Area deer hunting reduced

The Daily Inter Lake

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission this week approved sharp reductions in hunting opportunities for antlerless deer in Northwest Montana.

The commission also approved plans for two land acquisitions in the Flathead River basin.

The commission reduced the availability of B tags from hundreds to just 25 in most Northwest Montana hunting districts.

Season structure changes also were approved by the commission.

In recent years, antlerless deer could be harvested during the first week and the last four days of the hunting season. For the 2009 rifle season, antlerless deer hunting will not be allowed during the last four days.

The changes were prompted by declines in the region's whitetail deer populations, due to predators and last year's prolonged winter.

Field surveys conducted last spring found 29 fawns per 100 adult deer, well off the long-term average of 50 fawns per 100 adults.

Hunters were less successful during the last hunting season. A delayed arrival of winter weather made hunting conditions difficult. That played a part in the decline of the percentage of hunters stopping at check stations with game - from 9.8 percent in 2007 to 7.6 percent in 2008.

A stronger indicator - the number of whitetail bucks counted at check stations - dropped from 1,064 in 2007 to 876 last year.

Also at Thursday's meeting in Helena, the commission approved the acquisition of 245 acres along the Flathead River south of Kalispell and 53 acres along Hay Creek in the North Fork Flathead River drainage.

Both acquisitions had been approved by the commission in November, but Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials developed amended environmental reviews for the purchases to clarify terms and conditions of conservation easements that will be conveyed to the Bonneville Power Administration for both projects.

BPA fish and wildlife mitigation funding was used for the purchases, and management plans for both parcels must eventually get approval from the power agency.

The purchase of the Foy's Bend property on the Flathead River will cost about $2 million; the Hay Creek purchase will be about $400,000.

Both acquisitions must still go before the Montana State Land Board for final approval.