Montana
Montana hunters fight nonresident landowner license giveaway
Laura Lundquist
(Missoula Current) Resident hunters are hoping to reverse a 2023 law that gives free deer and elk licenses to nonresident landowners just because they own large properties. But some legislators and lobbyists appear to be twisting the rules to stop the bill that would undo the program.
On Saturday, the Montana House passed House Bill 907, sending it on to the Senate. But on Friday during the second reading, a nonstandard motion caused confusion on the House floor that led to a muddled vote.
Rep. Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, sponsored the bill but in mid-March, Rep. Ed Byrne, R- was a cosponsor. On Friday, Byrne rose on the House floor but instead of defending the bill, Byrne asked the House for a Do Not Pass vote. Sullivan stood immediately and asked for some time. Ten minutes later, Sullivan asked the House to vote “No” on the Do Not Pass recommendation, which would create the same effect as passing the bill.
“I was the carrier of (HB) 907 in House Fish, Wildlife and Parks (committee),” Sullivan said on the House floor Friday. “What HB 635 did (in 2023) was create a nonresident landowner preference pool where nonresident landowners who own 2,500 or more acres have an ability to receive a big game combo license just by the virtue of being a nonresident landowner. So they don’t have to give back to receive the tag – they just have a large amount of land.”
The 15 minutes of debate that followed on the House floor resulted in 46 representatives voting “Yes” to kill the bill while 54 voted “No” to keep the bill alive. HB 907 went on to receive a more solid vote of 74-24 on third reading on Saturday. The bill now lists only Sullivan as the sponsor.
In 2023, some members of the short-lived Montana Citizen’s Elk Management Coalition proposed House Bill 635 in an effort to take some hunting pressure off public lands and to encourage large out-of-state landowners to conserve wildlife habitat. Under HB 635. nonresidents who owned more than 2,500 contiguous acres could receive a free big game combination license, which includes one elk and one deer license. For each additional 2,500 acres owned, nonresidents could get an additional combination license. Finally, to encourage people to allow hunter access, nonresidents who enrolled in FWP access programs such as Block Management could buy a bonus point to improve their odds of getting a permit.
HB 635 split the hunting community, with some groups wanting to give the proposal a try while others said it violated the North American Model, which requires that wildlife be held in the public trust so everyone has equal opportunity to hunt and fish for personal benefit, not for revenue. Giving tags to wealthy landowners violates the idea of equal opportunity.
However, on Tuesday in the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks committee, the eight proponents of HB 907 included former supporters of HB 635 who testified that they no longer backed the 2023 effort.
“I supported 635 because it was a risky bill that was attempting to make a significant reduction in hunter crowding on public land. Two years later, we see it didn’t really work very well. So I believe HB 907 is certainly worth a try,” said Anaconda area rancher Kathleen Hadley.
Montana Wildlife Federation spokesman Mike Mershon testified that the program created by HB 635 had had low participation and negligible impact on public lands, so the Federation no longer supported giving licenses to nonresident landowners.
According to FWP, 131 landowners had received free combination licenses, and only 30 of those had gone on to provide public access to their property. That meant very little hunting pressure was removed from public land. Additionally, any landowner, resident or nonresident, who owns 640 acres or more and participates in Block Management can get into the pool for a permit drawing so HB 907 provides some advantage by allowing the purchase of a bonus point.
HB 907 would eliminate the provision that gives combination licenses to landowners. But Sullivan kept the option for landowners to get bonus points that improve their odds of getting a permit if they allow public access and reduced the qualifying property area to 640 acres instead of 2,500.
The 12 opponents of HB 907 repeated three main arguments: 1) the program needed more time to get going, 2) reducing the qualifying area to 640 acres would lead to people subdivide their land, and 3) taking away the free tags was “forcing public access.” The main opponents were Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, Property and Environment Research Center, and Montana Conservation Society.
Mark Taylor, who didn’t identify who he represented but who lobbies for the Montana Conservation Society, testified that by giving licenses to nonresident landowners, HB 635 puts the landowners “on the same footing with any other Montana landowner.”
On Tuesday following the hearing, the committee approved HB 907 with a vote of 13-7. Sullivan denied that HB 907 is trying to force access.
“I’m not trying to force access. It is an incentive and it is the incentive that was created in 635. Opponents are saying they don’t want to give access unless they are getting licenses. Makes me sad to think that folks will only do something if they are given something free in advance. The free tags are what we’re eliminating,” Sullivan said.
