As surplus licenses go on sale on Monday, Aug. 12, hunters should remember that, according to the 2019 regulations, they are allowed only one Elk B License, despite legislation passed during the recent Montana Legislature.
In the 2019 legislative session, House Bill 497 was passed providing hunters the opportunity to harvest up to three elk. However, this legislation doesn’t change the regulations for this year, which state: “Each hunter may possess only one Elk B License per year in addition to a General Elk License.”
“For the 2019 hunting season we will follow the regulations as approved previously by the commission,” said John Vore, game management bureau chief for FWP. “We will seek to address the harvest possibility of up to three elk through the biennial season-setting process this fall for the 2020 hunting season.”
Hunters should note that the rule of no more than one Elk B License does not preclude the possibility of a hunter harvesting up to three elk between Aug. 15 and Feb. 15 if a hunter was authorized for a game damage hunt.
“Our game damage hunts and management hunts fall outside the purview of the season-setting process, and this new harvest opportunity could create the potential for a hunter to take up to three elk should an additional game damage license opportunity be provided to the hunter who is selected from the Hunt Roster,” Vore said.
For more information, contact the FWP Wildlife Division office at 406-444-2612 or contact a regional FWP office.
