YELLOWSTONE COUNTY — On March 1, the new licensing year for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) restarted.
As of 2023, a conservation license is required to recreate on a public, state-owned land, in addition to a fishing and hunting license.
So, in order to fish on the Yellowstone River, not only is a standard fishing license required, but a conservation license is required, as well. Now that it's March, it is time to repurchase those licenses.
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"Now (all outdoor recreationists) need to have this conservation license to go to state-managed properties," said Chrissy Webb, the manager of communication and education for FWP, region five.
State-managed properties include Montana State Trust Lands, public, state-owned fishing and hunting areas, and wildlife management areas.
Before 2023, a separate license to access DNRC Montana State Trust Lands was required, but that is no longer the case.
The prices for a conservation license is as follows:
- $10 - Nonresidents
- $8 - Adult residents (12-62 years old)
- $4 - Youth (12-18 years old)
- $4 - Seniors (62+ years old)
- $0 - Youth under 12
"Now, our folks, like our bird watchers and our dog walkers, also have to sort of pay to play," Webb said Thursday.
Webb says the fees for the conservation licenses will go into maintaining the lands.
"You know, it's been a little bit of push back, but I think overall people are accepting that it's going to be part of using these sites," Webb said.
Locations like Lake Elmo State Park do not require the conservation license.
If it's a state park, the fees remain the same.
Similarly, parks like Riverside in Laurel do not require the conservation license. If the park is owned by a city or town, the license is not required.
"So, this is really sort of a big change for people who aren't buying a hunting or a fishing license every year. They now still need to buy that conservation license if they're going to, say, go bird watching," said Webb.
To purchase a license, either visit FWP's website, an in-person FWP office, or a license provider, such as Cabela's.
Webb said when a new licensing year begins, new location-specific regulations also start.
For instance in region five, only three trouts are permitted for possession when fishing, whereas before it was a limit of five.
Webb recommends to check location-specific fishing and hunting restrictions before recreating this spring.
