Latest Montana news, sports, business and entertainment:

Moose POACHED Trophy bull moose poached near Cardwell BUTTE, Mont. (AP) State wildlife officials are investigating the poaching of a trophy bull moose in the Cardwell area.

Justin Gibson, a game warden with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, says the poaching was reported on Oct. 28 and he believes the moose was shot earlier that week.

He says it appears the moose was shot from the road. The carcass was left to waste.

The bull was among the few moose that lived in the area close to the Jefferson River and was known by local residents.

Gibson says under Montana law, because the bull was a trophy bull, someone convicted of poaching it could be ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the state.

Anyone with information is urged to call Gibson at 406-439-4017 or the agency's tip line at 1-800-847-6668, where callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

TROUT NUMBERS Trout numbers up in Mont.'s Missouri River HELENA, Mont. (AP) A report from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks says populations of large trout continue to climb in the Missouri River.

State biologists found nearly 3,500 rainbow trout longer than 10 inches near Craig this fall, compared to a long-term average of nearly 3,000.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department Fisheries Biologist Grant Grisak says the rainbows in that section of river were remarkably high quality, with most of them 15 inches or larger.

Brown trout numbers are also up, according to the report.

Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com BEEF PRICES Mont. ranchers say price of young cattle rising BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) Montana cattle ranchers are seeing higher prices for younger cattle, as buyers look for animals that won't be fat enough for market until the economy improves.

Auction prices for the young, lightweight cattle have increased $1 to $2 per hundredweight for each of the last two weeks at the Billings Livestock Commission Co.'s auction ring. That's good news for ranchers beef prices have been down 10 percent or worse each of the last two years.

Montana State University economist Gary Brester says the increase means people think they'll see a rebound in demand for beef in the coming year.

Beef suffers in a poor economy because shoppers rely more on cheaper meats like chicken.

Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com SMALL GRAINS Small grains estimates virtually unchanged Bismarck, N.D. (AP) The Agriculture Department has revised its estimates for production of small grains such as wheat and barley but the changes are small.

Estimated U.S. spring wheat production is down less than 1 percent from the Sept. 30 estimate and durum wheat production is down 1 percent. Total production of all types of wheat is virtually unchanged.

U.S. production of both oats and barley also is almost unchanged from the September estimate.

The late September small grains summary usually is USDA's final word on grains production. This year, the agency re-contacted farmers in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming because wet weather during the initial survey period had significantly delayed harvest.

Darin Jantzi is director of the North Dakota field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. He says the fact that the estimates changed little after the second survey is a testament to USDA's methodology and also to farmers' knowledge about their own operations.

INDIAN PAROLE OFFICERS State looking to hire Indian parole officers HELENA, Mont. (AP) The Montana Department of Corrections is seeking American Indian applicants for five probation and parole positions that will specialize in the supervision of Indian offenders.

The effort stems from a $925,000 federal grant meant to help an offender population that is often plagued by mental health problems and addictions.

The corrections department says Indian offenders have a recidivism rate 33 percent higher than among non-Indians offenders in Montana. It says it hopes to reduce those rates by offering Indian offenders the chance to work with officers who are familiar with Indian issues.

The five officers will be located in the reservation-area communities of Cut Bank, Glasgow, Hardin, Havre and Polson. The deadline for applications is Nov. 30.

WOLF HUNT-ZONE CLOSURE State shutters wolf hunting in McCall-Weiser zone BOISE, Idaho (AP) State wildlife officials are shutting down wolf hunting in another area of the state.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game closed the McCall-Weiser wolf zone Monday. The limit for the west-central territory is 15 wolves.

It's the second hunting zone to be closed by agency officials this month. Last week, the Upper Snake wolf zone was closed after hunters reached the 12-wolf quota.

So far, hunters in Idaho have bagged 97 wolves, and some other zones are nearing limits.

But other areas are proving difficult for hunters. In the Lolo zone in the north, hunters have taken just five wolves, with a limit there of 27. Hunters have only taken two wolves in the Salmon zone, where the limit is 16.

Across Idaho, wildlife managers are allowing hunters to shoot a total of 220 wolves.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-10-09 1124CST | save this article / add to your favorites list