When it comes to land, Montana is big—the fourth largest state in the Union, in fact. But much of that land is privately owned, and that means when it comes to hunting, access to that land requires permission. MTN's Chet Layman talks with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks about its new way to say thanks to those who grant that permission.
BOZEMAN — A successful hunt requires being in the right place at the right time. Finding the right place often means interaction with private landowner.
“You know, there's a quote by Jim Posewitz that says landowners are people just like everybody else, and if you as a hunter can be a positive part in their life you'll have mastered the art of human relations and of finding good places to hunt,” said Morgan Jacobsen with Montana FWP.
Most hunters recognize the importance of that partnership. FWP certainly does, and that’s why they've created a new tool to honor that partnership.
“Fish, Wildlife and Parks has a new portal online where you can submit, basically, a thank you message to landowners. You can identify who the landowner is either through its block management or some other identifier as to their name or where they are,” Jacobsen said.
Jacobsen says it’s pretty simple: go to the portal and leave your message. The more details, the better chance your note will get to where it’s supposed to go.
“Make sure that if you use this tool, be as specific as can as to who that landowner is where you hunted so that we can get that message to the right folks,” said Jacobsen. “So again, we're excited about this opportunity and we hope that it fosters, really you know, good and sincere relations between the hunters, landowners, and everyone who benefits from this partnership.”
Just for reference, almost 65 million acres of Montana is privately owned, or about 65 percent of the state.
