Montana committee advances bill allowing some seniors to hunt cow elk on private land

House Bill 3-28, which would allow residents 75 and older to harvest a cow elk with a general elk tag on private land in hunting districts that already permit 12- to 15-year-old youths similar opportunity, advanced out of the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on a voice vote.

Representative Caleb Hinkle, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure is intended to give "older Montanans, due to age and physical limitations," the same limited hunting opportunity now available to some youth hunters. He said the proposal would initially apply in 49 hunting districts and that the Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) agency would retain discretion over which districts would be included.

The bill applies only to private land, Hinkle said, adding he left public land out of the draft because of concerns about increasing competition on already-crowded public hunting areas. He…