Study bill aims to map nonresident hunting pressure amid rising license sales

Representative Courtney Sprunger (House District 7) told the committee HB 568 would fund a stakeholder‑driven study of how rising nonresident participation and shrinking block‑management enrollment are affecting hunting access and harvest equity. "Sales of base licenses have climbed from 58,254 in 2019 to 85,223 in 2023," Sprunger told the committee as part of her opening remarks, citing figures that underscore growing nonresident participation.

Proponents including Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and local outfitters urged the study to collect spatially explicit hunter‑day metrics, differentiate resident and nonresident effort, and examine effects on block management and landowner participation. Ian Wargo, drawing on advisory‑group experience, said cross‑referencing existing datasets would help answer where hunters are going and how many hunter days nonresidents represent in different regions.

FWP staff participated in the hearing but the bill is framed as a department study with a stakeholder process; sponsors said the commission, legislators and the public would collaborate on study design. Committee members questioned whether the study should explore fiscal dependence on nonresident license revenue; Sprunger and others said that topic could be added by amendment.

The hearing produced broad stakeholder consensus about the need for better data but no committee vote was taken during the session. Sponsors and proponents described the bill as preparatory: the study would inform possible policy changes for the 2027 license package rather than immediately changing allocations or quotas.