Tag Archives: Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks

FWP reminds residents that feeding wildlife is Illegal and can be dangerous

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Here’s a timely reminder from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks . . .

FWP would like to remind folks that the supplemental feeding of game animals is illegal under Montana code (MCA 87-6-216). Recently, FWP has been investigating incidents of residents feeding deer in the Libby and Yaak area.

The law specifically prohibits the feeding of ungulates—(deer, elk, moose, and antelope), mountain lions and bears. The recreational feeding of birds (song birds, turkeys, pheasants, etc) can also be unlawful if it attracts ungulates or bears, and in some cities like Libby there are also ordinances against feeding turkeys. Supplemental food includes grain, processed feed, hay, and other foods.

Feeding turkeys can also attract other species. For example, if deer are drawn to feeding sites, they can attract mountain lions and pose a safety threat to neighbors.

FWP has also received reports of aggressive deer near a school bus stop in Libby. These deer may have been habituated with supplemental feed, and could be a threat to the safety of children in the area. FWP and Libby law enforcement officials may have to act to remove the deer in the interest of public safety. Killing habituated wildlife is a last resort when a public safety issue is involved. Feeding deer not only poses a safety threat it also congregates wildlife and increases the risk of disease transmission putting all deer in the area at risk.

In the Yaak, supplemental feeding of deer has attracted a young black bear cub that hadn’t been able to den for the winter. FWP has captured the cub and will transport it to the state rehabilitation center in Helena. Continue reading FWP reminds residents that feeding wildlife is Illegal and can be dangerous →

Test shows Swan Lake walleye are Illegal transplants

Environmental Issues, News, , , ,
A walleye caught in Swan Lake - courtesy Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
A walleye caught in Swan Lake – courtesy Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

The walleyes found in Swan Lake were illegally dumped there last year. Now fisheries personnel are worried about bucket biologists doing the same in other lakes and streams in the area . . .

State wildlife officials have confirmed that two walleyes caught in Swan Lake last fall were illegally transplanted, quelling concerns that the non-native species spawned in the lake.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists reported catching the walleye in Swan Lake in October during a gill-net operation, marking the first time the species has been discovered in the lake and raising concerns about the illegal introduction of yet another non-native fish in Montana’s waters, according to Mark Deleray, Region One fisheries manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Recent microchemistry analysis of the inner ear bones of the fish indicates they were introduced to the lake sometime last year.

Read more . . .

North Fork Interlocal Agreement meeting coming up on Feb. 17

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The 2016 winter North Fork Interlocal Agreement meeting will be held Wednesday, February 17 at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park Region 1 headquarters, 490 N Meridian Rd, in Kalispell. Start time is 10:00 a.m.

The Interlocal Agreement provides for face-to-face contact with representatives of agencies whose policies and actions affect the North Fork. Interlocal Agreement meetings are held in the winter (in town) and summer (at Sondreson Hall). Signatories to the agreement include the Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

This is always a very interesting meeting, with reports from a range of government agencies and local organizations and often some quite vigorous discussion.

Moose population study continues

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Moose - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

As mentioned in previous posts here, here and here, Montana’s Moose population is declining and no one is quite sure why . . .

If you went hunting last year, the people at the check station who asked if you had seen any moose weren’t just making conversation.

Those drive-by surveys are part of an ongoing study by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to find out why the massive ungulates have been disappearing from the landscape over the past few decades.

Jesse Newby, a wildlife research technician for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said the statewide study launched in 2013. He and wildlife biologist Nick DeCesare use aerial flights and radio tracking as their primary tools to monitor moose populations in the Cabinet Mountains, the Big Hole Valley and the Rocky Mountain Front.

Read more . . .

Montana FWP recommends purchase of Haskill Basin and Trumble Creek easements

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Some good news: Montana FWP recommended purchasing conservation easements on better than 10,000 acres in the north end of the Flathead Valley . . .

Public comments are in, and two proposed major conservation easement purchases in the Flathead Valley – including one that would protect the primary source of Whitefish’s water supply – are moving forward.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Monday recommended the FWP Commission immediately approve the purchase of a $16.7 million easement on more than 3,000 forested acres in Haskill Basin north of Whitefish.

The agency also recommended the commission approve the purchase of a $9.5 million easement on more than 7,000 acres northwest of Columbia Falls in the Trumble Creek area once the conservation easement and associated management plan are finalized, and other due diligence is completed.

Read more . . .

Montana FWP: Grizzly bear management update for Northwest Montana

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Cinca - 5 May 2015

Here’s the latest report from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on the status of grizzly bear management in this corner of the state . . .

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks grizzly bear management biologists and wardens have seen an increase in grizzly bear activity and conflicts during the month of September. Both black and grizzly bears are looking for food that will provide them with the layer of fat they need in order to survive the winter in their dens. Female grizzly bears with young are especially in need of additional food because they have been nursing their cubs and need the extra calories.

The following is an overview of the grizzly bear management activities that MT FWP has been involved with in the Tobacco, Flathead, and Swan Valley areas during the month of September.

