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Lawmakers debate rewrites to nonresident landowner hunting preference created last session
Summary
HB 907 would repeal portions of the nonresident landowner preference (HB 635) and instead require or incentivize participation in access programs while lowering acreage thresholds for bonus points; proponents said it restores equity and incentives for access, opponents said it risks undermining conservation incentives and that the prior program needs more time to prove itself. The committee advanced HB 907 to the floor.
Minority Leader Katie Sullivan presented House Bill 907 to revise the nonresident landowner preference created by last session's HB 635. Sullivan said HB 635 granted guaranteed combination licenses to nonresident landowners owning 2,500 contiguous acres and that HB 907 would repeal the no‑strings‑attached license portion while retaining and expanding incentives tied to department access programs, lowering acreage thresholds for bonus points to 640 acres and equalizing fees.
Proponents included hunters, conservation groups and sporting organizations who told the committee HB 907 restores equity in license allocation and encourages private landowner participation in block management and other access agreements. Gail Joslin, a retired wildlife biologist, said the bill "puts equitability back into the allocation of elk licenses." Several speakers cited low participation under HB 635 (FWP data showing 131 licenses in the pool) and urged this bill as a corrective.
Opponents ranged from conservation groups to outfitters and landowner advocates who said repealing HB 635 now would be premature, risk disincentivizing landowners who have opened access because of the prior law, and could prompt subdivision to game smaller‑acreage preference thresholds. Ben Lamb (Montana Conservation Society) and others warned the bill could reduce habitat conservation incentives and called for more data and time for the newer program to mature.
Emily Cooper, licensing bureau chief at FWP, provided factual clarification: HB 635 created a priority pool within the 17,000 nonresident B10 licenses, 131 applications used the provision in the last cycle, and 30 landowners purchased an additional bonus point; she confirmed that qualifying applications are reviewed by FWP staff for signatory authority and acreage eligibility.
Committee members asked detailed questions about how many acres and hunter days were opened by the HB 635 licenses, what portion of participants enrolled in access programs, subdivision risks from a reduced acreage threshold, and the interaction between license and permit preference programs. After extended questioning and discussion the committee voted in executive action to advance HB 907 to the floor.
