Contributors to this thread:
How do you guys feel about the Block Management program in MT? Do you have any good or bad experiences to share if you have hunted any of it?
I've had some great hunts and some very forgettable hunts.
It's a good program that could be improved more.
Very good program. Some areas are crowded yes but it does open opportunity.
It opens land for a person to hunt on... that alone is a positive.
It depends on the block area. Some have animals others don't. Scouting an area doesn't hurt. If you cant do that, use Google Earth to look it over, or just go hunt it and see what is out there.
I have had plenty of luck on BM land in Montana. Just have to work for it. Hunt
I have hunted MT for the past 15 years and never looked into BM. Think its time I tried something different.
I can only speak for the BM areas in our area, but BM has created incredible hunting pressure in our area.. Hunters look at the maps and flock here from other parts of Montana and out of state. If you want a nice walk in the outdoors, they are great. If you're looking for a quality hunt, forget it. BM has opened up no places that I couldn't have hunted prior to hunting by simply asking for permission. For the most part, landowners who didn't allow hunting before BM have not enrolled in the program. Some landowners put land that is very poor hunting in the program to get their check (sagebrush, open prairie, etc.....land without enough cover to hide a rabbit) and do not put their prime areas in the program (creek bottoms, riverbottoms, etc.).
What I do is try to get permission to hunt land that borders block mgt. After the first weekend, the critters are pushed out of the BM areas and they pretty much stay out until the season is over.
When I had my daughter out hunting on the youth hunt, we seen some great deer on BM. Once general hunting opened, the animals were gone because of all the pressure. I was hunting close to Billings so that does not help. I would hope it would be a little better once you get away from the more populated areas?
I've had good success on BM properties for both big and small game. That being said they can be crowded at times like any public access areas. The type II BMAs limit hunter numbers by adding an additional hoop to jump through to get access. Avoiding the weekends helps a great deal on the ones I've hunted. Good luck!
BM during archery season and the early bird season (before pheasant season opens), is pretty good but once pheasant season and antelope seasons open, forget it... and it doesn't seem to matter whether the block mgt areas are near a larger city or not...
I killed a deer on a type II unit last fall (where they limit the number of parties hunting each day and you have to sign in at the house rather than drop a slip in a box). I was the 174 party to sign in and it was the middle of the season. Keep in mind that a party could be anywhere from 1 to 6 hunters... Prior to block mgt. I doubt if more than a couple dozen people would have hunted this ranch...
What I've learned when I do hunt a block mgt. property is to not park and enter where everyone else does... The critters figure this out very quickly. I always try to park away from where everyone else does and come in from a different direction. I've also found nooks and crannys others don't seem to hunt for some reason. These are usually in the furthest corners of a property.