NORTHWEST MONTANA — Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wants to alert all hunters to important updates to the 2012 preseason calendar, especially new deadline and drawing dates. The biggest change this year is the deadline for residents and nonresidents to apply for deer and elk permits – now March 15. This date was moved up to allow hunters more time to prepare for hunts. Drawings for those permits will now occur in mid-April as opposed to July.

At the Feb. 16 FWP commission meeting, quotas will be finalized for hunting districts with pending quotas. It is important that hunters interested in applying for special deer and elk permits in districts with pending quotas wait until after Feb. 16 to make their choices and submit applications.

The deadline to apply for moose, sheep, goat, and bison licenses remains May 1, while June 1 remains the deadline to apply for antler-less deer B and elk B licenses as well as antelope licenses. FWP urges hunters to apply for licenses online. For more information, log onto fwp.mt.gov and click on “hunting.”