MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS—JUNE 3, 2011



MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS—JUNE 3, 2011

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

MONTANA OFFERS FREE FISHING FOR ALL ON FATHER'S DAY WEEKEND

Forget about that tacky tie for Father's Day and take Dad fishing instead. This year, Montana is offering the gift of free fishing for all over Father's Day weekend.

Joe Maurier, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, explained the new promotion was approved by the Montana Legislature and recently signed into law by Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

"It's a wonderful idea because it provides everyone in Montana with the opportunity to get hooked on fishing," Maurier said. "You can legally fish without a license on June 18 and June 19."

Maurier also cautioned all anglers to be aware that many of Montana's rivers and streams will likely be running high over the Father's Day weekend promotion. "Some fishing access sites may still be closed due to high water and conditions in many areas may still be hazardous for anglers and boaters," he said. "Please research the current conditions on the water you plan to visit and always wear a life jacket."

Anyone planning on recreating near water should check the FWP website at fwp. for information on flood and high-water restrictions or closures. For water and boating safety tips, click "Recreation." Then choose "Stay Safe Outdoors."

In total, each year more than 230,000 residents and 160,000 nonresidents purchase a Montana fishing license. Anglers spend about $240 million annually in Montana for things like transportation, food and guide fees. For every dollar spent by FWP's fisheries program, anglers spend an additional $11 benefiting local communities and the state's economy.

Among those anglers, Montana's most popular waters include the Madison, Bighorn, Missouri, Bitterroot and Gallatin rivers; and Canyon Ferry, Flathead, Georgetown Hauser, and Fort Peck lakes.

"Montana's first 'fish for free' weekend is the state's Father's Day gift to dad's everywhere," Maurier said. "We want everyone to have a fun time, so we're also encouraging folks to check conditions first and to always keep safety as their top concern."

The free fishing promotion is set for Father’s Day weekend, June 18-19.

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2011 GENERAL FISHING SEASON OPEN AMID WARNINGS

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials are urging boat and wade anglers to be extremely cautious now that the state's general fishing season is open.

"Safety must by every angler's first concern," said Ron Aasheim, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks spokesman in Helena. "Anglers, floaters and boaters should check the conditions daily before heading out and wear well-fitted life jackets. We will be dealing with some extreme conditions in the next few weeks."

The general fishing season opens the third Saturday in May every year. Fishing on the state’s lakes and reservoirs and some designated rivers is generally open year round.

For boating safety tips and water restrictions and closures, go to the FWP website at fwp.. Click "Recreation." Then choose "Stay Safe Outdoors".

The 2011 fishing regulations are available at FWP offices and license providers, or visit FWP’s website at fwp. to view the 2011 fishing regulations on line.

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APPLY NOW TO DEER HUNT MARIAS RIVER SP-WMA

            Deer hunters who want to hunt the Marias River State Park and Wildlife Management Area, southwest of Shelby in Hunting District 406 have until June 30 to submit their application.

            A random drawing will take place for deer hunting periods during the archery season, Sept. 3 – Oct. 16, or the general rifle season, Oct. 22 – Nov. 13. Access to the WMA will be allocated as follows:

Archery Season - Deer Hunting Periods

• 10 archers for the first 2 weeks (Sept. 3-Sept. 16)

• 10 archers for the 3rd and 4th weeks (Sept. 17-Sept. 30)

• 10 archery hunters for 5th and 6th weeks (Oct. 1-Oct. 16)

General Season - Deer Hunting Periods

• 10 rifle hunters for the 1st week (Oct. 22-Oct. 28)

• 10 rifle hunters for the 2nd week (Oct. 29-Nov. 4)

• 10 rifle hunters for the 3rd and final week (Nov. 5-Nov. 13)

            Public hunting access for all other species is open on the Marias River SP – WMA.

            Hunters can submit applications until 5 p.m., June 30. All drawing applications must be submitted electronically. On the FWP website, –go to the 'For Hunters' icon and click on Marias River State Park and WMA Access. Or apply electronically at any FWP regional or area office.

Points to remember

• 10 archery hunters randomly chosen per 2 week period.

• 3 archery hunt periods, each 2 weeks in length.

