In a bid to save the state's flagging mule deer population, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to reduce the number of hunting permits it awards each year, Montana Free Press reported.
Hunting is big business in Montana, with both residents and tourists flocking to public lands to hunt the big game animals. This is an economic boon to outfitting businesses that offer hunting equipment and to small businesses that cater to out-of-state visitors, the Montana Free Press noted.
However, the mule deer population has declined in recent years due to factors like summer droughts, harsh winters, habitat loss, and disease, according to Montana Outdoor.
To stabilize the population, the Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to reduce the number of licenses available to out-of-state visitors. It also limited the number of deer that a permitted Montana hunter can kill in a season.
Commission chair Lesley Robinson acknowledged that the new regulations could lead to a short-term economic squeeze. "I had no intention of negatively affecting the outfitter business, but something has to be done to get back on track with the overcrowding," she told the Montana Free Press.
Critics have argued that the bans do not address the root causes of the population decline, which include human encroachment on deer habitats and competition for resources from other animals like elk.
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Still, these bans preserve biodiversity in the short term while increasing the chances that people will be able to continue recreational hunting on public lands for years to come. Other states with large mule deer populations, like Oregon, have enacted similar restrictions, but it remains to be seen how quickly the populations will rebound.
The bans are also part of a broader movement to be more conscious of ethical hunting practices to give animals a fair shot at survival. For example, Illinois banned the use of artificial intelligence and e-bikes in deer hunts, and England and Wales banned the use of dogs in fox-hunting.
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