More amendments likely, check website for more information
HELENA – Fish and Wildlife Commissioners have proposed several amendments to the 2026/2027 hunting regulation proposals released by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks last month. Amendments are open for public comment through Dec. 1.
Commissioner amendments will be posted as they are received and processed by FWP staff. This process includes developing a response to the amendments, which is included in the amendment proposal online.
If you are interested in what amendments are being proposed or in commenting on the proposed amendments, please continue to check back to the Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting webpage for the latest information.
Amendments
Commissioner Brooke, who represents FWP Region 3 in southwest Montana, has an amendment to remove the maximum let-off for hunting bows. Currently, hunting bows can have maximum of 80 percent let-off. The amendment was requested because no archery manufacturers advertise an 80 percent let-off.
Commissioner Cebull, who represents FWP Region 5 in southcentral Montana, has two amendments. The first amendment would retain the archery black bear fall sub-quota in all black bear management units with quotas, but increase the quota percentage allowed from 20 to 30 percent. The second amendment would allow hunters to purchase and accrue bonus points for any limited draw black bear permits.
Chair Robinson, who represents FWP Region 6 in northeast Montana, has an amendment that could reduce the number of nonresident deer hunters by up to 5,000 hunters per year. The amendment would prevent FWP from selling nonresident deer licenses made available when nonresident hunters purchase an Elk Combination License. The change would reduce the number of nonresident deer licenses sold by up to 5,000 depending on the number of Elk Combination Licenses drawn.
Commissioner Ian Wargo, who represents FWP Region 1 in northwest Montana, has proposed three amendments. The first amendment would change FWP’s regulation proposals in Regions 2 through 5 to make antlerless mule deer B licenses valid only on private land, with the exception of hunting district 388. The second amendment would generally limit the harvest of elk on public land to one per person per year and make antlerless elk opportunity either by the general elk license or by a limited number of antlerless elk permits for specific hunting districts where general opportunity would be excessive.
Additionally, this second amendment would also make elk B licenses either only valid on private land or valid on land outside the National Forest boundary not to include FWP lands or Bureau of Land Management lands, or other variations to ensure the licenses are not valid on large tracts of public lands. The exception to this would be where biologists deem appropriate, they could offer an elk B license to either-sex or brow-tined bull elk permit holders. These elk B licenses would have the same area limitations as the held permit.
Commissioner Wargo’s third amendment would reduce bighorn sheep license quotas for three specific licenses. The licenses it would reduce quota on are:
- 250-20 Any Ram: 1 to 1
- 680-30 Adult Ewe: 5 to 1
- 680-31 Adult Ewe: 15 to 1
Process
FWP’s biennial hunting season setting process is a lengthy effort to identify potential changes needed in the hunting regulations. This process involves formal scoping meetings around the state, which were held in late spring. FWP staff solicited feedback from hunters, landowners and other members of the public through the scoping process and a public survey.
After the scoping was complete, staff work to incorporate the things they heard into a suite of regulation proposals that were released for public review Oct. 29.
Fish and Wildlife Commissioners can offer amendments to FWP’s proposals, and those amendments will be published online for review and public comment. Commissioners may offer amendments at any time, including at the meeting on Dec. 4. More amendments are expected in the coming days. Published amendments include a response from FWP. People interested in the regulation proposals should check the FWP website regularly.
The commission will meet and make a final decision on hunting regulations for the 2026 and 2027 hunting seasons on Dec. 4. The meeting will be held in Helena at the Capitol, Room 317 starting at 8 a.m. If you’d like to attend via Zoom, you must register online by 12 p.m. on Dec. 3.
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Photo credit: rpbirdman from Getty Images Signature