Near Eureka, at least one young grizzly bear has been observed feeding on apples and walking through yards. Traps were set for that bear, but it hasn’t been captured yet.
West of Fortine, landowners buried a dead horse and noticed something had dug it up. They put up a trail camera and 3 different grizzly bears were photographed. One of the grizzly bears was wearing a radio collar that isn’t functioning properly. In an attempt to capture that bear and change the collar, two culvert traps were set. The horse was reburied and an electric fence was installed around the site along with remote cameras. On September 6th, an unmarked, young adult male grizzly bear visited the site and was captured. This male was radio-collared and translocated into the Whitefish Range. The radio-collared grizzly we were attempting to capture did not return to the trap site and the traps were pulled.

During that same week, a grizzly bear was breaking branches on fruit trees west of Lake Blaine. A temporary electric fence was installed and a culvert trap was set. The male grizzly bear returned, but was not captured. The electric fence was effective in preventing any additional damage to the trees and the trap was removed.

Right after Labor Day, an adult male grizzly bear was captured near Coram after killing chickens and eating apples. The 473 pound, 12 to 14 year old adult male grizzly had never been captured before. He was radio-collared and translocated to the Puzzle Creek drainage south of Marias Pass. The electric fence on that chicken coop has been upgraded to be more effective in deterring bears.

Continue reading Montana FWP: Grizzly bear management update for Northwest Montana →

Montana FWP: Update on efforts to trap black bear Involved in attack on a woman west of Kalispell

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Black Bear

This tragedy is proving to be a real object lesson on why people should not feed bears.

From the official press release . . .

According to FWP Investigator Brian Sommers, the investigation into the black bear attack on the elderly woman in her residence between Batavia and Ashley Lake is continuing. The investigation to date shows that the woman was attacked inside her residence, that she was actively feeding bears, and that numerous bears have been frequenting the property.

FWP set traps to capture the bear involved in the attack and to address the hazard of food-conditioned bears roaming in a residential area. Over the past two days, two food-conditioned black bears were captured and euthanized at the residence. The two bears were anesthetized and then euthanized. Necropsy performed on the bears revealed extensive artificial feeding of sunflower seeds and millet. One young female black bear weighed 99 pounds, and an adult female weighed 162 pounds. Investigators believe that neither of these bears were the one involved in the attack.

According to Bear and Lion Specialist Erik Wenum, who performed necropsies on the bears, the evidence is clear that someone in the area is still feeding bears. “Someone is hampering our investigation by continuing to extensively feed bears, making our efforts to attract and trap the offending bear that much more difficult.” He noted that large amounts of millet and sunflower seeds were found in the digestive tracts of both bears.

Sommers note that people feeding bears can be cited for obstruction of an investigation. He pointed out Montana Law prohibits feeding of bears. Sommers further states that bears that are fed become habituated and food conditioned which can lead to aggressive behavior and the inability or desire to fend for themselves once the supplemental feed is removed. This in turn can lead to bears breaking into buildings, trailers and vehicles in search of food producing a large public safety issue. The act of breaking into structures or vehicles and endangering humans, pet, or livestock is grounds for removing the bears from the system.

Continue reading Montana FWP: Update on efforts to trap black bear Involved in attack on a woman west of Kalispell →

Montana FWP: The effects of fire on animals

Environmental Issues, Fire Information and Status, ,

Here’s a timely news release by Bruce Auchly of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks discussing the effect — direct and indirect —  of fire on animals . . .

Summer’s fires are over, right?

All that smoke-in-the-nose, ashes-in-mouth is past for the year. Or so we hope.

Yet even in the worst of it many of us had choices. Some folks left Montana, others sought relief in air conditioning at home or office or both.

Animals don’t have those luxuries. Yes, birds can fly and bears can burrow into a den, but fires in July and August happen at the wrong time for migration and hibernation.

First, let’s slay a rumor. The rash of bear conflicts, mostly black bears, this summer is not because smoke from forest fires was forcing bears out of their mountain redoubts and into towns. They are just farther afield this year looking for food.

Continue reading Montana FWP: The effects of fire on animals →

Montana FWP wildlife biologist Gael Bissell retires

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The Daily Inter Lake has a nice profile of Gael Bissel, a well-regarded wildlife biologist who recently retired from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks . . .

Chances are you don’t know her name, but if you’ve ever hunted state lands along the Thompson River Corridor, reeled in a fish from the streams of the Swan River State Forest or simply savored the natural beauty of the Bull River Valley, you ought to thank Gael Bissell.

Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Bissell officially retired earlier this month after a 31-year career as a wildlife biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, having had a hand in nearly a quarter of a million acres of wildlife habitat conservation.

Working behind the scenes with myriad public and private partners, she helped secure a combination of land purchases, donations and easements throughout Northwest Montana worth approximately $120 million.

Read more (paywall) . . .

Montana cuts bobcat quotas

Environmental Issues, News,

Bobcat numbers have dropped, so Montana FWP has reduced the hunting quotas . . .

Montana wildlife officials have reduced quotas for bobcat hunting and trapping across a broad swath of central and northern Montana.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners on Thursday approved a proposal to lower the quota in three regions of the state by a combined 190 animals.

The move came after agency officials said they’d seen a drop in bobcat numbers in those areas. The decline is considered a cyclical population shift, but wildlife officials have said they don’t want to exacerbate the drop through hunting and trapping.

Read more . . .