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Judge limits Montana wolf trapping season over threat to grizzly bears
A federal judge in Missoula issued an order late Tuesday afternoon that will limit Montana’s wolf trapping season to Jan. 1 to Feb. 15 next year in hunting Regions 1 through 5 and three counties along the north-central border, citing the possibility that threatened grizzly bears get caught in wolf traps or snares. U.S. District […]
Judge hears arguments on shortening Montana’s wolf trapping season to protect grizzlies
An attorney for the state of Montana told a federal judge Monday that the floating wolf trapping season will certainly not start next Monday, which is possible under this year’s regulations, as the judge heard arguments about whether to shorten the trapping season out of concerns for endangered grizzly bears. Following the hour-long hearing, U.S. […]
Chronic wasting disease confirmed in Yellowstone National Park for first time
Chronic wasting disease has been confirmed for the first time in Yellowstone National Park in a mule deer found dead near Yellowstone Lake, park officials said Tuesday. The mule deer, an adult buck, died mid-October after making its way to the southeastern part of the national park during the past seven months, a Yellowstone National […]
Management team discusses winter plans for Yellowstone bison after deadly year prior
Yellowstone National Park’s bison herd dropped to a population of fewer than 4,000 after the harsh winter, which forced most of the northern herd outside of the park in search of food and more than 1,000 of them to their demise at the hands of mostly tribal hunters. Though the calving season brought the total […]
Montana’s governor, agency officials criticize Yellowstone’s draft bison plans
In public comments submitted to Yellowstone National Park regarding its draft environmental impact statement for a bison management plan, Montana’s Gianforte administration sharply criticized the options presented and said it might reconsider the tolerance zones it previously agreed to that allow bison to roam in small areas outside the park. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte; Fish, […]
Bipartisan U.S. Senate bill aims to boost bison tribal management, restoration
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has again introduced a bill that aims to create a permanent bison program within the Department of Interior to help bolster tribal involvement in the restoration and management of the creatures on tribal lands. The Indian Buffalo Management Act, introduced Sept. 22 by Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Markwayne […]
Judge sides with youth in Montana climate change trial, finds two laws unconstitutional
The state of Montana’s failure to consider greenhouse gas emissions from energy and mining projects violates the state constitution because it does not protect Montanans’ right to a clean and healthful environment and the state’s natural resources from unreasonable depletion, a judge ruled Monday in a victory for the 16 youth plaintiffs who sued the […]
Conservation licenses required for fishing access, wildlife management areas in Montana
Starting Saturday, people using Montana fishing access sites and wildlife management areas who don’t already have a conservation license with their fishing or hunting license are supposed to buy one under a new law passed this legislative session. The change made by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte means that people who are using […]
Bison management group discusses deadly winter for Yellowstone bison, plans for next season
Many of the federal, state and tribal representatives of the Interagency Bison Management Plan described this winter’s hunt of Yellowstone National Park bison – the deadliest winter for the herds in 15 years – as a success, and the biannual meeting showed there is still some disagreement when it comes to management of the animals. […]
Montana resolution calls for day of remembrance for Indian boarding school victims
When Montana state Sen. Susan Webber’s relative was digging outside of Browning after the family’s well ran dry, instead of water, she said her ancestor found the unmarked graves of babies. The land they had leased to raise cattle was outside the Holy Family Mission, southeast of Browning. From 1890 to the mid-1930s, the site […]
First documented cases of highly contagious bird flu identified in 3 Montana grizzlies
Three juvenile grizzly bears in Montana were euthanized after they tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, last fall in what the state says were the first documented cases of the virus in grizzly bears, according to a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The bears were euthanized because they were […]
Bills tweaking Montana aerial hunting laws meet hurdles in initial hearings
Ranchers losing cattle and sheep to coyotes and foxes want to be able to hire out-of-state aerial hunters statewide to protect their livestock, and the state would like to be sure drones can’t be used to spot or hunt game in Montana, according to two bills that saw their first committee hearings at the Montana […]