Montana Deer News  Spring sightings reveal glorious magic of antlers May 12, 2013 Montana, Billings Gazette ... Deer antlers can grow more than an inch every day, making them the fastest-growing living tissue we know... Research indicates that antler growth is a function mainly of heredity ... environmental factors also influence antler development. For instance, if a buck’s extremities are damaged, there’s a chance that damage can express itself as an antler mutation... Information sought in deer poaching case May 10, 2013 Montana, The Billings Gazette ... officials are seeking information about a mule deer buck that was recently shot and abandoned on Dawson County Road 238,also known as the Pleasant View Road. ... Deer poached near Great Falls church April 22, 2013 Montana, KRTV Great Falls News ... On March 19 two whitetails were discovered in a field near Highland Cemetery south of town; both animals had been shot with a rifle. Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call 1-800-TIPMONT... It's Now Legal To Take Home Your Roadkill And Eat It In Montana April 18, 2013 Business Insider ... As demonstrated by an interactive map created by Marketplace, several states already have similar laws on the books. Florida is the most permissive: according to Marketplace, “If you hit a deer, it's legal to take it home and do whatever you want with it. You don't need permission.” ... Helena, Police kill 140 urban deer this winter April 17, 2013 Montana, Helena Independent Record The Helena Police Department killed and removed 140 deer — 85 does and 55 bucks — from the city this winter, up from 105 last year and well short of the 200 it was authorized by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks ... The trappings and removals were part of the city’s goal to reduce the deer population to less than 25 per square mile... Pennsylvania man fined $5180 for Montana hunting violations April 16, 2013 Montana, Montana Standard ... In Park County Justice Court in Livingston, Mont., Feucht was ordered to pay $3,340 in fines and restitution for killing and possessing a bull elk in 2010, a bull elk in 2011, a white-tailed deer buck in 2010, and a white-tailed deer buck in 2011 ... Information sought about wasted deer April 9, 2013 Montana, Billings Gazette ... illegal wasting and dumping of a white-tailed buck discovered on Pederson Drive near Dawson Community College in Glendive... found and reported on the March 18... Poachers-Montana hotline at 1-800-TIP-MONT .. Legislation could add roadkill to Montana menus April 7, 2013 FOX43.com ... Of the more than 10 types of animals that make the carcass list — including black bears, bighorn sheep and mountain lions — white-tailed deer are the most common. Lavin, a Republican, said the meat now goes to waste... HB 247 ... emphasizes that the animal has to have been accidentally killed... Game populations in central Montana and other wildlife topics will be the focus of a public forum scheduled for Tuesday evening April 9 at the Fish, Wildlife & Parks building at the Lewistown Airport. FWP Biologist Sonja Smith will discuss her findings ... 4 Michigan men convicted for illegal hunts April 6, 2013 Montana, Billings Gazette ... As the cases developed, the Montana investigators traveled to Michigan, where they were helped by law enforcement officials from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Two bull elk and two mule deer bucks were recovered in the process... Hardin family fined for poaching April 5, 2013 Montana, KXLH Helena News ... Four members of a Hardin family have been ordered to pay more than $22,000 in fines and restitution after pleading guilty to 18 charges of illegally killing wildlife in two Montana counties and one charge of illegal outfitting... Deer poached near Grass Range April 4, 2013 Montana, KRTV Great Falls News ... State game wardens are looking for information regarding the poaching of seven mule deer does northwest of Grass Range in central Montana. Authorities believe the poaching took place during the Easter weekend... call 1-800-TIPMONT; informants are kept confidential ... reward ... Montana's wilderness areas not what they're cracked up to be April 3, 2013 Flathead Publishing Group ... In September 2008, I went into the Bob Marshall with three friends who were going to hunt elk and deer. During the 12 days we spent in the wilderness, we saw deer and elk every day, along with a few mountain goats and a handful of bighorn sheep, plus several black bears. I returned to the same area in 2011, and during three days of scouting in the very same basin, I never saw one living thing larger than a squirrel. Putting in 10 to 12 miles a day on foot ... Bill proposes having council study raising hunting, fishing license fees March 31, 2013 Montana, Billings Gazette ... A bill has been introduced by Rep. Pat Connell, R-Hamilton, to have the 17-member Environmental Quality Council study the state’s hunting license fees after this year’s legislative session is over. House Bill 609 already passed the House and is now working its way through the Senate.... Groups representing hunters in the state have supported the bill... Roadkill a recipe for good eating March 29, 2013 Montana, Port Huron Times Herald ... We all know Interstate 69 is where deer go to die. Would you go there for dinner? Montana lawmakers just passed a bill that makes roadkill what’s for dinner. Anyone who comes across a dead critter on the side