New fees in place for licenses

Seniors, disabled citizens and kids between the ages of 12 to 14 will soon have to pay to fish and hunt on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Seniors, disabled citizens and kids between the ages of 12 to 14 will soon have to pay to fish and hunt on the Flathead Indian Reservation under a new few schedule slated to take effect for the 2017 licensing season. 

The changes will require the groups, which were previously not required to purchase fishing and hunting stamps, to buy the special endorsements for half the traditional price. Non-tribal members of the reservation will pay $10 for a fishing stamp and $7.50 for a bird-hunting stamp. Montana residents living outside the reservation will pay $11.50 and $8.50 respectively. 

Tom McDonald, manager of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Division of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation, said the new regulations coincide with a statewide fee schedule passed during the most recent legislative session. He said the tribe is following suit with policies imposed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which was faced with a budget crunch that required them to generate additional revenue or impose major cutbacks. 

The fee schedule is currently in a public comment period. McDonald said so comments have been submitted so far. He said regulation changes also propose the creation of a hunting season for Eurasian doves, a species not native to the area.