_____________ bill NO. _____________

INTRODUCED BY _________________________________________________

By Request of the ****

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT GENERALLY REVISING HUNTING LICENSES; LIMITING SHEEP, MOOSE, AND GOAT TAGS FOR NONRESIDENTS TO A PERCENTAGE OF TAGS PURCHASED BY RESIDENTS; Providing rulemaking authority; GIVING PREFERENCE TO NONRESIDENT RELATIVES OF RESIDENTS; establishing a fee for a nonresident special archery license; and AMENDING SECTIONS 87-2-506 AND 87-2-708, MCA."

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

Section 1. Section 87-2-506, MCA, is amended to read:

"87-2-506. Restrictions on hunting licenses. (1) The department may prescribe by rule the number of hunting licenses to be issued. Any license sold may be restricted to a specific administrative region, hunting district, or other designated area and may specify the species, age, and sex to be taken and the time period for which the license is valid.

(2) (a) When the number of valid resident applications for big game licenses or permits of a single class or type exceeds the number of licenses or permits the department desires to issue in an administrative region, hunting district, or other designated area, then the number of big game licenses or permits issued to nonresident license or permitholders in the region, district, or area may not exceed 10% of the total issued.

(b) (i) The department shall establish by rule sex-specific tags for sheep and moose.

(ii) The commission shall limit the number of sex-specific tags for sheep and moose available to nonresidents to 10% of the number of tags offered to residents as defined in 87-2-102 the previous year. Preference for nonresident tags must be given to those nonresident relatives of residents as defined in 87-2-514. The department shall determine the 10% of sex-specific tags for sheep and moose, and the determination must be made by district without the use of averaging.

(d) This section does not apply to unlimited sheep tags.

(e) No more than 10% of licenses, tags, and permits available to resident archers the previous year may be sold to nonresident archers.

(3) Disabled veterans who meet the qualifying criteria provided in 87-2-817(1) must be provided a total of 50 Class A-3 deer A tags, 50 Class A-4 deer B tags, 50 Class B-7 deer A tags, 50 Class B-8 deer B tags, and 50 special antelope licenses annually, which may be used within the administrative region, hunting district, or other designated area of the disabled veteran's choice, except in a region, district, or area where the number of licenses are less than the number of applicants, in which case qualifying disabled veterans are eligible for no more than 10% of the total licenses for that region, district, or area."

Section 2. Section 87-2-708, MCA, is amended to read:

"87-2-708. Class A-2--special bow and arrow license. A holder of a valid hunting license for which a special archery season is set by the department may receive, upon on payment of an additional fee of $10 for a resident and $100 for a nonresident, a Class A-2 license that authorizes the holder to hunt with bow and arrow the game animals authorized by the licenses held and to possess the carcass of the game animals during seasons and in areas designated by the department."