Montana’s Legislature is considering a bill, House Bill 505, which would provide private landowners with ten non-resident, either-sex elk tags for commercial distribution, so long as they own 640 acres or more and happen to live in a unit at elk management objective. All resident Montana hunters should oppose this legislation that would unfairly carve out and privatize our state’s elk herds, a public resource. And by giving five bonus points per year to hunters fortunate enough to have access to hunt cow elk on private lands, the bill would also severely skew our bonus point system.
As a veteran and outdoors enthusiast, I joined Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Armed Forces’ Initiative on a veterans public-land hunt in eastern Montana, this past fall. We camped and hunted on U.S. Forest Service land, and the animals we pursued crossed freely between private and public boundaries. There were 17 veterans on that trip, and none of us own 640 acres of private lands. According to the Public Trust Doctrine, Montana’s wildlife belongs to all of us. It should stay that way.
It’s a uniquely American principle that we fought for, and we’re not going to give up fighting for that now. Please ask your representative to oppose HB 505.
Jim Vincent
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 3/17/21