“(HB) 907 asks that they have some skin in the game and do something in return and that is to enroll some of their land in the block management program.”
Resident hunters were pleased that HB 907 passed the House on such a strong vote but they’re still cautious. They anticipate that the three main opponents of HB 907 will put pressure on Republicans to kill the bill in the Senate. So they said they’re gearing up for their own offensive to get the bill to the governor’s desk.
Contact reporter Laura Lundquist at lundquist@missoulacurrent.com.
HELENA — When President Donald Trump announced a plan last week to import more beef from Argentina, it drew quick criticism from ranchers in Montana. Now, Montana’s members of Congress say they’re pushing the administration to change course.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines told MTN he quickly began hearing from Montanans in the cattle business after reports came out about Trump’s plan.
“The word I would describe is they feel betrayed,” he said.
(Watch the video to hear more reaction from Montana’s congressional delegation.)
Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import beef from Argentina
Daines said Montana beef producers have already been under pressure from drought and market forces. He said this step was “an unforced error” by the administration.
All four members of Montana’s congressional delegation are Republicans. They all say the Republican president’s plan was the wrong direction and that they’ve made that case when speaking with administration leaders.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who represents Montana’s western congressional district, says he understands why Trump wanted to tackle high beef prices, but that this wasn’t the right way for him to do it.
“Having a healthy cattle industry, having a healthy poultry industry and having a healthy supply chain for food is really national security,” he told MTN. “So he understands that, and I think we’re going to see some action in making sure or calming a lot of the fears from the cattlemen out there.”
Earlier this year, Daines visited Argentina and met with its conservative president, Javier Milei, during a South American tour advocating for Trump’s trade policies. He said his opinions on the country and its government don’t play any role in his feelings on this proposed deal.
“I don’t care if this is Argentinian beef or beef coming from anywhere else in the world,” he said. “The answer for what’s going on right now in the markets is not to import more beef – bottom line. It doesn’t matter where it comes from; it happens to be Argentina.”
Daines said it would be better for Montana’s cattle industry for the U.S. to focus on opening export markets rather than import markets. In 2017, Daines celebrated an agreement that led to China buying millions of dollars in Montana beef – but he said Thursday that the country has shut the doors to American beef during the ongoing trade dispute with the Trump administration.
“We were shipping over $1 billion a year in beef last year, and now it’s gone to zero,” he said.
In a statement to MTN, Sen. Tim Sheehy said he’s been talking with Trump and his team, looking for a path forward.
“Empowering hardworking ranchers who feed America and lowering prices for American families at the grocery store are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “Both can be accomplished by lowering input costs and providing a reliable, pro-growth environment for producers so ranchers can grow their operation, capture more of the value they create, and feed the nation with affordable, healthy, high-quality beef.”
Zinke and Daines say they also see areas where the federal government can make moves that will benefit both Montana ranchers and Montana consumers. Daines wants Congress to do more to tackle the huge market share four large packing companies have in the beef industry – a situation he calls a “monopoly.”
“Our ranchers don’t set the price; that price is set for them,” he said.
Zinke wants to put additional emphasis on country-of-origin labeling for beef.
“In Montana, we have a brand and that brand has value,” he said. “When it’s made in Montana, you know it’s at the top, the quality is there. And our ranchers sell premium product – that’s important.”
Daines said he supports country-of-origin labeling also, though he wants to make sure any additional steps the U.S. takes doesn’t lead to unintended consequences or retribution from countries like Canada.
WESTERN MONTANA — Here’s a look at Western Montana’s top news stories for Wednesday.
The University of Montana removed Business Professor Anthony Richard Pawlisz from faculty after he was charged with criminal endangerment in Ravalli County court. Pawlisz allegedly pulled a gun on a man and fired a shot into the air after a fight outside of a bar in Florence on Aug. 17, according to court documents. His former class will continue under Professor Udo Fluck. (Read the full story)
Nathaniel Luke Smith pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on Monday after posing a threat to Mission High School on Oct. 8, which prompted increased police presence while classes continued. Smith is also serving a three-year deferred sentence for intimidation from an incident in November 2024. (Read the full story)
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said he will not be using state funds to temporarily cover SNAP benefits for nearly 78,000 enrolled Montanans if federal funding runs out on Nov. 1. Amidst a government shutdown, he said it’s a federal responsibility — despite calls from Democrats and food banks to use leftover state money. (Read the full story)
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