HB 505, sponsored by Wylie Galt, one of the largest landowners in Montana and Republican Speaker of the House:
HB 505 will create Class B-13, landowner-sponsored nonresident elk-only combination license. A landowner will be able to sponsor and sell up to 10 B-13 elk licenses, if they own 640 or more contiguous acres, within a hunting district. This is pure privatization and commercialization of wildlife. Wildlife is a public resource to be managed as a public trust for all the people of Montana. This bill would take management of wildlife away from professional biologists and put it in the hands of private landowners to manage elk and deer for profit. Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado have land-owner tags. Here are just a few examples of how they are commercialized (I have left out the names of the landowners and outfitters):
With the largest selection of landowner tags and hunts online, ___________ Outfitters has your one-click access to the finest hunting in the Western U.S. ... Nevada. New Mexico.
New Mexico Landowner Elk Tags For Sale - Private Ranch. New Mexico is well known worldwide to hold the biggest trophy bulls in the nation. Due to this reputation, landowner elk hunting tags are very difficult to obtain.
Ranching For Wildlife. __________ Outfitters, big elk. We have been fortunate to acquire some fantastic elk hunting opportunities near Hayden, CO in the northwest corner of Colorado.
HB 505 is just wrong; giving a landowner with 640 acres their own tags to sell will privatize and commercialize wildlife management in Montana. Landowners will be able to manage elk for the biggest profits; denying access to the public during the regular hunting season; then using shoulder seasons; antherless elk only harvest to clean up their management mess when elk are over objective populations. Wildlife is a Public Resource, to be managed for the benefit of the public; not just the few.
Section 2, Antlerless elk only option will give bonus points to a person who obtains a Class A-5, anterless elk tag, to hunt antlerless elk between August 15 and February 15, on private land in hunting districts where the elk populations are above sustainable. And a single bonus point may be purchased, due to nonparticipation in a drawing and receive an additional five bonus points for a total of six elk species bonus points.
Section 3. Section 87-2-117, MCA, is amended to revise the license bonus point system to give an applicant, who has purchased more bonus points, more chances in the drawing over an applicant who has purchased fewer bonus points.
Sections 2 and 3 of HB 505 is a small bone thrown out to the public to lure some to support this bill and to clean up the management mess that will be created by HB 505. The hypocrisy of sections 2 and 3 is there are other bills, if passed, that would take away limited tags in hunting districts where populations are over objective.
