Video: Western Montana Land Considerations

Transcript for Western Montana Landowner

Speaker 1: Western Montana is known for its mountainous terrain and dense timber. This means that when it’s time to hunt, you must ensure your quads are prepared for a cardio challenge. If you’re accessing lands by vehicle, it’s crucial to know the specific land that you are hunting on and the associated rules. For private landowners who open their gates for this opportunity, there are certain expectations they have for hunters.

Mark Siderius, Landowner: So, we run a cow calf operation and then we raise wheat, barley, pulse crops, hay, and sometimes some oilseeds. Most of our property has water frontage on it, so we allow walk-in fishing with permission. During big game season, we allow walk-in access for deer hunting. And then we allow some access for waterfowl.

Speaker 1: It’s easy to understand why you as a hunter would want to head west for the abundance of wildlife and the chance for a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. If you have the privilege of hunting on private property, it’s important to remember that homes, equipment, and livestock may be nearby. Always be considerate of your target and the surrounding area.

Mark Siderius: One of the biggest problems that we have is on the waterfowl hunting, and we have a couple of pieces of water that we ask that they stay closed, and some of it’s in proximity to our home, some of it’s in proximity to the cattle watering area and stuff. And we have trouble from time to time with just people being disrespectful of those requests.

Speaker 1: As hunters, it might feel uncomfortable to contact a landowner. Your intentions might be that you feel that you are disrupting their daily routine or maybe that you’ve had asked once and that has already provided the hunting opportunity for the season. This thought process is concerning for landowners as their daily lives vary and requires some areas to be off limits.

Mark Siderius: I guess to me, being a good hunter and accommodating to landowners is to check in from time to time throughout the season so that if there’s been a change that's happened, so if there needs to be a modification, that can be done. We run into sometimes where permission is given one time, and they feel it’s good season long, which it usually is, but sometimes we have asks. Sometimes we’ve moved cattle other places. Sometimes we’re working other areas, and we may need to shift you in or out of an area to accommodate that. So, I guess it’s a little bit that a one ask for the year maybe isn’t quite enough. You need to follow up and check in.

Speaker 1: Enjoy your hunting season, and be transparent when it comes to landowners. As the saying goes, honesty is the best policy.