Montana Closes LMU 340 to Hunting of Male Mountain Lions

February 24, 2026
9:52 am

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Montana's Fish, Wildlife & Conservation Commission just dropped a bombshell on big cat hunters: Lion Management Unit (LMU) 340 is now off-limits to pursuing male mountain lions, effective right after sunset on February 24th, 2026. This isn't some minor tweak—it's a full closure for toms only, leaving females and subadults fair game while hunters scramble to check quotas on the FWP site. Picture this: rugged backcountry chasers who've geared up with calls, hounds, and rifles now staring at a map with a big red X over prime territory, all because wildlife managers are dialing in population controls amid shifting predator-prey dynamics. Dig deeper, and this move reeks of the creeping regulatory overreach that's got 2A advocates on high alert. Mountain lion hunting in Montana has always been a houndman's paradise—dogs tree the cat, hunter dispatches with a precise shot—embodying the self-reliant ethos of responsible wildlife stewardship. But closing LMUs to males selectively? It's a classic bait-and-switch: protect breeding boars under the guise of sustainability, while eroding access to public lands that our tax dollars maintain. We've seen this playbook before—deer quotas morph into outright bans, elk tags vanish, and suddenly wolves (reintroduced against public will) get a free pass to decimate herds. For the 2A community, it's a stark reminder that gun rights aren't just about carry permits; they're about defending the tools for hunting, defense, and food security against bureaucratic busybodies who prioritize critters over citizens. The implications ripple far beyond Montana's snowy peaks. As LMU 340 joins a patchwork of restricted zones, expect spillover pressure on adjacent units, higher black market poaching risks, and frustrated locals turning to D.C. for federal overrides. 2A warriors, this is your wake-up: support state commissions that honor harvest data over emotion, rally for hunter-funded conservation, and keep those lever-actions oiled. If we let agencies like FWP nibble away at male lion hunts today, tomorrow it's your favorite whitetail woods. Stay vigilant—hunt hard, vote harder.

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Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Conservation Commission just dropped a bombshell on big cat hunters: Lion Management Unit (LMU) 340 is now off-limits to pursuing male mountain lions, effective right after sunset on February 24th, 2026. This isn’t some minor tweak—it’s a full closure for toms only, leaving females and subadults fair game while hunters scramble to check quotas on the FWP site. Picture this: rugged backcountry chasers who’ve geared up with calls, hounds, and rifles now staring at a map with a big red X over prime territory, all because wildlife managers are dialing in population controls amid shifting predator-prey dynamics.

Dig deeper, and this move reeks of the creeping regulatory overreach that’s got 2A advocates on high alert. Mountain lion hunting in Montana has always been a houndman’s paradise—dogs tree the cat, hunter dispatches with a precise shot—embodying the self-reliant ethos of responsible wildlife stewardship. But closing LMUs to males selectively? It’s a classic bait-and-switch: protect breeding boars under the guise of sustainability, while eroding access to public lands that our tax dollars maintain. We’ve seen this playbook before—deer quotas morph into outright bans, elk tags vanish, and suddenly wolves (reintroduced against public will) get a free pass to decimate herds. For the 2A community, it’s a stark reminder that gun rights aren’t just about carry permits; they’re about defending the tools for hunting, defense, and food security against bureaucratic busybodies who prioritize critters over citizens.

The implications ripple far beyond Montana’s snowy peaks. As LMU 340 joins a patchwork of restricted zones, expect spillover pressure on adjacent units, higher black market poaching risks, and frustrated locals turning to D.C. for federal overrides. 2A warriors, this is your wake-up: support state commissions that honor harvest data over emotion, rally for hunter-funded conservation, and keep those lever-actions oiled. If we let agencies like FWP nibble away at male lion hunts today, tomorrow it’s your favorite whitetail woods. Stay vigilant—hunt hard, vote harder.

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