Elk slaughter bill step to end public hunting

Montana is at a crossroads in our management of wildlife. We will either maintain our decades-long tradition in which everyone has equal opportunity to enjoy our public wildlife, or we hand control to a handful of wealthy landowners and outfitters to pick who gets to hunt.

A bill pending in the state Legislature would allow unlimited elk “B” cow elk tags in some areas to residents, and give non-residents who draw a bull elk license a second cow elk tag, in addition to the one they’re already guaranteed based on a law passed a couple years ago. There are no sideboards on which areas would be allocated these tags, leaving the discretion to the Fish and Wildlife Commission. 

What’s really going on here is the privatization of our public wildlife resources to cater to a handful of large outfitters and landowners. SB 270 would create a system in which outfitters control nearly every aspect of wildlife, to their benefit to sell trophy hunts while elk herds continue to grow over the objectives set by the state. It was brought by the Montana Conservation Society, a dark money group run by an out-of-state lobbyist, outfitters and large landowners.