License change affects area bear hunters

A change in Montana’s 2010 spring black bear hunting regulations requiring hunters to validate their licenses for use in Northwest Montana was revisited earlier this week by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

The validation covers an area where it was not previously required.

With the commission’s action via conference call Tuesday spring black bear hunters now need to validate their license to hunt in Northwest Montana’s Bear Management Units 100, 102, 104, 105 and 108.

Those who validate for Units 100, 102, 104, 105, and 108 cannot legally hunt anywhere else in Northwest Montana’s Region 1, which is headquartered in Kalispell.

With the adjustment, however, they can now legally hunt black bears in the rest of the state.

Last year, hunters were required to validate for spring bear hunts in a different set of hunting districts in Northwest Montana, which led to confusion among hunters and to Tuesday’s action by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

Those hunters who already have purchased bear licenses with incorrect validation can exchange them through April 15 at any Fish, Wildlife and Parks office for a new license that is properly validated.

Hunters who purchase black bear licenses after April 15 must obtain them over the counter at an Fish, Wildlife and Parks office and cannot use them for five days after the purchase date.

Bear hunters also must successfully complete the Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear identification training prior to purchasing a black bear license.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks urges black bear hunters to refresh their bear identification skills every year to be able to distinguish a black bear from a grizzly.

Grizzly bears, a federally protected, threatened species, are not hunted in Montana.

To locate the online Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear ID test, go to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Bear Identification Program.

 To review the online 2010 black bear regulations, go to the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Web site at fwp.mt.gov and click on the Hunting page and then Regulations.