Change is coming to elk hunting in Montana.

What form those changes may take and when they may be implemented are still uncertain, but a group of volunteers has outlined some guiding principles for developing new guidance. The six principles were presented for approval to the Fish and Wildlife Commission at its Thursday meeting.

“We felt we need to maintain hunting as the primary tool for elk population management, that does not mean it has to be done exactly as it is done now,” Ed Fryer, one of 14 members of the Elk Management Plan Initial Guidance Citizen’s Group, told the commission. “We think there are some other scenarios that could be developed over time.”

The group’s strategic principles, which the commission approved, are:

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