HELENA- Some hunting season start dates are just weeks away. Here is a reminder for hunters and their families.

• 900 series antelope archery hunting season Aug. 15
• Archery hunting season for antelope, black bear, deer, elk, wolf and mountain lion Sept. 3
• Big horn sheep archery hunting season Sept. 5
• Fall hunting season for turkey, sage grouse, partridge sharptailed and mountain grouse Sept. 1

For details on fall 2011 hunting season dates, hunting regulations, and information to help plan a hunt in Montana, go to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website.

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The Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks Commission has approved tentative regulations for sandhill crane hunting in Montana.

Hunters interested in obtaining a special permit to hunt sandhill cranes in the Sweet Grass/Wheatland/Meagher counties portion of the Central Flyway, as well as in three areas of western Montana in the Pacific Flyway, must apply by July 28.

The four limited permit areas proposed for sandhill crane hunting in Montana are:
Central Flyway: Sept. 10-25
• Wheatland/Sweet Grass/Meagher County Area-50 permits
Pacific Flyway: Sept. 10-25
• Deer Lodge County Area (Warm Springs)-5 permits
• Ovando/Helmville Area-40 permits
• Dillon/Twin Bridges/Cardwell Area-75 permits

Prospective fall crane hunters interested in these permits must apply by mail using an official application; at a regional office; or online. Online applications are available at fwp.mt.gov under Online Services and must be completed by 11:30 p.m. on July 28. Mail-in applications, which can be found on FWP's website, must be received by 5 p.m. on July 28. Mail-in applications must be sent to: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; License Section; Sandhill Crane Drawing; P.O. Box 200701; Helena MT 59620-0701.

Applicants must have a 2011 conservation license and ALS number and they must pay $5 for the non-refundable drawing fee. Successful applicants will receive a permit to hunt sandhill cranes during the season.

To hunt sandhill cranes north and east of I-90 in the Central Flyway hunters must obtain a free federal permit. The proposed hunting season in this area is Sept. 24-Nov. 20. Permits will be available in August from FWP offices in Billings, Helena, Glasgow, and Miles City, or from the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge near Malta or Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge south of Plentywood. In Sweet Grass County, the area south of Interstate 90 will remain closed to crane hunting.

A Montana Migratory Bird license is required to hunt sandhill cranes. Montana residents 12-14, and 62 or older, or holders of a resident person with disability conservation license need only their conservation license to hunt sandhill cranes.

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FALL TURKEY HUNTING SPECIAL PERMIT APPLICATIONS DUE

Hunters planning to pursue wild turkeys in parts of western Montana this fall must apply for a special permit by July 28. The fall turkey hunting season begins Sept. 1.

Prospective fall turkey hunters interested in a special permit may apply by mail using an official application; at a regional office, or online.

Fall turkey hunting is by special permit in six portions of western and southwestern Montana. Other areas have a general license turkey season. For details, check the 2011 upland game bird hunting regulations on the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov on the Hunting page under regulations.

All turkey permit applicants must use an official FWP application form. Applicants must have a 2011 Conservation License and ALS number and they must pay $5 for the nonrefundable drawing fee.

Mail-in applications, which can be found on FWP's website, must be received by 5 p.m. on July 28. Online applications are available at fwp.mt.gov under Online Services and must be completed by 11:30 p.m. on July 28.

Fall turkey permit mail-in applications must be sent to: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; License Section; Fall Turkey Drawing; P.O. Box 200701; Helena MT 59620-0701.

Successful applicants will be notified by mail and will be required to purchase a valid fall turkey license before hunting.

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ARCHERY 900 ANTELOPE HUNTING SEASON OPENS AUG. 15

Montana's fall hunting season officially gets underway Monday, Aug. 15 with the opening of the special archery 900 antelope season in many Montana hunting districts.

To hunt antelope with a bow and arrow in a special August archery season, sportsmen need to have drawn a special 900-series tag and bought a bow-and-arrow license.

Bow-and-arrow licenses are available at all Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices and from license providers. To purchase a bow-and-arrow license, hunters must show that they either have held a bow and arrow license in the past or passed a bow-hunter education class before Aug. 1.

The general archery season for antelope begins Saturday, Sept. 3.

