House committee backs bill to limit closures of November mule deer hunt after hours of debate

Representative Jay Hinkle, sponsor of House Bill 139, told the House Committee of the Whole that the bill would place modest "sideboards" on mule deer management and preserve a long-standing November rut hunt that many Montana hunters value. "House bill 139 is a protection bill for the overwhelming majority of sportsmen and women in Montana," Hinkle said.

Supporters said the bill protects hunting traditions and opportunities for families and young hunters during the rut. Hinkle said the measure does not prevent the Fish, Wildlife & Parks commission from using its management tools; rather, it would prevent the commission from removing the November buck hunt statewide, closing more than a set percentage of hunting districts at once, or imposing multi-year closures without review.

Opponents argued the Legislature should not set seasons in statute and that management decisions should follow scientific data. Representative Konower said season setting "is not something that we should make a habit of doing in this legislature" and warned that numeric limits in statute could be "random numbers" untethered to sound wildlife science.

Other critics, including outfitters and land managers who spoke on the floor, said the bill could hamper emergency responses to population crashes or disease and that local conditions differ across Montana. Representative Aldous, identifying himself as an outfitter, said hunting animals "at their most vulnerable time of the year" is not sound resource management and urged a no vote.

Hinkle and other supporters responded with details from department data and bill text: the bill would (1) prohibit closing mule deer buck hunting during the general season prior to Nov. 6 in a hunting district, (2) prohibit closures in more than 20% of the state's hunting districts in a single season, and (3) prevent a closure from lasting more than two years in a six-year period without reopening. Hinkle said Fish and Game currently restricts rut-season harvest in only about 6% of districts and that the bill allows the commission to manage while guarding against a statewide loss of November opportunity.

Committee members asked about the provenance of the numbers in the bill, who had signed letters for and against the measure, and whether the map examples the sponsor showed included tribal reservation lands. The sponsor said the cross-hatched example was illustrative, that reservations are managed separately, and that some outside sportsmen—s group letters had been sent in error and later corrected.

After extended discussion, the committee voted on the sponsor's motion that House Bill 139 be recommended do pass. The clerk recorded an interim count during the roll call; the committee report moved forward for second-reading processes.