are $8,000 restitution plus $500 to $2,000 more, and imprisonment in the county detention center for not 

 more than 6 months or both. In addition, that person, upon conviction or forfeiture of bond or bail, shall 

 forfeit any current hunting, fishing, recreation use, or trapping license issued by this state and the 

 privilege to hunt, fish, or trap in this state for 30 months from the date of conviction or forfeiture, unless 

 the court imposes a longer forfeiture period. Fines for the interstate movement of illegally killed or 

 possessed animals can be much higher. FWP will investigate ways of informing and educating judges 

 and local prosecutors as to the importance of grizzly bear recovery to the state to ensure that they take 

 prosecution and sentencing of offenders seriously. 



The FWP Law Enforcement Division enforces rules established by the FWP Commission along with other 

 Montana statutes related to wildlife and human safety. FWP enforcement efforts concerning grizzly 

 bears are focused in three areas: patrols of both wilderness and non-wilderness areas, damage control, 

 and poaching investigations. Wilderness and non-wilderness areas are patrolled during the general 

 hunting season and at other times. In addition, hunter camps are checked for harvested game and 

 compliance with outfitter regulations. Federal travel restrictions are not currently enforced by FWP 

 wardens, except for hunters and anglers conducting those activities under FWP Commission Rules and 

 Regulations. Initial conflict bear complaint responses may involve various FWP personnel; however 

 enforcement division personnel are frequently the first on the scene. Generally, FWP wardens will assist 

 landowners in contacting WS in cases of suspected depredation but will not investigate bear-livestock 

 conflicts further, unless WS agents request field assistance. 



There are currently MOUs between USFWS, USDA and FWP (Appendices D and I). These MOUs outline 

 joint responsibilities for violations of federal and state laws. They also address responsibilities and 

 guidelines for joint investigations by Montana game wardens and USFWS special agents, as well as 

 between WS and FWP outlining joint investigations of grizzly bear depredations. 



FWP and USFWS enforcement personnel investigate and prosecute all violations involving illegal 

 mortality. Cases are processed through the county attorney's office or turned over to the USFWS when 

 they appear to involve interstate movement of grizzly bear parts. FWP also coordinates with federal 

 officials in undercover operations. The USPS manages attractant storage restrictions on Forest Service 

 lands and some counties have county ordinances on food storage, which are enforced by the county 

 sheriffs. 



FWP wardens have no clear enforcement authority to enforce attractant storage regulations on Forest 

 Service lands. Measures should be taken to establish this authority and FWP will investigate options. 

 This will be increasingly important as the bear population expands and, hopefully, attractant storage 

 regulations are required on additional national forest lands. FWP wardens spend a great deal of time in 

 backcountry areas checking people on national forest and other lands, and their ability to enforce these 

 rules would ultimately result in greater compliance and fewer bear/human conflicts. 



Finally, the enforcement aspects are critical enough to program success that additional resources should 

 be made available to implement new responsibilities. These would include sufficient funds for 

 equipment and necessary overtime required to operate in remote areas and, ultimately, additional 

 staffing. The USPS and BLM will be approached to try and identify additional fimding to support FWP 

 in these efforts due to increased responsibilities enforcing attractant storage and travel plan regulations if 

 that authority is developed. 



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