2019 Montana Elk Season Dates. Elk season in Montana is generous, with the archery section covering most of September and October, and the general season lasting until December. 29; Mountain Lion. 29; Backcountry – HDs 150, 280, 316 (no archery-only season in 316) Archery Sept. 5–Sept. Montana law ( MCA 87-1-323 ) requires Fish, Wildlife & Parks to manage elk populations to objective, and both Gov. The Elk B … Hunters can typically use their general season elk license, antlerless elk permit or an elk B license, depending on the hunting district. The regulations booklet has been reorganized and reformatted for better flow and clarity. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Our late season Cow Elk hunts take place in November through the end of January. Local news headlines from ABC FOX in Missoula and Kalispell - delivered to your email inbox every weekday. We hunt during the month of November. Deer & Elk. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) officials have extended the elk hunting season through January 15, 2021 for holders of certain unfilled, antlerless Elk B Licenses that are valid in portions of west-central Montana, in FWP Region 2. Some cooperators who enroll land in the Block Management Program have chosen to allow public elk hunting ONLY during the archery only and general firearms hunting seasons. “A shoulder season is a firearms season that occurs outside the 5-week general firearms and archery seasons. Below is a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Hunters should start early establishing contacts and building relationships with landowners who may offer access for shoulder season hunts. 2019 Montana Archery Elk Season September 7 – October 20. Steve Bullock and our own Fish & Wildlife … Shoulder seasons are performance-based, meaning that certain criteria for timing and number of animals harvested must be met, as stated in the shoulder season guidelines. The Performance Criteria for Elk Harvest are: Click on the link below to see the performance criteria for elk harvest in the hunting districts where there were shoulder seasons for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons. For questions about elk shoulder seasons, call the number for your area below: Elk Hunt Information Coordinators will be starting in August. Welcome to Montana Elk Hunting Advice for residents and nonresidents on finding where to hunt, obtaining reliable information, and negotiating the licensing and permitting process—To a beginner—whether resident or nonresident—trying to learn about elk hunting in Montana can seem like entering a secret society. 2019 Montana General Elk Season … Montana Hunt Planner The Hunt Planner combines updated maps with hunting regulations and statistics. There were often over 500 calls per day in addition to the hundreds of people walking in, and we couldn’t handle them all. Montana Moose Season #8. Montana Deer and Elk Hunting Season. 2020 Hunting Regulations. Hunters have a key role to play in successfully meeting the objectives of the shoulder seasons. Previous season male deer harvest data suggests populations within Gallatin County are healthy. In HDs 445, 446, 449, and 452, where there was good landowner participation, there was a very good harvest of bull and antlerless elk during the archery and general seasons and 611 antlerless elk taken during the shoulder season, increasing the archery and general season harvest by 72%. Montana Antelope Seasons #2. Elk General. However, other Block Management cooperators have chosen to allow public elk hunting during all legal seasons for their respective hunting districts including the shoulder seasons. Therefore, clearly defined fundamental objectives for what shoulder seasons are meant to accomplish were developed along with performance criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of a season in achieving those objectives. Season. Montana Mountain Goat Season #9. Local news headlines from ABC Fox Butte - delivered to your email inbox every weekday. 2019 Montana Archery Elk Season September 7 – October 20. While most shoulder seasons focus on … Destination: NORTHWEST MONTANA Northwest Montana … Like always, elk hunting in Montana is a challenging endeavor. However, multiple cooperators have decided to include their lands in the early and/or late elk shoulder seasons. Local news headlines from ABC Fox Bozeman and Butte - delivered to your email inbox every weekday. Once you get that kill if you choose not to leave your animal at the kill site, you can still take it home and get it processed but make sure you take the rest to a designated landfill. News from UM, MSU, High School sports and more. