Montana FWP: 10 Most Common Mistakes Hunters Make

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - The start of the general rifle season is just days away, starting on Saturday, October 26^th, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Education and Program Manager for western Montana, Vivaca Crowser, shared with me the 10 most common mistakes hunters make in the field.

“The first big one is trespass,” began Crowser. That's always an issue, and it can really threaten our access to private land, so we want to make sure you're careful of where you're going. Remember that private land does not have to be posted as such. It may be posted or it may not be, but it's your responsibility to know where you're going. Make sure if you are going on to private land that you've secured that permission well ahead of time.”

The General Rifle Hunting Season Starts at Sunrise This Saturday, October 26

Crowser combined common mistakes two and three.

“Make sure that you're not shooting from roads,” she said. “Montana state law makes it illegal for anyone to shoot from a road or across a road, or even a right of way, which is usually what we consider the barrow pit between the fence lines on either side of the road. Another big one is knowing what the legal hunting hours are, what we often refer to as the sunrise to sunset times, because big game season runs from one-half hour before legal sunrise to one-half hour after, and those times are set in the hunting regulations.”

Number four is validating your tag.

Montana FWP on the Top 10 Mistakes Hunters Make

“Validating your tag is a big one for several reasons,” she said. “If you do harvest something, first make sure you're using your own tag, and then make sure you validate that tag. These days, there are multiple ways to do that. You might have a paper tag in hand that needs to be cut out with the date and the month, or you may have an ‘E’ tag. The key there is just remembering whether you're validating a virtual tag or a tag you're holding in your hand, that you do that right away before you remove the animal from the site.”

Number five, never ignore a check station.

“They are there for a reason,” she said. “They're really important places for us to collect biological info on what's going on out there with hunting season and to track those trends over time. It is required to stop, make sure you're keeping an eye out stopping going to or coming from hunting. If you pass a station, pull in. If you have something, it'll take just a little bit longer, but we try to get you in and out. And of course, if you don't (have a kill) that information is important together too.”

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Crowser Said Number One is Handling Firearms Safely

Other errors hunters make include driving only on established roads; making sure your game includes evidence of sex; making sure you dispose of your carcass responsibly to prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, and a very important safety precaution, wearing the proper amount of hunter orange.

“If you're a big game hunter this fall, you have at least 400 square inches of hunter orange above the waist,” she said. “It's been that way for a really good reason so that you're visible to others. However, oftentimes we'll have our hunter orange on, and then maybe it gets cold and we throw a layer on, or we throw a backpack on that covers up some of that orange, so make sure that doesn't happen to you. Make sure you get that hunter orange on the outside layer of your gear.”

Crowser said the one mistake no hunter wants to make is failing to handle firearms safely, which may result in someone being wounded or killed.

Get more details on hunter safety here on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website.