HELENA – The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission is seeking public comment on a proposal for mountain lion regulations and peregrine falcon take.

2022-2023 mountain lion hunting regulations, season structures and boundaries

At its Feb. 4 meeting, the Fish and Wildlife Commission identified a new season structure for mountain lion and asked the department to solicit public comment on it.

This new season structure would allocate harvest between unlimited licenses that will end when a quota is reached and a special limited license that would allow hunts during the same period. The special limited license would allow the hunter to hunt throughout the season without limitation by quota. Both the unlimited and special limited licenses would restrict the hunter to a specific hunting area.

In addition to the overall structure, the commission is seeking public input regarding the percentage of harvest that should be allocated to the special license hunters ranging from 10 to 30 percent. The commission is also seeking public input on whether the licenses should be valid for an entire region or only for a subset of Lion Management Units.

Peregrine falcon falconry take

FWP is proposing no changes to last year’s regulations for peregrine falcon take, which is a 10-bird quota for resident falconers with one additional permit for non-resident falconers.

Between 2012 and 2021, resident falconers captured 17 peregrine falcons total. Three additional birds were taken during the same timeframe by non-residents.

FWP has been urged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service not to alter the current quota system until the agency completes an environmental assessment that will address take across the falcon’s entire range.

To make a comment

For further clarification or additional materials, please call the Wildlife Division office at 406-444-2612 or send an email to fwpwld@mt.gov. Comments will be accepted online at https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities, in writing sent to the address above, and by email to fwpwld@mt.gov.

Comments on the proposed items will be accepted until Friday, March 18, at 5 p.m., with final adoption at the April 19 commission meeting.

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