1
00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:04,640
Speaker 1: This is Dave three, technically day three of the road

2
00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:08,960
Speaker 1: trip here, and we're still trying to track down a

3
00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:12,319
Speaker 1: couple of our block management participants. Were starting to lose

4
00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:16,320
Speaker 1: steam here because the hanging season, the hanging window. They

5
00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:18,560
Speaker 1: just got this rain and then the rain let up,

6
00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,720
Speaker 1: so everybody's out hand. And I think between the hang

7
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:28,360
Speaker 1: activity and the god awful robo calling activity that everybody

8
00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:32,080
Speaker 1: is subjected to these days, um, we're fighting an uphill

9
00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,159
Speaker 1: battle and regards to getting ahold of folks. So we're

10
00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,599
Speaker 1: gonna have to go do some door knocking. If this

11
00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:47,360
Speaker 1: phone call doesn't work out, welcome to Rizon Wireless. Your

12
00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,279
Speaker 1: call cannot be completed as dials. Please hang up and

13
00:00:50,280 --> 00:01:03,320
Speaker 1: we filed a number including the area code. All right,

14
00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,959
Speaker 1: we are just west or just east to have her

15
00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:13,200
Speaker 1: Montana dropping off. Thank you for the Montana block management program.

16
00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,200
Speaker 1: And how long have you been in the block management program?

17
00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:23,360
Speaker 1: I think since in the eighties, so that's a long time. Yeah. Yes,

18
00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,240
Speaker 1: what what's the benefit of the program to you? Well?

19
00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,560
Speaker 1: I like it because the hunters have to sign in,

20
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,040
Speaker 1: we know what's going on. And then, um, we've had

21
00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,520
Speaker 1: a lot of great hunters out never had any problem

22
00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,560
Speaker 1: with any hunters. And then of course there's a nice check.

23
00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:42,840
Speaker 1: We all like that, and what do you do with

24
00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:47,840
Speaker 1: your chair? Oh, my goodness, pay bills? But hey, feed

25
00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,480
Speaker 1: the dogs, feed the cows. And is there anything you'd

26
00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,160
Speaker 1: like to see change with the block management program? Oh?

27
00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,559
Speaker 1: I can't think of anything. Let's make the check twice

28
00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:09,520
Speaker 1: as much. I would describe this morning as moody. I'm

29
00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,040
Speaker 1: sitting here, Actually we were sitting here snort tonight, are

30
00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,400
Speaker 1: sitting here in the old Black Series camper, which I'm

31
00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:23,000
Speaker 1: using for the summer, and we're staring out at Lake

32
00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:29,440
Speaker 1: lwell Tiber Reservoir giant impoundment on the Mariahs. I'm probably

33
00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:34,760
Speaker 1: twelve miles from where Lewis and Clark camped out out

34
00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:42,080
Speaker 1: here and eventually got run off by the Blackfeet Indians. Anyway,

35
00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,480
Speaker 1: we're getting a little bit of rain here, and this

36
00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,280
Speaker 1: part of the country. It's great to get on the

37
00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,240
Speaker 1: road before the road soak up any of that or else.

38
00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,680
Speaker 1: Sometimes your trailers get so heavy they can't pull them

39
00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,200
Speaker 1: anywhere because they've picked up all the clay off that

40
00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,320
Speaker 1: road surface. What I'm a tempting to do here is

41
00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,400
Speaker 1: take all of us, all you cow's We can review

42
00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:11,320
Speaker 1: listeners on a road trip. Montana's block Management program is

43
00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:18,880
Speaker 1: it's private land public access program. It's incredibly important here

44
00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:25,840
Speaker 1: in Montana. Over seven million acres of access are opened

45
00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:31,920
Speaker 1: up and it's a private agreement between a landowner and

46
00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,520
Speaker 1: the state. They do get paid, there's an incentive there,

47
00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:40,560
Speaker 1: but the public is who benefits many of these places,

