Non resident Landowner incentive.

[rogerthat]

It's a big fat do nothing bill a solution in search of a problem. I doubt most non residents hunt more than a week, a few maybe 10 days, a few more 14 days and probably somewhere around 3 or 4 that hunt more than 14 days.

I typically hunt as a NR there about 7-10 days as I'm tied up with other tags in other States. Even then, usually about half those days I'm helping my Nephews, Dad, and Brother and not even packing a rifle.

Big deal, limit NRs to 14 days.

It would unquestionably reduce public land pressure in the unit i archery hunt. But archery hunting can be quite a time commitment if you want success.

 

[BuzzH]

It would unquestionably reduce public land pressure in the unit i archery hunt. But archery hunting can be quite a time commitment if you want success.

What would reduce archery pressure is ending the season in September and make "archery" hunters drop the training wheels, cams, etc.

 

[mtmuley]

It would unquestionably reduce public land pressure in the unit i archery hunt. But archery hunting can be quite a time commitment if you want success.

If it could be enforced it might help in certain areas but I doubt it. The Breaks, Bighole and Custer are three places I seem to see a lot of complaining about NR. Where I hunt, I rarely see out of state guys. mtmuley

 

[DFS]

I like it. Certainly better than the garbage we usually get.

 

[cgasner1]

It's a big fat do nothing bill a solution in search of a problem. I doubt most non residents hunt more than a week, a few maybe 10 days, a few more 14 days and probably somewhere around 3 or 4 that hunt more than 14 days.

I typically hunt as a NR there about 7-10 days as I'm tied up with other tags in other States. Even then, usually about half those days I'm helping my Nephews, Dad, and Brother and not even packing a rifle.

Big deal, limit NRs to 14 days.

It probably won’t change much but we need more things of this nature to make the residents realize it’s not all the non residents to blame. Our season structure and amount of time we get to hunt is insane changes have to start somewhere and they will be slow but it’s a start

 

[SAJ-99]

It's a big fat do nothing bill a solution in search of a problem. I doubt most non residents hunt more than a week, a few maybe 10 days, a few more 14 days and probably somewhere around 3 or 4 that hunt more than 14 days.

I typically hunt as a NR there about 7-10 days as I'm tied up with other tags in other States. Even then, usually about half those days I'm helping my Nephews, Dad, and Brother and not even packing a rifle.

Big deal, limit NRs to 14 days.

I agree, but the fact that it limits only about 2% of the NR hunters is just one layer of the stupid. It's not guys from Michigan or Minnesota setting ups camps and violating day-limit restrictions on those so they can drive back and forth on the weekends to hunt and ensure they have a camping spot. That is weekend-warrior Rs and that isn't enforced. The other layers of stupid is that it makes someone choose the days they hunt by March 31, including antelope which the draw doesn't even happen for months. It also won't be enforced or enforced by an organization that has shown zero competency organizing electronic records. The whole thing is stupid, unless it results in electronic reporting of harvest, then maybe. But FFS, JUST CUT THE NR TAGS!

 

[rogerthat]

It probably won’t change much but we need more things of this nature to make the residents realize it’s not all the non residents to blame. Our season structure and amount of time we get to hunt is insane changes have to start somewhere and they will be slow but it’s a start

Yeah the acknowledgment that “more opportunities at all cost” system is cracking and maybe things aren’t completely rosy in this state is a big change….a positive shift in my eyes. Unfortunately it’s getting taken out on only the nonresidents right now but maybe that will change also.

 

[Ben Lamb]

SB 533 would require the commission to adopt rules for the new 2 week structure. That could be anything from a Colorado style 1,2,3 season set up to allowing people to split weeks between archery or rifle. The bill doesn't prescribe how that is supposed to look but rather directs the commission to set that up. So it could be good in terms of spreading pressure around or it could be bad. If the bill passes, and I'm not sure the votes are in House fish for it due to a desire to keep NR opportunities the same, then there's a lot of work to do in terms of setting this up.

Kinda like repealing the reduced price licenses for college kids though.

 

[rogerthat]

What would reduce archery pressure is ending the season in September and make "archery" hunters drop the training wheels, cams, etc.

I would agree. If you want to keep the state an opportunity state with rising populations the way we do that is make hunting harder…that may even include addressing addressing the burgeoning long range technology being put to use by gun hunters. My proposal traditional archery seasons and primitive weapon rifle seasons. People could probably currently keep hunting as much as they wanted with that system

 

[BuzzH]

Kinda like repealing the reduced price licenses for college kids though.

Yeah, those 153 college students are really crowding up the joint, I was constantly bumping into them while hunting every fall.

