If you hunt in Montana, contact the MT State Rep in the area you hunt, and tell them to Vote No to HB635.
Guaranteed Elk Tags for Large Absentee Landowners?
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Guaranteed Elk Tags for Large Absentee Landowners?
*** For the greatest effect, please customize the subject line and content of your message; use your own words. *** Rep. Joshua Kassmier (R-Fort Benton) is sponsoring HB 635 (https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2023/billpdf/HB0635.pdf), which would award 15% of nonresident elk licenses to large absentee landowners, up to five elk licenses per landowner. Here's why we oppose this: 1) The bill attempts to encourage public access but fails to do so in a majority of the state (because the access incentive is a bonus point, which is only applicable in permitted areas). 2) This cuts opportunity for both nonresident DIY and guided hunters. Taking 15% from the pot will lead to greater competition for these and - most likely - pressure to raise caps even higher, or other interest groups demanding similar guarantees. 3) For absentee landowners who do own property in permitted areas, the ones most frustrated they can’t hunt each year, this bonus point incentive offers no guarantee that they’ll be able to draw, even if they do enroll in public access. We fear this access incentive will have little impact, and landowners in these areas will not enroll in public access programs and will continue to push for guaranteed permits or for FWP to change these to OTC units rather than permitted. In other words, this bill won't satisfy them. 4) And finally, compared side-by-side, the controversial 454 program is more attractive. Because under that program, the public at least benefits from limited public opportunity (at least 3 members of the public are allowed for every landowner license). Whereas this bill, HB 635, gives large absentee landowners up to five elk tags with the public getting nothing in return, and is likely to lead to less participation in the 454s. In summary, HB 635 fails to meaningfully incentivize public access participation, and once we go down this road with guarantees, it will be very hard to come back from it, and even harder to stop other interests from wanting guaranteed tags as well. Don't believe us? Take a look at what's happening with the other landowner preference bills this session: HB 146, HB 522 and HB 600. The common theme to these three bills is making it easier for landowners - even out-of-state ones! - to get licenses, often valid district-wide, on public and/or private lands, for deer, elk, antelope and even wild bison. Once we establish nonresident landowner guarantees it's only a matter of time til nonresident landowners to push for district-wide permits and/or reductions in the acreage requirements to get these guaranteed tags. This is a door we don't want to open. The bill passed Committee (Feb. 28th) by a vote of 12-7. We'd like to thank Reps. Hinkle, Duram, Karlen, Matthews, France, Baum, and Marler for voting against this. The bill narrowly passed 2nd reading in the House, 54-45. Let's kill this bill now so we can focus our efforts on other fights the rest of the session. Final House Floor vote is Friday, March 3rd, so speak up, send this letter and make a phone call now! NO ON HB 635! If you're from out of the state and want to oppose this because you don't want 15% of your opportunities going to wealthy landowners, call 406-444-4800 and tell them who you are, where you hunt in Montana and that you want that Representative to vote NO on HB 635. *** For the greatest effect, please customize the subject line and content of your message; use your own words. ***
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