Hunting Regulations Meeting
January 16 in Kalispell
by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
January 12, 2010
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will hold a northwest Montana hearing on the 2010-2011 tentative hunting regulations at the Red Lion Hotel, Kalispell Center Mall, on Saturday, January 16, 2010. Other informational meetings may be scheduled in other towns, but this is the main hearing for collecting public comment from hunters across Region One. FWP Commissioner Bob Ream, who represents western Montana on the Commission, will be on hand to listen to the comments of northwest Montana hunters on the tentative regulations.
The schedule calls for an open house to be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. FWP biologists and managers will be on hand to explain information on wildlife populations and proposed regulations. The actual hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Each member of the public who wishes to speak will have a time allotment for each tentative regulation.
Proposed changes include a Saturday opener for deer, elk, and antelope seasons, a youth deer hunting opportunity just prior to the general opener, and an antlerless elk "B-tag" system. No changes are proposed for deer hunting regulations in northwest Montana because major restrictive changes were made last winter in anticipation of declining whitetail deer numbers. These tentatives don’t address the wolf-hunting season; those comments will be collected this spring.
The Commission approved the tentative regulations Dec. 10. Text of the regulations is available online at fwp.mt.gov and follow the "2010-11 Hunting Season Comments" link under "For Hunters." Printed copies will be available at the public meetings. Comments gathered at the meetings will be submitted to the Commission before regulations are finalized. People also may submit comments online by following the link to "2010-11 Hunting Season Comments" on fwp.mt.gov and filling out a form. All comments are due by 5 p.m. January 22. The FWP Commission will adopt final regulations at its Feb. 11, 2010 meeting in Helena.
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