of the road could pick it up ... Microsatellites indicate minimal barriers to mule deer Odocoileus hemionus dispersal across Montana, USA March 26, 2013 JH Powell, ST Kalinowski, MD Higgs, MR Ebinger… - Wildlife Biology, 2013 ... To better understand the future spread of chronic wasting disease, we conducted a genetic assessment of mule deer Odocoileus hemionus population structure across the state of Montana, USA ... We found evidence for contemporary male bias in dispersal, with female mule deer exhibiting higher mean individual pairwise genetic distance than males. We tested for potential homogenizing effects of past translocations within Montana, but were unable to detect a genetic signature of these events. Our results indicate high levels of connectivity among mule deer populations in Montana and suggest few, if any, detectable barriers to mule deer gene flow or chronic wasting disease transmission... Roadkill in Montana may soon be on the menu March 21, 2013 Montana, USA TODAY ... the Senate gave its initial backing Wednesday to a bill that would allow people to salvage roadkill for food... The measure calls for law-enforcement officers to issue permits to individuals who would be allowed to remove the carcasses of elk, deer, antelope and moose off the state's roadways... Mule Deer Foundation chapter plans banquet March 21, 2013 Montana, Great Falls Tribune The Great Falls Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation will hold its banquet April 6 at the Great Falls Airport... Tickets are $60 per person or $85 for a couple. To buy tickets, call Trueman at 781-5418 or Michael Kuiper, chapter president, at 788-4616. Mule Deer Foundation banquet is March 9 February 26, 2013 Montana, Billings Gazette The Mule Deer Foundation will holds its Big Sky Chapter banquet March 9 at 5 p.m. at the Elks Lodge. (Billings) For reservations call Doug at 655-3499 or email djfichter@bresnan.net. Glendive urban hunt removes 55 deer February 21, 2013 Montana, Billings Gazette This was the second year of the hunt coordinated by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in cooperation ... Of the 62 archers who took part in the hunt, 10 were local and 52 were from outside the area... Montana passes bill allowing people to salvage roadkill February 19, 2013 New York Daily News ... Montana's House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would permit people to salvage meat from game animals killed in traffic accidents. Representative Steve Lavin (R-Kalispell) is the primary sponsor of House Bill 247, better known as the Roadkill Bill. "There's a lot of good roadkill that goes to waste currently... Mule deer group looks to form new chapter January 26, 2013 Montana, Ravalli Republic Around the West, there is no other large game animal struggling more than mule deer....On Wednesday, Jan. 30, the foundation’s new state co-chairman, Gene Foster of Stevensville, will be in Hamilton to see if people in the Bitterroot Valley are interested in starting their own chapter. The informational meeting at Bitter Root Brewery will start at 6:30 p.m. Polson, 2 wolves spotted chasing deer through Polson yard January 2, 2012 Montana, Billings Gazette Authorities say a Polson woman who reported seeing what she believed to be two wolves in her yard inside the city limits Friday was probably correct. The woman said the wolves, one black and one gray, were chasing 23 deer through her yard. Mule Deer Management Symposium January 2, 2012 Montana, Montana Farm Bureau Federation Montana Outfitters and Guides Association is hosting a Mule Deer Management Symposium as part of the MOGA Winter Convention in Bozeman. The Symposium is designed for Landowners, Ranch Managers, Sportsmen, Agency staff and anyone with an interest in improving and enhancing Mule Deer in Montana. The Symposium is sponsored in part by the Mule Deer Foundation, Boone and Crockett Club, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Foundation and Dallas Safari Club. Saturday January 12, 2013 Best Western Plus Grand Tree Inn Bozeman, Montana 8:00 am to 1:00pm ... Montana Farm Bureau Federation Hunter saves deer trapped in bag December 28, 2012 Montana, KPAX-TV ... his dogs barking ... the deer had a bird seed bag stuck on its head ... Gebbia says the deer would have likely suffocated had he not gotten a hold of the bag, and hopes this acts as a reminder to people to properly seal their trash. Great Falls man cited for poaching deer December 21, 2012 Montana, KRTV Great Falls News Taylor Kaul of Great Falls has been charged with several misdemeanors for shooting a buck white-tailed deer in early December south of town. Kaul, 19, admitted to shooting the deer illegally, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game warden Brett Logan. The case started with a phone call to the 1-800-TIP-MONT line... New plan needed for Helena’s deer December 21, 2012 Montana, Independent Record, Lisa Kelly The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission should not approve the culling of 200 deer in Helena... The city of Helena Police Department received only 28 complaints this year for “problem” deer, which includes deer eating plants and walking through yards. In comparison, the police department received over 1,000 dog complaints this year, including 72 complaints of dog bites ... Helena once again gets FWP approval to remove urban deer December 20, 2012 Montana, Independent Record ... police officers will try