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Committee hears plan to license and season shed-antler collecting with resident priority; opponents flag fees and access concerns
Summary
HB 353, with an amendment, would add shed-antler collecting to Montana’s conservation-license framework, give the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission authority to set seasons and grant residents an eight-day head start on commission-managed WMAs; proponents said it manages crowding and wildlife impacts, while opponents objected to fees, federal‑land applicability and potential access restrictions.
Representative Jill Cohenour presented House Bill 353 and an amendment that would integrate shed-antler collecting into the state’s conservation-license framework and give the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission authority to set seasons and timing on WMAs. Key features in the amendment: remove a proposed $10 resident fee and instead include resident shed-collecting privileges with the conservation license; require a $50 nonresident collecting license; allow the Commission to set area- or district-specific seasons; and require the Commission to give Montana residents an eight-day head start on commission-managed WMAs.
Supporters including Montana Conservation Society, Montana Wildlife Federation and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation said the amendment gives FWP a flexible tool to manage large concentrations of people at WMA openings and to protect wintering wildlife during vulnerable periods; Ben Lamb and Tom Jacobson argued seasons and limited access can be tailored locally rather than imposing wholesale closures.
Opponents raised multiple concerns: Ryan Featherston and others said the proposal targets shed hunters while other recreationists can produce similar disturbance; critics such as Cameron Dorrington called the proposed nonresident fee and licensing an additional charge to use public land and warned about precedent; the Montana Trappers Association asked whether federal Pittman‑Robertson-funded WMAs could be restricted to nonresidents given federal funding rules. Witnesses also worried about implementation timing given conservation license renewal dates and how incidental finders (hikers who stumble on sheds) would be treated; FWP said it expects an education period and that enforcement options would include a $135 rule fine in some contexts and separate unlawful-possession penalties in statute.
What the committee heard but did not resolve: Whether the Commission language should require ("shall") or permit ("may") resident head starts and how seasons would apply to federal lands were unresolved; the committee discussed practical implementation, including online licensing and public education to avoid penalizing incidental recreationists.
Ending: Representative Cohenour closed testimony urging committee support for the amended bill; no vote was taken at the hearing.
