Landowners have until May 1 to apply for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Elk Hunting Access Agreement (EHA) Program. EHA agreements, which were established by the 2001 Legislature, provide landowners with an elk license (including elk B), an either-sex permit or combination of the two in exchange for allowing free public hunting access for elk management purposes.
The licenses/permits issued through this program may be designated to an immediate family member or an authorized full-time employee of the landowner and is valid only on the landowner's property or private land leased by the landowner for agricultural purposes.
For every permit/license issued through this program, landowners can select up to one-third of the required public hunters with the other two-thirds being randomly selected by FWP. A landowner must allow at least one equivalent FWP-selected public hunter to have the same opportunity as the landowner. For example, an either-sex permit issued to landowner, must allow hunting for one either-sex public hunter.
If a landowner elects to select up to one-third of the public hunters eligible to hunt lands enrolled, FWP will email a list of potential public hunters to the landowner. The landowner must make their selections known to FWP no later than three weeks prior to the agreement start date (i.e., the first hunting season the landowner/designee license is valid). If a landowner fails to make their public hunter selections in the required timeframe, landowner public hunter selections will be forfeited, and FWP will fill the spots with FWP-selected public hunters.
EHA application proposals for the 2026 season will be posted on the FWP website no later than two weeks prior to the June 12 commission meeting. Public comment will be taken at that meeting.
For more information or to apply for the program, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunt/landownerprograms/public-elk-access-agreements.