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Committee hears mixed views on HB1237 to create optional nonresident full‑season upland license
Summary
Representative Twythe proposed an optional season‑long nonresident upland and small‑game license; Game and Fish and several conservation groups warned the bill would reduce license revenue and intensify pressure on resident hunters and habitat programs
The House Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1237, which would create an optional nonresident upland and small‑game season license for repeat nonresident hunters, absentee landowners and family members.
Representative Twythe, the bill sponsor, said the provision is intended as a convenience and not a replacement for existing 14‑day nonresident licenses. He proposed amendments to make the option explicitly “optional” and to leave fee levels to the department; Twythe suggested a full‑season fee at or above $300 but below $800 as a policy choice.
Casey Anderson of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department testified in opposition to the bill as written. Anderson said the fiscal note estimates roughly $173,000 per biennium in lost revenue because nonresidents who now buy multiple consecutive 14‑day licenses could instead buy a single season license at the current 14‑day price under the bill’s original wording. Anderson also told the committee that public input at district advisory meetings showed residents’ concerns about increasing nonresident pressure on upland game such as pheasants.
Conservation groups and hunting‑access advocates echoed the department’s concerns. John Bradley of the North Dakota Wildlife Federation said the revenue reduction would risk funding for habitat and access programs, and Brock Wall of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers said his chapter would be neutral only if lost revenue were offset in a way that protected habitat work.
Individuals who supported the bill described convenience and parity with other state license structures. Representative Twythe and supporters said the department should set the fee and that the bill would not necessarily increase hunting pressure if priced appropriately.
No committee vote was recorded at the hearing. The department offered to supply more licensing statistics if the committee wants to assess impacts further; committee members discussed resident vs. nonresident balance and other policy tradeoffs.
