Block Management rules and enrolled properties change every year. A new Region 3 Block Management Area that hunters may notice in this year’s guide is the USDA Agricultural Research Station (No. 5) south of the Centennial Valley.
The property is operated as a U.S. Sheep Experiment Station by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. This area is federally owned but categorically designated as “research lands,” which are not part of the national system of publicly accessible federal land. However, the property was historically mislabeled in some maps as BLM land, which has caused confusion for hunters.
Staff at the research facility and FWP worked together this year to enroll the property in Block Management so that some hunter access can continue while still adhering to federal laws that define the mission and allowable uses of the property. This property is split into east and west units, both enrolled as Type-2 Block Management areas that require hunters to sign up for access permission in advance. The day to sign up to hunt during the month of October is Monday, Sept. 21.
Learn how to sign up to hunt this area here: http://fwp.mt.gov/…/region3/maps/5_usda_ars_2026.pdf
Check with FWP for current rules and regulations related to properties enrolled in Block Management. For more information on other access opportunities, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunt/access/blockmanagement/guide-maps
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