HB 283 revises Montana law governing special hunting license sales for mountain sheep and Shiras moose. Under current law, the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission may issue one male mountain sheep license each year through a competitive auction or lottery, and this bill expressly allows the same license to be issued through a lottery. The bill also clarifies that a wildlife conservation organization involved in mountain sheep conservation may be authorized to run the auction or lottery and keep up to 10% of proceeds for reasonable expenses.
For Shiras moose, the bill similarly authorizes the annual license to be issued through a competitive auction or lottery and allows a conservation organization involved in moose conservation to conduct the sale and retain up to 10% of proceeds. In both cases, the remaining proceeds must be used by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for the substantial benefit of the species, and those funds must supplement, not replace, other management funding. The bill also retains reporting requirements for mountain sheep auction or lottery proceeds and sets a delayed effective date of March 1, 2026.
Impact
HB 283 amends sections 87-2-722 and 87-2-724 of the Montana Code Annotated to expand the methods by which special mountain sheep and Shiras moose licenses may be issued, explicitly adding lotteries alongside auctions. It affects the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and eligible wildlife conservation organizations by defining who may conduct the sales, how much may be retained for expenses, and how proceeds must be dedicated to species management and conservation.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been generally supported in the House, passing committee and floor votes unanimously, and it also advanced in the Senate with majority support on concurrence and final passage. However, the Senate committee process showed some division, including failed motions and a narrower vote on concurrence, suggesting the bill was broadly acceptable but not entirely free of procedural or policy disagreement.
Contention
The main points of contention appear to have centered on the Senate Fish and Game Committee, where motions to table and to concur produced split votes, indicating disagreement over whether to advance the bill as written. The bill’s policy change is relatively narrow, but any debate likely focused on the use of lotteries versus auctions for high-demand hunting tags, the role of outside conservation organizations in conducting the sales, and how proceeds are managed and allocated for wildlife benefit.