HELENA – Hunters who are interested in sharing their experiences and opinions on the impacts of nonresident hunting on how licenses are allocated can provide feedback via a new survey from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.  

The survey is part of research released today as required by House Bill 568, The Montana Hunters First Act, which was passed during the 2025 session. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, required FWP to do a nonresident hunting impact study. The data collected in the study and the survey can be found on the FWP Website.  

Overall, Montana is seeing growth in nonresident license sales across the board, though some of that has tapered a bit in recent years. In general, license sales are sold according to state law, which can change with every legislative session. The Fish and Wildlife Commission can also dictate how licenses are distributed and has cut back on some licenses for nonresident in recent years.  

HB 568 required FWP to assess nonresident hunting impacts on deer and elk hunting in the state in each of the seven FWP regions. The legislation also required FWP to identify specific issues for consideration by the legislature, the department and the Fish and Wildlife Commission “concerning nonresident impacts on deer and elk hunting.” 

On the website, people can see a license trends report, the language of HB 568, and study of license trends, along with the survey which will be open through Dec. 1. This is a preview of the data being compiled by FWP for a final report that will be published by Dec. 1.