Common Ground, a collaborative group of landowner and sportsmen organizations, is developing a comprehensive, advanced hunter education program designed to put more ethical, educated, and effective hunters in the field. The 2018 pilot course is now accepting applications from qualified hunters.
The program’s mission is to provide advanced hunter education that increases hunter competence, ethical hunting behavior, private land access and knowledge of agriculture and land stewardship. The goals of the program are as follows:
- To educate hunters about landowner issues and concerns related to hunter access, including but not limited to, respect for private property, appropriate use of ranch roads, impacts of weeds, safety, impacts of public hunters on farming and ranching operations;
- To educate hunters regarding the economics of ranching/farming and the impacts that wildlife have on the operation of a farm or ranch;
- To increase hunter knowledge of all aspects of the hunt, including ethics, shooting skills, care of game, woodsmanship, first aid, survival skills;
- To create new hunting access opportunities for public hunters on private farms and ranches;
- To provide landowners with a new hunter access program which includes a new hunter management opportunity;
- To build mutual respect and cooperation between landowners; and
- To increase the potential for better wildlife management opportunities for landowners and more quality land access opportunities for ethical hunters.
To learn more about this program and for information on how to apply as a hunter or landowner, please visit
www.montanamasterhunter.com.
Common Ground Members
Montana Stockgrowers Association, Montana Grain Growers Association, Montana Wildlife Federation, Montana Bowhunters Association, Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Western Landowners Alliance, and several individual outfitters, sportsmen, and ranchers.
