Fish and Wildlife Commission Votes to Reduce NonResident Deer Licenses

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission on Thursday adopted a handful of new deer hunting regulations aimed at reducing hunting pressure on public land and bringing the state’s flagging mule deer population out of a multiyear decline.

During an eight-hour meeting in Helena, the commission voted to reduce available nonresident deer hunter licenses by about 2,500 licenses for the 2026-2027 hunting seasons. The commission also voted to reduce the total number of deer a Montana hunter can kill in a season from eight to three, and reined in the number of does both resident and nonresident hunters...