Projects and Issues

Input to Montana’s Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program

 

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wants to hear from upland game bird hunters who have used Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program or block management lands to hunt game birds this fall.

 “A self addressed, stamped postcard is bound in each copy of the 2009 Upland Game Bird Program Access Guide and FWP is hopeful that bird hunters will use it to report where they hunted, for how many days, the species of birds they hunted and their overall experience with the program,” said Debbie Hohler, FWP’s Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program biologist.

 Hohler said the Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program’s goals are to enhance the quality of habitat and increase the number of upland game birds and upland game bird hunting opportunities in the state. Hunters’ comments will help FWP assess program management and planning.

 In recent years there has been some constructive criticism while at the same time some dissatisfaction with the program.  MWF encourages its readers to fill out the postcards and if necessary, obtain additional cards so that substantial comments are received by FWP. Your experiences are important to how the program is and will be managed.

 FWP says that over 30 active landowner contracts are conserving and enhancing almost 300,000 acres of upland game bird habitat and providing nearly one million acres of private land for public game bird hunting.

 Additional upland game bird hunting opportunities are available on more than 32 million acres of federal, tribal and state lands in Montana.

The 2009 Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program Projects Access Guide is available in print form in FWP region offices and the headquarters office in Helena. An electronic copy of the guide is on the FWP Web site at www.fwp.mt.gov . On the Habitat page select Wildlife Habitat and then Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program.