Forces Clash Over Future of Iconic Elk Herds

The proposal would open up a handful of limited-entry, trophy elk districts in the eastern and central part of the state to over-the-counter, either-sex tags only valid on private land. There would also be fewer limited-entry elk licenses issued for public land in these districts—tough tags to draw for public land hunters without access to private ground.

Local conservation groups were incensed: “It’s insulting that FWP would try to push this thing through, knowing the magnifying glass that they have on them,” John Sullivan III, board chair of the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, told MeatEater. “We beat these exact same ideas back in the legislature, and they’re just trying to cram them through in a different way.”