to lure about 200 urban deer in Helena into traps and kill them with bolt guns ... more comments opposing the measure were received this year than in past years by FWP, prompting Commissioner Ron Moody to note that they should be open to some other options to drop the deer population to the goal of about 25 deer per square mile... An estimated 377 deer — mostly mule deer — live in Helena, which equates to about 34 per square mile ... Montana Considers New Management for Elk and Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem December 14, 2012 Outdoor News Bulletin Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by Brucella abortus. Infections cause female ungulates to abort their calves and produce "undulant fever" in humans. Efforts to eliminate brucellosis in livestock began in 1934 and for a brief time in early 2008, cattle in all 50 states were considered free of the disease. Before the disease was controlled in livestock, however, it spread to bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, the last place where brucellosis remains endemic in the United States... Whitetail population up, wolf harvest down December 5, 2012 Montana, Valleyjournal ... “We’re cautiously optimistic that the whitetail deer population is increasing again in our area of northwest Montana,” said FWP communication education program officer John Fraley. ... “We saw a good increase in the number of whitetail bucks as compared to last year,” ... While deer populations are still down overall, FWP Wildlife Manager Jim Williams believes there are several signs that whitetail numbers are increasing... 2012 Montana big-game season: Fewer hunters, fewer animals killed December 2, 2012 Ravalli Republic ... Mule deer and whitetail numbers have also dipped in various pockets of the state, again due to the harsh winter of 2010. Whitetails also suffered from another outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in areas like along the Milk River in northeastern Montana. ... they may also be in a vise squeezed between growing competition with the more adaptable and prolific whitetails, as well as the expansion of elk to more areas of Eastern Montana... How To Grow Record Mule Deer November 30, 2012 Montana, Outdoor Life Magazine (blog) ... When the landscape is degraded, in the form of fragmentation and habitat loss, from energy development and the creation of subdivisions and ranchettes mule deer suffer. Not only does this reduce available browse and cover but the addition of roads increases the number of road-killed deer and makes poaching an easier proposition. Couple this with resurgent predator numbers and hunting pressure and it isn’t difficult to understand why trophy mule deer are rare... Deal reached to protect 100's of acres of wildlife habitat near Seeley Lake November 29, 20 Montana, KPAX-TV ... The 640-acres lie along Deer Creek, which is a major "cold water" tributary leading into Seeley Lake, and considered to be key wildlife and riparian habitat ... heavily used by bears, lynx, moose, elk and dozens of other species ... Deer harvest up over 2011 in Region 6, but still low November 28, 2012 Monana, Billings Gazette Final figures compiled from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 6 hunter ... the mule deer harvest was better than last year. While the harvest was up 14 percent this year, it was still 29 percent below the long-term average. Hemmer said hunters generally reported seeing fewer mule deer in the Missouri River Breaks and in some of the northern hunting districts that were hit hardest by the winter weather two years ago... Deer Harvest Slightly Higher than Last Year in Northwest Montana as Season comes to an End November 26, 2012 MFWP News At the six northwest Montana check stations, whitetail deer and mule deer harvest finished slightly ahead last year’s totals as the season wrapped up on Sunday. At the six northwest Montana check stations through the end of the season on Sunday, November 25, a total of 17,635 hunters checked 941 white-tailed deer ( 830 of these were bucks), 131 mule deer, and 78 elk for a 6.5 percent rate of hunters with game. This is slightly higher than the 6.1 percent of hunters with game last year.... Hunters checked 10 percent more whitetail bucks, 27 percent more mule deer, and 36 percent fewer elk as compared to last year... According to FWP Wildlife Manager Jim Williams, deer populations are still down overall, but there are signs that whitetail numbers are beginning to increase... Hunter, harvest numbers down in south central Montana November 26, 2012 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists in south central Montana saw fewer hunters and less harvested game in 2012 than last year or the long-term average... For the year, south central Montana’s check stations saw 10.8 percent fewer hunters and 6.6 percent fewer harvested animals than in 2011. West-Central Montana Deer and Elk Harvest Down this Season November 26, 2012 Deer and elk harvest was down this hunting season in west-central Montana, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks says the numbers reflect conservative hunting regulations in many parts of the region, combined with the effect of relatively mild weather... check station data showed a mule deer harvest comparable to the 2011 season, but 45 percent below the five-year average, while white-tailed deer harvest was down 14 percent from last season and 27 percent below the