A bill pending in the state Legislature could change how hunting is managed on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Currently, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes regulate outdoor recreation on the 1.2-million-acre reservation, including setting quotas and issuing permits to hunters. Both tribal and non-tribal members can obtain licenses to fish and hunt game birds through the CSKT Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation. Non-tribal members are banned from hunting any big game animals within the reservation, including elk and deer. 

Rep. Tracy Sharp, R-Polson, requested a bill be drafted that would give the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission the power to issue some deer and elk hunting licenses for reservation lands. Under the proposed change, license holders would only be allowed to hunt on their own property, and all proceeds from licensing would go to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. 

Sharp did not respond to requests for comment.

Though not yet introduced into the state Legislature, the proposed bill is already facing opposition, including from the Montana American Indian Caucus. Members did not respond to requests for comment.

Head of the CSKT Natural Resources Department Richard Janssen Jr. said he is monitoring the bill closely. Similar measures have failed to gain traction in the past, he said. 

During the 2021 legislative session, Rep. Joe Read, R-Ronan, sponsored House Bill 241, which likewise would have allowed for hunting on privately owned reservation lands. The bill died in committee after widespread opposition from state agencies, private citizens and tribal authorities. 

“It’s simply not worth destroying what has been working for decades for all other Montanans and tribal people on our treaty-reserved homelands in order to benefit a few landowners who choose to live on an Indian reservation,” said Shelly Fyant during the second reading of House Bill 241. Fyant is the current representative for House District 91 and a member of the Montana American Indian Caucus. 

If the bill does move forward, Janssen expects that tribal leaders and citizens will once again put up a strong defense.  

“We’ll be in Helena,” he said. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at [email protected].