All hunting regulations and lists of season opening and closing dates are available at license providers, FWP offices and online.

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DEADLINE TO PURCHASE BLACK BEAR HUNTING LICENSE NEARS

The deadline for hunters to pre-purchase licenses for the fall black bear hunting season is Aug. 31.

A black bear hunting license may be purchased after Aug. 31at a Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks office or on the Internet licensing site under Online Services, but it may not be used until five days after the license is issued.

The black bear archery season opens Sept. 3 and the general black bear hunting season opens Sept. 15.

Black bear hunters must have successfully completed FWP's Black Bear Identification Test and must present a certificate of completion when purchasing a black bear license. The training and test are available online. A paper version of the test may be obtained at FWP offices or license providers.

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DEADLINE FOR MOUNTAIN LION HUNTERS IS AUG. 31

The deadline is Aug. 31 to purchase a mountain lion hunting license for the general season, or to apply for the special limited-entry license drawing.

Mountain lion hunters may either choose to apply for a special license available through the drawing that is valid only in certain hunting districts-or they may purchase a general mountain lion license. Hunters cannot do both. Mountain lion hunting in most Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 1 and 2 hunting districts will be only by special mountain lion licenses.

A general mountain lion license purchased over the counter after Aug. 31 may be obtained only at an FWP office or online at fwp.mt.gov under Online Services. Lion licenses purchased after Aug. 31 may not be used until five days after the license is issued.

Mountain lion hunters can apply for a special license at fwp.mt.gov under Online Service, or they may apply at regional FWP office. Those who prefer to apply by mail can go to the FWP website on the Hunting page and click Licenses and Permits for a mail-in paper form.

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MOOSE, SHEEP, GOAT SUPERTAG WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Lucky hunters from Montana, North Dakota and Texas will get another shot at the dream this fall after winning Montana's moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat SuperTag lotteries.

The three winners are:
• Moose: Robert Jacks-Frenchtown, Mont.
• Bighorn sheep: Jerome Bly-Lignite, N.D.
• Mountain goat: George Gannaway-Rosharon, Tex.

While resident and nonresident hunters could buy an unlimited number of $5 chances to win any Montana SuperTag hunting license, among this year's winners Jacks and Bly each purchased five chances, while Gannaway purchased two.

Montana's mountain goat, moose, and bighorn sheep hunting licenses are among the state's most prized big game hunting licenses. Each year, Montana attracts more than 59,000 applications for about 1,000 mountain goat, moose, and bighorn sheep hunting licenses that can be used in a specified hunting district. SuperTag winners, however, can hunt in any hunting district in Montana where seasons are established for the big game species identified on the SuperTag license.

As in past years, 2011 SuperTag chances for the bighorn sheep license were the most popular among hunters with 31,675 chances sold. Hunters purchased 9,008 chances for a moose and 5,162 chances for a mountain goat SuperTag. Montana residents purchased a total of 17,650 chances compared to 28,195 purchased by nonresidents.

Sales revenue for all three drawings combined will provide more than $229,000 to enhance public hunting access and boost FWP enforcement efforts. Hunters who purchased a SuperTag chance can visit fwp.mt.gov, and click "Check Your Drawing Status" to see how they fared in the computerized random drawing.

Chances for the deer, elk, bison, antelope and mountain lion SuperTag drawing are available through July 28. SuperTag chances are sold at all FWP license providers or via the Internet. For more information, visit FWP's website at fwp.mt.gov. Click "Buy A SuperTag."

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FWP OFFERS NATURE JOURNALING CLASS

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Beyond Becoming an Outdoor Woman Program will offer a nature journaling workshop Aug. 13 at the Heaven Ranch on Lost Horse Creek, 10 miles south of Hamilton, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Participants will record their observations and experiences in nature led by certified naturalist Linda Musick of Missoula, and Cherrie Angel of East Helena. Items including a bound artist type pad, pencils and pens, a lunch, water bottle and other items specified at the time of registration will be needed.

Preregistration is required, including a class fee of $15. Please contact Cherrie Angel at 406-360-1988 for details and to register. Or, visit FWP online and click on the Education page.

Beyond BOW workshops provide opportunities to learn outdoors skills. The workshops are designed for women and are an extension of the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program sponsored by FWP.

