Rules of the hunt

Lion-hunting change among several new proposals

Major changes to Montana hunting regulations are afoot and if you're a hunter - or someone who just cares about wildlife - this Saturday is your chance to be heard.

A public hearing on the proposed 2006 hunting regulations will be Saturday at the WestCoast Kalispell Center Hotel beginning at 9 a.m.

From the hunting of mountain lions to encouraging more youths to hunt, the proposed changes cover a wide range of issues.

But perhaps the most significant issue affecting hunters in Northwest Montana is a proposal by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to change mountain lion hunting to a strictly permit-only system, similar to the way that moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat hunts are managed.

Under the current system, mountain lion quotas are set for each hunting district in Region One (Northwest Montana). These quotas range from only a few lions in some districts to 20 lions in District 100. Nonresident hunters are allowed to harvest up to 10 percent of the lions in each district, but the nonresident hunters must use a licensed Montana outfitter.

This system was adopted in 2000 because of a "race and chase" atmosphere that prevailed under the previous system, where all hunters were allowed equal access to all the lions. The quality of the hunt was poor as nonresident hunters flooded the hunting districts.

The current system allows for a restricted nonresident harvest and has improved the quality of the hunt for residents and out-of-staters, according to Terry Zink, president of the Northwest Montana Houndsmen Association, a group that represents about 150 hunters and dog handlers.

Currently, an unlimited number of hunters can purchase lion permits. Once the quota is met, the season is immediately shut down for a particular district. The problem is that since there are hunters still in the field while a quota has been met, the quotas are often exceeded - sometimes by as much as 30 percent. This year, hunters killed eight more cats than the quota allowed in Hunting District 100 of the Purcell Mountains.

The proposed change, which was suggested by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, would require all hunters to apply for a permit to hunt mountain lions in Region One and Region Two (Missoula).

This system of a specified number of permits would eliminate quota overruns and give biologists a better way of controlling and managing lion populations, according to Jim Williams, wildlife manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Kalispell. "It's a supply and demand issue," he said. "There is a limited supply of lions for harvest that cannot meet the demand of all the user groups out there. We want to have a more biological basis in the mountain lion program."

Some years the quota overruns are "small and acceptable," Williams added, "but there is a lack of predictability from a management perspective."

Some houndsmen, however, aren't too happy with the idea.

"Our club is not supporting it," said Zink, who like other hunters has a significant amount of money invested in lion-tracking dogs and training.

The number of lions killed by nonresident hunters has inched up each year since the new system was installed four years ago. In the first year the system was put in place, total nonresident harvest was about 20 percent, according to Zink. Each year it's climbed about 10 percent, and this year the nonresident lion harvest was about 55 percent.

"That's way, way high," he said. With so many hunters pursuing so few lions, it takes fewer days each year to reach the harvest quota, Zink said. "We'd like to see it kept as a sport for our young people to be able get into, but if this goes into effect, we're going to lose houndsmen. We're going to get the boots put to us, and it's not right."

Region One Commissioner Vic Workman proposed the regulation at the last commission meeting and it passed. Although he supports a permit-only system, he said he's "still in the discovery process and listening to both sides."

Many sportsmen, he said, are still complaining about the "race" scenario where many hunting districts close within the first week. He said he also is concerned that too many young cats and too many females are being taken. The average age of the lions killed this winter was 2 1/2 years - small cats by local standards.

Workman also said that outfitters - who cater mainly to nonresidents - get an unfair jump on local hunters by using multiple trackers and radios to communicate with each other when they tree a cat.

Workman gave an example of one cat he was asked to view at a local taxidermist shop. The cat weighed only 30 pounds and was killed by a nonresident hunter with an outfitter, according to Workman. "The kitten still had spots on it, but the outfitter told him [the hunter] that the season was about to close and if he wanted to kill a cat he'd better take it," Workman said. "This system does not create a good, fair-chase atmosphere for the people I work for, and that's the average Montanan. It's just not a good way to manage cats across the board."

While outfitters may take a financial hit in the short term by sacrificing an unlimited number of nonresident clients, if this proposal is passed, Workman said there may be a silver lining.

