SB 525–Montana Hunters First

[Knight.54]

Thank you for flagging this bill @jock.

The 90/10% language for limited drawings is already the law - this bill makes it more clear. It's not applied to general licenses and tags for nonresidents. We also don't expect any fiscal impact, because it allows the department to set the caps after all stakeholders meet and discuss, and they could set those caps higher than the current amount of nonresident hunters for things like upland and waterfowl.

The next section is the real meat and potatoes of the bill. It requires the department to place a limit on currently unlimited licenses and tags. Our reasoning for this bill is pretty clear, it addresses crowding in the most equitable way we can think of.

According to Montana FWP, resident hunters have dropped 7% in the last decade, while non-resident hunters have jumped 80% in that same time. And it’s not just antlered-deer and elk hunters from out of state. The rise in pressure is from a steady climb in antlerless deer and elk hunters, plus increases in just about every other NR license category.
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In just the last five years, NR waterfowl hunters is up 29%, upland bird hunters up 34%, elk B hunters up 23%, and deer B hunters up 20%. NR turkey and bear hunters have climbed 58% and 47% respectively.⁣
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Today, 29% of the total hunters in Montana don’t even live here. That’s almost one in three.⁣
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Hunter crowding on Montana's publicly accessible lands is not just a social concern, but it's impacting our state's ability to manage wildlife as well. Unfettered pressure on public lands is pushing wildlife to inaccessible private lands, creating not just management concerns but headaches for our neighbors in the ranching and farming communities too. In many areas, harvest rates and the actual number of harvests are declining; more and more hunters and more and more licenses being offered is not the answer.⁣
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Plus, we’re losing access (partly because of poor hunter behavior, herd shooting, leaving gates open, driving on wet roads, littering). We’ve lost access to roughly 1.5 million acres of Block Management since 2010. "No Trespassing" signs are everywhere while more and more private lands are leased up for exclusive use.⁣
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While Montana BHA continues to focus on the access, quality habitat and hunter behavior side of the equation, we’re also supporting an improvement on the license side. Montana's wildlife are a finite resource which cannot withstand infinite pressure.

We're proud of the work we've done with this bill and I want to thank Sen. Flowers for his leadership and support getting the bill introduced and Rep. Cohenour, Rep. Running Wolf, Rep. Marler, Rep. France, Rep. Loge, Rep. Fitzgerald, Sen. Molnar, Sen. Pope, Sen. Ellis, Sen. Lynch, Sen. McClafferty, Sen. Nolan, Rep. Green, Sen. Emrich and Sen. Vermeir for their support on the bill.

Please reach out and ask any questions you have.

*edit: numbers in bold have been edited to be correct and I've added a thank you to the bill sponsors.

Recruit, retain, reactivate, reject.

 

[Knight.54]

Unreal...if it passes though, I know a guy that would benefit from it...

Some dude from Wyoming with max sheep points, a bunch of moose points too in Montana at that...and all kinds of family still living there to boot.

Who do I need to send that thank you note to?

Between the OTC nr general elk and deer, preference over other less fortunate NRs for sheep and moose, it's almost like I have dual residency. Sweet!

 

[BuzzH]

View attachment 269840

Right, my point exactly.

It's crap that I basically have dual residency and that Montana nearly gives it away.

I paid $64 for a lot of nr Native deer tags, and $80 for a lot of nr Native elk tags.

At least I now pay half of what the average unwashed nr pays...

 

[Knight.54]

Or buy 2500 acres.

…or maybe just fractional share in a corporation that owns said acres…

…..hmm.

 

[Knight.54]

Right, my point exactly.

It's crap that I basically have dual residency and that Montana nearly gives it away.

Gonna stop you from taking advantage of it?

 

[BuzzH]

Gonna stop you from taking advantage of it?

Not a fuggin' chance...stupid legislation needs to hurt.

I testified against the initial bill, too dumb to listen to a direct beneficiary in opposition...then I guess they're smarter than me.

Going to buy tags next week...and will every year until they cry Uncle.

 

[Treeshark]

Go get ‘em Buzz! If there is one thing that’s sure to bring Montana to it’s knees, it’s definitely one guy buying a few deer and elk tags.

 

[BuzzH]

Go get ‘em Buzz! If there is one thing that’s sure to bring Montana to it’s knees, its definitely one guy buying a few deer and elk tags.

Don't fret about it...I'm usually only able to find a forkie...you know since the wolves ate all the big bucks.

 

[Treeshark]

Just consider yourself fortunate Wyoming doesn’t have any wolves- if they ever get in there, it’s all over for the deer and elk!

 

[BuzzH]

Just consider yourself fortunate Wyoming doesn’t have any wolves- if they ever get in there, it’s all over for the deer and elk!

Right, or lions, or grizzlies.

 

[406dn]

Recruit, retain, reactivate, reject.

You forgot one...relocate.

 

[Jock Conyngham]

Agree with all of the special carveouts, that would annoy the s$&@ out of me if I was a Montana resident also.

That’s where the numbers have exploded. It’s undisciplined, short-sighted policy-making.

 

[Knight.54]

You forgot one...relocate.

Hashing that out with the wife as we speak…..

 

[antlerradar]

Almost hard to believe but there is a Bill that would give NR’s with a R relative preference to limited sheep permits. SB520.

https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2023/billpdf/SB0520.pdf

Who is the legislator with NR relatives that want to hunt sheep?

 

[BuzzH]

Who is the legislator with NR relatives that want to hunt sheep?

My long lost Uncle...he's a good dude.

 

[antlerradar]

My long lost Uncle...he's a good dude.

He have a part in the coming home to hunt licenses too?

 

[BuzzH]

He have a part in the coming home to hunt licenses too?

No, that was my cousin...

 

[Dust Rider]

No, that was my cousin...

Molnar?

 

[Elky Welky]

Molnar?

Love or hate his crossbow bill (I'm firmly in the hate camp), it is worth noting that SB 525 is a bipartisan bill, and Sen. Molnar (R) is one of many standing in support of it. Here's the full list of sponsors:

P. FLOWERS (D), J. COHENOUR (D), T. RUNNING WOLF (D), M. MARLER (D), T. FRANCE (D), D. LOGE (R), R. FITZGERALD (R), B. MOLNAR (R), C. POPE (D), J. ELLIS (D), R. LYNCH (D), E. MCCLAFFERTY (D), M. NOLAND (R), P. GREEN (R), D. EMRICH (R), T. VERMEIRE (R).

 

[BWALKER77]

So far I like what I see in this bill. I’ll think about it for a while.

One thing though, even though resident hunting licenses have dropped a little, resident Hunter days on the landscape have not. At least with the HD‘s I’m familiar with, hunters nowadays are spending way more time in the field than they did historically - both NR and R alike.

I look forward to a deeper dive and discussion.

That's because they have to.