Big Sky Times

A meeting was held recently in Kalispell to discuss hound hunting for black bears, and the general public was encouraged to attend.

The meeting, which was held March 7 at the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks office in Kalispell to discuss hound hunting for black bears in the town, was hosted by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

"A public meeting is being held by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in order to have a conversation with members of the public who are interested in hound hunting black bears about their experiences," according to the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

Comments will be collected until Monday, March 27, and the commission is scheduled to make a final decision on proposals on April 18. 

Those cover sheets and the opportunity to submit public comment electronically can be found on the commission webpage.

Black bears are currently protected in the lower 48 states as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Black bears live across most of Montana and are managed as a game animal.