RMEF works against resident hunters
(Bruce Sterling authored this opinion, which appeared in various print publications.)
Right before the last legislative session, an op-ed called out the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for not showing up “to oppose the guaranteed tags for outfitters, the bulls for billionaires program, efforts to award transferable tags, attacks on conservation easements, or the theft of conservation dollars” in the prior session. RMEF has evolved, the authors argued, “from public hunting advocates in Montana to nothing more than a land trust organization.”
That opinion piece must have struck a chord. RMEF is noticeably more active in Helena this session, which is great to see. But what has RMEF been doing on behalf of their members in Montana?
First, RMEF opposed and then killed House Bill 283, a bill that sought simply to give the option for the statewide sheep and moose tags to either be auctioned or raffled, rather than requiring that they be sold to the highest bidder. While auctions sound good, they work best for the wealthiest participants. Raffles offer opportunity to all and can, importantly, result in larger revenues.
Why would RMEF care about this? The hearing highlighted that whenever the statewide elk tag has been available, it’s been awarded to RMEF. And every year, RMEF has auctioned that tag to the bidder with the deepest pockets. For the 20 years this has happened, RMEF had the option of auctioning or raffling this tag, but they still use this tag to attract high rollers to their banquet and still give this exclusive opportunity to the wealthiest of the wealthy. That’s their prerogative, but RMEF’s lobbyist still felt inclined to stand up and oppose a bill that would have no impact on their auctioned elk tag - it would simply give the option that they have with their elk tag to the sheep and moose tag too. Is this what RMEF members are asking for and what their donations and membership dollars are paying for?
To illustrate how unreasonable RMEF’s opposition to HB 283 was, the bill passed the House Fish, Wildlife & Parks committee and then the entire House floor unanimously. Then, relentless lobbying by RMEF killed the bill on party lines in the Senate Fish and Game committee. All eight Republicans voted against the bill.
Worse, RMEF then joined the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association and the Montana Conservation Society as the only groups to support SB 270, a bill that would allow individual landowners to shoot quite literally an unlimited number of elk each season. Four out of five Montana elk hunters don’t kill a single elk, yet RMEF’s lobbyist thinks a bill that would give one person the ability to shoot an unlimited number of elk is a good idea? The bill has been amended, but RMEF supported its original, extreme form.
For an organization with a mission to “ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage,” it’s a depressing puzzle that they’d support this attempt to treat elk like vermin and disincentivize public access and opportunity - in other words, our hunting heritage.
Two years after they were called out, it’s good to see RMEF more involved on issues impacting elk and elk hunters in Montana. But in some ways, I wish RMEF would go back to doing nothing in Helena, rather than actively working against the interests of resident hunters.
Maryanne Nelson - Getty Images