BOZEMAN – Hunting opportunities for a variety of wildlife are plentiful in southwestern Montana. Hunters should remember that crowding will occur on easily accessible public lands, and wildlife may be visibly concentrated on private lands where access is limited. Hunters should acquire landowner permission well before hunting on private land and remember that continued access opportunities depend upon hunter behavior, ethics, and safe hunting practices. Please treat all lands—public and private—with respect, abide by land use rules from the landowner or land management agency, and be courteous with other hunters and landowners sharing the landscape.

Elk Read more

The first bear hunting period of 2026 kicks off Sept. 9 in the Upper Peninsula as thousands of bear hunters prepare to take to the field this fall.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is issuing 6,278 bear licenses for the 10 bear management units across the state in 2026. Bear hunting is allowed in the U.P and the northern half of the Lower Peninsula.

More than 72,500 people applied for a bear license or preference point this year. Licenses are awarded through an annual drawing that’s based on the number of points each hunter has earned. The number of points needed to obtain a bear license depends on the BMU and hunting period. It’s generally easier to get a bear license in the U.P. based on the higher density of bears.

Here’s more information about bear hunting in Michigan.

• Season dates
• Bait or dogs?
• Safety first
• Bear registration
• Using the whole bear
• Preventing trichinosis
• Bear patch
• Questions? Contact us

Season dates

Upper Peninsula

Here are the season dates for the three hunt periods in the Amasa, Baraga, Bergland, Carney, Gwinn and Newberry bear management units of the U.P.:

• Hunt period 1: Sept. 9 – Oct. 21.
• Hunt period 2: Sept. 14 – Oct. 26.
• Hunt period 3: Sept. 25 – Oct. 26.

Drummond Island has one hunting period this year: Sept. 9 – Oct. 21.

Northern Lower Peninsula

Season dates for the one bear hunting period in the Baldwin, Gladwin and Red Oak units of the Lower Peninsula are Sept. 12-22 and the Oct. 2-8 archery-only period.

Bait or dogs? Read more

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources annual August statewide pheasant survey averaged 23 birds per route this year, which is the second highest count in more than a decade, behind only the 2025 survey. Iowa pheasant hunters should expect to have a pretty good season. Read more

KALISPELL – Big game survival and recruitment in northwest Montana was good the last 3 winters with good recruitment in elk and deer. Winter temperatures and snow conditions were generally mild and the high harvest on wolves and lions resulted in favorable conditions for fawn and calf survival.

Four big game check stations will be open in Region 1 on weekends during the general season — Highway 2 west of Kalispell, Highway 83 north of Swan Lake, Highway 200 on the west end of Thompson Falls and Highway 93 near Olney. In the Libby area, there is a CWD sampling station located on the south end of Libby (mile marker 35 on Highway 2). Hunters are required to stop at game check stations. Stopping at the Libby CWD sampling station is voluntary but submission of CWD samples for testing is encouraged. Read more

As pronghorn seasons open across the West, hunters preparing for one of North America’s most challenging spot-and-stalk pursuits need equipment that is lightweight, fast and unwaveringly stable. That’s exactly why the Springbok Tripod from Spartan Precision Equipment earned the coveted NRA Publications American Hunter Golden Bullseye Award as Gear of the Year—an honor that was no accident.

The Golden Bullseye Awards recognize products that exemplify innovation, reliability and outstanding performance in the field. The Springbok Tripod distinguished itself by solving a problem every Western hunter faces: carrying a tripod that provides rock-solid stability without adding unnecessary weight.

The result wasn’t achieved by chance—it was achieved through thoughtful engineering and purpose-driven design.

Inspired by the African springbok antelope’s speed, agility, and sure-footedness, the Springbok Tripod weighs just 1.7 pounds yet delivers exceptional stability for glassing, long-range shooting, and precision rifle support. Designed for hunters who traverse miles of rugged country, it offers a maximum working height of 61 ¾” and a minimum working height of 32 ¾”, making it equally effective in any position; sitting, kneeling, or standing. Read more

HELENA – The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the 2026-2027 wolf and furbearer hunting and trapping regulations after nearly four hours of deliberation and public comment focused almost entirely on wolf management.

For the upcoming season, which starts Sept. 5, the commission approved a total harvest quota of 300 wolves, broke down by regions. This is lower than last year’s statewide quota, but higher than the quota of 250 recommended by FWP. Last year’s quota was 452, and 247 wolves were harvested. Read more

MUSKEGON, MI – Every hunter checks their firearm or bow before heading to the stand. Fewer check their harness. That gap in thinking is exactly what’s driving one of the deadliest trends in the deer woods.

Falls from treestands have quietly overtaken gunshot wounds as the leading cause of injury and death among deer hunters in North America. Estimates widely cited in the hunting-safety community — and often traced to the Treestand Manufacturers Association — put the toll at 30 to 50 hunters killed or permanently disabled by falls every year in the U.S., with thousands more injured badly enough to need medical attention. And by most tracking, roughly 95% of those serious injuries happen to hunters who weren’t wearing a harness at all.

Here’s the part that should stop every hunter in their boots: Most of those falls don’t happen while sitting still. They happen during the climb — the ascent or the descent — the exact moments a harness is doing its most important work. Read more

Following Cornell University’s recent decision to prohibit the processing of wild game animals in community kitchens, the Finger Lakes Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI) is reaffirming its commitment to helping student hunters access safe, sanitary, and appropriate facilities for processing legally harvested game.

Student hunters interested in taking advantage of these opportunities should contact Kuneytown Sportsmen’s Club at 315-568-9710. Referrals to other local sportsmen’s clubs with full kitchens are also planned.

The Cornell policy change stems from a 2025 incident in which students processed a legally harvested black bear in a residence hall kitchen after alternative options became unavailable. University officials later clarified that the students had not violated existing hunting rules or university rules at the time, but subsequently updated housing policies to prohibit the processing of wild game in communal kitchens.

The SCI Finger Lakes Chapter believes the incident highlights an important need within the hunting community: ensuring that students who hunt legally and ethically have access to suitable locations where harvested game can be handled safely and responsibly.

“Hunting is about conservation, responsibility, and respect for wildlife,” said SCI Finger Lakes President and Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation Executive Director Keith Tidball. “When students participate in hunting traditions, they deserve to have access to proper facilities and knowledgeable mentors who can help them process their harvest safely and correctly. The Finger Lakes Chapter is committed to being part of that solution.”

Tidball did take issue with some of the reports he felt villainized the hunters despite their operating entirely within the law, saying he was saddened that the tone of the piece seemed to implicitly, if not explicitly, shame the students for doing something perfectly legal and natural.

“The sort of sleuthing regarding the legality of their actions, and the permissibility of processing fish or game on Cornell campus in particular contributes to the ‘othering’ of hunters and anglers and those that prefer to live close to nature and their ancient humanness, suspiciously regarding them instead of celebrating their efforts to escape the increasing disconnect from nature impacting society,” Tidball wrote in a Facebook post he said was also sent to local newspaper editors. Read more