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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

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The outside is in your inbox. 🦌🌲

Catch the latest weekly updates from FWP, including this week’s hunting stories and highlights.

Use the link in our story or newsletter highlights to read the stories and watch the video!

Hunters can help FWP manage prevalence of chronic wasting disease

The general elk and deer season opens Oct. 24, and, once again, FWP needs samples from harvested deer, elk and moose to track chronic wasting disease (CWD) and inform management aimed at reducing CWD spread. Understanding where CWD is and how it’s spreading allows FWP staff to respond to new detections, implement management strategies and help prevent the possible declines that have been associated with high CWD prevalence in some states.

General deer and elk season opens Oct. 24!

Here are 11 reminders from FWP game wardens to make sure you stay legal this season. Read them all with the link in our story!

From aerial surveys and fawn recruitment to harvest data, habitat conditions, and ongoing research, mule deer management draws on multiple sources of information to build a clearer picture of each herd and the landscape it depends on.

Learn how Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks manages mule deer through the work of area biologist, Sonja Andersen.

Watch the full video using the link in our story!

Success through safety  

One-shot Hunter Program teaches ethical hunting behavior

Show us your one-shot success. FWP is reviving its One-Shot Hunter Program.

Modern approach: License Ambassador Program expands local purchase options

The general big game hunting season begins Oct. 24 (the early youth deer hunt is Oct. 15-16), and FWP would like to remind hunters of all the options they have to buy their licenses.

TIP-MONT: Report a Violation

Natural resource crime is a major detriment to Montana’s natural resources and outdoor heritage.

If you have information regarding a wildlife or state lands crime, please let us know. You may be eligible for a reward. taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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Young hunters, your turn starts tomorrow!

Montana’s Youth Deer-Only Hunt runs October 15–16, 2026, coinciding with Montana’s annual two-day teachers’ convention, no-school days for most public school students.

The two-day hunt is open to:

• Legally licensed 12–15-year-olds who have completed hunter education and are accompanied by a non-hunting adult at least 18 years of age.
• Properly certified and legally licensed apprentice hunters ages 10–15 who are accompanied by a non-hunting adult mentor at least 21 years of age.

This hunt is for deer only. Elk hunting is prohibited. All regulations apply.

Good luck to all young hunters! Stay safe and check the regulations before hitting the field using the link in our story! taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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Sometimes, a plant’s name just nails it. Take cheatgrass.

The moment snow melts in early spring, cheatgrass erupts from the cold soil while native plants are still slumbering, one of the first to green up. Forming dense mats, cheatgrass steals soil moisture from other vegetation and sprouts millions of seeds—the ones that coat your socks and burrow into your dog’s coat. Then, well before the July 4th fireworks begin, it cures to a tinder-dry, rusty brown while other plants are still green, ready to burn like it’s soaked in gasoline.

Many native plants evolved with periodic wildfire. But once cheatgrass gains a foothold, it feeds fires that help expand its range. Native plants can’t recover quickly enough to survive the yearly blazes and begin to die out. Meanwhile, cheatgrass specializes in blitzkrieging newly burned areas, creating a burn cycle that has helped spread it across more than 50 million acres of the West so far, an area the size of Idaho.

Unfortunately, it’s got company.

Montana’s beautiful hills, valleys, and plains are under assault from a quartet of grassy invaders that starve native plants of water and nutrients, edging out wildflowers and bunchgrasses. This is bad news for the migratory big game, grassland birds, pollinators, and other animals that depend on perennial plants for food and habitat. As these invasive grasses spread, it’s also bad news for people and property in Montana. All four invasive species dry out early in the summer, igniting easily and spreading wildfires in a flash.

Over the past 25 years, the cover of invasive annual grasses in Montana has increased more than 5 percent per decade across nearly 5 million acres, according to Joe Smith, a researcher at the University of Montana and team member of Working Lands for Wildlife, led by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Smith uses satellite imagery paired with on-the-ground vegetation data to track how plant communities have changed over time.

Access the full story from our highlights, or explore more Montana Outdoors content from the link in our bio!

✍️ by Brianna Randall
📸 Photo by Rocky Mountain Research Station taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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3 days ago

The Fish and Wildlife Commission meets next week!

Note: The meeting was moved from Thursday, October 15, to Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 8 a.m. and will be held virtually via Zoom.

