Block Management, Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program Info Available

Block Management Area (BMA) program information is now available at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offices. The Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program (UGBEP) Projects Access Guide will be available later this month. To request a hard copy or to review these guides online, go to fwp.mt.gov/BMA and fwp.mt.gov/UGBEP.

The BMA guide offers hunters access to the most current information on lands enrolled in BMA. In addition to the access overview guide, each BMA has its own property map and specific rules. The BMA program provides hunter management assistance, an impact payment, a weed management bonus, and a complimentary license benefit to offset the impacts of allowing free public hunting access on private lands.

The UGBEP guide contains all active projects administered through the program, including Open Fields, habitat management leases, food and cover plots, CRP enhancements, shelterbelts, and grazing systems. These project types are located in all FWP regions and are designed to enhance upland game bird habitats on lands open to free upland game bird hunting when permission to hunt is secured. The guide also includes tables listing all habitat projects and maps that depict locations of private and public land projects enrolled in the UGBEP.

Through partnerships formed with private landowners, government agencies, or conservation organizations, the block management program will provide access to nearly 7 million acres of private and isolated public land for the 2024 hunting season. UGBEP provides close to 700,000 acres of access to upland game bird hunters.  

FWP urges hunters to use caution due to extremely dry conditions and to extend a “thank you” to all Montana landowners who collaborate on access opportunities that benefit wildlife and public hunters.

For more information about BMA, email Lndsportrelations@mt.gov or contact the local regional office. For more information about UGBEP, contact UGBEP Coordinator Debbie Hohler at 406-444-5674 or dhohler@mt.gov.