Standing Up For Sportsmen

Democrats in the House, today killed a Republican proposal that sought to burden sportsmen with funding measures to control the certain animal populations in the state.

The bill would have charged hunters and fishermen an additional fee to go towards managing the populations of these animals. The bill failed on a 22-78 vote.

This bill is part of a series of measures the GOP has pushed that seeks to make it more difficult for Montana sportsmen to use our public lands for hunting, fishing and recreating. The most notable of these proposals is the so-called “Ditch Bill,” (HB 309).

HB 309 would have restricted Montana sportsmen’s access to certain public waterways. It has been largely supported by wealthy out-of-state landowners. During a hearing a few weeks ago, more than 300 sportsmen from all over the state came to the Capitol to oppose the Republican proposal.

Republicans clearly are seeking to undermine the Montana public’s access to our public lands. It would be refreshing if instead of restricting the rights of Montana sportsmen, they worked to improve those rights.