Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ interactive Hunter Planner web map is a great resource for planning a hunting adventure. With a wealth of information on hunting and access opportunities, hunters can spend a bit less time preparing, and more time in the field.
The Hunt Planner map provides more than 60 GIS layers to explore, including species distributions, public land ownership, and private land enrolled in FWP’s access programs.
New this year is the ability to filter for, and quickly zoom to, any hunting district by choosing it from a “pick list”. Hunters will benefit from other functionality, such as the ability to create GPS files, print georeferenced PDF maps, and toggle between many types of base maps, including aerial imagery.
A mouse click on the map’s features provides links to other FWP web pages. For example, clicking in a hunting district opens a window with links to that district’s important regulations and useful statistics.
There are many ways to open the map. The quickest way is to click the Hunting tab on FWP’s homepage at fwp.mt.gov and then click the “Hunt Planner Mapper” link under the Maps section.
Regardless of how one opens the map, it’s always easy to find Block Management Areas, Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program Projects, Wildlife Management Areas, and other access layers under “FWP Access Opportunities” at the top of the maps layer list.
Hunters can view or print the User Guide for the Hunt Planner web map at fwp.mt.gov/fwpDoc.html?id=57087.
Most of Montana’s upland game bird hunting and antelope seasons are underway. The general deer and elk hunting seasons are set to open Oct. 24.
