In the final few weeks of 2025, Sen. Daines reintroduced his bill to remove protections from three Wilderness Study Areas in Montana, his fourth such attempt since 2017. Sen. Sheehy immediately joined as a cosponsor, with Rep. Downing also voicing his support.
In total, these landscapes consisting of the Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek Wilderness Study Areas account for more than 100,000 acres of wild public lands, places where we hunt, fish, and find solitude.
The effort is misleadingly named the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act, though it’s not supported by most sportsmen, and does the opposite of conservation. The bill would remove landscape protections that keep these places off-limits to development and motorized use. The threats this effort poses to productive habitat for big game are even greater now combined with the proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule.
While the Montana Wildlife Federation agrees that it’s time to find long-term management solutions for Montana’s Wilderness Study Areas, allowing D.C. politicians to ram through a decision rather than listening to local voices is the wrong way to proceed. Instead, we support and call for local, collaborative conversations and meetings to determine the future of these and other wilderness study areas.
The first three times Sen. Daines tried this, Montanans reminded him how unpopular this is. Today is no different.
2024 polling by the University of Montana shows that 75 percent of Montanans would actually prefer increasing protections or keeping them the same rather than removing them (just nine percent want them removed).
More recently, during the 2025 legislative session, a resolution by Sen. Tezak (R – Ennis) to encourage Congress to remove protections from Montana’s wilderness study areas was swiftly defeated by state lawmakers with a bipartisan 9-4 committee vote.
While this bill has received support from the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, it’s deeply unpopular with public land hunters across the state who know that these are some of the best security habitats for elk and deer; removing these protections and opening the door for development, roads and more motorized use will only drive more elk off of public lands and onto private ranches. It’s time to remind our federal delegation – again – that we don’t want D.C. bureaucrats making these decisions on how to manage our public lands; Montanans know best.
Take action using this link to send messages asking Senators Daines and Sheehy to withdraw their bill, and to ask Congressmen Zinke and Downing to oppose this effort in the House.
(photo credit: Lisa Ballard)
