Region 6 Hunting Season Proposals To Be Discussed At Four Meetings Across Northeast Montana

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will hold four public meetings in northeast Montana in January to gather comments on proposed hunting seasons and rules for the next two years. Interested hunters are encouraged to attend these meetings to hear the proposals, ask questions and make comments.

Proposed hunting season changes were tentatively approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission at their December meeting, which are then are put out for public comment. Tentative season proposals include both statewide and local hunting regulations for all big game, migratory birds and upland game birds.

Every two years, FWP considers changes to all hunting seasons, proposes changes from the previous biennium and encourages public comment before the Fish and Wildlife Commission makes its final decisions in February. Public meetings are held across the state to present the proposed seasons and accept public comments, and proposals can also be viewed online. FWP and its commissioners will also accept written, online or emailed comments through Jan. 22.

Many of the proposed changes this year in Region 6 focus on simplifying the hunting regulations, including: •Consolidating various hunting districts outside of the Missouri Breaks.

•Aligning deer, elk and antelope to have similar hunting districts and boundaries.

•Consolidating and/or eliminating various elk licenses and permits.

•Adjusting HD 622 bighorn sheep boundary.

The public is encouraged to visit the FWP website for the full proposals or attend a public meeting. There is also an online “movie presentation” of the season setting proposals for each Region available online at fwp.mt.gov, MontanaFWP on YouTube, and on our Region 6 Facebook page. In northeast Montana, all public meetings are scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at the following dates and locations: •Havre: Jan. 9, Hill Co. Electric hospitality room

•Malta: Jan. 14, Malta High School cafeteria

•Plentywood: Jan. 15, Sheridan Co. Courthouse/Library basement Jubilee Room

•Glasgow: Jan. 16, Cottonwood Inn banquet room Comments may be submitted at these public meetings, online at fwp.mt.gov, emailed to fwpwld@mt.gov or by mail to: FWP Wildlife Division, “Attn: Hunting Season Proposals,” PO Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620. Comments are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 22.

If there are any questions about the Region 6 meetings, call the Region 6 headquarters in Glasgow at 228-3700.

Proposed Deer/Elk HD Boundaries

Proposal

This map shows the proposed new boundaries for deer/ elk in Region 6. Note the two circled areas on the bottom map. HD 620 will have Hwy 2 as the north boundary, rather than the Milk River and HD 650 on the east end will have the Missouri River be the boundary, and not Hwy 2.