48
00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,280
Speaker 1: many of these properties, much of this seven million acres

49
00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:49,280
Speaker 1: of upland, bird hunting, fishing, white tails, mule, deer, elk

50
00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:54,040
Speaker 1: are open to the public in the simplest form you

51
00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:57,000
Speaker 1: can imagine. You'd go up to the signing boxes, you

52
00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,280
Speaker 1: fill out your paperwork, takes about five minute and basically

53
00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:05,800
Speaker 1: like away, I go way, snort, and I go found rooster,

54
00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:10,720
Speaker 1: sharp tales huns her first Hungarian partridge, oliver first. Really,

55
00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:15,920
Speaker 1: we're may have been on Montana's block management. The point

56
00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:20,279
Speaker 1: of our project is just an additional thank you to

57
00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:24,440
Speaker 1: let these landowners know that it's not just an agreement

58
00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,960
Speaker 1: between them and the state to let a bunch of

59
00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,960
Speaker 1: faceless hunters come out and roam around on their property.

60
00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,840
Speaker 1: But just like let these folks know that what they

61
00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:39,640
Speaker 1: do is seriously, seriously appreciated. So the big thank you

62
00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,159
Speaker 1: is we went out and bought a bunch of steel chainsaws,

63
00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,520
Speaker 1: a bunch of visa check cards were two dollars and

64
00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,520
Speaker 1: old snort and I and some friends along the way

65
00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:56,000
Speaker 1: are dropping these off to block management landowners that we

66
00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,599
Speaker 1: randomly selected across the seven hunting regions in Montana. And

67
00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:02,880
Speaker 1: I'm gonna take all of us along with us, hopefully

68
00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,440
Speaker 1: get some interviews, talk to these folks, cover these road miles.

69
00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:11,359
Speaker 1: Think of it as a general appreciation tour. So the

70
00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,800
Speaker 1: storms picking up here. Thanks for listening. Stick with us.

71
00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:30,880
Speaker 1: Special edition Cal's Weekend Review on the road from Mediators

72
00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:35,480
Speaker 1: World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is Cal's Weekend Review,

73
00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:40,120
Speaker 1: presented by Steel. Steel products are available only at authorized dealers.

74
00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:44,800
Speaker 1: For more, go to Steel Dealers dot com. Now here's

75
00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:52,039
Speaker 1: your host, Ryan cal Callahan. Holy cats, a hunting season again?

76
00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,839
Speaker 1: How did that happen? Yes, it's hotter than hades and

77
00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:59,039
Speaker 1: fires have started popping up across the west. But in

78
00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,800
Speaker 1: spite of the fire the heat, August is the antelope

79
00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:07,279
Speaker 1: archery opener here in Montana. Soon seasons will be opening

80
00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:11,000
Speaker 1: in your state in honor of this role of the Calendar.

81
00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:15,080
Speaker 1: I've decided to put together a super special access episode

82
00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,400
Speaker 1: of Cal's Weekend Review. That's right, this week, we've got

83
00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,600
Speaker 1: private land, public access, what to Know before you go,

84
00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,760
Speaker 1: and so much more. But first, I'm gonna tell you

85
00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,880
Speaker 1: about my week. And you know, I'm recording to you

86
00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,280
Speaker 1: live from Hawaii right now, if you believe it or not.

87
00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,640
Speaker 1: That's all those crickets and lizards and frogs and whatnot

88
00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,839
Speaker 1: chirping in the background. This episode is really based around

89
00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,080
Speaker 1: some awesome interviews that I did in the state of

90
00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,599
Speaker 1: Montana that I've already referenced here on the Weekend Review

91
00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:49,560
Speaker 1: regarding Montana's block management program and the meat eater program

92
00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,400
Speaker 1: that we threw together by raising a bunch of funds

93
00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:56,920
Speaker 1: with your help through Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. We use

94
00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,360
Speaker 1: those funds to buy a bunch of chainsaws. And you know,

