Relating to deer hunting licenses available to nonresident hunters

This bill relates to deer hunting licenses available to nonresident hunters. Currently, the natural resource commission (NRC) issues up to 6,000 antlered or any sex deer hunting licenses to nonresidents. The bill increases that amount to 7,500. The bill requires NRC to use a random draw process that is weighted to favor applicants with the most preference points to assign nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting licenses until all available nonresident antlered or any sex deer hunting licenses have been issued. The bill provides that when a nonresident uses the antlerless deer only deer hunting license and tag that the nonresident is required to purchase with an antlered or any sex deer hunting license to take an antlerless deer in a zone that is above the population goal determined by NRC, then NRC will assign one preference point to the nonresident. The department of natural resources shall determine a method for verifying a harvest in a zone that is above the population goal.