allocated by permit rather than an "A Tag" system where the landowner actually sells animals 

 to clients. 



• The Department should encourage good sportsman and landowner relations. 



• The Department should undertake an aggressive program to increase reasonable access to all 

 game populations. While there is certainly a time and place for road closures, road closures 

 can resuh in reduced himting opportimities. 



Response: Access to private land is at the discretion of the landowner and would 

 remain so under any alternative. Under the preferred alternative FWP would 

 continue working closely with landowners/managers and sportsmen to address 

 landowners ' concerns, recreational opportunity, and maintaining populations of 

 harvestable species at desired levels. 



ISSUE #2 

 Access/Private Land — 9 comments 



Summary 



Public comment strongly encourages FWP to actively pursue public access by recreationists to private 

 land. Most comment expressed support for continuing the Block Management Program at current or 

 increased levels of effort. Some expressed concern over experiencing quality himting opportunity 

 with continued administration of this program. Comment is supportive of FWP pursuing access for 

 nonhunting recreation under the condition that funding for those efforts were linked to that user 

 group. 



Samples of Comments 



• As I have read the 6 elements that deal with access, I see the constant fact that private land 

 plays a very important role in the fiiture management of our wildlife. Because of the 

 importance of private land and wildlife, I feel that FWP should not hold back any efforts to 

 continue to make private land available to the public. The funds generated by sale of license 

 should continue to be used for this purpose. Remember that if the general public has no 

 where to himt, they will not have any need to buy a license. 



• We support expansion of the Block Management Program, including some resident 

 contribution to the funding. This program has expanded rapidly in the last three years, so 

 future expansion should go slowly as we learn how to best manage the program. 



• Block management has been strongly pushed. Nowhere does the document say there must be 

 something to hunt when one arrives and the rancher laughs on his way to the bank. 



>uK-';-'"!T Wr-u-r 'ik^. ::jfi9 h-iJ5 



• I strongly support the recommendation [alternative 3] that the department "actively pursue 



access for nonhunting recreation and develop a user-based source of funding." Bird 



56 