Topics include:
• 2027–2028 Fishing Regulations
• Flathead River drainage brown trout regulation
• Grizzly bear release sites
• Northern leopard frog transplants
• Temporary full closure of Kona Bridge Fishing Access Site
• Public use and commercial use fee schedules
• Thompson Island acquisition
• Citizen petition for rulemaking — Swan Lake motorized use restrictions
• Decision on Final Adoption of Bitterroot River Motorized Watercraft Closure
• Hannah Ranch
• Wargo amendments to the 2027–2028 Fishing Regulations
• Gagnon amendment to the 2027–2028 Fishing Regulations

Follow the link in our story for more information, agenda item details, and to learn how to participate in public comment. taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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7 days ago

The outside is in your inbox!
Catch the latest Get Outside updates from FWP, including places to explore, state park adventures, recreation opportunities, outdoor events, camping tips, and more.
Use the links in our story to read the stories and subscribe!

FWP to host several spooky events across the state
October brings shorter days, colder nights, and haunting events. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are hosting seasonal events this month, from nighttime walks to campfire stories. Click the events link in our bio for times, costs and registration details so you can make the most out of the spookiest time of year.

Montana state parks make a colorful destination
Looking for a fall destination? There are several state parks that are spectacular this time of year. Whether you’re looking for fall colors or just a pleasant place to celebrate the change of seasons, Montana’s state parks have something to offer.

Montana is home to only one species of this spooky creature
Northern Scorpion - Paruroctonus boreus
When we think about scorpions, we think about the deserts of the American southwest. Things like cactus, hot sand and a general lack of water come to mind. While Montana is known for its majestic mountains and clear, cool rivers, over half of the state is a more arid sagebrush and grassland sea where sandstone cliffs rise as if from nowhere. Among the cliffs where ravens nest, rattlesnakes sun themselves and pallid bats roost in crevices, lives Montana’s only scorpion species.

For the adventurous souls, a primitive trail beckons you to explore, offering access to fishing spots, exhilarating floats and wildlife at Sluice Boxes State Park! Just keep your wits about you. Those towering cliffs and tricky terrain can be a little wild. It’s essential to tread carefully and remember to apply those seven principles of “leave no trace” when visiting. Watch the video using the link in our story!

With help from a grant from FWP’s Recreational Trail Program (RTP), the Rattlesnake Reservoir Park Preserve in Missoula has 16 new parking spaces, including two van-accessible ADA spaces, over 1 mile of a new loop trail and a series of interpretative panels that highlight t taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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Ever look through your binoculars and struggle to get both eyes in focus? Or notice that stubborn black spot in the center of your view? A quick adjustment is usually all it takes!

Keep learning with us! Check out our events page linked in our bio to find workshops and other opportunities to build your outdoor skills and learn something new! taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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Last night, Director Christy Clark and FWP staff attended a town hall in Somers to discuss what implementing the proposed 4(d) rule would look like locally and to answer questions. Attendees could ask questions and talk through how grizzly bear management would evolve and how it would affect their local community.

In this video, Director Christy Clark touches on why events like this matter, her appreciation for everyone who attends to share and learn, and her eagerness to understand the perspective of those living among grizzly bears across Montana.

To learn more about the rule, visit the link in our story! taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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Two season openers are coming up this Saturday, October 10!

General rifle season for antelope begins, along with pheasant season for Montana residents.

Nonresident season license holders may hunt pheasants beginning October 10 ONLY on private land not enrolled in a hunting access program. Under the new upland game bird hunting law, nonresidents must wait until October 20 to hunt pheasants on public land or land enrolled in hunting access programs.

Stay safe, read the regulations before heading into the field, and good luck out there!

Access the regulations online using the link in our story or by visiting our website. taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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Mooing and snorting, the cattle come over a rise like an infantry battalion. A dozen cowboys ride behind the 100 or so lowing black Angus, shouting to keep the cows and calves moving and whistling to border collies nipping at the animals’ heels. The cowhands are relocating this herd from one hay pasture to another via a county road bisecting the broad Big Hole Valley.

Most of the livestock trot ahead obediently, but some try to sneak off. One calf is chased down by a rider, who, after several attempts, lassos the renegade. He leads the bawling youngster to a horse trailer hitched to a pickup and helps Heidi Hirschy, a rancher supervising the controlled chaos, load the animal.

“Just another day in the cattle business,” Hirschy says, before driving off to join the herd, which is disappearing down the road in a dusty cloud.

Moving cattle or sheep is a constant headache for livestock operators. Just as challenging is protecting the animals from diseases, parasites, severe weather—and, in parts of western Montana over the past 30 years, wolves.

After the large carnivores were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and Idaho by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in the mid-1990s, Montana’s wolf population rapidly increased to more than 1,000.
Hunter and trapper harvests have helped to trim that number over the past 15 years, coinciding with a dramatic decline in confirmed livestock losses statewide.

