Spotlight: Block Management Areas

For nearly four decades, the Block Management Program has helped facilitate public hunting access on private lands. Today, over 1,000 landowners voluntarily participate in the program, offering public hunting access on over 7 million acres of private lands.

To get Block Management Area (BMA) access, hunters can visit FWP’s website. FWP’s Hunt Planner Map provides the most up-to-date information on BMAs and accessibility. The Block Management Access Guide is updated annually and provides maps and information about BMA opportunities by region. In addition to name, location, and type of BMA, the guide lists hunting district, potential huntable species, and key information on access and restrictions.

Once you choose your area, you’ll need to get permission depending on the BMA type:

• Type 1 BMAs are areas where hunters administer their own permission. These BMAs may use sign-in boxes or may not require hunters to sign in or get permission at all.
• Type 2 BMAs are areas where someone other than the hunter issues permission. This may be a landowner or an FWP employee. Type 2 BMAs may require reservations, set hunter number limits, and require other similar conditions be met.

No matter which type of BMA you’re hunting, you are required to follow the rules. Each BMA has its own rules agreed upon by the landowner(s) and FWP regional staff. Green BMA signs generally mean hunting behind the sign is allowed, with certain restrictions. Orange signs indicate areas that are closed to hunting or motorized use, such as residential or livestock zones, no-shooting zones, or road closures.