FWP proposes changing elk hunting regulations

By SCOTT McMILLION, Chronicle Staff Writer

Montana has too many elk in many places, state biologists say, but hunters don't have enough access to them to adequately control herd sizes.

So the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is proposing a major revamp of its elk hunting regulations.

The main thrust of the idea is to keep things simple, to concentrate most hunting in the five week general season in the fall.

In parts of the state, more hunting of cow elk would be allowed, and landowners could feel more pressure to open their land to hunters. On the other hand, some early and late seasons could be lost.

For 30 years, FWP officials have offered an increasingly complicated "mixed bag of customized hunting regulations," but elk numbers still exceed target levels in more than half the state's elk management units, FWP announced this month in a press release.

Statewide, there are an estimated 145,000 elk, nearly triple the 1978 level of 55,000 animals. Regulators have tried late season and early season hunts, plus special permits, but the herds keep growing.

Despite all the efforts, FWP still hears complaints from landowners about damage to crops, requests for damage hunts, and complaints from hunters about a lack of access.

Switching most efforts to a general season might solve some problems, FWP says.

There will be a public meeting Jan. 5, at the Bozeman Holiday Inn at 7 p.m. to explain the proposal and take public comment.

A major problem is a lack of access for hunters, according to Gary Hammond, chief of wildlife management for FWP.

"In almost every case, elk numbers grew as hunter access diminished, leading to low harvests," he said.

If the plan earns final approval, it could put pressure on some landowners to offer more access to hunters.

Only landowners who offer "reasonable" public access during the general season will be allowed damage hunts at other times, FWP said.

"The idea is to get some elk harvested," said FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim. "There are only supposed to be damage hunts if there's been reasonable access in the general season."

The head of one ranching group said he has mixed feelings about the proposal.

Simplifying elk regulations is a good idea, said Steve Pilcher, executive vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

"But I'm concerned that we can accomplish population goals with a five-week season," he added.

When winter arrives late, elk can be hard to find in the fall. Often, by the time snow and cold drive them to private land, the general season is closed.

"A five week season, if Mother Nature does not cooperate, is not going to achieve the goal," Pilcher said.

"We're not in any way trying to be vindictive or spiteful," Aasheim said. "The idea is to get some elk harvested. But unless you can get at the elk, you can't harvest them."

Kurt Alt, FWP regional biologist in Bozeman, said he expects to hear complaints from outfitters, but the agency is trying to manage a publicly owned resource: the elk population.

Ranchers and/or outfitters need to find ways to allow access in the general season, already among the longest in the nation.

"We aren't managing a public resource around a commercial operation," he said. "It holds them accountable. If they want them harvested, they have to provide access during the general season."

Though extended seasons could be possible under the new rules if the weather requires them, Alt added that increasing reliance on special seasons can put hunters in unsavory situations, like when large numbers of them surround elk on relatively small parcels of land.

And damage hunts will remain an option for landowners who allow access.

Craig Sharpe, executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation, said Friday his group is withholding judgment of the proposal until it has time to study the details.

"I think it's a bold move by the department," he said.

He noted that state law requires that landowners offer reasonable access before a damage hunt can be allowed on their land.

But defining the word reasonable has been difficult.

"They've struggled with that for years," Sharpe said of FWP.

Pilcher said members of his group often complain that some owners treat their land like "refuges" during the general season, but the elk then graze on the neighbors' land the rest of the year.

While hunters and many landowners share the goal of successfully harvesting lots of elk, the details can be problematic.

"It's going to be a subject of a lot of debate," Pilcher said.

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