Montana's trophy brown trout are staging in deep water before spawn. Learn where to find pre-spawn browns and how to target them with streamers now.

Fort Peck, Tiber, and Canyon Ferry are approaching freeze-up. Here's which Montana reservoirs ice first and how to fish them safely.

At 15, Nicholas J. Kopp headed from Kentucky to a family friend’s Indiana farm, hoping for a memorable rut hunt […]

November fishing on the Madison below Hebgen Lake offers migrating browns, cool weather, and variable conditions. Water is 641 cfs at 48.4°F, with cold mornings and possible snow. Dress in layers, check roads, and fish streamers or soft hackles. Use midges, midday BWOs, or late-afternoon caddis during their peak activity windows.

This recipe makes four smoky venison hot dogs in about 20 minutes. Caramelize sliced onions with smoked paprika and brown sugar, then grill or pan-sear the hot dogs until browned and heated through, reaching 160°F if raw. Toast the buns and top with onions, mustard, relish, cheddar, sauerkraut, or jalapeños.

A new video asks how Montana lost millions of wild animals and why the recovery is still unfinished. Here’s what it means for hunters and anglers.

Montana's bighorn sheep restoration depends on private land access, but hunters could lose out as FWP grapples with the next phase of expansion.

Montana FWP reminds hunters and residents that using bait to hunt game animals and supplemental feeding of wildlife are both illegal under state law.

Peak rut is overlapping rifle season in HD 700s and 500s right now. Here's where to set up and how to hunt bucks moving in daylight.

Maryland schools are serving invasive blue catfish in a crab-cake-style sandwich called the “Catty Patty.” The initiative aims to make students part of the solution while creating market demand that encourages fishermen to remove the predator from the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Though not a complete fix, it could help protect native wildlife.

Reports from all across Montana filtered, reported, and posted here and we have you covered. If you missed this week’s […]

Ryker Bair and his father are enjoying memorable Fall Mack Days outings. Ryker recently caught an impressive 39-inch fish and is still pursuing a 40-plus-incher. With the competition ending Sunday the 8th, anglers can continue entering through the final day. Participants are encouraged to grab their gear and join the excitement.

This is the last weekend for Fall Mack Days, FWP Reports on hunting season, Brett French Outdoor Editor of the […]

A Missouri truck skips a check station near Augusta, and warden Brian Goalie follows. Wardens Season 6 opens with a lesson in how enforcement really works.

Game wardens are cracking down on illegal baiting this season. Learn why trail cameras and feed store purchases could land hunters in serious trouble.

Montana FWP is improving accessible trails at Flathead Lake State Park, widening paths and removing obstacles to make state parks more welcoming for people with disabilities.

The rut is over and snow is moving bulls to predictable lower ground. Here's where Montana elk are holding right now and how to punch your tag.

This Montana Outdoor Podcast explores Fort Peck Reservoir’s unusual king salmon season, featuring fewer catches but exceptionally large fish, including a 36.3-pound specimen. Fisheries biologist Heath Headley and hatchery manager Wade Geraets discuss the 2026 egg collection, hatchery operations, reasons behind the salmon’s growth, future fishing prospects, and the success of the inaugural Tournament of Kings derby.

This easy one-pan elk sandwich recipe serves four to six and takes about 30 minutes. Brown ground elk with onion and optional pepper, then simmer it in a savory ketchup-based sauce with Worcestershire, mustard, and spices. Cook to 160°F (71°C), serve on buns, and adapt with heat, alternate bases, or pack-light ingredients.

Wayfarers’ Harry Horn Trail received accessibility improvements, including brush removal, smoother surfaces, and cleared rocks and roots, while preserving its natural character. People with mobility and vision challenges helped guide the project, and visitors such as Holly and wheelchair-using corgi Bosco are benefiting. Montana hopes the trail will inspire broader accessibility efforts.

Adam Lewis describes how funnels, saddles, creek crossings, and other pinch points can place hunters in prime position during the rut, when bucks actively search for does. He recommends combining morning funnel or bedding-area sits with evening food-source hunts, using legal scouting tools and attractants, while staying comfortable, alert, and phone-free.

Fall fly fishing for wild cutthroat in western Montana’s small creeks is a locals’ secret. Here’s what to know before you go in October.

Montana FWP is accepting applications for a licensed angler to fill a two-year term on the Future Fisheries Citizen Review Panel, which oversees $1M in annual habitat grants.

Learn essential etiquette for navigating Montana's crowded public hunting lands. Tips to avoid conflicts and share space respectfully this season.

BRETT FRENCH | bfrench@billingsgazette.com A Big Sky man who survived a gruesome grizzly bear attack in 2023 has been charged […]

Lakers remain active around shallow spawning areas, with the best success in 35–55 feet using 3/4-ounce jigs and 4.8-inch paddletails. Smallmouth activity slowed with recent cold fronts but produced good fish from 10–40 feet on minnows, slip bobbers, and hair jigs. Pike continue cruising shallow weed edges, striking spoons and topwater lures.

CORVALLIS– Jason Rulon Davis of Corvallis was recently sentenced for 18 wildlife poaching crimes committed in Ravalli County. In May, Davis […]

The November 2, 2026 Gallatin River report records flows of 465 CFS near Gallatin Gateway. Fishing is strongest from late morning through afternoon, with wintering trout holding in deep runs and responding to midges, baetis, nymphs, streamers, and dry flies. Anglers should avoid redds and contact The Rivers Edge for updates or guided trips.

River Mossberg’s spring 2026 Wyoming bear hunt opened with his pickup sinking into the mud so thoroughly that even tire […]

Jana Waller arrows the biggest-bodied whitetail of her career on Montana public land — and it starts inside a flesh-eating beetle colony.

Over 2,200 hunters checked in at Region 3 stations reveal where southwest Montana's best hunting action was and what this season's opener data means for your next trip.

82 grizzlies died in Greater Yellowstone this year, 65% human-caused. See the breakdown by cause and what it means for Montana hunters and ranchers.

A potential world record archery elk taken in Montana's Belt Mountains — what it means for elk hunting legacy and how to hunt this overlooked range.

Montana’s hunting season reminder: baiting game animals and providing supplemental wildlife feed are prohibited by law. Store-bought “wildlife attractants” do not make these activities legal, so hunters should review regulations before purchasing or using them. Restrictions help prevent unnatural animal behavior, disease spread, and human-wildlife conflicts. Report suspected violations to 1-800-TIP-MONT or MT.

On November 5, 2026, the Upper Madison offers the best overall fishing, with clear water, productive nymphing, possible midday blue-winged olives, and dependable streamer action. The colder Lower Madison favors deep nymphs and crayfish briefly midday. Near West Yellowstone, swinging flies may find fall-run fish. Check closures, access, and regulations.

HAMILTON– Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens are seeking information on a mule deer buck that was shot southeast […]