2023 Montana Legislature

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House bill NO. 456

INTRODUCED BY B. Ler, B. Mitchell, P. Fielder, M. Regier, A. Regier, R. Marshall, G. Hertz, P. Green, R. Miner, B. Phalen, L. Hellegaard, T. Smith

By Request of the ****

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT PROVIDING A FREE SUPER TAG CHANCE TO EACH MONTANA RESIDENT WHO PURCHASES A DEER OR ELK LICENSE; PROVIDING RULEMAKING AUTHORITY; AMENDING SECTION 87-2-702, MCA; AND PROVIDING a delayed EFFECTIVE DATE.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

 

Section 1.Annual lottery of hunting licenses -- residents only. (1) For each deer or elk general license purchased by a resident, as defined in 87-2-102, the department shall award the resident one free chance in the lottery established by this section.

(2)        The commission may issue one license each license year for one of the following:

(a)        shiras moose;

(b)        mountain sheep; or

(c)        mountain goat.

(3)        (a) The restriction in 87-2-702(4) that a person who receives a moose, mountain goat, or mountain sheep special license is not eligible to receive another license for that species for the next 7 years does not apply to a person who receives a license through a lottery conducted pursuant to this section.

(b)        Residents participating in the lottery pursuant to this section may also participate in the lottery established in 87-1-271.

(4)        The commission shall establish rules regarding:

(a)        the conduct of the lottery authorized in this section;

(b)        the use of licenses issued through the lottery; and

(c)        the rotation between the three species each year.

 

Section 2. Section 87-2-702, MCA, is amended to read:

"87-2-702. Restrictions on special licenses -- availability of bear and mountain lion licenses. (1) A person who has killed or taken any game animal, except a deer, an elk, or an antelope, during the current license year is not permitted to receive a special license under this chapter to hunt or kill a second game animal of the same species.

(2)        The commission may require applicants for special permits authorized by this chapter to obtain a valid big game license for that species for the current year prior to applying for a special permit.

(3)        Except as provided in 87-2-815, a person may take only one grizzly bear in Montana with a license authorized by 87-2-701.

(4)        (a) Except as provided in 87-1-271(2), [section 1], and 87-2-815, a person who receives a moose, mountain goat, or limited mountain sheep license, as authorized by 87-2-701, with the exception of an antlerless moose or an adult ewe game management license issued under 87-2-104, is not eligible to receive another special license for that species for the next 7 years. For the purposes of this subsection (4)(a), "limited mountain sheep license" means a license that is valid for an area in which the number of licenses issued is restricted.

(b)        (i) Except as provided in 87-1-271(2) and 87-2-815, a person who takes a legal ram mountain sheep with at least one horn that is equal to or greater than a three-fourths curl using an unlimited mountain sheep license or a population management license issued pursuant to 87-2-701 is not eligible to receive another special license for that species for the next 7 years. For the purposes of this subsection (4)(b)[(i)], "unlimited mountain sheep license" means a license that is valid for an area in which the number of licenses issued is not restricted.

[(ii)        The department shall biennially report to the environmental quality council in accordance with 5-11-210 information on:

(A)        mountain sheep harvested pursuant to this subsection (4) from the Tendoy Mountain herd;

(B)        efforts to collect tissue samples and other biological information from mountain sheep harvested from the Tendoy Mountain herd to determine the immunity of surviving herd members to pneumonia outbreaks; and

(C)        attempts by the department to share tissue samples and other biological information collected from the Tendoy Mountain herd with Washington State University, other public entities, and private entities that research the interaction between mountain sheep and domestic sheep.]

(5)        An application for a wild buffalo or bison license must be made on the same form and is subject to the same license application deadline as the special license for moose, mountain goat, and mountain sheep. (Bracketed language in subsection (4)(b) terminates July 1, 2027--sec. 3, Ch. 186, L. 2017.)."

 

Section 3.Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 87, chapter 1, part 2, and the provisions of Title 87, chapter 1, part 2, apply to [section 1].

 

Section 4.Effective date. [This act] is effective March 1, 2024.


Latest Version of HB 456 (HB0456.003)
Processed for the Web on April 18, 2023 (2:13PM)

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