Committee hears HB 347 to move hunter-orange standard to Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission

The House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee heard testimony on House Bill 347, sponsored by Representative Gary Perry, which would repeal the statutory 400‑square‑inch hunter‑orange requirement and give the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission authority to set hunter‑visibility rules.

Proponents including Rob Arnaud, executive director of the Montana Conservation Society, told the committee the change would let the commission develop species‑specific and season‑specific rules and increase public input into regulation. “Hunter orange isn’t the issue of the bill,” Arnaud said, adding that the bill is intended to “modernize how Montana manages Hunter Orange” (Rob Arnaud, Executive Director, Montana Conservation Society; first spoken at 477.35). Other proponents — hunters, former wardens and outfitting guides — said the statutory requirement is blunt and sometimes impractical for single‑person mountain hunts (Jim Loessberg; Mark Anderson; Dan Lewis;…