Page 56 - Flathead Beacon // 5.27.2015

56 | MAY 27, 2015 FLATHEADBEACON.COM
OUTDOORS
WILDLIFE OFFICIALS FORMING YOUTH APPRENTICE HUNTING PROGRAM, INVESTIGATING DIE-OFF OF BIGHORN SHEEP HERDS
Spring Surveys Indicate Strong Whitetail Population in Northwest Montana
By Dillon Tabish
Hunters in Northwest Mon- tana can expect a few chang- es in the fall following the legislative session and a mild winter, which benefited deer populations across the region.
Hunters as young as 10 will now be able to go afield with an adult mentor in search of deer or upland birds. Sen. Mark Blasdel, R-Kalispell, spearheaded a bill creating an apprentice hunting program in Montana. The bill, which was attached to another piece of legislation and signed into law, allows anyone 10 or older who has not completed a state-sanctioned hunter education course to hunt as long as they have a so-called mentor. The mentor
must be an adult who has passed hunter education.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is currently crafting the details of the ap- prentice program and it will be available for public comment this summer. The program will go into effect this fall.
Critics have claimed that the program would undermine the traditional hunt- er education courses, while proponents say it will increase participation among young hunters and families. Thirty-five other states have similar programs.
Hunting and fishing license fees will increase starting March 2016 following the passage of a bill that provided FWP increased funding for the next four years.
Faced with a funding shortfall, FWP asked the legislature for $5.75 million through fee increases. State lawmakers approved the bill, but trimmed roughly $900,000 from the request. Hunting li- censes will stay mostly the same, although a $10 base hunting license must be pur- chased now along with any other hunt- ing license. For nonresidents, the cost is $15. The cost of a general season fishing license will go up from $18 to $21. A non- resident seasonal fishing license will go from $60 to $86. Seniors 62 and older will no longer receive free fishing licenses, but they will be eligible for discounted ones at $10.50. The changes mark the first fee increase for residents since 2005 and in
2003 for nonresidents.
Hunters will also be able to use
sound suppressors, or silencers, starting this fall.
Jim Williams, regional supervisor for FWP, said the legislative debates related to fish and wildlife management were pas- sionate, reflecting the strong connection Montana residents have to the outdoors.
“We’re very fortunate to have so many people who care about fish and wildlife and recreation in Montana,” he said. “It’s woven through the fabric of our lives up here.”
Fishing season is fully underway across Montana, as the general fishing season opened May 16 on the state’s riv-
Whitetail deer are seen in a field off Whitefish Stage Road. BEACON FILE PHOTO