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Likewise, hunters have a responsibility to be respectful of the land they hunt on and to be courteous with and respectful of landowners. License is valid for one elk. That’s why some of the fundamental objectives for shoulder seasons speak to landowners. They also emphasize flexibility with using all currently available harvest tools. You will be accompanied by a very professional and experienced guide. The response from hunters was overwhelming, so much so that even though FWP put on additional staff and directed other staff’s time we were swamped. But it was a trial run in hunting districts 410, 445, 446, 449, and 452 using a late season that ran from November 30, 2015 to February 15, 2017. Montana Hunting Seasons and All Available Games #1. Printed copies will be available at all license providers and FWP offices in a couple of weeks. Shoulder seasons will vary in timing and function from hunting district to hunting district. Get the latest headlines on local sports! Elk distribution will likely change from now through the archery season. Eastman is rifle hunting in a hard to draw … The regulations were finalized by the Fish & Wildlife Commission on Feb. 13. Our General Season rifle elk hunt is an eight day expedition. “You’ll really be able to tell what kind of animal you’re going after like how big your buck is or if that doe is alone or what not.”. Jacobsen said they want to make sure hunters keep those tags protected from the weather so keep them in a sealed bag or laminate them. These guidelines have 11 fundamental objectives as well as clear performance criteria to evaluate effectiveness and make sure that adequate harvest of both bulls and cows occurs during the general five-week season. More information can be found on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website here. Cloudy. Montana 2015 Shoulder Season "Pilot Project" Performance Criteria Evaluation, check the particular BMA on which they plan to hunt, Final Elk Season Guidelines Flexible Season Structure with Performance-based Shoulder Seasons. Following the 2019 hunting season, elk populations in the Tobacco Root (HDs 320 and 333) and Gravelly (HDs 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327 and 330) elk management units remain above management objective. Cold temperatures are expected for the first weekend of the hunting season but Mallory Walser, an experienced cold weather hunter with stints in Montana, Minnesota, and Alaska, said the cold temperatures and snow can be good and bad for the hunt. It is priced at $2900. You have permission to edit this article. The 2020 deer and elk hunting season starts Oct. 24 and ends Nov. 29 with a few changes. As always, hunters need permission to hunt on private land. These guidelines do not require implementation of any one option. There was an error processing your request. Hunter success will depend on landowner cooperation and FWP has worked hard to engage landowners and keep them apprised of the important role they play. 2019 Montana Elk Season Dates. As mentioned, shoulder seasons are opportunities to hunt antlerless elk primarily on private land. As always, landowner permission is required before hunting. Refer to the interactive map at the bottom of this page for hunting district details. Antelope, bison, black bear, elk and mountain lion are all included in Montana’s hunting seasons. Overall, elk numbers should be similar to last year. 14; General Sept. 15–Nov. It needs to be well understood that this was not a full-blown shoulder season because hunters and landowners did not have time to understand or even try to meet evaluation criteria, it was already October so there was no opportunity for an early season, plus hunting was already in full swing with the archery season and rifle season to open soon. Most hunts will be two on one. Elk hunting is challenging in northwest Montana due to difficult terrain, heavily forested areas and densities relatively lower than other area in Montana. Season proposals that might include one or more option will continue to be initiated by regional staff. While most shoulder seasons focus on antlerless elk harvest on private land and are not intended to replace or reduce harvest during the existing archery or five-week general firearms seasons, a few are meant to address problematic distribution of elk. A thorough evaluation of shoulder seasons will occur after the 2018-2019 season, after three hunting seasons. A shoulder season in no way grants anyone permission to hunt on private land. Part of getting information out is this Shoulder Season website, but we will also be doing a lot more outreach through TV, radio, newspapers, and social media. From Dec. 15 through Feb. 15, unused 2020 general deer licenses will remain valid for either-sex white-tailed … ), the shoulder season may be continued, as long as access to elk during the general season is not considered to be the main reason harvest criteria are not being met. Montana Bison Seasons #3. The Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the concept of shoulder seasons in October 2015. This page hunting information such as regulations, applications, hunting guides, and more info for Deer, Elk & Antelope. “Sampling for chronic wasting disease is optional at the discretion of the hunter so you’re not required to get a sample taken but certainly welcome to do so and fish, wildlife and parks again will pay the fee to have those tested for the hunters however if hunters encounter a game check station