Dec 26, 2025 · Angela Montana
As mule deer numbers decline, commission cuts tags
Everyone agrees something’s wrong—no one agrees how far to go. Read more from Brett French.
Dec 19, 2025 · Angela Montana
Black bear changes create special Beartooth tag
Declining bear populations and more tags for hunters–Montana's bear debate is heating up!
Dec 12, 2025 · Angela Montana
Southest Montana pronghorn populations decline, permits cut
A Sudden Crash in Antelope Numbers Has Biologists Worried. Here’s What They Found….
Dec 5, 2025 · Angela Montana
FWP rows forward on Montana river crowding
You won’t believe how many people are packing into Montana’s rivers — and what the state wants to do about it…
Dec 2, 2025 · Angela Montana
FWP to change how it sells licenses in stores
Montana’s 25-year-old license machines are finally getting put out to pasture—here’s what replaces them…
Nov 20, 2025 · Angela Montana
New study tries to estimate bruins’ worth
Yellowstone Just Put a Price Tag on Bears…and wow….
Nov 13, 2025 · Angela Montana
Half of successful Montana elk hunters fill their tags on public land
Five bull elk stood just out of reach on public land, a reminder that in hunting, luck and licensing often decide success…
Nov 6, 2025 · Angela Montana
Yellowstone seeks bison reduction to stay within goals
Yellowstone aims to cut its bison herd to keep the population within park management goals… read more from Brett French here…
Oct 31, 2025 · Angela Montana
How social media negatively impacts Glacier National Park
Social media is reshaping Glacier National Park—and sometimes putting rescuers in danger as visitors chase the perfect post…
Oct 23, 2025 · Angela Montana
FWP’s Justin Gude, RMEF conservation chief answer elk habitat, predation questions
Despite more elk roaming Montana than ever before, one hunter’s three-day search in the Crazies turns up nothing but tracks, questions…and a lingering elk curse…
Oct 17, 2025 · Angela Montana
Montana FWP access programs face budget, staffing challenges
Montana’s wildly successful hunter access program is straining under its own weight, as soaring demand collides with stagnant staffing and outdated funding rules. Read more from Brett French here…
Oct 11, 2025 · Angela Montana
Lavina-area sage grouse habitat easement OK’d
Montana officials approved a $1.2 million easement to protect 4,417 acres of prime sage grouse habitat north of Lavina, balancing the cost against dwindling conservation funds and rising development pressures.
Oct 3, 2025 · Angela Montana
Want to be a Yellowstone backcountry ranger? Read this first
Yellowstone backcountry ranger Kimberly Lewis shares the gritty realities and soul-stirring rewards of protecting America’s first national park. More from Brett French here..
Sep 25, 2025 · Angela Montana
Paddler’s paradise: Yellowstone National Park’s Shoshone Lake
Paddle into Yellowstone’s hidden gem—Shoshone Lake—where dragonflies dance over warm geyser-fed creeks and the wilderness drowns out the modern world. More from Brett French here:
Sep 19, 2025 · Angela Montana
Endangered pallid sturgeon successfully spawn in Missouri River
Two female pallid sturgeon spawned below Fort Peck Dam this summer—now researchers are racing to see if their tiny offspring survived…More from Brett French here…
Sep 12, 2025 · Angela Montana
Anchor Ranch has been at center of access disputes
At the crossroads of wilderness and ownership, Anchor Ranch has become ground zero in a battle over who gets in—and who gets kept out.
Sep 6, 2025 · Angela Montana
It was a short season for some backcountry bighorn hunters
Montana’s backcountry bighorn sheep hunt in the Gallatin-Yellowstone district lasted just two days before the quota was filled, leaving more than 100 hopeful hunters sidelined…
Aug 29, 2025 · Angela Montana
Fish and Wildlife Commission Oks more than 122,300 acres of easements
Montana’s newest conservation easements show how ranchers, hunters, and wildlife can all share the same ground — and win.
Aug 21, 2025 · Angela Montana
OnX map identifies BLM acres for potential disposal
One map, 6.08 million acres flagged, and a federal agency tapping the brakes…
Aug 15, 2025 · Angela Montana
Montana native new leader of Red Lodge Mountain ski area
Montana native Jean Mikulas returns home to lead the ski area into its next chapter.”
Aug 8, 2025 · Angela Montana
How should mule deer be managed? Public weighs in with ideas
Facing a steep decline in mule deer numbers, Montana wildlife officials are drafting a new plan that weighs disease, predators, habitat loss, and hunting limits — with passionate public input shaping the debate….
Aug 1, 2025 · Angela Montana
Weird tales from Wyoming wardens
From meth-fueled fishing fugitives to overloaded freezers of trout, Wyoming Game and Fish wardens had no shortage of strange cases in 2024… More from Brett French here.
Jul 25, 2025 · Angela Montana
Madison River island being restored to help fish
State biologists are rebuilding a vanishing island on the lower Madison in hopes of bringing back the trout. Read more from Brett French here…
Jul 18, 2025 · Angela Montana
State lands near Gallatin County dump closed to shooting
Recreational shooting will be banned on three state land tracts near Logan starting July 15 after leaseholders raised safety concerns.. read more from Brett French here.
Jul 3, 2025 · Angela Montana
Yellowstone River users locked out as negotiations on access drag on
Montana’s fishing season is in full swing—but one popular Yellowstone River spot is still off-limits… Read more from Brett French here.
