The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved a series of new deer hunting regulations designed to ease crowding on public lands and help the state’s struggling mule deer population rebound after several years of decline.
At an eight-hour meeting in Helena, commissioners voted to cut roughly 2,500 nonresident deer licenses for the 2026–27 seasons. They also lowered the number of deer a resident hunter may harvest each year from eight to three and placed tighter limits on antlerless deer harvests for both resident and nonresident hunters on public lands.
Commission Chair Lesley Robison said growing hunting pressure and shrinking deer numbers have been priority concerns since she joined the seven-member, governor-appointed commission. She cited reports of heavy hunter traffic, including one instance where more than 35 mostly out-of-state vehicles were spotted in a single district near Ennis.
Robison said she is open to revisiting the changes once wildlife managers gain a clearer understanding of the factors behind the mule deer decline. She acknowledged the new policy could affect small businesses that depend on visiting hunters and could reduce annual license revenue for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks by about $1.7 million. Even so, an agency analysis indicated that more than 12,000 nonresident deer licenses will still be available next season and that the changes should ease overall hunting pressure.
Several commissioners noted that public feedback strongly supported action. Commissioner Kirby Brooke pointed out that nearly all of the 347 pages of public comments referenced mule deer concerns, while Commissioner Jeff Burrows argued that substantial measures were needed to address crowding. Burrows added that the outfitting industry is unlikely to be significantly harmed because clients who book with outfitters can still use preference points to improve their odds of drawing a tag.
The Mule Deer Foundation’s Chris Fortune backed the license reductions, saying mule deer populations — currently well below their 10-year averages across most of Montana — are capable of recovering if the state takes meaningful steps.
The commission also unanimously passed an amendment from Commissioner Ian Wargo limiting “B” (antlerless) tags for mule deer on public lands statewide. The restrictions do not apply in Region One or in areas where managers are addressing urban deer or chronic wasting disease. The change mirrors similar adjustments made last year in eastern Montana and ensures landowners can still use hunting to manage deer impacts on livestock forage and other resources.
Source: https://montanafreepress.org/2025/12/05/fish-and-wildlife-commission-votes-to-reduce-nonresident-deer-licenses/
By Amanda Eggert, Environmental Reporter, aeggert@montanafreepress.org
