Senate Bill No. introduced by G. Hunter and M. Yakawich aims to revise the regulations surrounding upland game bird hunting seasons in Montana. The bill mandates that the Fish and Wildlife Commission must allow residents to hunt upland game birds, including ring-necked pheasants, 10 days prior to nonresidents, with the exception of mountain grouse. The bill also provides a definition for "mountain grouse," which includes blue grouse, spruce (Franklin) grouse, and ruffed grouse.

To implement these changes, the bill amends Section 87-1-304 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) by deleting the previous provision that did not specify the hunting priority for residents and inserting the new requirement for residents to have an earlier hunting season. Additionally, the bill establishes a delayed effective date of March 1, 2026, for these changes to take effect.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 87-1-304
SB0514_1(1): 87-1-304
SB0514_1(2): 87-1-304
SB0514_1(3): 87-1-304
SB0514_1(4): 87-1-304
SB0514_1(5): 87-1-304
SB0514_1(6): 87-1-304
SB0514_1: 87-1-304
SB0514_2(1): 87-1-304
SB0514_2(2): 87-1-304
SB0514_2(3): 87-1-304
SB0514_2(4): 87-1-304
SB0514_2(5): 87-1-304
SB0514_2(6): 87-1-304
SB0514_2(7): 87-1-304
SB0514_2(8): 87-1-304
SB0514_2(9): 87-1-304
SB0514_2: 87-1-304