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.
Although newly minted GOP candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate have garnered heavyweight endorsements, the Montana Republican Party said Thursday it won’t throw its support behind any candidates for federal office in the primary.
“The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) stands behind its deep bench of qualified candidates seeking to represent Montanans and supports a competitive primary process to let voters pick their preferred candidates,” the Montana GOP said in a news release Thursday.
Monday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he was retiring due to health concerns once his term ends, and he immediately tapped talk-show host Aaron Flint as his preferred successor in Congress.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and Flathead County Republican Central Committee Chairperson Al Olszewski also filed for the U.S. House as Republicans, as did Ray Curtis of Bonner.
Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew, and in a statement the same night, announced an endorsement of former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who had filed the same day.
In the Senate, Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child also filed to run in the Republican primary.
Endorsements for Flint and Alme cascaded. U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed both candidates, and U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy and Gov. Greg Gianforte threw their weight behind Flint and Alme.
Late on Wednesday, the Montana GOP did not immediately have comment on the news Daines, Montana’s senior U.S. senator, had resigned, but Thursday, the party thanked Zinke and Daines for their service.
A news release said the party would not endorse any candidates in the federal primary and would leave the job in the hands of voters.
“The party hopes every candidate will make their case to the public, contrasting their Republican policies and principles with those of Democrats — as well as phony ‘Independents,’” the news release said.
Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar announced a run for the U.S. Senate as an independent this week.
A tension within the Republican party has emerged in recent years between hardline conservatives and more moderate members, and some legislative primaries illustrate the split.
This week, the state GOP said the number of primaries for state legislative seats shows a high interest from Montanans who want to serve the state and pass Republican policy, and the MTGOP “is glad to see so many Republicans being called to public service.”
In a brief call, MTGOP spokesperson Ethan Holmes said the party had not ruled out endorsements in legislative primaries.
In the news release, however, the MTGOP offered its view of the larger political debate.
“Montana voters know that beyond the primaries, there is a clear choice between Republican and Democratic governance; one path leads to lower taxes, less crime and stronger families, and the other leads to higher taxes, more crime, and social decay,” MTGOP Chairperson Art Wittich said in a statement.
The news release also said the state GOP is working “tirelessly to deliver a Bright Red Future” at both the state and federal level and looks forward to help candidates whom voters select win in November.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing
07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing
33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 4 drawing
01-07-08-27, Bonus: 12
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 4 drawing
05-10-26-53-59, Powerball: 06
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from March 4 drawing
03-04-06-08-10
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing
12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The search for a new University of Montana president has drawn more than 60 applicants, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.
“We do not have an exact count at this time, as several applications are still being completed and additional submissions are expected,” said spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Galen Hollenbaugh in an email earlier this week.
In January, then-UM-President Seth Bodnar announced his resignation to pursue other public service. Wednesday, the final day of filing, he announced he was running as an independent for the U.S. Senate to try to unseat Republican incumbent Steve Daines.
Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian earlier said that with the advice of AGB Search, a firm that’s helped the Montana University System conduct other executive searches, he would undertake an expedited process to appoint a new president.
Christian has been providing brief updates on a website dedicated to the search. Last week, he said he and AGB Search are reviewing applications, and the pool of candidates was “strong and diverse.”
The commissioner also announced he was convening a small working group to assist in the search, members who “represent a variety of perspectives to assist in vetting and narrowing this field of exceptional candidates.”
In an email this week, Hollenbaugh identified the members of the working group who are assisting Christian with application review as:
- Community member and former Regent Joyce Dombrouski
- Faculty Senate Chairperson Valerie Moody
- Staff Senate President Dominic Beccari
- Administration Representative John DeBoer (Vice President of Academic Affairs)
- ASUM (Associated Students of the University of Montana) President Buddy Wilson
Hollenbaugh declined to comment on the way the rest of the process would unfold or the role the working group members would play.
Christian earlier said he anticipated an appointment within one to three months, or as soon as early this month.
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