• 10 general hunting season (rifle) hunters randomly chosen per 7-9 day period.

• 3 general season (rifle) hunt periods, each 7-9 days in length.

• Hunters may apply for either archery or rifle season but not both.

• No party applications accepted.

• Hunt periods will be allotted at the time of drawing and are not transferable.

• Hunters may apply only once.

• Drawing application may be submitted electronically on the FWP website (fwp.) or at any FWP regional office.

• Drawing application must be received by FWP no later than 5 p.m., June 30, 2011.

• Incomplete, incorrect or duplicate drawing applications will be removed prior to the drawing.

• Hunters must include their full name, address, phone number, and correctly formatted ALS number and indicate desired hunt– archery or general rifle hunting season on the drawing application.

• Drawing will take place after June 30 and only successful applicants will be notified of drawing results.

• Successful drawing applicants will be contacted with hunt access information and authorized permission before the start of the archery season.

• Successful drawing applicants may use any deer license valid in Hunting District 406.

• All hunting will conform to the existing FWP Commission-established season structure in HD 406.

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GAME DAMAGE HUNT ROSTER REGISTRATION BEGINS JUNE 15

Hunters interested in participating in game-damage hunts on private land or possible management seasons this year may register online with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks beginning June 15. 

Prospective hunters must register for the hunt rosters online at fwp. . On the Hunting page, click Game Damage Roster. Internet-based registration can be completed on personal computers, at most public libraries, and at any FWP office. To register, hunters will need their ALS number.

Game damage occurs when animals such as elk, deer, and antelope concentrate on private farms and ranches and consume crops. FWP’s game damage hunt rules are designed to respond to the needs of landowners who provide free public hunting during the general hunting season, yet who could nevertheless suffer losses due to wildlife damage without this additional management tool. Management seasons typically occur on a larger scale than game damage hunts.

A final game damage roster, randomly generated from all the online registrations, will be posted by Aug. 1 on the FWP website at fwp.. 

The hunts, if they occur, could take place anytime from Aug. 15 through Feb. 15, 2012.

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NEW BORN WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS REMINDER

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds Montanans to leave newborn fawns and other infant wildlife where they see them. This time of year fawns and other infant wildlife are plentiful.

"What appears to be an orphaned newborn usually is not," said Lisa Rhodin, FWP wildlife center coordinator. "Deer and elk naturally leave their young alone for extended periods of time to protect them from predators while the adults feed."

“If you care, leave them there, whether it is a fawn under a tree in a neighbor’s yard or a bunny under a bush in the mountains,” Rhodin said.

To protect Montana’s deer and elk from the impending threat of Chronic Wasting Disease, FWP no longer accepts, holds, or rehabilitates deer, moose, or elk.  A deer, moose or elk delivered to FWP must be returned to the site where it was found. If it can’t be returned to the wild, it will be euthanized.

Rhodin said CWD, a fatal neurological disease that affects deer and elk, is spreading in the United States and Canada. Although it has yet to be documented in wild populations in Montana, CWD is found in nearby states and provinces and an infected animal could spread CWD from a holding center back into the wild.

FWP also reminds dog owners to keep their pets leashed or close to their side this spring and summer so they don’t chase, injure or stress young wildlife.

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FIRST SUPERTAG PURCHASE DEADLINE IS JUNE 30

Hunters don't miss out on a chance to win a super hunt by purchasing one or more Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' $5 SuperTag chances for the fall 2011 hunting season.

The deadlines to purchase SuperTag chances are:

• June 30—moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat

• July 28—deer, elk, antelope, bison, and mountain lion

Each year, drawings for eight SuperTag licenses occur. SuperTag chances are available at all FWP offices and license providers. Information about FWP’s SuperTag lottery, deadlines, and how to purchase the $5 chances is available online at fwp.. Click "SuperTag".

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CWD NOT FOUND IN MONTANA WILD GAME

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks tested more than 1,300 deer, elk and moose collected during the 2010-2011 hunting season and did not detect chronic wasting disease in any of the animals.

Montana’s detection program tests sick and road-killed deer, elk and moose, and has relied heavily on testing samples from hunter-harvested animals collected in "high risk" areas. CWD is a brain disease in deer, elk and moose that is always fatal.  

