UPLAND GAME BIRD AND PHEASANT BAG LIMITS FOR 2014
By angelamontana

Posted: August 25, 2014

Most of Montana’s upland game bird seasons run Sept. 1-Jan.1, 2015—with the exception of sage-grouse season, which closes Sept. 30.

New this year is the closure of sage grouse hunting in much of the southern and northern portions of Montana. Sage-grouse hunting is open in these counties only: Beaverhead, Broadwater, Cascade, Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Madison, Petroleum, Pondera Teton, Silver Bow; and portions of Blaine, Hill, Liberty, Phillips, Toole, Valley, and Roosevelt south of Highway 2.

The general pheasant season runs Oct. 11–Jan. 1, 2015. The youth only special pheasant weekend is Sept. 27–28.

Daily Bag Limits

  •  Two sage grouse, four sharp-tailed grouse, three mountain grouse and eight partridge in aggregate.
  •  Three cock pheasants daily.

Possession Limits

  •  Two times the daily bag limit for sage grouse and four times the daily bag limit for sharp-tailed, mountain grouse and partridge.
  •  Three times the daily bag limit for pheasants.

The annual bag limit for turkey is two wild turkeys. The total combined limit of the spring and fall seasons cannot exceed two turkeys per hunter. In the fall, two either-sex turkeys may be harvested, at least one must be harvested in eastern Montana’s FWP Region 7 or two turkeys, one either-sex and one hen, in the fall in Region 1.

Fall turkey hunting is open to all hunters with a valid turkey license in the general hunting areas described in the upland game bird regulations. Special turkey hunting permits, with applications made in July, are valid only in areas specified in the regulations and must be used with a valid turkey license.

All areas open to hunting upland game birds by firearms are open to either-sex hunting of that species by falconry.

For the youth only special pheasant weekend, the bag limit, shooting hours, hunter safety requirements and all other regulations that apply to the regular pheasant season apply to the special youth season.

For other details, see the upland game bird hunting regulations which are available on the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov, at FWP regional offices and from FWP license providers.

Hunters planning to hunt upland game birds on Indian reservations should check Indian reservation regulations for season dates, bag limits, licensing requirements, shooting hours, legal species and shot gun shell requirements, which may differ from state regulations.

(Report by Montana FWP)

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