Yet some packs (though not most) continue to create problems for cattle and sheep operations, mostly west of the Continental Divide. In response, a handful of ranchers have been experimenting with different ways of deterring wolves. “Wolves are just a part of the ecosystem, just like I am, but they can be hard to have around,” says Dean Peterson, a fourth-generation Big Hole Valley rancher and a director on the Big Hole Watershed Committee’s governing board. “We’ve had to find ways to live with them if we want to run a successful cattle operation.”

Access the full story from our highlights, or explore more Montana Outdoors content from the link in our bio!

✍️ by Tom Dickson
📸 Photos
1 - Ami Vitale
2 - Louise Johns
3-5 - Paul Queneau/FWP taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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Learn how Montana FWP manages mule deer through the work of area biologist Sonja Andersen.

The clips shared here preview topics covered in the full video, including aerial surveys, fawn recruitment, habitat conditions, and ongoing research and relationships. Together, these sources of information help build a clearer picture of herds and the landscape they depend on.

Watch the full video to learn more about what guides mule deer management decisions across Montana using the link in our story or by visiting our YouTube channel link in our bio! taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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The outside is in your inbox!🐟🎣
Catch the latest fishing updates from FWP.
Use the link to read the stories and subscribe to our newsletter using the link in our stories and highlights!

Some AIS inspection stations remain open; Montana waters remain invasive mussel free

AIS season isn’t over quite yet. Anglers and waterfowl hunters with watercraft must continue to stop at all aquatic invasive species watercraft inspection stations they encounter. While some inspection stations close after Labor Day, others continue operating through October in high-risk corridors. Six of seventeen inspection stations are still operating.

Shortnose gar bare sharp, toothy grin

Surely there are no gar in Montana. These fish are huge and toothy like an alligator. Someone would have noticed by now. But no. There is one species of gar that is native to Montana. It’s the adorable shortnose gar, Lepisosteus platostomus.

WATCH: From Hatchery to Lake: The Journey of Montana’s Kokanee Salmon

Use the link in our story!

Since the early 1900s, Montana’s waters have been home to kokanee salmon, an incredible fish that undergoes remarkable physical changes to replenish both the land and the species inhabiting our beautiful state. Anglers seek out this prized sport fish not only for its beautiful red fillets, a delightful treat when grilled, but also for the extraordinary fishing experiences it provides.

A historically straightened and dewatered section of Lower Cottonwood Creek in Powell County will be realigned and reconnected to its floodplain. The project also will include instream habitat improvements and upgrades to diversion structures.

Midges are ubiquitous across the west. They are food for trout in rivers and lakes. The larval stage of a midge is what this fly imitates. It’s in the wide family of chironomid patterns.
Learn how to tie this fly yourself.

Deadline is November 1
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is accepting open water fishing contests applications for the 2027 season. Participants must comply with state fishing regulations, including daily and possession limits.

As the 2026 paddlefish season concludes, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is conducting telephone taken in Montana by @montanafwp

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💀👻🎃As we enter spooky season, let’s talk about some of Montana’s so called “spooky” species. Read the caption of each photo to learn why these misunderstood critters aren’t so scary after all and why they are incredibly important to Montana’s ecosystems!
Want to learn more about Montana’s “spooky” species? Check out the free public programs at Montana WILD in Helena this month using the link in our story! Bats and salamanders and snakes… oh my!

Striped Skunk🦨🦨🦨
These little stinkers often get poo-poohed, but that hardly seems fair. Yes, they can spray a stinky musk up to 15 feet, but we see that as an amazing defensive superpower rather than a negative attribute. Plus, these mesocarnivores are incredible pest control, eating everything from mice to snakes, plants, eggs, and even wasps! They are also an important prey species for animals like coyotes and great horned owls. Overall, they have a scent-sational impact on Montana’s food webs.

Bull snake 🐍🐍🐍
The fact that anyone could hate on these beauties is hisssssterical. The bull snake, or gophersnake, is the largest species of snake in Montana reaching up to 7 feet long! They can imitate a rattlesnake when threatened, but are non-venomous and harmless to humans. The benefit they provide when it comes to rodent control is as big as they are, and they are sometimes referred to as a “farmers friend”.

Little Brown Myotis 🦇🦇🦇
They may be called LITTLE brown myotis, but their impact is HUGE. A single little brown bat can eat 1,000 mosquito sized insects per hour, and several thousand insects per night. Some studies have estimated that healthy bat populations save U.S. agriculture over 3.7 billion dollars per year in pest control. They can indeed carry rabies so you should never touch a bat, but you should always thank them for their service!

North American Water Vole🐀🐀🐀
Okay we are praising all these other species for eating rodents… so it only seems fair that they get a highlight too! We often lump all rodents together and then only speak about them as prey for other animals. And while they’re incredibly important as the main food source for hundreds of species, Montana is home to many unique r taken in Montana Wild - FWP by @montanafwp

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