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FWP CELEBRATES WILD FLOWERS

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Beyond Becoming an Outdoor Woman Program will offer a class on wild flower identification July 23 on Flesher Pass west of Helena, beginning at 9 a.m.

Participants will learn the basics of flower identification from members of the Montana Native Plant Society. No previous experience with plant identification is needed. Bring lunch, a water bottle, and dress for walking in the woods.

Preregistration is required, including a $15 course fee.

For details and to register, contact Liz Lodman at 406-444-9940, or Debbie Anderson at 406-495-3711. Or, visit FWP online and click on the Education page.

Beyond BOW workshops provide opportunities to learn outdoors skills. The workshops are designed for women and are an extension of the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program sponsored by FWP.

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IMPORTANT BOATING CLASS OFFERED IN HELENA

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will offer a free boating-education class on July 28 in Helena beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The class will include an overview of boating safety, equipment requirements and the rules of safe operation. Participants must pre-register and read the boating manual provided by FWP prior to the class.

The class, which is scheduled for Thursday, July 28 at 6:30 p.m., will be held at the FWP Montana Wild Center near Spring Meadow State Park, 2668 Broadwater Ave.

Montana law requires youth 13 and 14 years of age to pass a boating-safety course in order to operate a motorboat or personal watercraft without an adult on board.

A boating certificate will be issued to those who successfully complete the class and a related test.
A student must be at least 12 years old to register for the class. A parent or guardian must accompany students under the age of 16.

To register for the free class, and to receive the required boating manual, call 406-444-9944.

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KEEP LAZY SUMMER DAYS SAFE TOO

There's nothing like lazy summer days on the river with family and friends. Here's what you need to know to keep those days safe and fun for the entire crew.

Under Montana Law, life jackets must be worn by:
• all children under 12 years of age in boats less than 26 feet in length and in motion;
• water skiers, tubers, or anyone being towed by a boat; and
• anyone operating or riding a personal watercraft.

All boats must have one U.S Coast Guard-approved life jacket (also known as a personal floatation device or PFD Type I, II, or III) for each person on board.

Life jackets must be in good condition, the appropriate size for the intended wearer, and readily accessible.

Boats 16 feet or longer (excluding canoes and kayaks) must also have at least one throwable floatation device (Type IV) such as a ring buoy or boat cushion. This floatation device must be immediately available and within reach of the boat's operator or passengers.

The importance of life jackets cannot be underestimated. If you're floating through whitewater, get caught in a storm, or you're not a good swimmer, wearing a lifejacket could save your life. Remember these rules and keep your lazy days on the river safe and fun for everyone on board.

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DNA ANALYSIS IS IMPORTANT NEW WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT TOOL IN MONTANA
By Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Statewide Information Officer

Wildlife managers in Montana have increasingly turned to DNA analysis to learn about the state's wildlife and their ways, with some interesting results.

DNA analysis can provide information about the age structure of fish and wildlife populations, identify remnant native populations, and point out where native and introduced trout species may be producing hybrid fish.

Deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule in the form of a double strand, spiraling helix. The strands carry the biological information that makes species and individuals within a species, unique.

Wildlife researchers can analyze the DNA extracted from hair, skin, blood, saliva, a feather or other body tissue and organ samples to identify species, sex and even the individual that the sample represents.

For example, in some cases fisheries managers can analyze the DNA in a clipping from a fish fin, such as a bull trout, to identify its home tributary-the water where it will instinctively try to return to in order to reproduce. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in a collaborative fisheries mitigation program with FWP, Idaho Fish and Game and Avista Utilities, uses this technology.

Biologists capture adult bull trout below Cabinet Gorge Dam on the Clark Fork River and use a rapid genetic assessment process to determine how far above the dam to move the trout so they can return unimpeded to natal waters to spawn.

In other DNA-related work, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, and other partners are developing a new panel of genetic markers for cutthroat trout, redband trout and rainbow trout. The markers will provide data to help researchers better identify patterns of fish hybridization and the structure of fish populations within drainages.

DNA analysis is also being applied by FWP fish biologists to learn if sauger-a native Montana fish---are cross breeding with walleye---an introduced fish popular among anglers. During this work, FWP biologists also found that sauger above the confluence of the Yellowstone and Bighorn rivers may be genetically distinct to that locale due to many generations of isolation from downstream populations.

