FWP proposes changes in licenses

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks held a public comment meeting in Havre Thursday to discuss the raises in license fees and other changes they want to implement after the next legislative session.

Tom Flowers, a representative of FWP, said the department wants to make the changes to licenses because of inflation and the cost of extra services provided to Montana hunters and anglers.

The meeting was set up to get feedback from Montana communities about the proposed changes, which the Legislature must approve before FWP may implement them. Flowers asked attendees of the meeting to submit comments via paper or through their website so they may gauge the public’s reactions to such changes.

One of the changes the FWP wants to make is to standardize youth, senior, disabled and nonresident free and discounted licenses at 50 percent of the full-priced license.

The change would eliminate free licenses to seniors and also change the age at which they are eligible for the discounted licenses from 62 to 67.

FWP also aims to add a base hunting license fee at a cost of $10 for residents and $15 for nonresidents. After the base is paid, then purchasing a license follows the same procedure and prices as before. The actual hunting license prices would not change.

Nonresident licenses for bison, moose, mountain goat and mountain sheep would rise from $750 to $1,250. Flowers said these prices would match our neighboring states’ prices.

The resident two-day fishing licenses would increase from $5 to $8 and resident season licenses would rise from $18 to $24. Nonresident two-day fishing licenses would rise from $15 to $26 and 10-day nonresident fishing licenses would change to seven-day fishing licenses and jump in cost from $43.50 to $56. The nonresident season fishing license would go from $60 to $86.

Flowers said around 72 percent of FWP’s budget comes from nonresident fees because of Montana’s prime hunting and angling conditions.

Another change would be to the refund policy for nonresidents who are unsuccessful in drawing a permit. They currently receive 80 percent of their money back, but if the change is accepted, that percentage would change to 95.

“The Council believes that the current refund policy is a financial deterrent for many nonresidents considering whether to hunt in Montana,” a document from FWP explaining the changes says.

FWP is also looking for ways to charge people who are using state lands but not hunting or angling, like birdwatchers or hikers.

“How do we get nonconsumptive users to pay for what we do?” Flowers asked the attendees of the meeting.

The next public hearing meeting will be in Plentywood June 24. The public meetings will continue over the next few months until they submit their recommendations to the Legislative Environmental Quality Council for the 2015 legislative session.

To submit a comment for the FWP to consider in their recommendations, visit their website at http://fwp.mt.gov and click “Licensing and Funding Advisory Council.”