The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission is looking for public comment on the following agenda items for its June 19 meeting. The comment deadline for all these items is May 27, with final action to be taken at the June meeting. Each topic has its own survey for public comment. For more information on each agenda item and to submit a comment go to the commission meeting webpage.

Red Rock Creek Emergency Fishing Closure

Fish, Wildlife & Parks proposes an emergency regulation change that would close Red Rock Creek from Upper Red Rock Lake to Elk Lake Road for the entire year, with Red Rock Creek upstream of Elk Lake Road remaining open to fishing with artificial lures only, subject to the existing closure from May 1 through June 14.

Mountain lion quotas for fall 2025 – winter 2026

FWP recommends no changes to the mountain lion season adopted in June 2024, except for minor adjustments within the west-central ecoregion to address local changes in lion abundance. Winter season will continue to allow the use of hounds, and harvest will be allocated, in accordance with commission direction, between Limited Lion Licenses that will be awarded through the lottery draw and Unlimited Lion Licenses that are governed by sex-specific quotas.

Requirement for sage grouse hunters to obtain free hunting permit

FWP recommends the commission adopt a free sage grouse permit and the requirement that sage grouse hunters obtain the permit prior to hunting to provide an improved sampling frame to survey sage grouse hunter harvest as presented by the department.

Ray Kuhns Wildlife Management Area Forest Habitat Improvement and Fuels Reduction Project

FWP proposes a forest habitat improvement project that would improve habitat conditions and reduce hazardous fuels on approximately 358 acres of the 1,560-acre Ray Kuhns WMA.

Additions to List of Approved Grizzly Bear Release Sites

FWP proposes to add 18 additional potential grizzly bear release sites to and remove one site from the list of 280 grizzly bear release sites that was approved by the Fish & Wildlife Commission for a five-year period in February 2022. This includes 10 additional sites in Region 1, five in Region 2 and three in Region 5. One site is proposed to be removed in Region 4. If approved, the Region 4 site will be removed and the other sites will be added to the list of approved sites for the remainder of the five-year period.

2025 Elk Hunting Access Agreements

FWP recommends that the commission approve 2025 EHA agreements as recommended by the department and, if necessary, send to a random draw those applications in districts where the number of requests for permits/licenses for landowners/designees exceeds the department-imposed cap of 10 percent of the commission-adopted quota as displayed in the 2025 Deer, Elk, Antelope Hunting Regulations.

Private Land Recreation Management Areas – Biennial Rule Renewal

FWP recommends the commission adopt the biennial recreation management rules for the properties owned by Stimson Lumber, Avista and The Nature Conservancy with no changes. The current biennial rules are set to expire in early August 2025.

Temporary Closure of Big Rock Fishing Access Site

FWP recommends a temporary closure of the Big Rock FAS during a 60-day period starting sometime between late July and November of 2025. FWP would work with the contractors to open the site as early as possible while ensuring safety of the public and contractors. It is possible the closure could be as short as two to four weeks.

Temporary Closure on Beaverhead River

FWP recommends that the commission adopt a temporary alternating closure structure on the Beaverhead River from Cornell Park FAS to Selway Park FAS during a seven-week period starting in late August. The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is planning construction work on the Highway 91 bridge on the Beaverhead River in Dillon just south of Clark’s Lookout State Park. FWP staff would work with MDT to alternate between full closure when there was a risk to public safety and keeping a channel open when there was not a risk to public safety.

Temporary Closure on Blackfoot River

FWP recommends the commission adopt a temporary closure on the Blackfoot River from Weigh Station FAS to the work site adjacent to Milltown State Park during a four-month period starting in late summer or early fall of 2025. Burlington Northern Santa Fe is conducting work on their railroad bridge piers in the Milltown Area on a stretch of the Blackfoot River adjacent to Milltown State Park.

Decision to Initiate Montana Administrative Procedure Act (MAPA) Rulemaking Process

Senate Bill 83, signed by Gov. Gianforte on April 17 amends § 87-1-301 MCA to require that the commission “shall adopt the rules of the individual landowners governing the public use of each landowner’s property managed by the department under active public access agreements with private landowners.” By adopting the landowner’s rules governing property use, FWP game wardens will have additional enforcement discretion and can cite violators appropriately.

This agenda item involves a request for commission approval for the filing of a formal rule adoption notice with the Secretary of State to initiate that MAPA rulemaking process. The administrative rule proposal notice would then be published in the Montana Administrative Register (MAR) and posted on the FWP website and would include information on the timeline for submission of written comments and the public hearing date.