95
00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:01,400
Speaker 1: I cover a lot of this stuff here, so I'm

96
00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:03,760
Speaker 1: not going to bore you with it again. So let's

97
00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:08,039
Speaker 1: get to it. What the heck is block management? Now

98
00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,360
Speaker 1: you're going to hear some interviews with both Region seven

99
00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,480
Speaker 1: and Region two access managers for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

100
00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,200
Speaker 1: So I'm Kendra McCloskey. I'm the Region two Hunting Access

101
00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:24,400
Speaker 1: Manager in Western Montana. In essence, it's a program that

102
00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:28,559
Speaker 1: the State of Montana works with private landowners to open

103
00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:31,440
Speaker 1: up their private land to the public for hunting seasons.

104
00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:37,680
Speaker 1: And it's definitely an annual partnership where UM, we work

105
00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:40,800
Speaker 1: with landowners to define how they want to see their

106
00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:44,800
Speaker 1: property managed, how that fits into their their ranch management goals,

107
00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,760
Speaker 1: and we help them build a specific set of you know,

108
00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:52,080
Speaker 1: map and rules that outlines how they want to see

109
00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,119
Speaker 1: hunters managed on their property. And then on the flip

110
00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:59,040
Speaker 1: side during hunting season, FWP steps in and helps them

111
00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:02,800
Speaker 1: manage their prop pretty and that's you know, keeping sign

112
00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,920
Speaker 1: in boxes stocked up, collecting permission coupons, helping hunters navigate

113
00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:11,680
Speaker 1: where things are, how to get there, UM, and answering

114
00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,200
Speaker 1: basic questions about the rules. Can you camp here? Yes

115
00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:16,280
Speaker 1: or no? If you can camp here, what do you

116
00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:19,760
Speaker 1: gotta do? UM. Do you get a lot of questions

117
00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:24,240
Speaker 1: from hunters in regards to block management, Yes, like how

118
00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:30,320
Speaker 1: many a ridiculous amount? Like a unsustainable amount? I would say,

119
00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:32,320
Speaker 1: can you give me example of like how many phone

120
00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:37,360
Speaker 1: calls you'll get during because there's an official start of

121
00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:41,880
Speaker 1: the block management reservation season and then there's an official

122
00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:46,560
Speaker 1: and as well, yes there is. Yeah, So like in

123
00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,720
Speaker 1: that time period and any given year, how many calls

124
00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:52,640
Speaker 1: will reach into get in regards to block management. So

125
00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,040
Speaker 1: when all of our maps and rules come out to

126
00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:58,439
Speaker 1: the public on August tent, that kind of starts the

127
00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:01,400
Speaker 1: kickoff of all the questions real went in. So are

128
00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:06,320
Speaker 1: access resource specialist Tyler Renfield. He fields between two and

129
00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:10,240
Speaker 1: three thousand phone calls between the beginning of August to

130
00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,720
Speaker 1: the end of December, and some of those are just

131
00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:16,520
Speaker 1: general questions. Some of them are reservations that he manages.

132
00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,600
Speaker 1: But it's I mean, his every single day is filled

133
00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:24,840
Speaker 1: with with hunter phone calls. My name is Travis Machet.

134
00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,320
Speaker 1: I'm the Region seven Access manager for Fish, Wildlife and

135
00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,600
Speaker 1: Parks based out of Miles City. So we're in charge

136
00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,600
Speaker 1: of all the private land access programs in the state

137
00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:38,640
Speaker 1: in the region UM for hunting, fishing, and general recreation.

138
00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:42,800
Speaker 1: So block management is the biggest access program I'm in

139
00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:48,240
Speaker 1: the state. In this region UM we have three cooperators

140
00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:52,200
Speaker 1: enrolled about two hundred and forty five block management areas.

