Generally revise laws related to the unlawful use of aircraft for hunting
HB 202 would amend Montana law to ban the possession of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) during hunting and increase penalties for using aircraft to hunt wildlife. The bill prohibits using aircraft to locate game for hunting within 48 hours, drive wildlife, or relay locations to ground hunters, while adding a specific drone ban. Violations would result in higher fines (up to $20,000 for big game like deer or elk) and loss of hunting privileges for up to 36 months. Exceptions include emergency operations, search and rescue, and authorized predator control by the Department of Livestock.
Bill status
vetoed
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Vetoed
Jun 2025
Introduced Jan 14, 2025
Vetoed Jun 16, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 7 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB0202_X(1).pdf
→
HB0202_X(2).pdf
·
2 edits
MINOR
The bill title was revised to broaden the scope from 'unlawful use' to general 'use' of aircraft for hunting, while also adding 'game birds' to the list of protected species. This change clarifies that the regulations apply to the act of using aircraft itself, not just illegal acts, and explicitly includes game birds under the protected species provisions.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to cover the general use of aircraft for hunting rather than just unlawful use, and game birds are now explicitly listed as protected species.
SCOPE
The title was changed from 'unlawful use of aircraft' to 'use of aircraft,' broadening the regulation to apply to the general practice of using aircraft for hunting.
The phrase 'game birds' was added to the title to explicitly include them under the category of protected species.
Floor votes · Senate Apr 12, 2025 · House Apr 17, 2025
How they voted
49–1
Passed
Total votes 50
Apr 12, 2025
D
Democratic18
100% Yea
R
Republican32
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
41
Key actions
8
Committee
6
Amendments
1
Jun 16, 2025
Vetoed
(H) Veto Override
lower
May 23, 2025
Vetoed
(H) Veto Override Vote in Progress
lower
May 13, 2025
Vetoed
(H) Vetoed by Governor
lower
May 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Apr 17, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (98-1-1)
house
Apr 12, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (49-1)
senate
Apr 12, 2025
Introduced
(S) Returned to House with Amendments
upper
Apr 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Apr 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Feb 20, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Jan 31, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks
lower
Jan 31, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks
lower
Jan 15, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks
lower
Jan 14, 2025
Introduced
(H) Introduced
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Courtenay Sprunger
RRepublican
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