Brett French reports: Nonresident hunting license sales climb despite cap

Almost 50 years ago, Montana hunters and legislators thought there were too many nonresident hunters on the landscape, so a cap was set on nonresident big game combination license sales. The limit was set at 17,000 a year. Fast forward to today, and Montana hunters still believe crowding is an issue on public lands. And despite the cap, last year more than 66,000 nonresident hunting licenses were sold. A variety of tags have made it easier for nonresidents to hunt in Montana, and this session the Legislature may take up another bill that would expand and discount sales to nonresidents. The issue can be a divisive one, because nonresident landowners feel they should have a right to hunt their own property. To learn more about the issue, and how a lawsuit against the state’s decision in the 1970s went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, check out my story at https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/sportsmen-worry-nonresident-hunting-license-sales-misrepresented/article_2a46060e-990c-11ed-b321-1f1c653662e9.html.

Written by Brett French | Outdoors Editor | Billings Gazette