The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission voted this week to scrap quota ranges in trophy-hunting districts, a decision that drew criticism from hunters concerned about politics steering the allocation of tags. 

The commission’s unanimous decision came during the latter half of an eight-hour meeting on Thursday where the commission adopted regulations to guide Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ management of big game species over the next two years.

Quotas are a tool game managers use to establish the number of tags that will be issued to hunters pursuing a given species in a given hunting district. By removing department-approved quota ranges in trophy-hunting districts, FWP has shifted some of the department’s authority onto the commission, which is a governor-appointed body.

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