Virtual open house to discuss potential hunting rule changes

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional staff will hold virtual meetings across the state to discuss potential hunting regulation changes for 2022 and 2023.

These meetings will be held via Zoom and allow the public to hear directly from FWP staff and ask questions about the proposed changes.

In Region 1, the meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14.

Zoom sign-in information will be posted on the FWP website closer to the meeting date.

Public comment will be taken through Oct. 20. Virtual open houses are scheduled as follows and will run from 6 to 8 p.m. with the exception noted below:

The potential hunting regulation changes are available online for the public to review.

The potential changes are coming now during the normal biennial season setting year to help make Montana’s hunting regulations simpler and easier to understand.

Over the last several weeks, FWP biologists have worked on these potential changes with a sharp focus on the science behind the regulations.

The potential changes focus primarily on deer and elk regulations; some regions have included regulations for other species as well.

The potential changes include a reduction in the number of hunting districts (i.e., making them larger) and simplification of license structures.

To see the potential changes and make comment, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities/hunting-reg-changes.

After Oct. 20, FWP biologists and other staff will sort through the public feedback collected and develop proposals for all game species for the Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting on Dec. 14.

Following this meeting, a second 30-day public comment opportunity will begin on the commission-approved proposals for all hunting regulations for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

This public comment period will also include regional FWP Citizen Advisory Council meetings.

The commission will adopt final hunting regulations at their meeting in early February.