Montana could become the latest western state to regulate shed antler hunting if a new bill in the state’s House of Representatives goes on to become law. House Bill 363 would establish separate licensing fees for in-state and out-of-state antler hunters and impose a waiting period for non-residents on certain tracts of state-owned land. But it wouldn’t apply to landowners collecting sheds on their private property, the bill’s text states. The measure received an initial hearing in the House Fish, Wildlife & Parks Committee on Tuesday, February 4.
The bill proposes a $10 fee for an annual shed hunting license for residents and a $50 non-resident license. License holders would be allowed to collect “naturally-shed antlers" or dead heads from deer, elk, and antelope—as long as the animal died from natural causes.
“A license is not required by a landowner, their immediate family, or the landowner’s employees on the landowner’s land,” the bill goes on to state. And it wouldn’t apply to the collection of big horn sheep heads, which are already highly regulated by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Though the bill doesn’t call for an official shed hunting season, it would give resident shed hunters an 8-day head start on certain state-managed properties that are closed during colder months to protect wintering elk and deer herds. This echoes similar regulations imposed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, which closes the western part of the Cowboy State to shed hunting until May 1 for residents and May 8 for non-residents. While there are no fees for resident shed hunters in Wyoming, non-residents must purchase a conservation stamp for $21.50 to gather antlers on public lands west of the Continental Divide. Those regulations were signed into law in 2023 and went into full effect at the start of the 2024 shed hunting season.
One of the nation's most restrictive shed hunting laws, at least as non-residents are concerned, was codified in Idaho in July 2024. That law states that any non-resident of the Gem State who wants to collect and transport shed antlers from moose, elk, deer, or pronghorn must first purchase a big game hunting license, which runs around $200. Idaho has enacted complete shed hunting closures in past year take pressure off deer and elk herd struggling from high winter mortality.
Utah passed a law in May 2024 that grants the state's Division of Wildlife Resources authority to enact shed hunting rules and seasons. While shed hunters don't currently need a license to gather antlers in the Beehive State, they must complete an online "Antler Gathering Ethics Course" if they plan to search for sheds between Jan. 1 and May 31.
Montana's shed hunting bill is intended to curb trespassing on privately-owned winter ranges, tamp down conflict spurred on by intense competition for valuable antlers, and regulate a lucrative commercial market for shed antlers that's exploded in recent years, HB383 co-sponsor Rep. Marilyin Marler tells Field & Stream. "Shed hunting has become really big business because you can sell antlers for a lot of money per pound," Marler says. "There are places where herds congregate by the hundreds and when the sheds come off, people know where to go to get them. That can lead to trespassing and overcrowding."
The intent of the bill isn't to over-regulate people enjoying public land, supporters say, but to allow state game managers to better protect vulnerable wintering herds while generating some conservation dollars in the process. "I'm getting emails from constituents who are saying: 'I don't want my grandkids to get a ticket if they go on a hike and pick up a shed and they don't have a license for it,'" Marler added. "That is not the intent and not why this bill is coming around." According to Marler, the bill is still in committee and hasn't yet been proposed for a full floor vote.
