Back to Richland County Informational Page

Overview

Fishing & Hunting

Prime whitetail deer hunting is available in Richland County, along with an abundance of antelope, mule deer, waterfowl, turkeys and upland game birds.  Sharp-tail grouse, Canada geese and mallards are also common in the Fall.

Our scenic badlands and river breaks also offer many recreational opportunities for the hiking or photography enthusiast, as well as rock and fossil hunters.

Fishing options are also plentiful with several local dams sporting trout, perch, and bass. Anglers also have easy access to the many fish varieties found in the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, both of which run through Richland County.  There are 45 species of freshwater fish along the lower Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers. An angler can easily catch anything from a 40-pound paddlefish, a 60-pound sturgeon to a variety of other fish, including walleye, channel catfish, carp, buffalo, sucker, gold-eye (skipjack), and occasionally northern pike, small mouth bass, crappie, perch or rainbow trout. Of particular interest to anglers is the annual paddle fishing season.  Eastern Montana and China are the only two places in the world you can fish for this prehistoric throwback. Native to the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, the spoon-billed paddlefish make their annual spawning run up the two rivers in last spring.  Thousands of fishing enthusiasts from all across the nation converge during May and June to try snagging “the big one.” During spring and summer the paddlefish make their annual spawning up of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, and hundreds of fisherman converge at the confluence of these rivers in an attempt to land a paddlefish. A paddlefish feeds on microscopic plankton, and will not take a worm on a hook, and thus must be snagged. They are just as edible to eat as they are exciting to catch. The paddlefish’s only relative inhabits the Yangtze River in China, where it is protected, meaning fishing for paddlefish is unique to Richland County. In an effort to prevent over harvesting, the Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has limited the number of paddlefish per fisherman, with limits enforced through a tagging system.

License and hunting regulations are available from:

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
1420 East 6th Avenue
Helena, MT 59620-0701
406/444-2535
http://fwp.mt.gov/

Top of Page                                    Back to Richland County Informational Page

Motels & Hotels

Points of Interest

Richland County Fair & Rodeo

Lone Tree Gun Show

Sidney, Montana

A trade show that brings guns, coins, antique dealers, taxidermists, and western and wildlife artists from a three state area. For further information contact the Sidney Chamber of Commerce.

Elk Island Wildlife Management Area

Savage, Montana

Populations of white-tailed deer and pheasant provide great hunting. Sharp-tailed grouse, Canada geese and mallards are common during Fall. A boat ramp allows access to the river and islands.

Seven Sisters Wildlife Management Area

Crane, Montana

Located 10 miles south of Sidney, this area provides hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer and pheasant. Other recreational activities include, boating, trapping, bird-watching and agate hunting.

Museums

Tracing northeastern Montana’s farm and ranch history, homestead era, Indian cultures, plus art and wildlife exhibits, are located in Circle, Culbertson, Glasgow, Glendive, Jordan, Lambert, Malta, Plentywood, Poplar, Saco, Savage, Scobey, Sidney, and Wolf Point.

Harmon's Agate Shop

Tom Harmon is nationally known for his exquisite work with agates and silver.  His shop does custom gold and silver jewelry work, and has hand-made jewelry, slabs and rough material available.

Also know as The Agate Shop and home of the Montana Agate Museum.  Harmon's have designated areas within the shop for local artists and historical information on Clark's travels along the Yellowstone. 

Harmon’s Agate Shop  houses what is said to be one of the world’s finest displays of the scenic Montana agate.

Snowden and Fairview Bridges

Fairview, Montana

Located 10 miles North of Fairview along the Missouri, Snowden Bridge is one of the few vertical lift bridges left in the country.  When modern-day liability concerns eventually forced the expulsion of the automobile, the bridge remains an impressive feat of engineering.  It is distinct from the common drawbridge in that an entire section is lifted to allow river boat traffic under the bridge.  The bridge last raised its nearly 300 foot span was in 1935 to allow passage of boats carrying supplies for the construction of Fort Peck Dam.  The most unusual aspect of this bridge is that the lift span in the structure was designed so that counter weights and their accompanying machinery could be moved to other sections of the bridge should the navigation channel shift.  Snowden has a sister bridge on the Yellowstone.