Much appreciated
NR Upland Seasons (LC3901)
- Thread starter OzWildlife
- Start date
802flyfish
Well-known member
Is this still waiting to be signed ?
It was signed.
802flyfish
Well-known member
The bill tracker website didn’t provide an update. Awesome. Thanks!
Will be interesting heading out to eastern MT this year.
Will be interesting heading out to eastern MT this year.
Last edited:
BirdManMike
Well-known member
Doesnt take effect til next year.
BirdManMike
Well-known member
Dog training dates remain unchanged, correct?
Does this do anything to stop the dog trainers from training their dogs the first 10 days of the season or does it just disallow 'hunting' those 10 days? If the latter, I can't imagine it will curtain much of the worst behavior and issues.
Does this do anything to stop the dog trainers from training their dogs the first 10 days of the season or does it just disallow 'hunting' those 10 days? If the latter, I can't imagine it will curtain much of the worst behavior and issues.
HB 450 was the attempt to fix the dog training issue, along with the 10 day resident public land season.
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Combined, the removal of NR opportunity on public land, Block Mgt & Open fields, along with the new requirements for licensing for NR dog trainers and the expanded authority of the agency should help end the circus in R6 after next year.
OzWildlife
New member
HB 450 was the attempt to fix the dog training issue, along with the 10 day resident public land season.
Bill Explorer
Explore, track, and stay informed on legislative bills in Montana with the Montana Legislature Bill Explorer application. Access detailed information, monitor bill progress, and engage with the legislative process easily from your desktop or mobile device.
Combined, the removal of NR opportunity on public land, Block Mgt & Open fields, along with the new requirements for licensing for NR dog trainers and the expanded authority of the agency should help end the circus in R6 after next year.
OzWildlife
New member
From my NR, dog breeder, dog training perspective these are all fair proposals. I think SB 514 and HB 450 are both positives for upland hunting. I'm more than happy to give NRs a shot at the first 10 days without me being around. I'm the guy that shows up with big a truck and dog trailer everyone complains about, not to train, but to have fun hunting with dogs. At the end of the day I spend time upland hunting behind bird dogs because it is what I enjoy, not because I want to capitalize on a commercial endeavor at the expense of my fellow upland hunters getting to enjoy the same activity. I think a lot of us sometimes forget why we do this in the first place, or at least why we started doing this way back when. Too bad it takes laws to remind us, but I get it. Thank you MT resident upland hunters for a reasonable approach to addressing the challenge.
BirdManMike
Well-known member
Im not smart enough to understand what 450 does.
It adds a $10 license to train dogs? Thats all?
It adds a $10 license to train dogs? Thats all?
It gives the agency the ability to set the number of NR trainers and the number of dogs that can come in to the state.
So, MT picks up a real regulatory tool in terms of the license & limitations, while eliminating the most egregious issue in R6 - which is NR Dog Trainers who come in a week or two ahead of season to tune up dogs, then the "friend" who is purchasing the dog comes out for opener, and those guys hammer the birds on public the trainer has been harassing. What we heard from a lot of folks up in R6 was this is was not only impacting resident hunt quality and success, but it was hammering birds and wasn't sustainable at all.
When you combine the two efforts, you cut the incentive for NR trainer to show up early and rape covers while waiting to illegally outfit their sports who come out to pick up their dogs.
Birdbander
Well-known member
Having never upland hunted in MT but thinking it might be a possibility someday, I wonder about the side effects of this. Will this push the people to others states that haven't enacted restrictions? Will other states take reciprocal action towards MT residents? Most likely these aren't things that MT residents are even concerned with, I don't know.
I suppose on a personal level it won't matter to me.
I suppose on a personal level it won't matter to me.
802flyfish
Well-known member
I would say it’s a safe bet that everyone in favor of this bill besides some local businesses and NR.
That’s the only opposition I’ve heard. Most states have similar regulations regarding upland hunting for NR…
I usually stick to hunting mountain grouse as temps at the beginning of Sept can be brutal.
That’s the only opposition I’ve heard. Most states have similar regulations regarding upland hunting for NR…
I usually stick to hunting mountain grouse as temps at the beginning of Sept can be brutal.
OzWildlife
New member
Nearly every state is looking to restrict non-residents in one way or another. I’m not sure what the long lasting impacts are other than fewer days to hunt. If there is one part of this I do not like it’s the demonizing of NRs. It’s hard to fault anyone for trying to enjoy an activity they love on the other side of a line on a map. MT is one of only a few states that opens on Sept. 1 so there are really not many options for them to be pushed to. They’ll likely just wait the 10 days and then show up.
406dn
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2019
- Messages
- 2,564
I'm an amateur dog trainer who field trials dogs from horseback. This is kind of a smear job. I expected better.
A very large percentage of people who have heard of running dogs from a horse, have moved well past the stage of needing to kill lots of birds.
I killed a shit ton of birds before I discovered field trials. In the last decade, I have likely killed a couple dozen birds, mostly pheasants.
A dog trainer would have to be a few bricks short of a load to over harvest the birds that pay his meal ticket.
SB 514 puts the timeline closer to the other states in terms of the basic opener for NR's. Most of these states surrounding MT are in the Sept. 15-20th date range for upland, and SD is Oct, with a residents only 2-day carve out on the 11-13th of Sept, according to the world wide web.
MT still offers NR more opportunity than the other states.
With all due respect, it's not just about killing birds. It's also about harassing wildlife before the season starts and creating suboptimal conditions for both upland game birds and resident hunters.
OzWildlife
New member
That’s certainly the plus. Cooler temps maybe 10 days later. It would be nice to not get a sunburn!
406dn
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2019
- Messages
- 2,564
Another misdirection, I've been training on wild birds for the last couple of decades. For the most part, I train on one ranch, where I have permission. If you overpressure the birds, they leave an area. That leaves me, the trainer, with no birds for my dogs to work.
Sharptails that I train on from the third week of July, until mid September, hold well for dogs, past the opening date.
None of this will change my situation, but it is largely a solution in search of a problem. It is not too much unlike blaming immigrants for all of our country's problems.
