Between June 15 and July 15 each year, hunters can register to be on call if damage is being caused by deer, elk or antelope on private property. Hunters choose one hunting district for each species, and when the lottery closes, they can check the hunt roster on their MYFWP Information page to see where they sit. It all begins at www.fwp.mt.gov.

Game damage occurs when wildlife concentrate on private farms and ranches and damage crops and property. Landowners may be eligible for game damage assistance if they allow public hunting during established hunting seasons. Assistance from FWP may include hazing, repellants, temporary or permanent stackyard fencing, damage hunts, kill permits, or supplemental game damage licenses.

Before registering for the hunt possibility, it’s advisable for people to select hunting districts they are familiar with and can get to quickly if contacted for a hunt opportunity. The primary intent is to reduce crop and property damage with only minimal harvest of game.

The Donally Family near Quartz has allowed public hunting through the Block Management Program for eons, so they easily qualify for assistance. Their ranch is in Hunting District 202 near mile marker 56 on I-90. Passersby might be fortunate to see a herd of elk devouring a row of 1,200-pound round bales. They are mostly nocturnal, but you can see their tracks and beds in the snow as they have hit the jackpot for chow, just at a time it’s needed.

Kevin Donally is aware, but he’s OK with them making it a buffet line. “They beat me to it and it’s my fault,” he said. “It’s 2 or 3 years old and I’d planned on using it for mulch but never got around to it, so it’s theirs to enjoy,” he smiles.

Donally said he never tried to protect it from ungulates because he always had plans to get around to using it.

“It’s not alfalfa or hay, it’s just straw I cut from another crop, so I don’t have any money tied up in it. It’s damage, but they need it more than I do. This has been a pretty tough winter with the snow, so far, and maybe this will help get them to spring.”

Generational ranch families know and understand their property with all its quirks and bonuses. What a burr under the saddle is to one, can a blessing to another.