I heard that Montana Went to a Draw system on there Mountain Lion Licenses. They were over the counter. Can anyone Tell me if this is true.
I went to the web site and there is nothing there about it.

Unless they changed it for 2006, it is still otc for around $320 for non-res. I have a few friends that are hardcore lion hunters, I'll ask them about it later tonight.

Come to Idaho. We've got way more than our share of Mountain lions, and the tag for resident or non-resident is over-the-counter.

In fact, several Units have a two lion limit. Season runs from August 31 through March 30th, 2007.

L.W.

Not that I know of, where did you hear this?

Mark D

I was talking to an outfitter , over around Trout Creek, Tomson Falls area.

I talked to the guy that is fanatic about lion hunting tonight. He said that he has heard no changes to this years regs except maybe the usual quota changes.

I just checked at MTFWP.s website resident mountain lion $19 and not a draw tag.There is a wealth of information on that site,kinda hard to learn but once you do very good info. ie. MT game records,lake locations access,species and when last stocked,maps and acreage.w/regards

Blaser93,
I copied this from another hunting forum regarding Montana 2006 hunting. You should still check the official state guidelines though.

Here’s a summary of changes adopted for the 2006 hunting seasons:

* Elk and Deer

The commission consolidated most elk and deer hunting opportunities within Montana’s five-week long general hunting season while liberalizing those general seasons in areas that are over objective, and developing a standardized process for both management seasons and game damage hunts. The focus on Montana’s five-week general hunting season is intended to: (1) better distribute hunters across public and private land to create hunting opportunities and deer and elk harvests where needed; (2) simplify Montana’s big game hunting regulations by offering more liberal general season hunting opportunities where elk and deer numbers exceed population targets; (3) eliminate most early and late season hunts; (4) identify and contact landowners who experience regular game damage or management seasons and create a roster of hunters who can respond rapidly to early, late or extended game damage seasons as provided by state law.

* Deer and Antelope License Limits

Commissioners decided to limit the number of antlerless deer and antelope doe/fawn licenses a hunter can purchase for use during early archery and general seasons to seven and two respectively. In recent years, there were no caps on the number of these licenses that could be purchased. Game damage hunt’s are not included in these limits.

* Mountain Lion

A mountain lion permit system was adopted for 13 hunting districts in northwestern Montana’s Region 1, which replaces existing harvest quotas. The permit system is intended to help manage competition among mountain lion hunters and prevent accidental over harvests. All other mountain lion hunting in Region 1 will continue to be managed under quota-based regulations for resident and nonresident lion hunters. In southwestern Montana’s Region 2, nearly all mountain lion hunting will remain under quota-based regulations for residents, while nonresident lion hunters will be allotted 10 percent of the quota under a permit system. The only exception is Hunting District 292 (Garnet lion study area), where permits are required for all hunters.

The commission also adopted new hunting-license validation requirements for the fall and winter mountain lion hunting seasons.

Houndsmen can still participate in the hound-training (chase) season with appropriate licenses.

* CWD and Transporting Animal Carcasses

In an ongoing attempt to reduce the risk of spreading Chronic Wasting Disease in Montana, the commission adopted new guidelines for transporting animal carcasses. Beginning this year, it is illegal to transport into Montana the whole or carcass parts of white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, or moose from states or provinces where CWD occurs. Only cut and wrapped meat, meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached, clean skull plates, and finished taxidermy heads can be legally transported.

* Youth Hunting Opportunities

By expanding the age range by a year, the FWP Commission provided youngsters age 12-15 with the opportunity to participate in Montana’s youth-related hunting opportunities that allow youth hunters to pursue antlerless elk with a general elk license in hunting districts where special permits are typically required to harvest antlerless elk.

I went and bought my Montana licenses today and was denied (for the first time - since I moved here 8+ years ago), for an unspecified reason, being able to buy my Mt. Lion Tag! I have always bought the Mt. Lion tag right then and at the same time along with the rest of the the tags and licenses! I always buy these tags and licenses each early spring here in Montana!
I paid $123.00 for the Resident Big Game Combo License which includes Deer and Elk tags, Fishing and Upland Bird Hunting permits. That price also included my Archery Hunting permit, Trapping License, Spring Turkey Tag and Spring Bear Tag and a Public Lands Tresspass Permit. I was also denied being able to buy my second or Fall Turkey Tag this year (again for unspecified reasons) at this time!
Last year I got all the tags I wanted (including the Mt. Lion and Fall Turkey) along with the same tags and stuff I did get this year and the price was (as I recall) $112.00!
So things are getting more expensive here on the home front as well, for tags and licenses!
Happiness is Hunting and Fishing in Montana!
By the way I am not a Trapper but I need the Trapping license so I can Rifle Hunt Bobcats and Wolverines starting December 1st and running til the quotas are filled for each district!
Other than the Wolf "out of control" situation here in Montana, I feel, and do not hesitate to publicly say, I think the Game Department in Montana is doing a very good job of managing and preserving our Game species!
Antelope Hunting in Montana is as good now as I have ever seen it! And I have been Hunting Antelope in Montana virtually every year since 1969!
The Whitetail Deer numbers and trophy quality of that herd is definitely better than I have ever seen it! Access to Whitetail Hunting in many areas is "problematic"! But the Whitetails are doing REALLY WELL in Montana!
Mule Deer are not as numerous as in the late 1960's and 1970's but their numbers are up from 6 to 8 years ago for sure! I saw three TROPHY Mule Deer last fall alone.
Black Bears are quite plentiful these days and I will add here that I have only been Hunting them with gusto (in the spring and fall!) for the last 8 years (since I moved here!). One of my friends has killed Black Bears that aged 8 1/2 years and 20 1/2 years of age! The biologists tell me that an older Bear "Herd" is a healthy Bear herd!
Cougars are pretty plentiful in my corner of Montana (SW Montana) and the quotas in all areas get filled every year!
Elk are at all time high record numbers in all areas of Montana today except where the Wolves are over populated and unfortunately in those areas the Elk have been slaughtered (decimated!) by the Wolves!
Shame and a waste that!
Again for the very most part I extend kudos to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks!
Good job!
It is rare to go out in SW Montana for a full days Big Game Hunting in good fresh snow and not see Cougar tracks! There are lots of them!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

There was an article in the Billings Gazette within the last month stating that there has been a significant drop in mountain lion numbers in northwest Montana in recent years. Biologists, wardens and local outfitters were, not unexpecetedly, not agreement as to the cause of it, but they all agreed that lion density was down in the region 1 areas. I'm not sure about Tegion 2 populations being written up. One of the proposals was to institute a limted draw in addtition to harvest quotas, and possibly limits on sex. It sounds like, ecomomics may have ruled the day rather than game management if Montana FWP hasn't changed the regulations. It may have already been too late for 2006-2007 seasons. The rest of Montana apparently has plenty of pussy 'er a cats!