Over the past 13 years FWP has tested more than 16,400 wild elk or deer in Montana for CWD and has not yet found any evidence of it.

CWD was diagnosed in 1999 in nine captive elk on an alternative livestock facility, or game farm, near Philipsburg. All the animals there were destroyed and the facility was quarantined.

"It is good news that we haven’t found CWD in Montana wildlife populations yet, but given that the disease occurs in wild elk, deer and moose in adjacent states and Canadian provinces we’ll keep testing. It's likely we’ll find it here at some point," said Neil Anderson, FWP’s Wildlife Laboratory supervisor.

FWP adopted a CWD Management Plan to help protect Montana’s wild deer and elk from infection and to manage the disease should it occur here.

If you should see sick, emaciated animals, please report them to the nearest FWP regional office, or the FWP biologist in your area.

For more information, visit FWP’s CWD Frequently Asked Questions at fwp. and search “CWD.”

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ELECTRIC FENCING IS A SOLUTION FOR BEAR PROBLEMS

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

It is a quiet summer night. Your kids have just made their last trip into the house and back outside to sleep in their tree house.

As you shut off the lights there is suddenly a commotion outdoors. You flip on the flood light you've rigged to light up your backyard. The kids are still in the tree house—but a huge black bear is ripping into a nearby shed where you store grain for your 30 chickens. The bear has the door nearly torn off of the shed.

This isn't the first time your chickens have attracted a bear. Your gun is loaded with fire cracker shells that rip into the night frightening the kids. The bear retreats, inexplicably making off with a case of toilet paper also stored in the shed.

This and a series of similar incidents convinced the Cook family of Troy to erect an electric fence around the perimeter of their property last fall.

Barbara Cook said so far it appears bears have walked along the fence and then moved off. Only a deer has challenged it and broken one of the wires.

(We will have to do some repair and upkeep, but that will be minor in comparison to the peace we've gained—no more grizzly bears 12 feet from the house,( she said. (Our local Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear biologist, Kim Annis, was very helpful during the planning and construction phases."

(Electric fences have been the greatest achievement in terms of reducing chicken, beehive and sheep depredation,( said Mike Madel, FWP bear management specialist in Choteau.

(Wherever sheep occur in grizzly habitat it is only a matter of time before the bears will locate them. Sheep use common bedding grounds that become saturated with scent and are very easy for bears to find.

(We've worked up and down the Rocky Mountain Front with landowners to get electric fencing around sheep bedding grounds,( Madel said.

One livestock owner north of Choteau is installing electric fence around several hundred acres of sheep pasture. There are some nonprofit organizations interested in reducing bear depredation that sometimes match funds with livestock producers, and there are also matching funds available through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Madel said.

(We have more folks than ever raising chickens, goats and pigs and we are seeing a response from predators of all kinds to these new opportunities for them,( said Jamie Jonkel, FWP bear manager in Missoula. (If you are making an investment in chickens or other livestock, erecting an electric fence is simply the right thing to do."

Those interested in putting up an electric fence have a lot of resources to turn to locally and on the Internet. An easy to follow guide for beginners is available on the FWP website at fwp. on the Be Bear Aware page. It is titled Bears and Electric Fencing: A Starter's Guide For Using Electric Fencing To Deter Bears. The brochure includes contact information for FWP's regional bear managers who are equipped to assist landowners in planning electric fences to prevent bear depredations.

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FWP NEWS FOR JUNE 3

• MONTANA OFFERS FREE FISHING FOR ALL ON FATHER'S DAY WEEKEND

• 2011GENERAL FISHING SEASON OPEN AMID WARNINGS

• APPLY NOW TO DEER HUNT MARIAS RIVER SP-WMA

• GAME DAMAGE HUNT ROSTER REGISTRATION BEGIN JUNE 15

• NEW BORN WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS REMINDER

• FIRST SUPERTAG PURCHASE DEADLINE IS JUNE

• CWD NOT FOUND IN MONTANA WILD GAME

FWP OUTDOORS EXTRA

ELECTRIC FENCING IS A SOLUTION FOR BEAR PROBLEMS

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

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