Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission just shook up the rules for the upcoming mountain lion hunting seasons, mainly focusing on lowering harvest limits and keeping populations stable. Recognizing that lion numbers have been dipping in southwest Montana, officials are tapping the brakes by reducing quotas—including dropping Region 2’s total limit from 210 to 188—to prevent the population from crashing while still allowing hunting to continue.
Region 3 is also ditching rigid percentage-reduction targets in favor of a more flexible approach that relies on up-to-date computer modeling and local public feedback, proving that managing these elusive predators is anything but an exact science.
Meanwhile, a newly-approved proposal could open up the Charles M. Russell and UL Bend national wildlife refuges to mountain lion hound hunting starting December 1, 2027. Because these are federal lands, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service still needs to give the final green light for the rules to stick.
If approved, this special hound season will be shorter than the rest of the state’s—wrapping up by February 1 to avoid stressing out wintering deer and elk—while existing archery and firearm seasons without dogs will remain completely unchanged.
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