141
00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:56,920
Speaker 1: In block management is a private land Hunting Access program

142
00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:00,880
Speaker 1: where private landowners enroll in agreements with a department to

143
00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,280
Speaker 1: open their private property to allow free public hunting to

144
00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,959
Speaker 1: the public hunters. So each block management agreement has its

145
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,800
Speaker 1: own set of rules. The landowner decides how they want

146
00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,920
Speaker 1: to permission issued the rules if it's walking, if they're

147
00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,520
Speaker 1: going to allow driving, so each agreement can be a

148
00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:20,640
Speaker 1: little bit different, tailored to that specific landowner. The department

149
00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,760
Speaker 1: negotiates those terms with each landowner. The hunter's role mainly

150
00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,280
Speaker 1: is to follow the rules in my mind, because a

151
00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,520
Speaker 1: lot of times we lose co operators because the hunters

152
00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:32,480
Speaker 1: aren't following rules. And make sure you get a map

153
00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:35,360
Speaker 1: in rules page for each individual B M A because

154
00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,680
Speaker 1: they are different. Rules are on the back specific to

155
00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,439
Speaker 1: that property, and just follow the rules and landowners will

156
00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:46,760
Speaker 1: be happy. So now that we know what block management is,

157
00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,640
Speaker 1: let's hear from some of the operators as to what

158
00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:53,120
Speaker 1: you should know before you go. First. One is in

159
00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:57,280
Speaker 1: regards to invasive grasses and weeds. The rest pretty darn

160
00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:08,520
Speaker 1: self explanatory. When you get people coming over from west

161
00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:13,679
Speaker 1: of Montana with leafy spurge or you know whatever, spotted

162
00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:18,200
Speaker 1: knapweed and it's all over their vehicles. So when they're

163
00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,520
Speaker 1: driving around on us, they're dropping that stuff and you

164
00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:23,840
Speaker 1: can tell, you know that is coming from the vehicles

165
00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:26,600
Speaker 1: because it's all along the ranch roads and county roads.

166
00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:31,680
Speaker 1: So I mean that that's probably the main reason why

167
00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:34,840
Speaker 1: we don't let people driving in on the on the ranch.

168
00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:40,360
Speaker 1: If you had anything to tell hunters to do more

169
00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:45,240
Speaker 1: of or do less of, what would you say? Don't

170
00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:49,960
Speaker 1: grow hunt, stop in at the property, sign in and

171
00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:54,040
Speaker 1: get out and walk because you're going to see more

172
00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:57,960
Speaker 1: game when you get out of your vehicle and walk

173
00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,520
Speaker 1: into that property. It's day on the roads. I mean,

174
00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,240
Speaker 1: when it's dry out, don't be driving all over you know,

175
00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:08,719
Speaker 1: pastures because it can create a fire. And and if

176
00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:11,360
Speaker 1: a gate is open, you open the gate, you close

177
00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,200
Speaker 1: the gate. I mean, just be respectful of the land.

178
00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,840
Speaker 1: You know. The main thing too, if you're gonna shoot

179
00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:22,199
Speaker 1: a deer or something, take the whole deer. Don't just

180
00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:25,680
Speaker 1: be a trophy hunter. I hope you haven't seen any

181
00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:33,800
Speaker 1: of you believe we've had some incidences, yeah, her breaking, yeah,

182
00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,880
Speaker 1: but as a whole, everybody's really good. Really good hunting

183
00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:40,760
Speaker 1: season is also shipping season, and so there's a lot

184
00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,480
Speaker 1: of trucks on the road. We also have hay trucks

185
00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:46,240
Speaker 1: on the road, and it's it's really not safe any

186
00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:50,200
Speaker 1: time to just stop and cock off. So that's probably

187
00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,080
Speaker 1: kind of the main thing that we've seen is just

188
00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:56,000
Speaker 1: being mindful of that and being mindful that wherever you've been,

189
00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:58,360
Speaker 1: if there's been any weeds or anything, you may be

190
00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:00,680
Speaker 1: packing those along with you. So just to be cautious

191
00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:04,040
Speaker 1: of those things. And fire, that's probably our biggest fear.

