BRETT FRENCH
bfrench@billingsgazette.com
As nonresident hunting pressure has increased across Montana while access to lands to hunt has decreased, Anaconda sportsmen are asking the Legislature for help.
“We are concerned about the impacts of the nonresidents on our opportunity to hunt in Montana and use this landscape,” Chris Marchion, of the Anaconda Sportsman’s Club, told the Senate Fish and Game Committee on Feb. 25. “We need to get to a reasonable number.”
Marchion was testifying in favor of Senate Joint Resolution No. 17, being carried by Sen. Sara Novak, D-Anaconda. The resolution asks the Senate and House to approve an interim study of resident hunter satisfaction.
“From my perspective, the number of nonresident hunting licenses issued and the numbers encountered in the field has exceeded a breaking point,” said hunter Marty Petritz, who testified in favor of the measure. “Hunter participation can’t increase in perpetuity. Limits will have to be established if our quality of experience is to be maintained and passed on to the next generation of Montanans.”
Who bears the brunt of those limitations would be something the interim study would consider.
Easing crowding is something the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association is firmly opposed to if that means fewer licenses sold to nonresidents, since they are MOGA’s main customers.
“I just want to say before I get jumped in the parking lot outside of this hearing, we are absolutely 100% as outfitters, guides and residents in support of great data … that leads to really good decisions when it comes to the future development of bills,” said Will Israel, executive director of MOGA, the sole person to speak in partial opposition to the resolution.
Although acknowledging a “tremendous amount” of hunting pressure, Israel said outfitters are not the issue. He also noted nonresidents spend money that supports rural communities and the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. He wants these issues taken into consideration if any bills come out of the study, should the resolution pass.
“Limits on licenses, permits and tags have a devastating impact on this industry,” Israel said. “We would generally be in opposition to any kind of restrictions, limitations, permits, things of that nature, that would have a negative impact. Please help to protect the industry as you’re moving forward.”
Sam Milodragovich, a member of Butte-based Skyline Sportsmen’s Association, said the number of hunters and pressure on wildlife has “skyrocketed” in his lifetime.
Although acknowledging nonresidents pay higher hunting license fees, he noted residents contribute to local economies in ways not measured by FWP.
“And just for the record, resident sportsmen, we pay our taxes here all year long,” he said. “We pay a gas tax every time we gas up to go hunting, fishing or taking the kids or grandkids to school. The internet has changed things, but the vast majority of us buy our guns, our binoculars, our equipment … locally in whatever community we’re coming from.”
Some of the issues the joint resolution asks an interim committee to study include:
• “The level of nonresident hunters and nonresident hunting licenses by hunting species that resident hunters find acceptable;
• “Resident hunter willingness to support increased fees on resident and nonresident hunting licenses to offset reduced funding to the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks that may result from the reduction in sales of nonresident hunting licenses;
• “Resident hunter support for restricting resident hunting license allocation, without first reducing nonresident hunting license allocation, to reduce hunting pressure;
• “Identifying factors that may contribute to nonresident hunter overcrowding and hunting pressure, such as the availability of accessible hunting lands, the number of nonresident hunters, and the number of nonresident hunting licenses issued;
• “Proposing solutions to reduce nonresident hunter overcrowding and hunting pressure, such as the reduction of nonresident licenses, the reduction of nonresident permits, and the reduction of season lengths for nonresident hunters.”
Marchion referenced past attempts to cap nonresident license sales that had been circumvented over the years.
“I can remember when I first started coming over to these hearings in the 1980s and we had a big argument over nonresidents (regarding) what we call the combination license, and it was limited at 17,600 nonresidents,” he said. “That was set at more than what had been in the 1980s the maximum. And we thought, when we set it at 17,600 licenses, that would be the maximum, it wouldn’t go any higher. And here we are, we’re like five times higher than that, and it does influence our opportunity in the field.”
Marchion also said residents should “stand in line ahead of the nonresidents to some degree” because of the conservation work they do in the state, from improvement of winter ranges to taking down unnecessary fences and planting fish.
Although Montana hunting license fees have increased, Marchion said he and his fellow hunters are willing to shoulder higher costs if it leads to less crowding. As an example, residents now pay $10 for a doe license compared to $75 for nonresidents.
“We should be happy to pay some more than what we’re paying now,” he said.
The committee took no action on the proposal.
