When large blocks of land are closed to public access, the Commission should use its 

 authority to close the season until a plan for reasonable sharing of the public wildlife 

 resources is developed and approved by the Commission. 



Response: Closures of private land can preclude legal and physical access to some 

 public land and would be the case under any alternative. FWP would continue to use 

 game damage assistance, habitat, and access programs to counter the effects of 

 closures. Under the preferred alternative, partnerships would be developed to apply 

 these programs at the local level to improve hunter access 



ISSUE #6 

 Loss of Access to Fee Hunting — 3 comments 



Summary 



There was little direct comment on this issue probably because of some actions that FWP proposed 

 among the alternatives (e.g., game damage assistance and incentives) were similar to issue number 5. 



One comment that addressed a response to the issue suggested at least partial agreement wdth 

 alternative 3. 



Samples of Comments 



• Concentrate all FWP attention, personnel and resources on those landowners who either do 

 not charge fees or have sharing programs. 



• A definite "no" on using hunter days to assess the value of BM or HEP contracts — too easily 

 abused. The goal of these contracts should be not only to provide access for hunting but to 

 provide quality hunting experiences and wildlife habitats. If all nonresident deer tags were 

 drawn fi-om the same pool, landowner preference may not need to be denied to landovmers 

 charging only a reasonable fee for access (a comment directed toward paragraph one of 

 alternative 3). 



Response: The Block Management program is intended to provide access to private 

 land for resident hunters and NOT to enhance or acquire habitat for wildlife. FWP 

 would continue to use hunter-days as a basis for payments and provide game damage 

 assistance to landowners who allow public hunting. Under the preferred alternative, 

 FWP also would explore opportunities for drawing or license preference for 

 landowners who allow public hunting. 



59 



