Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Oppose any restrictions on exercise of the right to keep and bear arms not in current law.

Support changes from current law that allow expanded exercise of the right to keep and bear arms.

Oppose the Brady Law and its continuation.

Interaction with Public Authorities

Any weakening of public rights to direct democracy (initiative and referenda) is unacceptable.

Private Property Rights

When private property rights and hunting opportunities are in conflict, private property rights must prevail.

Privacy

Oppose use of federal Social Security Number as identifier for hunting and fishing licenses.

Hunting and Fishing Access

Increase hunter access on private land, including through cooperative agreements and incentives.

Hunting access must be addressed in land purchases, easements, and leases by public agencies.

Encourage landowners to allow public hunting to reduce game damage.

For game management purposes, support opening of non-wilderness roads previously closed - season length and harvest limits are the preferred method of game management, not access reduction.

Public Land Management

Manage motorized travel on public land to benefit wildlife and wildlife habitat for harvest opportunity and especially big game retrieval.

Increase hunter access on public lands by minimizing road closures and by preserving historic access through public and private lands.

Threatened and Endangered Species

Emphasize huntable game species in Threatened and Endangered Species programs, with less emphasis on non-game issues and non-hunting recreation.

Maximize efforts to de-list threatened and endangered species and prevent listing of other species.

Oppose any further introduction of wolves and Grizzly Bears anywhere in Montana.

Bison Management

Support shift in management of the immigrating Yellowstone Park bison from FWP to Department of Livestock.

Support FWP creation of a brucellosis-free, huntable population(s) of bison within Montana.

Test immigrating Yellowstone Park bison for brucellosis - use brucellosis-free animals to stock internal Montana bison populations.

Predators

Reduce predator impact on big game hunting opportunity.

Increase effective harvest of predators that prey on huntable big game or create safety problems.

Promote predator hunting and trapping as one aspect of recreation opportunity expansion.

Noxious weeds

Control of noxious weeds is essential to wildlife habitat preservation and provision.

Game Farms

Administration of game farms should NOT be paid for with hunter license fees.

Support shift of public administration of game farms from DFWP to Department of Livestock.

Wilderness

Support existing wilderness. Oppose additional wilderness areas, including de facto wilderness created by road closures, endangered species habitat closures and migration zones, and wilderness buffer zones.

Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks

FWP programs delivering benefits to people who don’t hunt or fish should be funded by those who benefit..

Do not extend FWP services to landowners who charge the public to hunt.

Use only non-licensing funding to support educational programs for non hunting constituents. Address hunting access and habitat for huntable game species in public land acquisitions.

Increase enforcement of wildlife laws on public land and on private land.

Address access in purchases, easements, and leases under FWP’s Habitat Montana Policy.

Some hunters, such as landowners, persons with disabilities, youth, and senior citizens, should be offered extra privileges and/or reduced license fees.

Hunter education programs should include the role of hunting in wildlife management, and information about the anti-hunting movement.

Regulate distribution of nonresident hunters through quotas by administrative region, ecosystem, or other allocative scheme.

Develop shooting ranges and the shooting range funding program.

FWP should be barred from adopting regulations, proposals and initiatives upon which the public has insufficient time to comment.

FWP forfeiture of game animals prior to conviction or guilty plea is unacceptable.

Hunting Heritage

Support current law about hunting heritage, as follows:

1-1-226. Official observance of Montana's hunting heritage. The week beginning the third Monday in September is an official week of observance in Montana to commemorate this state's valued heritage of hunting game animals. During this week, all Montanans are urged to:
(1) reflect on hunting as an expression of our culture and heritage;
(2) acknowledge that it is our community of sportsmen, sportswomen, and hunters who have made the greatest contributions to the establishment of current game animal populations; and
(3) celebrate this culture and heritage in all lawful ways.