Surely could not have been the 197,610 residents with those same license types that I run into...

 

[Ben Lamb]

Yeah, those 153 college students are really crowding up the joint, I was constantly bumping into them while hunting every fall.

Surely could not have been the 197,610 residents with those same license types that I run into...

Combined, the free & reduced price NR licenses are about 4,000 people. Eliminating those licenses isn't rearranging deck chairs and this is at least an attempt to eliminate some of that, especially as these aren't capped and could see growth like the other programs. Take what you can, when you can get it and move forward.

Everyone wants a big, flashy change but those changes have massive unintended consequences. Not every play is a 40 yard gain. Sometimes you run the ball and gain a yard.

 

[BuzzH]

Combined, the free & reduced price NR licenses are about 4,000 people. Eliminating those licenses isn't rearranging deck chairs and this is at least an attempt to eliminate some of that, especially as these aren't capped and could see growth like the other programs. Take what you can, when you can get it and move forward.

Everyone wants a big, flashy change but those changes have massive unintended consequences. Not every play is a 40 yard gain. Sometimes you run the ball and gain a yard.

Dude, you're eliminating 153 licenses from a pool of 197,736...the recent move ins to Montana will probably increase Resident license sales by 500 or more.

You done lost 5 yards on that play...and for the record, you're down 42-3 in the 4th and still trying to run the ball.

 

[brockel]

We have like 12 weeks of season. Why not take the 17000 tags and divide into two week chunks and split tags up evenly for two week sections of the season and make it a draw for that two week section. Obviously rut tags are going to be higher demand so lower draw odds but fwp is still going to sell all their tags either way

 

[JLS]

We have like 12 weeks of season. Why not take the 17000 tags and divide into two week chunks and split tags up evenly for two week sections of the season and make it a draw for that two week section. Obviously rut tags are going to be higher demand so lower draw odds but fwp is still going to sell all their tags either way

All this is to be expected of an agency that can’t even get special draws done correctly?

And all to what? So you dispersed 17000 hunters across 11 weeks and still have 200k hunters who can go wherever, whenever.

This is all pathetically laughable.

 

[brockel]

All this is to be expected of an agency that can’t even get special draws done correctly?

And all to what? So you dispersed 17000 hunters across 11 weeks and still have 200k hunters who can go wherever, whenever.

This is all pathetically laughable.

Gotta start somewhere

 

[SAJ-99]

We have like 12 weeks of season. Why not take the 17000 tags and divide into two week chunks and split tags up evenly for two week sections of the season and make it a draw for that two week section. Obviously rut tags are going to be higher demand so lower draw odds but fwp is still going to sell all their tags either way

Seems we have come full circle over the last 5 months. It was proposed by many to split deer and elk combo draws, make people pick season-pick a weapon, thereby distributing pressure over time. Residents soundly against, but maybe force it on NRs, who don't care anyway because they have to plan the whole excursion. Where was that idea proposed in the legislature? To Ben's point, this may get there, but it written so generically it shows it isn't really thought out and requires FWP to actually do some work.

 

[DFS]

All this is to be expected of an agency that can’t even get special draws done correctly?

And all to what? So you dispersed 17000 hunters across 11 weeks and still have 200k hunters who can go wherever, whenever.

This is all pathetically laughable.

Montana actually has legislation to not increase nonresident tags maybe even limit how long they are here. And the nonresidents start whining. Pathetic you might say.

 

[Nameless Range]

I don't view this or really anything we've seen yet as "the fix" and it would be a mistake to think it is, or that it misses the mark as being such.

I optimistically view this and them as foundational - premises that we will build upon.

Both harm reduction, and slowly building a narrative from which future changes will be pushed, is not sexy or satisfying and is easy to criticize. When I take a moment and engage in a counterfactual thinking where a push for "the fix" was championed without any of this coalition building or baby steps first, I see a far worse state of affairs than the one we are in.

 

[brockel]

Seems we have come full circle over the last 5 months. It was proposed by many to split deer and elk combo draws, make people pick season-pick a weapon, thereby distributing pressure over time. Residents soundly against, but maybe force it on NRs, who don't care anyway because they have to plan the whole excursion. Where was that idea proposed in the legislature? To Ben's point, this may get there, but it written so generically it shows it isn't really thought out and requires FWP to actually do some work.

O believe me I think I’d residents need to be restricted too but you have to start somewhere.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Dude, you're eliminating 153 licenses from a pool of 197,736...the recent move ins to Montana will probably increase Resident license sales by 500 or more.

You done lost 5 yards on that play...and for the record, you're down 42-3 in the 4th and still trying to run the ball.