So far this year, FWP and its partners have inspected 66,000 watercraft for aquatic invasive species. Of those, 35 were mussel-fouled and more than 200 were found with aquatic weeds. FWP and partner agencies, which include tribes, counties and conservation districts, operate more than 17 road-side watercraft inspection stations across the state. To find a watercraft inspection station or

The upland game bird season is less than one month away, and hunters will soon be able to refer to the Projects Access Guide, published annually by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program. Beginning Aug. 10, hunters can view and download the new guide and maps online. Click UGBEP Projects Access Guide. The guide contains all active projects administered

Block Management Area Program information for 2023 will be available to hunters beginning Aug. 10. Hunters can request their BMA Access Guide online and can print individual BMA property maps and rules at fwp. mt.gov/hunt/access/blockmanagement. The Block Management webpage allows hunters to download the Access Guide, up-to-date BMA maps and rules for every individual BMA enrolled in the program.

A century ago, when Warren Harding was in the White House and the United States was just becoming accustomed to Prohibition, an estimated 8,000 elk lived in Montana — fewer than half what hunters now harvest in a bad year. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, unregulated hunting had diminished elk distribution in western Montana and all but decimated the species east of the Continental Divide.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking public comment on shooting range grant proposals. Public comments will be accepted through Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. Montana’s Shooting Range Grant Program, administered by FWP, provides funding to non-profit shooting clubs, organizations, local governments and school districts to build and improve public shooting ranges throughout the state. The program

While mule deer populations remain steady in portions of the state, spring green-up surveys conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife biologists showed populations in some parts of the state remain lower than desired, and as a result, licenses available to hunters in those areas have been cut back. Over the past few years, persistent drought, particularly in southeast Montana, has