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General big game season runs from Oct. 21 through Nov. 26, and FWP will continue chronic wasting disease monitoring efforts this fall. Hunters play a vital role in these efforts when they provide tissue samples from their harvested animals. Before heading into the field this hunting season, hunters should have a CWD plan. CWD checklist • Check FWP’s CWD Management webpage or the Hunt Planner Map to see if the area you’re planning to hunt is in a CWD priority or surveillance area. • If it is or you just want to take a sample,...
Antelope hunters enjoyed good weather and slightly above-average harvest rates for the general season opening weekend. Hysham The weather over the weekend was pleasant, making it attractive for hunters to get out into the field, said wildlife biologist Steve Atwood. The Hysham check station reported 120 parties and 210 hunters passing through on Sunday. Eighty-one percent of hunters reported a harvest, which is about 7% above average for the opening weekend of antelope season. Most hunters report seeing adequate or improving...
Although most hunters respect the land, property and wildlife they are hunting, a minority do not. Yet these few bad actors lead to frustration from private landowners and hunters looking to do things right. This year remember: It’s up to us. Respect access. Protect the hunt. Every hunting season, there are reports of vandalizing of Block Management Area (BMA) boxes, hunters driving off road, illegal trespassing, hunters being shot over, littering, and livestock being shot. Below are just a few of the things that hunters a...
The United States Postal Service recently filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price changes to take effect Jan. 21, 2024. The new rates include a 2-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 66 cents to 68 cents. The proposed adjustments, approved by the governors of the Postal Service, would raise mailing services product prices approximately 2 percent. If favorably reviewed by the commission, the price changes would include: • Letters (1 ounce) from 66 c...
The last day to claim the Montana Property Tax Rebate is Monday, October 2. The Montana Department of Revenue is extending the deadline to claim the property tax rebate by one day to October 2. The original deadline in House Bill 222 was October 1. However, October 1 is a Sunday. Because taxpayers may have last minute questions, the department decided to accept claims until 11:59pm on Monday, October 2 via the department’s online portal at getmyrebate.mt.gov. The department will also accept paper claims postmarked by O...
Conditions in much of southeast Montana are considerably better than previous years at this time, when the landscape was ravaged by drought. Abundant spring/summer rainfall this year has resulted in rapid recovery of range plants, but abundant vegetation also means increased fire danger as grass dries out. Elk The Missouri Breaks (HD 700) and Custer Forest Elk Management Unit (HDs 702, 704, 705) remain the two core elk populations in southeast Montana. Outside of these areas, elk numbers are generally low, but numbers have be...
The area is coming out of a few tough years of drought, but so far this year the area has received ample moisture across a majority of the region. This has resulted in better grass and forb growth, which has equated to much better habitat conditions compared to previous years. Once again, the region had a lot of grasshoppers, as well. With good habitat and forage options across the landscape, birds will be spread throughout the country, and hunters may have to travel around. This may give the illusion that numbers are worse...
Although most hunters respect the land, property and wildlife they are hunting, a minority do not. Yet these few bad actors lead to frustration from private landowners and hunters looking to do things right. This year remember: It’s up to us. Respect access. Protect the hunt. Every hunting season, there are reports of vandalizing of Block Management Area (BMA) boxes, hunters driving off road, illegal trespassing, hunters being shot over, littering, and livestock being shot. Below are just a few of the things that hunters a...
Gracie Johnson didn't want to be a pilot. At least, not when she first walked into her eighth-grade science class at Billings' Ben Steele Middle School. Her teacher, Patrick Kenney, quickly tapped her for a student project building an experimental aircraft at a private hangar, and while she found that work interesting, Johnson initially resisted Kenney's encouragement to step into a cockpit for a test flight. Eventually she agreed. "It just spiraled from there," Johnson told...
Thousands of Montana taxpayers have successfully claimed and received property tax relief. Most qualified Montana taxpayers have already claimed their property tax rebate. The Montana Department of Revenue has approved over 150,000 claims or about 70% of estimated potential claims. Counties with a higher estimated percentage of claimed rebates are Hill, Pondera, Missoula, Silver Bow, and Lewis and Clark. “Getting the rebates to Montana taxpayers has been our number one priority, so we’re grateful a majority of taxpayers hav...
Gov. Greg Gianforte is asking a Lewis and Clark County district court judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging his veto of Senate Bill 442, major bipartisan legislation from the 2023 session that reallocated marijuana tax revenue to conservation and county road projects. In a recent court filing, attorneys for the governor argued that the question at the heart of the litigation - whether Gianforte vetoed the bill in a way that prevented an override by the Legislature on the...
Shannon L. Rolando, a financial advisor with four years’ experience in the financial services industry, recently opened the first Edward Jones office in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. Edward Jones is a leading financial services firm in the U.S. and through its affiliate in Canada. The firm’s nearly 19,000 financial advisors serve more than 8 million clients with a total of $1.8 trillion in client assets under care at the end of June 2023. Edward Jones’ purpose is to partner for positive impact to improve the lives of its c...
