SHOULD WILDLIFE BE PRIVATE PROPERTY?

Montana’s legislature wants to turn big game hunting into a sport for elites.

EACH FALL thousands of people from around the country flock to Montana to hunt. They come for the state’s wilderness, abundant game, and the mythology that imbues its vast, open landscape. And because it’s one of the few Lower 48 states where wildlife— and access to it—is still a public trust.

Montana’s free and fair wildlife access sets it apart in the West. In New Mexico, for example, nearly half of all hunting tags go to private landowners, who can sell them to the highest bidder. In Colorado, up to 25 percent of tags are given to landowners to sell. In Wyoming, hunters can’t hunt in wilderness areas without paying an outfitter to guide them. In Texas, most land has been privatized.