Letter to the Editor - Sportsmen beware. SB-143

Editor,

Montana voters passed I-161 in 2010 to limit guaranteed outfitter tags. The current legislature, sponsor Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, has introduced SB-143 which negates I-161 thus bypassing the will of Montana voters. This bill proposes to double the number of guaranteed outfitter licenses thus reducing non-outfitted non-residents.

States which provide unrestricted landowner tags like proposed in this bill have experienced significant loss of public hunting opportunity. Landowners can sell those tags to the highest bidder. Outfitters love them and lease even more land.

SB 143 wil...