The biggest fail of I-161 is that it has been ten years of sportsman chasing a rabbit called access and not dealing with the management issues that are plaguing the state. Deal with those issues and access will improve.
Yes, and no.
In 2011, there were over 120 bills introduced on just wildlife. Bills that would have eliminated the bundled permits for the breaks, done away with state mgt of wolves, eliminated access programs, etc. 2013 saw lower numbers, but the same attacks.
2009, 2011 saw attacks on stream access. 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 all saw attacks on Habitat Montana as well as bills being introduced to make management of elk & deer far worse than it is today. Meanwhile, most sportsmen's organizations can't get bills out of committee because of partisan gridlock and the fear that if something good happens, somehow "the libtards" are going to win.
This is a cluster-#*^@#* rodeo well over 20 years in the making. Attacks on access have been happening repeatedly by the legislature & in some instances, trade organizations & ag groups. Attacks on management have been from those same groups & clusters of politicians. In that time (let's say 2009 to present), there have been a handful of victories on access that were the result of lawsuits brought to open up illegally closed roads, or through legislative battles. Brian Schweitzer's use of Habitat Montana to purchase WMA's is still used as an attack on Habitat MT by legislators who don't even know how the property tax side of FWP works, or what those lands were destined for because their pervious owners wanted to leave all of Montana better off.
Meanwhile, attempts to improve management have been met with political bluster from special interests who prefer the current system as it benefits them more than the general public.
I get that it's frustrating to constantly hear no from the hunting community, but when the same rejected ideas are brought back with no real interest in dialog, then there is little left to do but retreat into corners and come out swinging. I think folks have been at each other's throats for so long, we tend to forget that reasonable outcomes can occur if we all sit down together and honestly advocate for what we want. That's a shame, especially because I think the more mainstream ag groups would take the opportunity to find common ground.
Title 87, the section of the Montana Code Annotated, is one of the thickest sections of code in Montana state law. It's a dumpster fire of bad ideas & vengeful legislation, and it makes every conversation impossible because of the political malfeasance of the legislature over the last 20 years (Going back to Barret's objectives bill). Management won't change until the laws are reformed.
The reality on access is the current programs work great, but the funding levels are low. Raising Block to $25K is a good start and I'm glad that was added back into HB 637, but to try and lay all of this crap on the feet of sportsmen completely ignores the antagonistic atmosphere that all of this work is done in.
It may be time for an initiative if the Legislature refuses to enact reasonable reforms to title 87 and get rid of all of the mission creep and specialized handouts, etc that have overtaken what should be pretty stream-lined code. 2023 is going to be another roller-coaster and if sportsmen are smart, they'll start working on reform bills now, rather than wait until we're attacked at the legislature once again for simply standing up for the public trust.
