Montana fires/license question
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: SmokedTrout
05-Aug-21
If I had to bet, I would say you'll be fine for Sept 15th. But I'm not going to bet! As of now, public lands are only closed in the immediate vicinity of active fires, I am not aware of any blanket closures other than private lumber companies. Just don't count on being able to build a camp fire.
From: 160andup
05-Aug-21
It's a big state. Fires are all part hunting season out there, some years worse than others. There will be areas to hunt that aren't closed... Have a backup plan for your backup plan.
From: Jaquomo
05-Aug-21
Here in CO most of the best non-wilderness elk habitat in National Forest is closed to all access because of the fire last year. Yet CPW gave out the same number of LE tags. Now that we've learned USFS has no plans to reopen any of it for hunting season, it's too late to turn in tags. So me and a couple thousand of my new friends will be jammed into a corner of the unit. Hopefully a lot more adventurers will decide to go into the one wilderness area still partly open (out of four). And that wilderness area already has overflowing parking lots before last year's fire. Otherwise it will be a complete zoo.
From: SBH
05-Aug-21
We've been getting some good rains on some of these fires. Its' been helping but we're still burning good and most of them will go tell snow falls. I think you'll be fine but you need to call our illustrious FWP and ask them what they will do in that worst case scenario.
From: SBH
05-Aug-21
Lou -what’s their theory on keeping things closed a year later?
From: Jaquomo
05-Aug-21
They are doing major logging/mitigation/recovery in some areas. Other areas are prone to mudslides with all this near-daily rain. But in most of it - and we're talking a HUGE area, it is simply to keep Front Range granola munchers from tripping on a roots, seems like. Everyplace I know how to hunt is closed to public use, even walking in from a main road. So I'm going to start from scratch along with 1500 other guys.
From: Jaquomo
05-Aug-21
They are ticketing people for "trespassing" - in friggin National Forest. I kid you not.
From: BULELK1
06-Aug-21
I think you and Ryan will be okay by mid-September.
Prolly Smokey breathing depending on the wind direction but you should still be able to hunt.
What ever ya decide, Enjoy!
Good luck, Robb
From: SBH
06-Aug-21
Lou- That may be worth the ticket. I'm thinking if they did that here I would just go hunting and deal with the cards that fall when I came out. Just asinine what is going on these days.
From: MT Livin'
11-Aug-21
worst case: closure of public land access, last time that occurred was in the year 2000 to the best of my knowledge. Keep up to date of forest and BLM closures up until you leave and have other areas picked out as backup spots FWP has minimal to do with public land closures unless it's on FWP owned land, it comes from the Forest Service and BLM in conjunctions with each State's Governor's office.
From: egbateson
11-Aug-21
Here in the Bitterroot NF and most of the other SW Montana forests I dont foresee any forest closures this year. The weather is starting to subtly shift away from the extreme dryness we saw earlier in the summer. Expect fire restrictions until we get a good multi day wetting rain or snow event.
From: montnatom
14-Aug-21
montnatom's Link
here is the link to block management and private forest closures
From: c3
14-Aug-21
Thanks for the link Tom !!!
Cheers, Pete
From: JL
14-Aug-21
X2.....thanks for the link.
From: Pop-r
14-Aug-21
The last time they did close the forest for the entire bow season they did not give refunds. Kind of seems wrong to me but that's how they did it. Caused a pretty good ruckus I reckon.
From: LKH
14-Aug-21
Before you decide to just face the trespass ticket consider that hunting while trespassing may make you a poacher. If you take an animal while illegally being on the land they may treat it that way.
From: Pop-r
15-Aug-21
There's no "may" to it...
