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House committee hears arguments over bill to restore statewide trap setbacks
Summary
Sen. Willis Curti told the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks committee SB 427 would codify existing Fish, Wildlife and Parks setback distances and remove a single-county carve-out; proponents said it restores safety and uniformity while opponents warned it would strip the commission of local flexibility.
Senator Willis Curti opened the hearing on Senate Bill 427, saying the measure would codify the trapping setbacks currently in Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) regulations and remove a county-specific carve-out the commission adopted last fall. “There’s no change to the law — it eliminates the carve out, goes back to the original setback distances,” Curti said, urging a due pass.
Proponents said the change restores predictable safety for people using trails and roads. Jessica Kargala of Bold Visions Conservation testified that an amendment approved by a regional commissioner eliminated setbacks on most seasonally closed roads in Ravalli County and that restoring uniform setbacks would reduce danger to winter recreational users. Patch Kawaki, speaking for tribal communities, said consistent setbacks would help protect tribal access to culturally important trails.
Opponents, including Sarah Clerget of the Outdoor Heritage Coalition and leaders of trapping groups, said the bill would remove useful, targeted tools for local wildlife management. Clerget argued the commission’s changes allow nimble, local responses — for example, giving trappers more tools where wolf populations are a concern — and said vague terms in the bill (like “recreation site”) risk confusing trappers about which rules apply. Ian Wargo said the relevant FWP regulation requires a 150-foot setback from roads and designated trails and warned that the bill’s language could criminalize ordinary trapping on roads closed year-round under the commission’s rule.
FWP’s chief of law enforcement, Ron Howell, appeared as an informational witness and provided the committee with the department’s fur-bearer regulations (page 10), which the sponsor and witnesses compared to the bill text. Howell confirmed that placing setbacks in statute would lock them in place until the Legislature acted again, preventing the commission from adjusting setbacks in the interim.
Committee members asked whether the bill’s intent was simply to mirror current regulation or to limit the commission’s future flexibility. Curti and Howell said the bill mirrors existing FWP language and that the only substantive change would be eliminating the one-county carve-out.
No formal motion or vote was recorded during the hearing; the committee closed the public hearing on SB 427 after the sponsor’s closing remarks.
