ice picks or awls, rope, extra buckets and personal flotation devices. Also pack a first-aid kit and matches for starting a fire.

Being prepared for what can go wrong is one good way to assure nothing does—while it positions you to help others not as prepared.

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FWP NEWS FOR FEB. 10

• NEW, STREAMLINED ELK AND DEER PERMIT APPLICATION PACKET AVAILABLE NOW—NEW DEADLINE IS MARCH 15

• MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS COMMISSION TO MEET FEB. 15-16 IN HELENA

• ELK-BRUCELLOSIS WORKING GROUP SET TO MEET IN BOZEMAN

• KEEP MONTANA'S OUTDOOR CRIME STOPPER NUMBER HANDY

FWP OUTDOORS EXTRA

ICE FISHING: HARD LESSONS ON HARD WATER

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

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