Below is information on a recent press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Changes to the Surplus License Process for 2020
To give residents and nonresidents a more equal opportunity for surplus licenses, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has developed a new system for issuing surplus licenses.
Resident and nonresident hunters will be able to sign up for the new Surplus License List, with some sign-ups starting next week. Surplus licenses are leftover licenses from the special license and permit drawings FWP conducts each year.
To sign up for the Surplus License List, resident and nonresident hunters can sign up through the MyFWP portal. As licenses become available, the list will be randomized. Hunters at the top of the list will be contacted via email with instructions to finalize their purchase. Hunters must keep their email address current in their ALS record. Payment of the license fee is not required to sign up on the Surplus License List.
Note: Obtaining a license from this list has no effect on your existing points.
When to Sign Up:
Screenshot from MyFWP page currently ahead of the list opening.
Screenshot from MyFWP page currently ahead of the list opening.
The Surplus License List sign-up timeframes referenced below are based on when the original drawing date for each species is scheduled to occur and are subject to change from year to year.
Deer & Elk Permits, Deer B & Elk B License/Permits: July 21 through Aug. 7
Antelope, Antelope B, Swan, Crane, Special Mountain Lion: Aug. 12 through Aug. 24
Nonresident Hound Handler License: Sept. 16 to Sept. 28
Sign up here Once the list opens
Hunters must finalize the purchase of the license/permit within the timeframe specified in the email, otherwise, your opportunity will be offered to the next hunter on the randomized list. FWP may offer opportunities that have not sold out through the Surplus License List to over-the-counter customers at our internal and external license sale providers.
2020 Available Surplus Licenses:
License Numbers:
The total number of Deer B licenses/permits a hunter may hold each year (through a combination of licenses acquired through drawings, purchased over the counter and through surplus sales is a total seven). Hunters electing Deer B license/permit opportunities will have the option to purchase two through the Surplus List.
For Elk and Elk B licenses a hunter may hold a maximum of three each year. Only one of the three can be a general elk license, and two could be Elk B licenses through various sources such as the original drawing, game damage, or surplus. If you do not hold a general Elk license, you could obtain up to three Elk B licenses. Hunters electing Elk B license opportunities through the Surplus License List may only purchase one. However, additional opportunities up to your maximum of three may be made available through over the counter or damage hunt sales.
For antelope licenses, a hunter may hold up to three in a year, of which, one can be either sex. Hunters electing Antelope license opportunities will have the option to purchase one through the Surplus License List.
Nonresidents who hold a NR Native license, Youth Combo license, or NR College Student Combination license may purchase Deer B and Elk B licenses at half price. For more information, contact the FWP licensing office at 406-444-2950 or fwplic@mt.gov.
Points Purchase
You can still purchase bonus points and nonresident preference points in Montana until September 30. You can purchase your points here.
15 Comments
Eric Russell
11/29/2021, 9:09:01 PM
Can someone help me understand the B tag for montana? Is it possible to buy a surplus tag every year in a decent area and go elk hunting for cow elk every year? Do you need to draw a general tag first or can they be purchased over the counter or online once they are available? How does a person find the units they are valid for? For example- 004-00 has 2284 licenses available for this year but I can't seem to find that district on the map. How can a person use the filtering 2.0 to find these tags and research the units they are valid for? Could a person do the same for antelope potentially? I am trying hard to figure out Montana and it is incredibly confusing.
Caleb Luehrs
1/11/2022, 4:13:01 PM
I'm no expert when it comes to B tags in Montana but I'll try to point you in the right direction. You'll have to do the research on which units pop up in the surplus list and if they are any good. Usually there's a reason why they are surplus. That doesn't always mean you won't be successful though. I wouldn't bet on getting one every year. The article is pretty clear on how you get one. Put your name on the Surplus License List, when they are processed, if your name comes up they will email you and you need to purchase it within the time frame or it moves onto the next person. These are not OTC tags. Look up the codes here (2021): https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/hunt/regulations/2021/2021-dea-regulations-final-for-web.pdf Open the PDF and then press ctrl+f, which will open the search function. After doing so, type 004-00 and jump to the different results. You'll see on page 87 that for that specific tag, it says "Valid in all Region 4 HDs except HD 455". So, 004-00 encompasses multiple HDs, that's why you cannot find it on a map. Pay close attention to that specific code's description per unit as there are restrictions on different HDs. This is the GoHunt Draw Odds page for that specific code (not sure why the site doesn't list the codes on the pages, GoHunt??): https://www.gohunt.com/insider/draw-odds/details/montana/32752/22731,22733,22740,22741,22750,22752,22755,22757,22758,22765,22773,22787,22788,22791,22796,22802,22811,22818,22834,22835,22838,22841,22843,22852,22856,22861,22863,22864,22876,22877,22880,22883,25804/nonresident/antlerless-elk/31455/1/2 You can use the codes from above, or on page 44, and then search for them to see where they apply to.
rick binet
8/11/2020, 3:49:23 AM
when will any of these that don’t go under this goofy new system be available for otc? i missed the window for elk b