400 square inches

According to Montana law, all hunters who were born after January 1, 1985, must complete hunter education certification in order to hunt in Montana.

Anyone 15 years or older can attend a hunter safety course. Students over 18 can complete the online course for certification while those 15 – 17 years must complete the online course and attend a field day for testing.

Hunters 14 and 15 may be able to receive a youth hunters license. Anyone hunter afield under 15 years of age must be accompanied by and under direct supervision of a parent, guardian, or adult authorized by their parent of guardian.

On state wildlife areas, any visitor 16 or 17 years of age presenting a valid resident or non-resident hunting license issued in his or her own name will be issued an entry permit and may hunt independently (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 550.5(c)(9)).

Qualifying nonresidents 18 years of age or older need to apply for either a Deer, Elk or Big Game Combination license starting March 1 and the deadline is April 1. Come Home to Hunt licenses are issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

You can carry a sidearm while you’re bowhunting in MT, just so long as you don’t use it to “finish off” a wounded animal.

You can use any caliber of rifle– whether it’s a handgun or shotgun. Thanks to a recent change in the law, there are no longer any restrictions on magazines or ammunition capacity. You can have as many rounds as you want in your gun.

This is in addition to an elk you may tag with your general or combination elk license, thus allowing you to harvest two elk. To buy or use an elk B license, residents don’t need a general elk license and non- residents don’t need a combination license.

Current law says it’s legal to kill or attempt to kill a grizzly bear in self-defense, or if the bear is “in the act of attacking or killing” livestock. Senate Bill 98 would allow the killing of grizzlies that are “threatening to kill” people or livestock.

Licenses & Fees A hunter may purchase only one black bear license over the counter per year.

Montana residents get their elk tags over-the-counter for as little as $20 ($10 for minor, disabled, and senior citizens). Non-resident licenses are available only through limited draw.

Time of Day: If you are hunting in the fall, chances are, you will spot a black bear at any given time throughout the day. However, as a general rule-of-thumb, the best time to hunt black bear is in the morning or early evening when they are most certainly on the search for food.

Spring vs. Fall: So, what does black bear taste like? It’s similar to venison, only sweeter. A younger bear is more tender and mild-tasting than a battle-scarred boar, but big or small, a bear fresh out of hibernation is more tender than a fall bear that’s been on the move throughout the summer.