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Committee recommends ending Glendive city deer hunt after Feb. 15
Summary
Committee members recommended not renewing the urban deer hunt, citing confusion over rules, limited public-safety benefit and enforcement challenges; agency staff said the program is producing more problems than benefits and will notify regional managers if the city declines to continue.
A Cooper Committee member recommended ending Glendive’s city deer hunt after Feb. 15, and agency representatives agreed the program should not be renewed this season.
"I'm recommending that we simply end the city deer hunt after the 15th," the committee member (Speaker 2) said, citing widespread confusion about allowed hunting methods and concern that the program is not reducing in‑town deer numbers. An agency official (Speaker 6) told the committee the hunt’s original goal — responding to aggressive deer incidents — is not being met and that "it's causing more problems than it's helping." Another agency representative (Speaker 8) said 22 licenses were sold last year but that current-year sales data were not yet available.
Committee members discussed whether any state action was required to terminate the program and were told the city commission can choose not to propose continuation; staff said they would note the committee’s recommendation at the full council meeting on Feb. 17. The committee agreed not to bring forward a motion to reauthorize the hunt, effectively ending the program unless the council later acts to revive it.
Members noted continued urban deer presence and said the city could revisit the issue if deer‑vehicle collisions or injured animals rise in the future.
