It’s regarded as “the big meeting” among hunters in Northwest Montana, held every other January and often attracting hundreds who want a say in setting season regulations for the next two years.

That meeting will be held Saturday, starting with an open house from 9 a.m. to 10  a.m., at the Red Lion Hotel in the Kalispell Center Mall.

“They’ll come from all four corners of the region,” said Jim Williams, regional wildlife manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “There’s a lot of passion with hunters and setting seasons.”

Williams said other informational meetings have been held in smaller towns throughout the region, most recently one in Noxon, but Saturday’s gathering is a formal hearing where comments are recorded and transcribed for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission. Bob Ream, the commissioner representing Western Montana, will be at the hearing along with regional staff.

The main issues at Saturday’s meeting are expected to involve statewide regulation proposals. Last year, the commission enacted emergency regulations for antlerless deer tags in Northwest Montana’s Region One in response to declining whitetail deer populations. More than 5,000 antlerless “B-tags” were issued in the region in 2008, but that was scaled back to 25 in most hunting districts last year.

“We made a significant reduction last year,” Williams said. “We can sure become more restrictive if hunters want that as well.”

Statewide, there is a proposal to change the general season opening day for antelope, elk and deer from Sunday to Saturday. There is also a proposal for an antlerless elk “B-tag” system.

Williams said comments on wolves and the state wolf hunt will not be taken at Saturday’s hearing, because that matter will be taken up in the spring with an entirely separate public comment process. Setting wolf season regulations and quotas will depend on the outcome of litigation challenging last year’s decision to delist wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

On the regional level, there is a proposal to allow turkey permits to be sold over-the-counter across the region. Currently, permits are limited in Sanders and Lincoln counties, while they are sold over-the-counter in Flathead County.

There are also proposed changes for the region’s bear hunt validation system.

Williams said he expects a strong turnout Saturday.

“We’ve ranged from 100 to 500 people depending on the year and what’s on the docket,” he said. But increasingly, the department is getting more public input through its Web site (http://fwp.mt.gov).

“People are really taking advantage of the online comment [feature],” he said.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com