FWP announces hunting regulation changes for 2014

SUPERIOR – In a public meeting with representatives from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, members of the community heard proposals for new Region 2 regulations in the 2014 hunting seasons.

In the first part of the meeting, Vickie Edwards, wildlife biologist for Mineral County, gave a presentation on the status of the area’s hunting districts. She discussed information from the season study meeting in 2012 as well as comments from the community.

Edwards started with an explanation of how the management plans for different species work. She said FWP set a goal for the populations of different species in a given area, then managed the seasons to help keep the population at the planned goal.

“Unfortunately, in the middle Clark Fork here, we’re trying to bring populations up to that objective,” said Edwards. “In other cases, we’re over objective. But where [that happens] is on those private lands where elk are seeking refuge.”

Edwards explained in a number of districts, the elk and deer population numbers had dropped. She said in these cases, FWP would need to eliminate some of the B-licenses to allow the herds to recover. Another problem was how elk have sought shelter from hunters on private lands and caused damage to the owner’s property.

When populations have become too big and exceed the FWP goals. Edwards said the organization sets higher harvests in a season to bring the numbers down to a manageable level.

“Where we’re seeing [populations] bump up is…where they’re becoming more resident and less migratory,” said Edwards. “They’re not as much public elk anymore, they’re becoming more private elk. Getting the harvest we need on those elk is extremely challenging.”

Based on these goals and the data collected over the last two years, FWP has made new projections for the harvests. According to Edwards, the data showed a number of hunting districts where the animal populations are above or below healthy levels. They have also found some changes, which could help the populations get back to the established goals.

After the presentation, Edwards discussed the proposed changes to regulations in the lower Clark Fork districts of Region 2.

In District 200, a proposal was made to eliminate 10 elk B-licenses. The goal of this would be to lessen the antlerless elk harvested and allow the population to grow to the objective.

According to Edwards, as of 2013, the elk population in the area was below the established objective of 300. She also said harvest data in 2011 and 2012 had recorded a decline to near record lows. Elk and deer were not the only animals discussed in the district 200 proposals.

It was suggested the spring black bear season be expanded to end on June 15, as opposed to May 31. This would provide a uniform season across the region and provide harvest opportunities better suited to the bear population in the area. Edwards said the hope was it would also lessen deer and elk predations.

Proposals for district 201 would see 50 whitetail deer B-licenses for the Ninemile/Sixmile area eliminated entirely. The deer in this area have been decimated by the 2013 outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease and the restriction would allow the population to recover.

Edwards reassured everyone the disease could not be passed to humans and there was no danger to the community. She explained EHD is passed from one deer to another by midges. The animals must be bitten by an infected midge to contract the disease. The area also saw some proposed changes for elk hunters.

A proposal was made to reduce the number of elk B-licenses from 85 to 60 in the area and restrict the antlerless opportunities to private land outside the Forest Service’s control. The proposal would also provide general license opportunities for youths on private land in the new boundaries.

Edwards said there were 755 elk in the Ninemile/Sixmile area as of 2013, a number well above the population objective. These elk have mainly been seen on private land.

“The goal is to work towards making these elk more wild and more broadly distributed across the landscape so that in the future, we can have increased hunter opportunities on public lands,” said the proposal.

The final proposal for district 201 was to increase the B-licenses in the Nemote Creek area from 30 to 50. The elk in the area have begun to cause property damage to private lands and have become a nuisance to residents. The goal is to reduce the population and lessen the complaints.

The proposal for districts 202 and 203 suggested the general elk season be replaced with separate unlimited brow-tined bull permits in each area. According to the proposal, the area’s populations are below the objectives, with some at dangerously low levels. In Burdette Creek, the elk heard only had 61 members – estimations said this was the lowest in 33 years and the herd’s recovery was questionable.

The hope of the proposal was to increase the opportunities for the elk to breed.

It was also suggested district 203 reduce the number of licenses for bighorn sheep from five to two. Surveys show the percentages of mature rams have dropped to 33, as of 2013, from 44 in 2011 and 62 between 2007 and 2013. There was also a drop in legal rams from 36, in 2008, to 16, in 2013.

For archers, a proposal was made to create a new district with part of district 260 and give an archery equipment only season for whitetail deer, from the start of the normal season until January 15. The deer population was hurt badly by the outbreak of EHD and the new district would be better suited to the current distribution and numbers. This proposal would also affect elk hunters in both fall seasons.

FWP also discussed possible changes to district 283, in the North Hills/Evaro area. It was proposed to increase elk B-licenses from 50 to 60 and expand them to include the archery-only season. The populations were described as well above their objectives with stable birth to death numbers.

However, the proposal said the population is on the verge of a dramatic increase. The goal of the change is to increase the area’s harvest and put the population down to more manageable levels.

The area would also see an increase in spring turkey permits from 150 to 200 and fall permits from 50 to 100. The populations have done well and are at healthy levels to allow more opportunities to hunt.

Community members were welcomed to express their views on the proposals. According to Edwards, the best way to do this is online, as the comment is entered instantly. However, there are other ways to submit comments as well.

The deadline to submit comments on the regulations is Friday, January 24. Submissions can be made online at the FWP website, at public meetings or to Edwards directly. She can be reached by email at vedwards@mt.gov or by phone at 542-5515.