192
00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:09,640
Speaker 1: It's fire pretty simple, right, Stay off muddy roads, don't

193
00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:12,679
Speaker 1: park in tall grass when it's dry, Be respectful of

194
00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:15,960
Speaker 1: the fact that these ranchers are working, keep the county

195
00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:19,360
Speaker 1: roads clear. Do your glassing from as far off the

196
00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:24,920
Speaker 1: shoulder as you can get. Now, what the state is

197
00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:28,760
Speaker 1: actually able to pay these landowners to participate in the

198
00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:33,719
Speaker 1: program is historically not very competitive with what others are

199
00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:37,000
Speaker 1: willing to pay. So let's listen to why a landowner

200
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:40,800
Speaker 1: would participate and what opportunities they could be sharing on

201
00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:53,520
Speaker 1: their property. For the most part, it's it's just to

202
00:13:54,360 --> 00:14:00,480
Speaker 1: give the local community and in Montana's opportunity to uh

203
00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:04,360
Speaker 1: come hunt and be able to share that with their

204
00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:09,640
Speaker 1: families and promote hunting, and what's the big opportunity on

205
00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:12,480
Speaker 1: the ranch or the thing you'd be happy, yest with

206
00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:18,600
Speaker 1: folks taken off the place. Elk, we got a lot

207
00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:20,080
Speaker 1: of them. There's a lot of elk there in the

208
00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:25,040
Speaker 1: beer pause. You know, we get a lot of deer

209
00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,200
Speaker 1: and antelope on our property. Kind of controls the management

210
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:32,760
Speaker 1: of it. UM keeps the antelope. You know, we get

211
00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:34,880
Speaker 1: a lot of antelope. They do a lot of damage,

212
00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:38,240
Speaker 1: you know, kind of helps the control helps hunters, you know,

213
00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:42,600
Speaker 1: where a lot of people are closed to hunting. When

214
00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,400
Speaker 1: we first started block management UM, it was to help

215
00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:50,520
Speaker 1: the youth hunters as kind of how we got into

216
00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:54,760
Speaker 1: the program. Well, honestly, for our deal, we wanted to

217
00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,200
Speaker 1: do an easement and that's part of the requirement of

218
00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,840
Speaker 1: the eastment is the block management. And I'm not gonna lie.

219
00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:04,000
Speaker 1: We were nervous about doing it. We're thinking, man, that

220
00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,560
Speaker 1: is a lot of people, armed, people that we don't

221
00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,960
Speaker 1: know coming on our property, and we're just really glad

222
00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,880
Speaker 1: we did it has been it's been a good experience.

223
00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:15,120
Speaker 1: It's been good for them and good for us. We've

224
00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,240
Speaker 1: had a lot of locals that have said they have

225
00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:20,760
Speaker 1: a tough time getting access anymore. You know, when they

226
00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:22,800
Speaker 1: were kids, they could kind of hunt wherever, and it's

227
00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,720
Speaker 1: just getting harder and harder, and so um, it's just

228
00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:30,360
Speaker 1: felt like a good thing. What are the species that

229
00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:34,720
Speaker 1: folks are coming out to your property to hunt? Ours

230
00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:37,760
Speaker 1: is mostly mule deer. We've got a few white tail,

231
00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:44,520
Speaker 1: got a few antelope, uh, some turkeys, and um, we've

232
00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:48,400
Speaker 1: got some grouse. But generally there's easier places to track

233
00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:50,080
Speaker 1: them down then out there, because you got a hike

234
00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:52,840
Speaker 1: quite a ways to find them on our place. But um,

235
00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,400
Speaker 1: those are probably kind of the main ones that folks

236
00:15:55,440 --> 00:16:03,080
Speaker 1: are after. This two thousand plus mile trip was incredible.

