Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB101: Reclassify wolves as furbearers and align existing wolf tagging and furbearer hunting restrictions
Status: Failed, May 20, 2025
What the bill says
A bill for an act entitled: "an act generally revising laws related to gray wolves and furbearers; defining gray wolves as furbearers; creating furbearer tagging offenses for gray wolves; classifying wolf licenses as furbearer licenses; excluding a wolf license from a class c nonresident trapping license; revising the process for gray wolf management following delisting; preventing the hunting of furbearers within cities or towns, from public highways, from vehicles, or with the assistance of motion-tracking cameras; forbidding waste of a gray wolf head or pelt in the field…
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT GENERALLY REVISING LAWS RELATED TO GRAY WOLVES AND FURBEARERS; DEFINING GRAY WOLVES AS FURBEARERS; CREATING FURBEARER TAGGING OFFENSES FOR GRAY WOLVES; CLASSIFYING WOLF LICENSES AS FURBEARER LICENSES; EXCLUDING A WOLF LICENSE FROM A CLASS C NONRESIDENT TRAPPING LICENSE; REVISING THE PROCESS FOR GRAY WOLF MANAGEMENT FOLLOWING DELISTING; PREVENTING THE HUNTING OF FURBEARERS WITHIN CITIES OR TOWNS, FROM PUBLIC HIGHWAYS, FROM VEHICLES, OR WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF MOTION-TRACKING CAMERAS; FORBIDDING WASTE OF A GRAY WOLF HEAD OR PELT IN THE FIELD; AMENDING SECTIONS 87-1-901, 87-2-101, 87-2-602, 87-2-603, 87-4-1001, 87-5-131, 87-6-101, 87-6-401, 87-6-402, 87-6-403, 87-6-405, 87-6-415, AND 87-6-603, MCA; REPEALING SECTIONS 87-2-523 AND 87-2-524, MCA." BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA: NEW SECTION. Section 1. Furbearer tagging offenses -- gray wolves. (1) When a person kills a gray wolf under a license or tag, the person shall, before the carcass is removed from or the person leaves the site of the kill, take physical possession of the gray wolf or (b) validating the license or tag by cutting out the date the animal was killed. (2) When a gray wolf has been lawfully killed and the proper license or tag is electronically validated or accompanies the gray wolf that was killed, the gray wolf becomes the property of the …