HELENA — A new Montana law will increase the cost for nonresidents to hunt in Big Sky Country. The revenue generated will help fund public hunter access programs.
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House Bill 145, sponsored by Rep. Gary Parry, R-Colstrip, was signed into law last week by Gov. Greg Gianforte.
The bipartisan-backed bill increases the base hunting license fee from $15 to $50 for nonresidents. Resident hunters are charged $10 for their base hunting licenses.
Nonresident hunters make up around one-seventh of the total number of hunting licenses sold yearly. In 2023, they represented around 80% of the revenue from deer and elk licenses sold.
Eighty percent of the funds will go toward funding block management programs, which provide payments to landowners who open their land to public hunters.
According to a fiscal note attached to HB 145, the new law is estimated to generate around $2.9 million in new revenue for the state each year, and would see around $2.5 million go into the state’s hunting access account.
HB 145 will go into effect on October 1, 2025.