A coalition of former Republican officials and a longtime third-party candidate are pushing a pair of constitutional amendment ballot initiatives for the 2024 cycle that would fundamentally alter Montana’s elections in what they describe as an effort to “reform our broken political system.” The most substantive proposal would create a system of top-four open primaries for most state and federal elections in Montana, regardless of party. That would replace the current system — in which a voter can participate in the partisa...
Governor Greg Gianforte recently announced Montana’s unemployment rate in July is below 3% for the 21st consecutive month. The only other time Montana’s unemployment rate was below 3% was for three months in 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gov. Gianforte also announced Montana’s total employment reached an all-time high, with nearly 563,000 Montanans working in July. Since Gov. Gianforte took office in January 2021, nearly 40,000 jobs have been created in Montana, the state’s unemployment rate has dro...
Montana taxpayers applying for a property tax rebate should be on the lookout for suspicious or fraudulent activity. The best way for Montana taxpayers to avoid scams is to apply for the property tax rebate online at GetMyRebate.mt.gov as soon as possible. The application period is open and ends on October 1, 2023, but the Department of Revenue encourages Montanans not to wait. Montana property taxpayers do not have to pay for any information required to apply for the property tax rebate. Similar to fraudulent tax returns,...
Beginning August 15, eligible Montana homeowners may claim their property tax rebate up to $675 at getmyrebate.mt.gov. Claims must be filed by October 1, 2023. "Property taxes are too high, which is why we prioritized and secured immediate property tax relief for Montanans this legislative session," Gov. Gianforte said. "I encourage folks to get online tomorrow and claim their rebate." To qualify for the rebate, taxpayers must have owned and lived in their home for at least se...
Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation is committed to catalyzing economic growth and fostering prosperity in our southeastern corner of the state. EPEDC serves five counties - Dawson, Fallon, Prairie, Carter and Wibaux - assisting in identifying funding opportunities and offering technical assistance in the application processes. The Organization supports community resiliency and regional tourism, while also keeping the culture and values Eastern Montana holds dear....
The drawing for antelope licenses is complete. There are a few ways to get your drawing results. Visit fwp.mt.gov, click on MyFWP Login in the upper righthand corner, then click on “Lookup Draw Results, Register for Lists” tab on the left-hand menu, or login to your MyFWP account. You may also sign up for an account at fwp.mt.gov/MyFWP. Applicants may also call any FWP Regional office or the licensing office at 406-444-2950. Most FWP offices with license sales are open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m...
A Wibaux man pleaded guilty in Wibaux County District Court to two counts of incest with two children under the age of 16 and one count of sexual assault without consent with one child under the age of 16, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced earlier this week. On July 25, Joshua Harris, 42, admitted to sexually assaulting three young girls multiple times over the span of about eight years. He began sexually abusing one young victim at the age of eight and mentioned multiple times he wanted to leave his now former wife...
While mule deer populations remain steady in portions of the state, spring green-up surveys conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife biologists showed populations in some parts of the state remain lower than desired, and as a result, licenses available to hunters in those areas have been cut back. Over the past few years, persistent drought, particularly in southeast Montana, has affected both survival and recruitment rates for mule deer. This drought has also, at...
While mule deer populations remain steady in portions of the state, spring green-up surveys conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife biologists showed populations in some parts of the state remain lower than desired, and as a result, licenses available to hunters in those areas have been cut back. Over the past few years, persistent drought, particularly in southeast Montana, has affected both survival and recruitment rates for mule deer. This drought has also, at times, been coupled with hard winters, making it...
Hunters interested in signing up for elk permits left over from the permit drawing can do so between July 21 and Aug. 4. This new process for the sale of surplus licenses began in 2020 in response to issues in years past. The old process was vulnerable to long lag times, confusion, and a perception of inequity for those unable to use the first-come, first-served online option starting at 5 a.m. There is no prerequisite required to sign up for these permits, but if you are selected to purchase one you MUST hold a general elk...
Dickinson State University (DSU) announced the addition of trap shooting to the arsenal of athletic offerings earlier this week. The new co-ed program becomes the 20th athletic offering at DSU and will begin to compete in fall 2023. “I’ve been a competitive shooter for almost 20 years and love the discipline and mental aspect of the sport,” stated Rus Kiser, DSU’s shooting sports head coach.. “Competitive shooting is often a personal competition, where a mental error or loss of focus can send you to the bottom of the list....
USPS recently hiked the price of a stamp to sixty-six cents, a 32 percent increase since 2019. The change took effect July 9th, and was an increase of 4.8 percent from the previous cost of 63 cents. The move is the latest in a flurry of rate boosts that will result in the cost of a first-class stamp rising nearly one-third since 2019. Under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the USPS has embarked on a 10-year plan to get on a path to profitability - with higher postage rates as...
Agricultural producers in Montana who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after planting should make an appointment with their U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) service center before the applicable deadline. “Many USDA programs require producers to file an accurate crop acreage report by the applicable deadline,” said Maureen Wicks, State Executive Director in Montana. “Once planting is complete, call your local FSA office to make an appointment to report your acreage. Our FSA s...
