Public Access is not a sportsman versus landowner political issue. However, out-of-state activists like Sierra Club, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Defenders of Wildlife, etc. are trying to make it one. Anti-hunting groups are attempting to increase their influence by pouring political action cash (PAC Money) into Montana’s statewide elections.
The cause of newly blocked sportsman access is not landowners. The federal government is gating roads and abandoning trails. Federal overreach is impacting the jobs and recreational opportunities of both landowners and sportsmen. Federal agencies invite us to public hearing ‘dog and pony shows’ but our opinions have little impact on their resource and access closure policies. Washington DC eco-lobbyists have the votes to drive national policy and now attempt to influence the Montana vote.
It is time to stop the politics of pitting landowners against sportsmen. Vilifying each other as ‘slobs’ and ‘greedy millionaires’ needs to cease. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other pro-hunting conservation groups have worked public access wonders, bringing sportsmen and landowners together for common purpose.
Can we all work together to stop I-177? Support the second amendment? Montana needs new leadership at all levels that will strive to unite us, not divide us. If we don’t learn to hang together, out-of-state activists will happily divide and conquer us. Montana landowners and sportsmen must work together to preserve Montana’s Hunting Heritage.
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