Hunters get their chance to shape state regulations

The biggest gathering of outdoor activity this weekend will be indoors. On Saturday, Fish, Wildlife and Parks will hold a public meeting on the proposed 2006 hunting regulations.

This meeting will be held at the WestCoast Hotel at Kalispell Center Mall, starting at 9 a.m. At 10 a.m. the formal public testimony will begin. Written comments can be submitted.

Hunters usually have strong opinions about what should or should not be done to improve hunting. I find it interesting to hear the views of other hunters, some of whom see the problems and solutions quite differently than I do.

Public comments on Saturday likely will focus on three primary issues.

First there is the proposal to issue a second "B" tag to all hunters in Northwest Montana that desire to shoot a second antlerless whitetail deer.

That proposal is probably dead on arrival.

I've heard nobody support this proposal. Most hunters believe there is not a surplus of whitetail deer in most Northwest Montana hunting districts. So there is no justification to have a second regionwide antlerless deer tag. If there are local deer problems, like around the Flathead Valley, then that problem should be solved locally with extra "B" tags for that area.

The second major issue will be changing mountain lion hunting from a quota system to a permit system. Harvest quotas are now set for each lion hunting district. Any hunter can buy a lion hunting license. So this results in every licensed hunter scrambling to harvest lions before the harvest quota is reached and the season closed. This reduces the quality of the hunt and results in the killing of immature cats.

The proposed system is to issue a limited number of lion licenses. Those with the licenses will have a long hunting season, a quality hunt and a chance to harvest only mature animals. If lion hunting is converted to a limited number of licenses, then the number of nonresident hunters will be limited. So nonresident hunters and guides may object to this new proposal.

The third issue of importance is the proposal to simplify elk hunting regulations by expanding hunting opportunities during the standard five-week general elk season and reducing the number of early and late hunts.

That sounds great in concept but likely won't solve many elk management problems. Most of the special elk seasons were established to address excessive elk populations in Southwest Montana. Those special seasons were necessary because adequate elk harvest was not possible during the regular season.

The classical example involves the elk that hide from hunters in remote mountains during the regular season or find refuge on private ranches that don't allow hunting. Then after the regular season, they descend on the haystacks of adjacent ranches. This problem can only be solved by having early and late seasons when elk can be killed.

There are plenty of other hunting issues of interest to hunters, so plan to attend this public meeting this Saturday.

- n n

On Jan. 21 and 22, the annual Kicking Horse Ice Fishing Derby will be held in the Thompson Lakes area. This fun event usually attracts about 500 anglers. Entry fee is $10. All proceeds are paid out as prizes, with the biggest pike getting 35 percent of the proceeds, the biggest trout and biggest salmon getting 25 percent each and biggest perch get 15 percent. You can register at the Kicking Horse at 6 a.m. on derby days or you can preregister prior to the derby. A buffet breakfast is available each morning at the Kicking Horse.

Our unusually mild winter weather has made some ice conditions marginal, so be sure to check the depth of the ice before venturing out. Most anglers want at least four inches of solid ice before doing hard water fishing.

Have fun, but be careful.