In other aquatic DNA work, FWP research biologists and their associates have confirmed the presence of two sculpin species in locations west of the continental divide where only one was previously thought to exist.

On land, the Big Sky Upland Bird Association, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and FWP jointly funded analysis of sharptail grouse DNA samples from across Montana collected by the National Wildlife Federation in Missoula, including museum specimens from Sanders and Lake counties collected in 1897. The goal was to determine if a sharptail subspecies once occurred west of the Continental Divide.

Researchers learned that western Montana's sharptail grouse were genetically similar to Plains sharptails in Alberta, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. They found that the Columbian subspecies of sharptail was not present in western Montana as previously thought. This study confirms that wildlife managers could use birds from eastern Montana's existing sharptail populations to restore sharptails west of the Divide should resources become available to do that work.

Researchers have also used DNA to confirm that Montana's native fisher was not extirpated in the 1960s as originally believed. Ongoing DNA studies will further establish the fisher's current distribution, numbers and genetic origins in Montana and Idaho.

In another use of DNA-based research, the U.S. Geological Service's Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, with FWP's assistance, is working on a model to predict the spread of wildlife diseases in deer.

As a transmissible virus mutates, genetic markers of those changes remain in the DNA. Wildlife researchers are studying deer genetics and these markers in the viruses that infect deer to learn how deer move regionally and statewide and where they commonly come in contact with each other over time.

If successful, this study could lead to predictive models of how viral diseases might spread among deer and how fast. It may sound like science fiction, but it is happening today, thanks to advances in DNA analysis.

Nearby conservation and wildlife research labs capable of DNA analysis include the U.S. Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, and the University of Montana Conservation Genetics Lab in Missoula, where a FWP fish conservation geneticist is located. The Wyoming Game and Fish Wildlife Forensics and Fish Health Laboratory in Laramie also performs wildlife-related DNA analysis.

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EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES FOR WILDLIFE AND ECOLOGICAL DNA ANALYSIS
By Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Statewide Information Officer

The ways ecologists and wildlife researchers are using DNA analysis may astound anyone who hasn't kept up with the technology in the past 20 years. While fish and wildlife species are commonly identified through DNA, the technology has many other uses.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' fish genetics expert at the University of Montana in Missoula, Robb Leary, works closely with FWP fish managers and explains DNA analysis this way.

DNA is extracted from the nucleus of a cell found in a hair, fin, feather or blood sample taken in the field. Specific identifier portions of the DNA strand are then isolated and subjected to a chemical process to cause them to replicate over and over until the original DNA segment is sufficient in number to be studied. It is then compared to a data base of known DNA samples until a match is found.

One reason that DNA analysis is ever more widely available and cost-effective is the result of what is known as "barcoding," Leary said. Scientists use a standard method to collect comparable genetic information on individual species and then store it in a barcode-like format in a data base. As this reference tool expands, its value grows to researchers.

In Montana, DNA analysis has helped link poached wildlife to those who perpetrated the crimes through DNA analysis of blood, hair or tissue evidence.

"We have made DNA matches between the remains of poached carcasses and various items in a suspect's possession," said Mike Korn, FWP enforcement in Helena.

"Some of the more complex tasks for this tool include monitoring the illegal trade in animal parts on an international scale," Leary said. He points to instances where Eurasian badger hairs were identified in an expensive shaving brush and Tibetan antelope hair was found in a luxury shawl.

Scientifically reviewed papers describe a study of black caviar that revealed about 20 percent of the samples purchased in the U.S. were incorrectly labeled. Some products even contained fish roe from endangered ship sturgeon.

DNA analysis also helps track the presence of exotic species. In the U.S., the University of Notre Dame has developed a way to analyze water samples and identify whether invasive fish species were present within the past six to 48 hours.

"Ancient rodent middens in cool, dry climates, where rats piled pollen, plants, feces, bones and insects in a cool or dry environment, are proving to be a treasure trove of information using DNA analysis," Leary said.

"Scientists are able to virtually reconstruct ancient environments by identifying the plants and animals that lived there in the past," Leary said. "DNA analysis has made it possible to identify everything from the intestinal content of the Neolithic glacier mummy from the Alps to the diet of a ground sloth through the last period of glaciation."