Jun 27, 2025 · Angela Montana
Fish and Wildlife Commission OKs Elk Hunting Access deals
Some hunters and commissioners are raising red flags over Montana’s Elk Hunting Access program, saying it promises exclusive access but often delivers crowded conditions — all while landowners stack benefits from multiple state programs. Read more from Brett French…
Jun 20, 2025 · Angela Montana
Gated road blocks route to BLM’s Seven Blackfoot WSA
A controversial gate on a rugged Montana road has cut off public access to thousands of acres of wildlands… Read more from Brett French here.
Jun 13, 2025 · Angela Montana
A perfect storm of problems for popular Boulder River road
Two counties, one busted road, and a whole lot of finger-pointing… Read more from Brett French here.
Jun 6, 2025 · Angela Montana
Coming to water near you: A tiger in the creel
Montana’s fish scene is about to get a bold new stripe. Read more from Brett French here….
May 31, 2025 · Angela Montana
Legislation puts limits on helicopter, plane, drone use
A new Montana law aims to protect fair chase hunting by cracking down on helicopters and drones that disrupt wildlife and give hunters an unfair advantage.
May 15, 2025 · Angela Montana
Legislature passes bills for upland hunters, habitat, access
Montana hunters may soon get a 10-day head start on their feathered foes—before the out-of-staters flock in. Read more from Brett French here…
May 9, 2025 · Angela Montana
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks eyes more fall turkey hunts
With turkey numbers booming in parts of Eastern Montana, FWP is eyeing a fall hunt comeback to help landowners—and thin the flocks. Read more from Brett French here…
May 1, 2025 · Angela Montana
Trout Unlimited work improves cutthroat trout habitat
A once-golden creek is being reshaped—not for fortune this time, but for the future. Read more from Brett French here…
Apr 25, 2025 · Angela Montana
The Yellowstone is a river in transition
When a sleepy stream surges 30-fold overnight and jet boats can’t float in spring, Montana’s rivers are telling a story—and it’s one we can’t ignore…
Apr 17, 2025 · Angela Montana
Dude ranch’s history, 1930 film unearthed after family research
When city slickers traded skylines for sawtooths, one dude ranch adventure in 1930 captured all the grit, grace, and goofy glory of Montana's wild side on film. Here's more from Brett French….
Apr 10, 2025 · Angela Montana
Numerous studies examine wild sheep for answers to die-off events
The bighorns of the Missouri Breaks once thrived—now, scientists are scrambling to find out why they’re gone…
Apr 4, 2025 · Angela Montana
400 Yellowstone bison removed through hunt, slaughter, quarantine this season
As Montana sues over Yellowstone’s bison plan, hundreds of buffalo are shipped to slaughter—while others dodge traps, lawyers, and horses in a bureaucratic stampede.
Mar 20, 2025 · Angela Montana
Selling landlocked state parcels to lessees proposed in Montana water bill
A controversial Montana bill could put 1.25 million acres of state land up for sale—along with its water rights—sparking debates over access, revenue, and the future of public lands.
Mar 6, 2025 · Angela Montana
Ticks carrying Lyme disease may have infiltrated Montana; found on bird dog
Tick Trouble…Could Lyme-Carrying Deer Ticks Be Creeping into Montana?
Feb 28, 2025 · Angela Montana
Montana hunters request study in hopes of easing crowding
Montana hunters aim to ‘track’ solutions to overcrowding with new study request.
Feb 21, 2025 · Angela Montana
Bill would protect ‘furry friends’ by requiring signs when trapping FWP lands
House Bill 436 aims to protect Montana’s ‘furry friends’ by requiring signs at FWP access points where trapping is conducted—helping recreationists make safer choices for their pets. Read more from Brett French here..
Feb 14, 2025 · Angela Montana
Lawmaker sponsors resolution supporting federal land transfer to states
Montana’s public lands are back in the political crosshairs, with a new push to transfer federal lands to state control—reviving an old battle that could reshape access, management, and the future of our wild places…
Feb 6, 2025 · Angela Montana
Is forever too long? Landowners tell Montana lawmakers to butt out of property decisions
BRETT FRENCH bfrench@billingsgazette.com To make something perpetual is everlasting and permanent — so a long, long time. When it comes to […]
Jan 30, 2025 · Angela Montana
Bill would raise nonresident base license to boost hunter access funding
Will a proposed fee hike for nonresident hunters boost public access—or drive them away? Read more from Brett French…
Jan 23, 2025 · Angela Montana
Bill would increase private fish pond license fees to $600
Montana’s private fish ponds may seem like small fry compared to our famous rivers, but they’ve sparked a big debate. Read more from Brett French.
Jan 16, 2025 · Angela Montana
FWP conservation easement in Fergus County stalls amid confusion, miscommunication
After months of miscommunication and delays, the Fergus County Commission gave the green light to the Stafford Ferry Conservation Easement, ending a saga of confusion and setting the stage for better access to Montana’s wildlands—proving that collaboration can still win the day.
Jan 9, 2025 · Angela Montana
Ancient trees reveal possible futures for Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Frozen in time: Ancient trees preserved in a Beartooth ice patch for 5,000 years are revealing secrets about past climates—and what they mean for our warming future. Read more from Brett French…
Jan 4, 2025 · Angela Montana
DEQ water quality studies lay groundwork for Smith River restoration
BRETT FRENCH bfrench@billingsgazette.com If the Smith River were a medical patient, its doctors now have in hand a series of […]
Dec 27, 2024 · Angela Montana
High land prices stall Montana sage grouse easements
With Montana's land prices soaring, conservation efforts to protect sage grouse habitat are hitting financial hurdles, putting the future of this vital program—and the iconic birds it protects—at risk.
Dec 20, 2024 · Angela Montana
Brett French reports: Collars reveal wild treks by migratory mule deer
Don’t let their backyard snacking fool you—Cody, Wyoming’s mule deer are world-class migrators. Read more from Brett French here.