which is different from a CWD sampling station they are required by law to stop at those game check stations.,” Jacobsen said. 18; Youth-Deer Only Oct. 15 –16; General Oct. 24–Nov. Launching the map provides you with the opportunity to view hunting regulations… This hunt … If the performance criteria are not met after three years the shoulder season would not be proposed to continue. You can begin planning your hunt using either a regional map by species or go right to the hunting district information you are interested in. In each FWP region, agency officials have reached out to landowners to inform them of the shoulder seasons and provided information about how the hunts will or will not be coordinated and what landowners can expect. There was a problem saving your notification. CWD in southwest Montana. In some areas, the shoulder season will occur at the same time as the archery season, while in others it will not include the archery only season. Shoulder seasons will vary in timing and function from hunting district to hunting district. If you think your kill might have chronic wasting disease you can take samples of the carcass to stations around the state, but Jacobsen said they are paying the fee for you. Medicine Lake Outfitters offers semi-guided rifle elk hunts during the “General Season” in the Madison Range just to the west of Yellowstone Park near Big Sky, Montana. Weapon. According to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks there is a special Elk shoulder season as follows. Montana Bighorn Sheep Seasons #4. Landowners within the 43 shoulder season districts with elk on their property can expect calls from hunters looking for opportunities to hunt elk. Two-Day Youth Hunt (Deer Only) October 17 – October 18. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Information and Education Program Manager Morgan Jacobsen with Region 3 Headquarters in Bozeman said that this will be the first season where hunters will have paper carcass tags. The season lasts from Sept. 7-Oct. 20, which means you could potentially hunt this season after Colorado or Idaho have ended. 2019 Montana General Elk Season … High 49F. Hunters will need to look at the specific BMA maps and the chart in the Block Management Hunting Access Guide to determine when public elk hunting will be allowed on a specific BMA. Archery Sept. 5–Oct. In HD 410 where there was less landowner participation in the late shoulder season, there were only 31 cows taken during the shoulder season compared to 444 during the archery and general season. NOTE: Block Management Program contracts are typically negotiated for a time period of Sept. 1 – Jan. 1. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Shoulder seasons represent a strategy at addressing concerns with over-objective elk populations and elk distribution. Stay up-to-date on the day's most important Bozeman & Butte news. Shoulder season success will depend on landowners, hunters and FWP working closely together in a cooperative and respectful fashion. Elk Hunting Seasons Extended In Montana The Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the so-called “shoulder season'' guidelines Thursday that would allow hunting to start as early as August in approved … Landowners are a vital part of elk management in Montana; most of Montana’s elk spend some or all of the year on private land. Deer, Elk, Antelope, Black Bear, and Moose, Sheep, and Goat hunting regulations are available online. Hunters are reminded that for BMAs that require reservations, no reservations may be made prior to August 22. These guidelines were developed to improve elk harvest and bring elk populations into objective. OR: Other shoulder seasons not subject to the above harvest criteria are allowed if they are consistent with the fundamental objectives and have broad, expressed support from landowners, sportsmen, FWP and the commission. This was frustrating to hunters, of course, and we learned that we need to do better at getting information out to folks in the future. HELENA- As many prepare to go out with the start of deer and elk hunting season this weekend, the cold temperatures could hinder the effective…. The Montana Legislature, through statute (MCA 87-1-323), Gov. Hunters may hold only one general elk license, which can be used for elk as indicated under the “General Elk License” heading on the deer and elk hunting regulations. BOZEMAN- The snow might be falling in Montana but that won’t stop hunters from going out this weekend and taking advantage of the start of deer and elk hunting season. Two-Day Youth Hunt (Deer Only) October 17 – October 18. If lack of access during the general season is the main reason for not meeting harvest criteria, then the hunting district(s) or a portion of the hunting district may, at the Commission’s discretion, shift to antlerless only. Here are the Montana Elk Seasons: Archery – … The primary purpose of elk shoulder seasons is to reduce elk populations in areas that are over population objective as outlined in the Montana Elk Management Plan. 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