Chapter V - Block Management Efficiency 



Many of the regions rely on the landowners to sign their property. 

 The signing is not checked by a department employee to ensure 

 signing is complete and correct. Many biologists and wardens are in 

 the field and they could verify the signing is correct. Also, many 

 regions hire patrollers to visit BMAs and they could also ensure 

 signing is correct. 



Recommendation #10 



We recommend the department ensure the directions on the Block 

 Management Area maps can be followed and the areas are 

 properly signed prior to the hunting season. 



Landowner and Hunter 

 Knowledge of the 

 Program 



We sent a questionnaire to hunters and to landowners who have not 

 expressed an interest in enrolling in the program. We found some 

 hunters and landowners did not know about the program. Hunters 

 also had problems with the availability of tabloids and maps. The 

 following discusses our findings. 



Hunter Comments 



We asked hunters if they were aware of the Block Management 

 Program, and if they were, did they hunt on a BMA in 1998. We 

 sent questionnaires to 300 hunters and 1 19 responded. Nine said 

 they had not heard of the program. Seven of the hunters were from 

 Montana and two were from out-of-state. 



Sixty-nine hunters said they hunted on a BMA in 1998. We asked 

 hunters using a BMA if they were satisfied with the availability of 

 tabloids and maps. Two of the 69 did not respond to the question. 

 Of the 67 that answered, 17 (25 percent) said they were not happy 

 with the availability of tabloids and/or maps. Comments ranged 

 from could not find any maps and the maps were not adequate, to 

 where do you get state maps. A comment was made about the 

 general availability: "The requirement of phoning the FWP 

 administrative/regional office and being limited to three (3) maps, 

 when you haven't hunted there before and have no idea as to what 

 species is/are available, is a cumbersome "by guess and by gosh" 

 way of doing it. There should be some sort of statewide "master 

 guidebook" available." (No specific region identified.) 



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