Bill Advances to End Preference to Nonresident Landowners for Big-Game Hunting Licenses

Montana lawmakers are considering a proposal to unwind parts of a 2023 bill that guaranteed large nonresident landowners access to a big-game hunting license.

House Bill 907 strikes portions of House Bill 635, which narrowly passed the Legislature two years ago. HB 635 established a new nonresident preference pool program that effectively guaranteed nonresident landowners with 2,500 acres of land access to a big-game combination license good for one elk and one deer.

Proponents of HB 907 say that it preserves the desirable portions of HB 635 — which sought to recognize large landowners’ contri...