Montana Untamed – Détails, épisodes et analyse

The 16th Biennial Scientific Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem held at Big Sky recently covered a wealth of topics about the region, which includes southwestern Montana.

Brett French, outdoor editor at the Billings Gazette, attended one day of the three-day event.

From that, he’s written stories regarding the pressures facing the region that national park and forest officials are seeing, as well as talks about grizzly bear management.

For at least a decade, a pair of great gray owls have made their nest each spring in the top of a broken cottonwood tree trunk on the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range northeast of Missoula. They fledge chicks almost every year, and they’ve become increasingly popular with wildlife photographers — including professionals — who appreciate the nest’s easy access and visibility from the ground. 

So it made sense that some photographers were upset this spring when they learned that the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks planned to remove the nest.

Why would FWP do that?

Mainly because of the photographers themselves. And because the nest wasn’t actually natural. 

With me today is Joshua Murdock, outdoors and natural resources reporter at the Missoulian. He visited the nest with an FWP biologist and met with photographers.

It’s one of the most obvious and dramatic signs of wildland firefighting, a bright red slurry raining down from the bellies of large planes that roar through the mountains like fighter jets. Fire retardant. 

For years, the U.S. Forest Service used the same ammonium phosphate retardant on wildfires large and small across the country. Last year it authorized a new formula, pioneered by a company that was partially based in Montana, that was supposed to be more environmentally friendly. But while the new retardant may be kinder to waterways it sometimes gets dropped into, it seems to be dangerous to the planes that carry it.

The result is grounded planes, a federal investigation, and questions around how the Forest Service determines what’s safe to use on fires. 

With me today is Joshua Murdock, outdoors and natural resources reporter at the Missoulian, who regularly covers wildfires and the Forest Service.

Elk hunting in Montana has been under the microscope over the last year following a contentious season-setting process and widespread debate about how one of the state's most iconic species, and the lands they roam, are being managed.

New regulations, advisory committees, a new management plan, access agreements and a lawsuit have grabbed headlines as Montana’s hunting community, landowners, lawmakers and state wildlife managers grapple with change and the potential for more changes.

One of the latest debates was sparked by work from an elk management advisory committee that recommends Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks consider what would be a major shakeup for a lot of elk hunters: choosing a weapon and season.

On this week's episode, Tom Kuglin of the Montana State New Bureau discusses a story about this recommendation and others, which has Montana’s hunting world talking.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wolverines are a species that often seems part animal and part myth.

With a weasel’s mentality, it’s known for punching well above its weight, thriving in areas where few animals survive and captivating popular fascination. Wolverines are also a species of scientific intrigue, living at very low densities in wild and intact ecosystems that make them a challenge to study.

Several wolverine sightings across Montana captured headlines last winter as rare appearances became an opportunity for experts to share the ecology of this largest member of the weasel family.

On this episode Tom Kuglin, talks about his  long-held interest in wolverines, the states management approach to the animal, an unprecedented multi-state study and why wolverines continue to pique our curiosity. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each year in late May and early June, trout feast and anglers flock to waterways for the giant salmonfly hatch, when the ecologically vital bugs emerge from streams as nymphs and hatch out of the water into winged adults before reproducing and dying, leaving behind only the "shucks" they emerged from clinging to brush on the shoreline.

Growing up to 3 inches long, adult giant salmonflies are the largest of the stonefly family. They are so substantial that osprey, which generally consume fish, have been observed snatching up airborne salmonflies. 

On this week’s episode, Joshua Murdock, outdoors reporter for the Missoulian talks about giant salmonfly populations declining in some streams across the West and how researchers at University of Montana are trying to understand what factors affect a bug that is essential to trout and the economies of fishing towns.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Montana attracts hunters from all over the world that apply for licenses to hunt deer and elk. Like many states, Montana limits nonresident opportunities via a lottery system, with 17,000 deer-elk combination licenses and 4,600 deer licenses. Now there are more nonresident hunters applying for tags than there are licenses available. 

When it comes to which state produces the most nonresident hunters, none come close to the state of Washington.

The Evergreen State accounts for about 17% of all nonresident hunters awarded Montana deer and elk hunting licenses over the last four years, according to data provided by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks through a public information request. That equates to nearly 17,000 of the more than 101,000 licenses distributed from 2019-2022.

The Montana State News Bureau requested zip codes for all nonresidents who received deer-elk combination, elk-combination and deer-combination licenses awarded through the annual lottery. 

On this week's episode, Tom Kuglin of the Montana State News Bureau, discusses what he found from looking into Montana's nonresident hunting data.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last few days rivers in south-central and southwest Montana have risen to unprecedented levels, wreaking havoc on the communities along their banks. Images and videos of houses and bridges being washed away in rising floodwaters have populated social media sites. Whole communities in the area are isolated without any road access to them. Law enforcement and government agencies are still conducting search and rescue operations in the region. 

Runoff from the Beartooth mountains turned Rock Creek into a raging torrent almost overnight Monday.

Flood damage at the headwaters of the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone national park caused road washouts, bridge failures, rockslides and mudslides.

The Yellowstone River crested at just over 49,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) at Corwin Springs in the upper Paradise Valley on Monday, shattering its previous records of 32,200 set in June 1996. Wiping out all roads to Gardiner leaving huge crowds of travelers and residents trapped in the mountain town.

Downstream, floodwaters reached Livingston where the hospital was evacuated and Billings, forcing the city to shut down its water treatment plant.

While many questions remain, on this episode Brett French, outdoors editor for the Billings Gazette discusses what we do know about Montana’s current high water crisis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Montana Untamed, hosted by Thom Bridge, covers the state's rugged landscape from hook and bullet to policy and science. Learn more about the new podcast presented by the newsrooms of Lee Enterprises' Montana news organizations. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least seven grizzly bears died in Montana in 2023 after being shot by hunters. Another grizzly was wounded by a bird hunter’s shotgun but not found.

All were judged to be self-defense.

Official accounts from the investigating agencies mention close encounters, but the phrase “close range” is never defined.

The investigative criteria used in fatal grizzly encounter is elusive to the public.

So Duncan Adams asked FWP, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Justice what criteria are used to determine whether a grizzly shooting occurs in self-defense.

He’s with me today to discuss his findings.