Helena — House Bill 139, sponsored by Representative Jedidiah Hinkle, prompted one of the longest hearings Wednesday before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee as proponents and opponents debated whether the Legislature should set limits on closing mule deer buck hunting during the November rut.

Hinkle said the bill aims to preserve long-standing November hunting traditions while still allowing the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission to use “every tool” it has to manage mule deer. “This bill is about protecting the opportunity to hunt mule deer during the rut, all while allowing the commission to continue to use every tool ... to manage mule deer,” Hinkle told the committee.

Under language Hinkle described to the committee, the bill would prohibit the commission from closing mule-deer buck hunting in more than 20% of hunting districts in a given season and would limit closures to two seasons within a six-year period in a given district. Hinkle said the cutoff date in the draft is November 6, a date he described as a generous protection for rut hunting.

Proponents framed the bill as a compromise that preserves family traditions and hunting opportunity. Jeff Darrrah of the Outdoor Heritage Coalition and JR Strand of Montana Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife told the committee they supported the measure to protect rut hunting as an element of Montana's hunting culture. Several individual hunters, including Trent Gahl and Kirk Lindsey, testified that they feared a proposal circulating among other interest groups would shift mule deer hunting entirely out of November and into October.

Opponents urged caution and emphasized process. Tom Jacobson of the Montana Wildlife Federation and a coalition of conservation organizations argued that the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, which sets seasons every two years, is the appropriate venue for season setting and that statute-based restrictions would reduce managers' flexibility. "We oppose this bill respectfully," Jacobson told the committee, urging reliance on the commission and the Mule Deer Citizens Advisory Council's ongoing work on a statewide mule-deer management plan.

Several witnesses described a separate citizen proposal (presented to FWP by a group of concerned citizens) that would shift general-unit mule-deer seasons into October; Gerald Martin, one of the authors of the citizen proposal, urged the committee to allow that proposal to be considered by the commission through the normal rulemaking process rather than foreclosing it by statute.

Testimony included differing regional population data, which both sides cited. Hinkle cited long-term regional trends he described as declines in some regions (he said Region 7 showed a 37% decrease) while noting that other regions were stable or had increased (he said Region 1 was about 10% above its long-term average). Department staff explained the commission's season-setting timetable and the role of the Mule Deer Citizens Advisory Council, which the department convened to advise on a statewide mule-deer management plan.

Committee members asked multiple witnesses about rigidity, public process and the commission's authority. The hearing closed with no committee vote; members asked for further information and raised procedural concerns about attributing motives to organizations and the role of citizen proposals. The bill will await any further committee action.