Fall mountain lion hunting season closes in Region 6

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 6 has announced that fall mountain lion hunting season in Hunting District 690 has closed as of 30 minutes past sunset Nov. 5.

The announcement came after FWP officials were notified that the quota of harvested mountain lions for the district had been met.

HD 690 is part of Region 6 which runs from the western edge of Hill County to the northern edge of Marias River down to the north side of the Missouri River, which it follows east to Fort Peck Dam, then continues south along the Fort Peck Reservoir and Dry Creek to the north side of State Highway 200, which constitutes the southern border of the region all the way to the state line with North Dakota.

The portion of the region that is designated HD 690 is basically south of U.S. Highway 2 to the Missouri River and from the western edge of Hill to the west side of Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, but excluding Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation.

“Our next season opens up Dec. 1st,” Region 6 Information and Education Program Manager Marc Kloker said, “and the winter quota is eight total, two of which can be female in 690.”

He said that the fall season — which started Oct. 23 and could have run to Dec. 1 if the quota hadn’t been met — is designated for archery hunting and for hunting without hounds. Winter hunting season, which runs from Dec. 1 until the quota is met or April 14, does allow two tags for hunting mountain lion using hounds.

The remainder of Region 6 has a fall quota of one mountain lion in the fall season and four in winter, two of which can be female. By comparison to the total 15 mountain lions that can be taken in Region 6 in a year, the total annual quotas for mountain lion in each of regions 1, 2 and 3 — the three western regions from north to south — are 63, 194 and 163 respectively.

While mountain lion in all of Region 6 can be hunted with a general lion license purchased over the counter, some hunting districts and seasons in other regions across the state require hunters apply early in the year for a drawing for a special license.

Non-resident licenses are all awarded by special draw, as well, and non-resident hunters wanting to hunt with hounds have to purchase a license that allows for using the dogs.

Also, to help people with hounds get the dogs trained to hunt, FWP offers Montana residents a $5 hound training license. This tag allows the dog trainers to “use a dog or dogs to aid in chasing mountain lions and/or bobcat in all valid mountain lion hunting districts in the state ... during the hound training season from Dec. 2–Apr. 14,” the FWP website says.

The mountain lion and bobcat cannot be killed in these training hunts unless the hunter has the appropriate hunting license.

Mountain lion hunting is getting to be more popular, Kloker said, but the large cats are also expanding back into some ranges that haven’t had much or any hunting available in modern times.

“CMR National Wildlife Refuge, the refuge that surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir, has not traditionally allowed mountain lion hunting at all, and we know that they have a lot of mountain lion,” he said, “well, they — just starting this year — are allowing mountain lion hunting without dogs on the refuge.”

Opening this new area and mountain lion population to hunting could mean that quotas will change in the future, he added, but data will have to be collected in order to make any determination on that.

Hunting District 690 will re-open for the hunting of all mountain lion for the winter season beginning Dec. 1.

For more information, visit FWP’s website at http://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/by-species, to check the current quota status, or call the toll-free number at 1-800-385-7826.