five-year. Deer regulations, like elk, are tightened in many parts of the region due to deer declines in recent years, but emerging data is starting to look promising for a whitetail population growth trend. “The white-tailed deer buck harvest is trending gradually upward, which is really good news,” says FWP biologist, Jay Kolbe Deer and elk harvest steady in northwest Montana November 21, 2012 Flathead Publishing Group ... Last week’s totals were 11,094 hunters checked 425 white-tailed deer, 368 of which were bucks, 64 mule deer, and 58 elk for a 4.9 percent rate of hunters with game at the six northwest Montana check stations through, Nov. 11. Harvest was up as compared to last year when 4.2 percent of hunters checked game for that week. The number of whitetail bucks checked was up 25 percent, mule deer numbers were up 23 percent, and elk was down nine percent .. FWP seeks information on deer killings in Bitterroot Valley November 21, 2012 Montana, The Missoulian Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials are asking Ravalli County residents for information on a recent rash of late-night deer shootings on the west side of the Bitterroot Valley... shot by a small-caliber weapon and left to rot. The killings could date back to mid-October ... call FWP’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-847-6668. Elk numbers slightly down in Bitterroot Valley November 15, 2012 Montana, The Missoulian That comes despite the fact that hunter numbers are down in the southern reaches of the Bitterroot Valley due to more restrictive seasons designed to help bring back ailing elk and deer populations... restrictions on both elk and mule deer ... Commission gives initial approval for elk brucellosis plan November 9, 2012 Montana, Montana Standard ... FWP could develop late season hunts beyond Feb. 15; use hunt coordinators for management hunts; use the season structure to address harboring of elk by private landowners; develop adaptive hunting regulations; and/or reduce the winter herd sizes. With the habitat alternative, the state could consider ways to promote spatial separation of elk and livestock during critical brucellosis risk periods ... The elk-to-livestock transmission threatens landowner tolerance for elk ... Some Butte businesses refusing elk and deer hides, low prices November 9, 2012 Montana, KPAX-TV ... hide broker Paul Lemay, Jr., makes trips to Great Falls, Columbus and Butte, gathering up elk and deer hides to sell... He usually buys elk hides for $8 to $10 a piece, and deer hides for $3 a piece. Lemay attributes a declining hide market to the economy... Tanneries are now rare in the United States 200 deer to be removed from urban Helena November 9, 2012 Montana, Montana Standard The city would be allowed to trap and shoot deer ... Last year, they were authorized by FWP to take out 200 deer, but a mild winter, a late start and other factors made it more difficult to lure deer into the traps and they only removed 105 ... It costs about the city about $15,000 for the entire operation ... An estimated 377 mule deer live in Helena ... The goal is to reduce their numbers down to about 25 deer per square mile ... 2 Great Falls men fined, lose privileges after pleading guilty to poaching November 5, 2012 Montana, KRTV Great Falls News ... shooting four mule deer in February south of town ... Myles McKay, 22, was convicted of four counts ... Richard Carroll, 25, pleaded guilty to hunting during a closed season and one count of waste of game... | Search for news and information by keyword above or find links to state news stories organized by topic. Montana data: There are an estimated 225,000 White Tail Deer and 203,000 Mule Deer statewide. The state also has an estimated 140,000 Elk and 90,000 Antelope. About 650 wolves in 2012 550 wolves in 2011, about 300,000 in 1860. Other useful links: - Montana Department of Environmental Quality - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks - Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation - Montana Hunting Regulations - Deer Management Objectives Scroll down for more tweets What is the Adaptive Harvest Management Plan for Mule Deer? The Adaptive Harvest Management Plan for Mule Deer guides mule deer management in Montana, linking annual mule deer habitat conditions, population surveys and harvest information to set annual hunting regulations that are in sync with the species and how it is doing in a particular location. What is the basis for Adaptive Harvest Management in Montana? Research on mule deer populations and habitats began in the mid-1970s with an unexpected decline in mule deer populations in the western states. Researchers initiated mule deer population studies in the Bridger Mountains of southwest Montana, in the Missouri River Breaks of north-central Montana and in the prairie-badlands along Cherry Creek in the southeastern part of the state to learn what factors influence the number of mule deer from year-to-year. Today with more than 25 years of research on mule deer, this work is one of the most comprehensive studies of a big game species ever compiled in North America. Another mule deer population decline in the mid-1990s focused attention on the task of integrating the knowledge gained in the past 25 years into a systematic deer management strategy that can be applied consistently across the state. This is the work underway today. |
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