Who’s Pushing Bills That Hurt Resident Hunters?
(This was a Jan. 23 op-ed piece sent to Montana media outlets. The following was added a few days later for clarification:
"The board of the Montana Sportsmen Alliance recently published a guest opinion piece on the roles of the Taylor Luther Group and the Montana Conservation Society in writing and passing hunting bills during the last few Legislative sessions. MSA views these groups as strongly favoring outfitters and non-resident large landowners, and the bills and actions they have promoted demonstrate that unequivocally. MSA fully stands by our cautions in the guest opinion piece. That’s not an insult; it’s an honest recognition of the goals of their clients, which differ from those of resident hunters.
However, in stating its larger point about lobbyists working for well-funded interests, MSA unintentionally included volunteers who have worked with the best of intentions on plans to restructure hunting seasons to restore faltering mule deer populations in the state. The Montana Conservation Society facilitated that process, and these volunteers and their hard work were slighted by association in our guest opinion piece.
The Montana Sportsmen Alliance sincerely regrets that and apologizes to these individuals. The status of mule deer in the state is of deep concern to us, and though we may differ on plan details, we have genuine respect for the engagement and expertise these volunteers have brought to the effort. We hope it serves as a needed catalyst for FWP and the FWP Commission to create a science-based, transparent and vigorous effort to revitalize mule deer populations in Montana.”)
It’s not just legislators meddling with our hunting and fishing heritage who bear watching this session; it’s the lobbyists and their funders who should really concern you.
In the last two sessions, multiple bills have been brought forward to allow outfitted clients and non-resident landowners to jump the line for coveted deer and elk tags in Montana. Others gave large landowners free elk permits.
The one thing these proposals have in common? They’re all being pushed by the lobbyists at the Taylor Luther Group and the guys now behind the newly formed and deceptively named “Montana Conservation Society.” The first lists clients like the Yellowstone Club, Montana Outfitters & Guides Association (MOGA), and the Wilks brothers while executive director of the latter is a past president of MOGA and its policy director doesn’t even live in Montana.
Sportsmen’s groups (the real ones) raised hell about these unfair allocations of hunting opportunity—clear violations of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, and not the traditional Montana way. Yet MOGA and its lobbyists succeeded in pretending these weren’t about monetizing public wildlife, claiming they weren’t '“guarantees.”
What do the numbers say?
Using FWP data, we now see that Rep. Kassmier’s (R-Fort Benton) HB 635 from 2023 led to non-resident landowners being 100% successful in the 2024 deer and elk draws. Every applicant drew, regardless of points.
Outfitters made out just as well. During the 2021 session’s final days, Rep. Burglee’s (R-Joliet) HB 637 was shoved through both chambers without public comment and signed by Gov. Gianforte. That bill established a “preference” for out-of-state hunters who can afford an outfitter. We now see that it’s more than preference—it’s a near-guarantee.
In 2024, outfitted non-resident clients had 100% success getting deer tags. Roughly 9 in 10 guided non-resident elk hunters were successful in drawing a tag in their very first year applying, while those who applied the prior year were guaranteed.
A national hunting organization is now raffling off guided mule deer hunts for non-residents with “exclusive access to private ranches in Big Sky Country” and “Montana non-resident deer combo license ($741.50) for both hunters included!” Tags once allocated by equitable lottery are now so assured for outfitters that they can be promised in raffles or sold to anyone with the most money.
The result? While outfitters and the largest landowners – and their lobbyists – change the rules, Montanans are asked to accept shorter hunting seasons, to designate a weapon and a district and to sacrifice parts of our heritage and family traditions.
Case in point: the Montana Conservation Society is pushing a controversial proposal that would drastically reduce resident hunting opportunities. They’re also introducing a bill that would make land exchanges easier for large landowners, and another that would allow landowners and outfitters to sell not one but three cow-elk hunts per hunter each year.
As with all recent misguided elk regulation changes, the issue with abundant elk populations has nothing to do with license availability and everything to do with public access. Ironically, this change would incentivize landowners and outfitters to block public access, which decreases public opportunities and perpetuates elk distribution issues.
We all should be skeptical. The next time you see something being pitched as a win for Montana hunters - whether as a bill or a proposal in front of the Fish and Wildlife Commission - find out who is pushing it. Often, that’s all you’ll need in order to know who will benefit.
And if the Montana Conservation Society or the Taylor Luther Group is behind it, it’s clear the beneficiary ain’t you.
Montana Sportsmen Alliance Board
