FWP Drawing Results
Submitted by Montana FWP
Drawings for moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat and bison licenses are complete. With the new online application process, FWP can complete the drawing much faster than in years past.
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.
Deadline reminders:
The deadline to apply for elk B, deer B, and antelope is Tuesday, June 1. All applications must be completed online or at an FWP office. Most FWP offices with license sales are open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Nonresident hunters can sign up between
May 15 and June 30 for Alternate’s List
Beginning May 15 and running through June 30,
nonresident hunters can register their name to the Alternate’s List on MyFWP. Every year, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks gets several unused nonresident combination licenses (big game, general elk and
general deer combination licenses) returned by
customers. FWP resells these returned licenses through the Alternate’s List.
The Alternate’s List is an option for nonresident hunters to express their interest in purchasing one of these returned licenses by registering their name to this listing. A hunter can register to purchase their choice of only one nonresident combination license per year (big game, general elk, or general deer combination licenses). Once the list is randomized in mid-July and a license becomes available, the hunter in the uppermost randomized position on the list will be contacted by email to finalize the purchase of
the license, and so on until the returned NR combo licenses are eventually exhausted.
Payment for the license fee is not required to
sign up for the Alternate’s List. If your randomized position falls at the top of the listing, you will be
contacted by email with instructions on how to
complete the purchase of the license. Being on this list or obtaining a license from this list has no effect on your existing preference points.
MyFWP also allows you to check where your
position lands on this Alternate’s List after the
randomization process occurs in mid-July. Please
be sure to check back after then.
The odds of getting a license from these lists vary greatly from year to year. Refunds and issuance may occur at any time after mid-July, but availability of these licenses increase between early fall and the opening of general hunting season in late October.
For more information, visit http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/licensedraw/alternatesList.html
KIWI captured on film, sparks curiosity at MPG
A Vulture’s Tale, as told by MPG Wildlife
“In early May, we noticed a stunning image on
the Facebook page of Missoula-based photographer Mark Mesenko – a Turkey Vulture in flight, carrying a squirrel carcass. Then the transmitter strapped to its back really grabbed our attention!
Rob Domenech of RaptorView Research Institute confirmed that this was very likely a bird involved in the Turkey Vulture Project, a collaboration between MPG and RVRI begun in 2019. He indicated that if he knew the date and time the photo was taken, he’d be able to tell us more about the bird.
Given that info – Saturday, May 1, at 6:30pm, near the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge – here’s the story spun by Rob’s data:
The bird’s name for the study is KIWI, and it was trapped and fitted with the transmitter in early August, 2020, in the Bitterroot Valley, Montana. It’s a mature bird, which means it’s at least 3 years old, but could be 10+ or even 20+ years old.
KIWI’s migration path to its wintering ground in Mexico last fall is nearly identical to the path it took to get back here in April (image #2). This is a bird that doesn’t mess around! It left Mexico on April 7 and
arrived in the Bitterroot on April 21. That’s 2000 miles in 14 days, an average of 150 miles/day!
Since its arrival, KIWI has spent much of its time
up the Bass Creek drainage (image #3), leading Rob to suspect nesting activity there. Turkey Vultures are
incredibly secretive about nest sites – they will land 200 meters from their nest and hop/walk the rest of the way to their eggs/young – so locating actual nests
is quite difficult. They often nest under logs or deep in cliff cavities, making satellite tracking spotty at best.
Thanks much to Mark Mesenko and Rob Domenech (image #4, with KIWI in 2020) for helping us piece this story together. Dynamic data makes for dynamic storytelling!”
Shared with permission from www.facebook.com/MPGWildlife
KIWI,
the turkey
vulture which
captured
Missoula
photographer, Mark Mesenko’s
eye and
sparked a
string of
inquiry…
ֽ
Image 2
Google map
depicting KIWI’s migratory path.
Below: Image 3
Map depicting
KIWI’s activity in the Bass Creek drainage.
MPG Ranch
Image 4
Rob Domenech of the RaptorView Research Institute in Missoula was instrumental in helping MPG Wildlife piece together the information on KIWI’s transmitter.
Future Fisheries Grant Program—Deadline May 31
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds landowners, watershed groups and others that this summer’s deadline to apply for Future Fisheries Improvement Program grants is May 31.
The goal of FWP’s Future Fisheries Program is to restore rivers, streams and lakes to improve Montana’s wild fish habitat. Entities can receive funding for qualifying projects that benefit Montana’s wild fish. Each project is assessed by an independent review panel and final funding decisions are made by the Fish and Wildlife Commission.
To learn more about the Future Fisheries Improvement Program, and to download the grant application form, go to the FFIP website at https://fwp.mt.gov/ffip, email FWPFFIP@mt.gov or call the program manager at 406-444-2432.
Completed Future Fisheries Improvement Program applications must be received on or before 11:59 p.m. on May 31 and should be sent electronically to FWPFFIP@mt.gov. Paper applications can be sent to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Fisheries Habitat Bureau, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701.