Pronghorn populations in some portions of southwestern Montana have hit record lows, coinciding with archery hunter interest and success in the region skyrocketing.

To compensate, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks proposed issuing only 500 archery-only pronghorn hunting permits in Region 3 for the next two hunting seasons. At the same time, the agency would remove the region from the statewide pronghorn archery permits.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission agreed to the proposals on Thursday.

More hunters, fewer pronghorns

There are 22 pronghorn hunting districts in Region 3, but the new license type would only apply to 21 of the districts. HD 313 in the Paradise Valley, south of Livingston, has its own quota of only 10 either-sex licenses.

Unlimited archery-only tags for antelope, c

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