Martin Koetje, a hunter from Washington state, seems to live a dream life, like a sort of Bill Gates Jr. when it comes to the riches that sportsmen value. He hunts several spreads in Montana with great upland bird populations, others with prime elk and mule deer herds. The acres roll into the tens of thousands behind fences that mark it as private land. Every fall Koetje, 35, heads east to his special paradise and returns with tales that make friends envious.

But other than coming from the same state, Koetje has little in common with the world’s wealthiest man. Koetje doesn’t own a high-tech company; he doesn’t even work for one. He’s a welder from Mount Vernon. So how does a regular working stiff come into more than 8 million private acres in Montana?

He found out about Block Management, an innovative Montana program that has opened millions of acres of private lands to public hunting. It stands as an example of what must be done to provide access to hunters, which is the most endangered aspect of our sport.

“Sometimes when I’m out there, it almost feels like I do have a private ranch to hunt,�?Koetje says. “I can’t begin to explain how great this program is. It’s made quality hunting possible for me, because it gives me access to quality habitat at a price I can afford.�?

Those last 10 words—“access to quality habitat at a price I can afford”—represent what has been the holy grail for the growing number of people concerned about the future of public hunting in the United States. This includes government wildlife managers, manufacturers of hunting equipment, and members of sportsmen’s organizations. They’re concerned because, for decades now, the vital signs of public hunting have been flatlining. Participation has been on a steady decline, and those still involved are growing older. Wildlife biologists term such an occurrence recruitment failure. And if public hunting disappears, so will the funding mechanism that has made American wildlife abundant enough for the sport.

Success in the West
Montana, a large state with a small population and a very long tradition of public hunting, was one of the first to recognize the importance of public access programs. In 1985, managers at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks saw a crisis developing as private lands that had always been open to hunting were increasingly being withdrawn from public access. Reasons for the shift included escalating problems of misuse by hunters as well as the rising value of commercially leased hunting and fishing rights.

“In a state where 65 percent of the land is privately owned, that trend posed tremendous problems for wildlife management, and also for the future of public hunting,�?says Alan Charles, the agency’s coordinator of landowner-sportsman relations. “We needed to keep these private lands open. But in order to accomplish that, we needed to understand landowners�?concerns.�?

The owners wanted (a) to be freed from legal liability for accidents on their property; (b) compensation that could help them maintain and manage their holdings; and (c) a program that they could customize to their desires. They got all three.

A new law provided landowners with a “minimum level�?of liability. “That means the only way they can be held responsible is if they knowingly created a condition with the intent of causing injury,�?Charles says.

The compensation issue was resolved with a creative program that offers cash, services, or a combination. Landowners can receive between $6 and $10 per hunter per day, depending on the value of their property to the program, up to a maximum of $12,000 per year. The average annual compensation has been $3,000, and the average size of Block Management units has been 7,000 acres. Contracts run from one to three years.

Initial skepticism felt by some landowners in the state has vanished. This year, 1,250 of them joined Block Management, opening 8.5 million privately owned acres to public use. And 250 applicants had to be turned away. This year the Montana Legislature made the pilot program permanent by a nearly unanimous vote.

The $6 million budget is paid for almost entirely by nonresident hunters—most of whom don’t even use Block Management lands. “Seventy-five percent of the funding comes from nonresident big-game hunters who use outfitters,�?says Charles. “The outfitter pays a fee to get a guaranteed license for his client, and that money is dedicated to Block Management.�?Most of the remaining funding comes from nonresident upland bird licenses and a special hunter access enhancement fee, $2 for residents and $10 for nonresidents.

Landowner Approval
That farmers and ranchers give the program high marks is obvious by the sign-up rate.

“It’s a very good program, one that’s actually helped solve problems we were having in managing our property and the wildlife,�?says John Baccus, whose family has run a 65,000-acre spread near Craig, a tiny town in central Montana, since 1890. Baccus placed 40,000 of those acres into the program and receives the maximum compensation of $12,000 a year.

Baccus uses sign-up boxes and typically doesn’t meet the hunters who use his vast spread, but smaller landowners have had equally good results using a more personal approach. Dave Williever, who has 1,260 acres of great upland and turkey habitat on his property in eastern Montana, requires hunters to make contact before the season to reserve days, then to meet him in person before going out on his land. He has the right to refuse any hunter—but so far hasn’t had to. “The program really helps me manage the wildlife,�?Williever says. “And I’ve met some really nice people.�?

One of those was Martin Koetje. Alerted to Block Management about five years ago by a sign he saw on some Montana property, Koetje quickly researched it. He orders the Block Management directory, which lists all the properties, the type of game available, and the use requirements of the landowner.

“We call the landowners and talk about when we can come out,�?he says. “When we get there, we meet the folks before we hunt and sign the agreement. It’s a great experience.�?Koetje and his hunting companions show their appreciation by bringing along a specialty from the Northwest—smoked salmon.

“It’s a gift, really, for their kindness,�?Koetje says. “There’s no way I could afford to hunt this kind of land if it wasn’t for Block Management. It helps keep me hunting.�?>

SPECIAL THANKS TO FIELD AND STREAM MAGAZINE