Keep A Wing To Transport Upland Game Birds

Your game birds are in the bag and you are fixing to clean and dress them but wait, there’s more. To get your birds in the bag back home there are detailed regulations you need to follow when transporting them.

Hunters must leave one, fully-feathered wing naturally attached to any sage grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, mountain grouse or partridge when it is transported from where it was taken to the hunter’s permanent residence. Why? Wildlife biologists and game wardens will inspect the wings at game check stations to identify the harvested bird.

In another example, pheasant hunters must leave a leg and foot naturally attached to any pheasant they transport within the state. Why? To identify the sex of the bird.

A bird hunter who leaves game birds somewhere for a period of time, or who turns them over to someone else to transport, must also tag the birds with the following information:

· hunter’s ALS number

· hunter’s signature

· hunter’s address

· total number of birds by species

· dates birds were harvested

For details, see the 2012 upland game bird regulations available at FWP offices and license providers and on the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov .