Outdoor News Daily

Hunters interested in obtaining a special permit to hunt sandhill cranes this fall must apply by July 29.

The four limited permit areas proposed for sandhill crane hunting in Montana are:

Central Flyway: Sept. 11- 26

· Wheatland/Sweet Grass/Meagher County Areas—50 permits. Each permitted hunter will have a two-crane bag limit.

Pacific Flyway: Sept. 11-26

· Deer Lodge County Area (Warm Springs)—30 permits

· Ovando/Helmville Area—40 permits

· Dillon/Twin Bridges/Cardwell Area—75 permits. Each permitted hunter will have a two-crane bag limit.

The FWP Commission approved tentative sandhill crane seasons and permit quotas at its July meeting in Helena.

Prospective crane hunters interested in these permits must apply by mail using an official application; at a regional FWP office; or online. Online applications are available at fwp.mt.gov under Online Services and must be completed by 11:45 p.m. on July 29. Mail-in applications must be sent to: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; License Section; Sandhill Crane Drawing; P.O. Box 200701; Helena MT 59620-0701. Mail-in applications, which can be found on FWP’s Web site, must be received by 5 p.m. on July 29.

All crane applicants must use an official FWP application form, available from FWP or from the FWP website. Applicants must have a 2010 Conservation License and ALS number and they must pay $5 for the non-refundable drawing fee. Successful applicants will receive a permit to hunt sandhill cranes during the season.

The sandhill cranes that inhabit the four limited-permit hunting areas in Montana are part of the Rocky Mountain sandhill crane population, which is smaller than the mid-continent population of lesser sandhill cranes that migrate through eastern Montana. Hunting for both sandhill crane populations is regulated by federal management plan guidelines.

To hunt sandhill cranes in other parts of the Central Flyway north and east of I-90, hunters must obtain a free permit. The proposed hunting season in this area is Sept. 25-Nov. 21. Permits will be available in mid-August from FWP offices in Billings, Helena, Glasgow, and Miles City, or from the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge near Malta or Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge south of Plentywood. The area south and west of Interstate 90 in the Central Flyway portion of the state will remain closed to crane hunting.

A Montana Migratory Bird license is required to hunt sandhill cranes. Montana residents 12-14, and 62 or older, or holders of a Resident Person with Disability Conservation License need only their conservation license to hunt sandhill cranes.

The public has until Aug. 2 to comment on the proposed early season migratory bird hunting regulations. To comment go to the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov under Public Notices.

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