Senate committee forwards bill allowing military‑related nonprofits to draw special Game and Fish tags

House Bill 1094, which would allow former military or military‑related nonprofit organizations to qualify for special allocation Game and Fish tags, received a due‑pass recommendation from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Purpose and debate: Senator Beard introduced the measure and outlined options for allocating limited special‑allocation deer licenses. Current statute caps available licenses for white‑tailed deer in the special allocation category; committee members and Game and Fish staff discussed whether to add mule deer into that cap (for example, by splitting the allotment to 3 mule deer/7 whitetail) or to leave the language unchanged. Casey Anderson, wildlife division chief for Game and Fish, told the committee that mule deer are “highly coveted” species and the department’s preference is to leave the statute as written or, if the committee wants to include mule deer, to add only a small number and avoid broad “any species” language that could create administrative confusion.

Concerns about repeated winners: Committee members raised testimony that some organizations might be repeatedly awarded these special tags. Game and Fish staff said the agency believes that administrative tools (such as a bonus point or lottery system) can address repeat‑winner concerns without additional statutory language.

Vote and next steps: Senator Beard moved a due‑pass recommendation; the motion was seconded and the clerk recorded 5 ayes, 0 nays, and 2 absent not voting. The committee forwarded the bill with the recommendation.