From: ketchum@cs.montana.edu (Steve White)
Subject: to jim powell
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, MSU, Bozeman Mt 59717
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:21:12 GMT

Subject:      Montana Hunting

Sorry netters I couldn't get mail to work today. You might be interested
in this anyhow. If not <n>.

Jim wrote:
>I noticed your post about Montana hunting regulations and am interested in
>what hunting and fishing is like in Montana.  
>What are seasons like (I hunt muzzleloaders and
>archery)?  What do licenses cost?  And one last one, What is Missoula like in
>terms of raising a healthy bunch of kids?  Thanks for any help you can give me
>on this one.
>

Jim,

I haven't lived in AZ so I'm not sure how MT compares. I did live in
Missoula (Msla) for 1/2 of 86' and 70 miles northeast of there, in Ovando,
for five years. There are worse places than Msla although it's not my 
favorite. Msla has "all kinds of people". It's a real mixing pot. Housing 
isn't too available, although it's not as bad as it used to be. You should 
find you a place to live before you move. That is a major concern. 

The other thing that I didn't like about Msla is the smog problems. 
Msla is surrounded by close mts so in the winter you get inversions 
and the valley fills up with smoke and exhaust. It's pretty bad 
sometimes. My wife didn't like Msla 'cuz they don't have much of a 
winter. It is only at 3300 ft. They don't call it the "Garden City" 
for nothing. I remember hearing over the radio one day in April of 
85'(?) that it got to 93F that day. That is quite unusual but it did 
happen. Why their growing season is so long that gardens in town 
commonly produce roastinears(?) (sweet corn). One March day that I remember
the low for Msla was +25F and the high for the ranch I was on at the time
70 miles ne. was +18F. That was pretty common. Msla doesn't get much snow 
either.

I don't know about raising kids there, but I think that it's illegal. Ha.
I don't know how it is for raising kids. It's probably better
than a lot of places and worse than a few. I think that in general MT has
pretty good public schools (better than the national average, not that that
is saying much though).

>
>What game is available?  

	elk	over the counter to residents, 1/yr
		most places brow-tined bull only    	$13
		cow tags are lottery only
	deer    over the counter to residents		$11
		most places buck only & either species, 
		some places either sex and either species
	pronghorns	1/yr,either sex			$12
		all lottery, most places you have a good chance to
		draw, but it varies. Bowhunters are guaranteed a tag.
		If you draw a tag then usually you can get some extra
		(up to five in some places) doe/fawn tags, too. ~$5/each
  	Blk Bear					$11
		over the counter, 1/yr, either sex, no sows with cubs
		or cubs themselves. No using dogs or bait. Most are killed
		in the spring with the spot and stalk method or killed in the 
		fall over a gut pile. Most of the rest are just incidental.
		You know, "Hey. There's a bear and I have a tag!"
	Mt. Lion	1/yr				$13
		The season closes in an area when the quota has been taken.
		dogs are usually the means of taking them
	Goats and Moose					$60
		lottery only, your chances are 4% and 3% respectively
	Sheep						$60
		most places are by lottery and your chances are ~5%
		there is one or two areas where you can buy a tag but the 
		season is only open for about 5 days. That is the way that
		they control the numbers taken. The competition is fearce.
		Ewe tags are pretty easily drawn. The hard ones to get are 
		for the rams which must be 3/4 curl or better.
	Grizzly bear
		Thanks to the anti-hunters/animal rights activists the season
		has been closed for a year now.
	caribou just kidding. 

Archery only season runs from the 1st Sat in Sept to 3rd Sat in Oct and is 
for deer, bear, antelope & elk, of which you can take either sex but usually 
the bulls have to be brow-tined (ie. no spikes).
There is no muzzle loader only season. To hunt with one it must be during the
regular general season during which time you can also hunt with a bow but
you have to abide by all of the general season laws (ie. wear hunter orange,
no cows or calves, etc.).
General season runs from the 4th Sat in Oct to the last Sat in Nov (or something
like that). Antelope season is from about 2nd Sunday in Oct to the 2nd Sunday in
Nov.

There is good to excellent hunting and fishing in the Msla area, actually 
all over the western part of the state.

>  _____________________________________________________________________________
>James H. Powell
>AGJHP@ASUACAD
>225D Payne Hall
>Arizona State University
>Tempe, AZ  85287-0911
>_______________________________________________________________________________
>

I hope that this helps. To obtain a copy of the informative hunting & fishing
regulations write to:
		MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks
		1420 East Sixth Ave.
		Helena, MT 59620
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