"I think there are more people like myself who don't have a dog who's going to hire an outfitter to go find a trophy cat," Workman said. "In the long run, it will benefit the outfitters."

Prior to House Bill 142, the law

that outlined the current system, most of the lion harvest went to nonresident hunters, Zink said. The current system has balanced the scales between nonresident and resident harvest. If the proposed regulation is adopted, the nonresident harvest would still be limited to 10 percent of the overall total. Any changes would take place for the 2006-07 season.

Currently, hunters also may chase (but not kill) lions after the hunting season is closed. Since the chase-only season is established by Montana law and not by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, the chase season would remain intact.

The proposal for changing the system has sparked opposition from outfitters.

Williams said nearly all the outfitters he's spoken with are against changing the system "and for obvious reasons."

If the proposal is adopted, nonresident mountain lion hunters would not be required to use an outfitter. "It's yet to be seen" what kind of impact the regulation would have on outfitters, Williams said. "We try to manage for the resource first."

Although the state wildlife agency relies heavily on houndsmen to provide information from the field about lion populations and behavior, the lion still is a hard species to manage, Williams said. The mountain lion is the only carnivorous predator that is managed as a game species in Montana.

With low populations of animals that live in a timbered environment, "These animals are pretty cryptic," he said. "They're pretty complex to manage. You'll never know 100 percent how many are out there."

Cat populations have been down in recent years but are rebounding. Lion populations tend to follow populations of ungulates such as elk and deer, and with those animals increasing, so are lions, Williams said.

The Fish Wildlife and Parks Commission will take public comment - and the wildlife agency's position supporting the proposal - into consideration when it makes its final decision Feb. 21 in Helena.

White-tailed deer also will headline Saturday's public hearing.

The deer population has been rising after several mild winters. Wildlife managers have instituted liberal hunting regulations on whitetails in the last two years, including offering an either-sex hunt the first and last weeks of the general big game season. Many antlerless permits also have been issued.

A proposal by Fish, Wildlife and Parks would change that. Instead, in addition to their regular "A" tag, a hunter could purchase one additional over-the-counter "B" tag for antlerless whitetails. The permit would be valid in all districts of Region One.

Although white-tailed deer populations are at an all-time high, some people oppose the proposed regulation, Williams said.

Opponents of the rule would like to see the white-tailed deer population increase even more before such a "B" tag system is put in place, Williams said.

"From a biology point of view, the time to apply a more liberal package is when the populations are increasing, but it's a hot issue," he said.

In an effort to help recruitment of young hunters, Fish, Wildlife and Parks proposes that the age criteria for youth hunters ages 12 to 17 be allowed to shoot antlerless elk and deer. The current age range is 12 to 14.

"Hunter recruitment is a huge issue," Williams said. "Given the numbers of activities for kids, whether it's academic or athletics, the kids have so much more going on now. The commission wants to make it easier for kids to become hunters."

Another proposal that is being presented statewide would eliminate the late-season game-damage hunts. Instead of the state having to manage game-damage hunts - most of which occur on private property - after the regular big-game season, the control of elk populations will now take place only in the five-week general season.

Most of these late-season hunts occur in Eastern and Southwest Montana, and the proposal would have minimal impact on Northwest Montana's hunting regulations, Williams said.

"This eliminates a lot of customized seasons and focuses on the five-week season," he said. "This would make the five-week season the tool to manage game populations."

The annual hearing on proposed regulations is a chance for the public to participate in the regulation-setting process. Upwards of 400 people usually attend. Members of the public are allowed three minutes to comment on a proposal.

State Commissioner Workman will be on hand to listen. "If you are a hunter and interested in participating in the process, it's the one opportunity where a hunter can talk to the commissioner directly," Williams said.

It's not just about hot-button issues, though. "It's an annual celebration of hunting and the season-setting process," he said.

Copies of the tentative hunting regulations highlights are available at Fish, Wildlife and Parks offices on North Meridian Road in Kalispell. For information call 752-5501.

On the Net:

www.fwp.state.mt.us