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Bill would let commission issue second mountain-lion license in select areas; opponents warn of commercialization
Summary
House Bill 71 would let the Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission authorize a second mountain-lion tag in specified areas where harvest quotas aren’t being met. FWP supported the bill as a management tool; conservationists and houndsmen warned it could commercialize take and harm lion populations.
Representative Shannon Maness opened House Bill 71 by saying the measure, requested by Fish, Wildlife and Parks, adds mountain lion to a list of game animals for which the commission may authorize a hunter to harvest a second animal in a license year in specific areas. "This bill is by the request of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, revising laws to mountain lion hunting… It is just allowing FWP to be able to issue some extra tags for certain areas so we can begin to meet some quotas," Maness said.
Quentin Kujala of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks testified for the director in support and recommended a do-pass, describing the proposal as an additional tool the commission can use in places where the quota-based harvest prescription has not been met. Kujala said the mechanism is discretionary and would be applied where biological or local management needs justify it.
Opponents urged caution. Mark Cook of Wolves of the Rockies said HB 71 "advances the commercialization of our wildlife" and could encourage outfitters to profit by taking multiple carnivores. Stacy Baertsch of the Montana Houndsmen Association expressed concern that the allowance could expand beyond the problem areas it targets and cited license and harvest data to argue there are already many tags issued statewide.
Committee members pressed staff for context on outreach and data. Kujala pointed to the department’s near-real-time quota-status webpage as an outreach tool and explained that the bill ties mountain lion to species for which the commission already has authority to authorize more than one take in a license year. Representative Maness cited recent statewide statistics, saying the 2023 statewide quota totaled 859 with a reported harvest of about 542, as a reason some areas may need extra tag authority to reach harvest objectives.
No formal action was taken. The bill will return to the committee for further consideration if sponsors or staff propose amendments; testimony reflected a divide between managers seeking tools to meet quota goals and conservation groups concerned about commercialization and population impacts.
