News

Hunters, anglers, and other public land users stand to benefit from a new renewable energy leasing rule released by the Department of Interior today. The rule sets up a process for competitive leasing and environmental review for renewable energy projects on public lands. This new rule will help protect our habitat for fish and wildlife and access for hunting and angling while charting a course to a cleaner energy future.

The Bureau of Land Management’s new solar and wind leasing rule will help establish stability and consistency across BLM field offices in permit review, which will provide greater certainty and predictability for energy companies. Consistency and transparency will better provide information to the public, the energy companies, and to investors. It will also establish a leasing process for more efficiently issuing permits, which can speed up permitting time and protect natural resources.

“The BLM’s new rule strikes a balance between energy development and wildlife habitat. I’m glad to see this balance, as a public land hunter. As an American, I’m also glad to see our country work on becoming more energy independent” said Eric Wendt, an avid big game hunter out of Billings, MT.

The Bureau of Land Management’s new solar and wind leasing rule will be essential while considering the needs of fish and wildlife populations and the interests of hunters and anglers when large-scale renewable energy projects are proposed. The leasing rule includes provisions that establish rates and fees to ensure the public get a fair return. Other provisions create designated leasing areas that promote the use of low-conflict development and take a region-wide approach to mitigating the impacts from development.

“The new rule will help us anticipate and avoid harm to fish and wildlife habitat,” said Dave Chadwick, Executive Director of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “This is a smart, balanced approach to developing renewable energy on public lands that avoids conflicts with wildlife and other public land users.”

“This rule will set us up for future solar and wind development that avoids the conflicts we’ve seen in the past over other energy sources,” said Chamois Andersen, Executive Director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation. “We can build wind and solar projects without harming the West’s prized fish and wildlife habitat and public access.”

Montana is known as a haven for big game hunters, and for good reason. We boast about our 11 species of big game animals, our five-week general rifle season and six-week archery season for deer and elk, and our incredibly diverse landscapes to pursue these incredible native species.

But Montana is also an incredible place for bird hunters. We also have an incredible array of upland game bird species, both natives like sage, sharp-tailed and mountain grouse, as well as non-native species including ring-necked pheasants and Hungarian partridge. And of course we’re on major flyways for waterfowl, with some incredible wingshooting for ducks and geese.

I recently joined my fellow Montana Wildlife Federation staffer John Bradley on a pheasant hunt in eastern Montana and it confirmed that the Treasure State offers great opportunities for wingshooting. The trip was especially rewarding because we joined a friend who bought a pup six years ago from my English Setter Sapphire.

We hunted several private farms and found excellent pheasant habitat in the cattails along irrigation ditches, in shelter belts and in willows on the banks of rivers. The cover is really thick, and that’s exactly what pheasants like.

This is classic farm country, with grain and soybeans in the fields next to that thick cover. It’s the perfect mix for prime pheasant hunting, and we weren’t disappointed as Sapphire and Gus pointed bird after bird. Plenty of those were hens that we had to let go, and as always that brought the disappointing look from dogs wondering why they had done their job so perfectly only to watch the bird fly away. But we got into plenty of roosters too, enough to shoot our limits a couple days.

Of course all that agricultural habitat is excellent for waterfowl as well. And judging from the amount of sign – as well as a bunch that we kicked up – there is some excellent deer hunting in eastern Montana.

The next time you get out and spend a few days hunting in eastern Montana, be sure to thank landowners for having you out.

Nick Gevock is the conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation.

On a bright November day, unable to stay indoors a minute longer, I’m guiding two colleagues on a pheasant hunt – standing in as hunt master for my husband, Bruce.

Passing the last dense patch of winter berry, we’re near the end of the first push. Mark is enjoying the scenery. “Be ready!” I rasp, and, right on cue, a rooster explodes between us. Mark takes a fast shot, and connects.

Bird in hand, we’re relaxed, chatting, as we amble through short grass where there “are never” any pheasants, and a huge rooster flushes at our feet. We empty our guns and the bird flies out of range behind a tree. “Any sign of a hit?” I ask. Mark and Sam shake their heads glumly. I had glimpsed two tiny feathers in the air after my shot.

Believing the bird lost, we proceed. Below me, at the bottom of a spring creek, my dog, Violet, is digging into the brush. Suddenly there’s a squawk, and her face emerges full of pheasant. Since I had seen the feathers, I claim the bird!

My pre-Montana self would not recognize the person I am today. I grew up in the urban sprawl of northeast England; moved to New Zealand in my twenties, where I sang opera, enjoyed Shakespeare and frequented art-house movies.

And I was anti-gun. Until I met Bruce. It took him roughly five minutes to explain why he hunted; I was won over instantly. I’d always felt guilty about eating meat without engaging in the killing process, but here was an opportunity to source my own food – in an ancient, natural and sustainable way, in tune with the rhythms of life.

It didn’t hurt, either, that the first time I tried his 12 gauge, I hit the target, three times in a row. Shooting was fun!

Then the hard part began. I’d go out bird hunting, and make one mistake after another – I’d shoot from afar, swing my gun through someone when I stumbled. I’d be behind the push, or in front, not quite in sync and got yelled at a lot. When I did shoot, other people shot as well so I never knew if the bird was “mine”. Many times I’d want to run away in tears but I loved it too much to quit.

Eleven years later, I am an experienced and avid hunter, with more wild birds bagged than I care to recount. I am keen to pass on my skills to others. We have a beautiful property with wildlife galore. I am confident I can teach newcomers to become “safe and savvy hunters” more quickly than I did by trial and error. We’ve named our hunting school “Joy of Hunting”. We teach in a style that is conducive to women but are open to co-ed classes as well.

“Joy of Hunting” sums up why I hunt. Behind the sadness of taking a life is exhilaration, gratitude and joy. For me, it’s not about trophies but about a deep connection with Life.

Anne Kania is a professional classical singer who moved to Montana in 2007 and has re-invented herself as a hunter. She and her husband, Bruce, own a 340-acre property on the Yellowstone River in Shepherd, which is stewarded for uplands birds and fish, and from which they operate two businesses – Floating Island International, Inc. and Joy of Hunting.