237
00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,720
Speaker 1: A lot of Montana had gotten over four inches of

238
00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:08,920
Speaker 1: rain in less than a week. The grass was tall,

239
00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,000
Speaker 1: the creeks were running, the stock ponds were near full,

240
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,880
Speaker 1: if not over full, which if you were out here

241
00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:18,640
Speaker 1: last year, is a very different scene from what you

242
00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,960
Speaker 1: probably saw. There was drought followed by an onslaught of grasshoppers,

243
00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:26,000
Speaker 1: which had forced many ranchers to unload up to fifty

244
00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,080
Speaker 1: of their herd, sometimes more. They did so at a

245
00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,600
Speaker 1: time when market rates were not good. One rancher told

246
00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:34,640
Speaker 1: me that there wasn't a blade of grass left on

247
00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,680
Speaker 1: her place, and the grasshoppers were forced to eat the trees.

248
00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,120
Speaker 1: So not only were the farm fields and past years

249
00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,520
Speaker 1: we've ventured through well watered, they were when compared to

250
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,880
Speaker 1: previous seasons, understocked. You never know what you're gonna get

251
00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:50,960
Speaker 1: in the farming and ranching game, just like hunting season.

252
00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:55,280
Speaker 1: Every season, rains change. Here in Montana, just like in

253
00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,840
Speaker 1: your state, we're seeing the turning over of ranches and farms,

254
00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,840
Speaker 1: sometimes to new generations, sometimes two new ranchers, sometimes to

255
00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:07,920
Speaker 1: recreational interests, and worst of all, to development. Can't grow

256
00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,440
Speaker 1: a big old mule deer buck in a condo canyon.

257
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,520
Speaker 1: With this turnover, old discussions start popping up as to

258
00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:19,040
Speaker 1: how to handle public access to public wildlife that spends

259
00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:24,040
Speaker 1: its time on private ground. Again, the Montana Private Bland

260
00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:30,080
Speaker 1: Public Access program Block Management has around seven million acres

261
00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:35,080
Speaker 1: currently enrolled. Seven million acres is a lot. If you

262
00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:38,200
Speaker 1: were to line up seven million acres and end in

263
00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:42,000
Speaker 1: one big long rectangle, it would take you roughly one

264
00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:46,040
Speaker 1: hundred and thirty six thousand hours to walk just one

265
00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:49,800
Speaker 1: side of that rectangle. So that's just a third of

266
00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:53,680
Speaker 1: the amount of time you could spend right one to yeah,

267
00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:57,880
Speaker 1: something like that on Montana's block management. And guess what,

268
00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,320
Speaker 1: here's the best part, best for last, just for you.

269
00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,160
Speaker 1: Almost every single state has a program just like this,

270
00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:08,639
Speaker 1: a total of roughly twenty nine million acres, a number

271
00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:13,480
Speaker 1: we can expand on and a number we can detract from.

272
00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:17,240
Speaker 1: I hope everybody has an amazing start of their hunting season.

273
00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:20,320
Speaker 1: I hope you keep some of these little anecdotes in mind,

274
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,320
Speaker 1: and most of all, I hope you remember to say

275
00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,400
Speaker 1: thank you for the access. It means a lot to us.

276
00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,920
Speaker 1: Be friendly, be respectful, pick up your trash, and above all,

277
00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:34,720
Speaker 1: be safe. Thanks again. I'll talk to you next week.

278
00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,439
Speaker 1: And if you do get stuck at home, swing by

279
00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,640
Speaker 1: your local, friendly neighborhood steel dealer. Look at you, set

280
00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:42,520
Speaker 1: up with what you need and they won't try to

281
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:45,560
Speaker 1: send you home with what you don't. Thanks again, I'll

282
00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,000
Speaker 1: talk to you next week, and don't forget to write

283
00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,280
Speaker 1: into a s k C a L. That's an asked

284
00:18:50,320 --> 00:19:00,560
Speaker 1: cal at the meat eater dot com. The