Township, Range, Section list of public lands an outfitter has use permits on?

[Luke_with_a_lab]

Im trying to figure out where a person might be able to find a Township, Range, Section list for what public land outfitters have hunting use permits on. Specifically BLM land and in Montana. Currently working on some hunting plans for this fall and would like to avoid areas where outfitters might be for obvious reasons. I've done some research and only found bits and pieces through various sites and mostly only state lands nothing to do with BLM. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[BuzzH]

Im trying to figure out where a person might be able to find a Township, Range, Section list for what public land outfitters have hunting use permits on. Specifically BLM land and in Montana. Currently working on some hunting plans for this fall and would like to avoid areas where outfitters might be for obvious reasons. I've done some research and only found bits and pieces through various sites and mostly only state lands nothing to do with BLM. Any help would be much appreciated.

Local BLM offices, same with USFS as well.

 

[Luke_with_a_lab]

Local BLM offices, same with USFS as well.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking of trying next. Just figured in todays day and age that information would be online, but perhaps not.

 

[BuzzH]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking of trying next. Just figured in todays day and age that information would be online, but perhaps not.

I have not seen it posted on line when I've looked for it in areas in MT and WY. I had to end up calling.

Maybe I'm not looking in the right spots.

 

[perma]

I have not seen it posted on line when I've looked for it in areas in MT and WY. I had to end up calling.

Maybe I'm not looking in the right spots.

The only place I found where it may be similar is in Bugle Magazine.

 

[JLS]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking of trying next. Just figured in todays day and age that information would be online, but perhaps not.

Probably plan on a FOIA request.

 

[Luke_with_a_lab]

Probably plan on a FOIA request.

Please tell me your joking

 

[Luke_with_a_lab]

I have not seen it posted on line when I've looked for it in areas in MT and WY. I had to end up calling.

Maybe I'm not looking in the right spots.

I found some info on this website https://www.emwh.org/index.htm but not much. Curious where they were getting the data from.... like you said probably field offices

 

[JLS]

Please tell me your joking

All depends on who you talk to and what specific information you want.

 

[Beignet]

Please tell me your joking

A few years ago some mid-level person at a USFS ranger office here in MT scoffed at my own inquiry as though I was asking for highly classified state secrets that would jeopardize national security. FOIA away!

 

[Luke_with_a_lab]

Haha ok, well I'll give it a try and report back on if I had to do a FOIA or not.

 

[Khunter]

Good luck, I have tried and mostly failed to get this obviously “public” info. For USFS land in the below case, for one forest. Frustrating.

Does anybody really regulate outfitters on USFS lands?

A bit of a rant but, I believe, some useful insights for discussion… So, I have a high alpine, remote, elk hunt that I was pondering a pack out by an outfitter for our elk (2 tags in camp) if we felt the need. Simple minded as I am I thought to call the Forest Service and ask “Who are the...

www.hunttalk.com

 

[Khunter]

Probably plan on a FOIA request.

Please tell me your joking

He is not, sadly.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Please tell me your joking

I had to do one in Colorado to get that information.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

I had to do one in Colorado to get that information.

I'm guessing it has to do more with the information not being handled well by the departments in the first place. They probably don't have a system/database where this info gets entered that is efficient to pull inquiries from. Probably costs them many hours of work to pull the info for a request like that.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I'm guessing it has to do more with the information not being handled well by the departments in the first place. They probably don't have a system/database where this info gets entered that is efficient to pull inquiries from. Probably costs them many hours of work to pull the info for a request like that.

Ha, yeah “database”

Think USGS map with pen and highlighter tacked to a wall in some field office.

 

[EYJONAS!]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that's received the deer in the head lights look when trying to turn some information up.

I didn't go as far to file a request when at the point I got to I said Eff it. Didn't last long as the outfitter and I didn't see eye to eye, I was a kid though and clearly outnumbered by him and who he was sending in there.

Good luck

 

[Flatbrimmer]

I’d like to know this too. I found one business said something like “desolutioned” and or “ dissolved” or something. It was on private land I wanted permission for, and I had to look more up on it and it basically said they cannot use the property(s) anymore except to liquidate.
I still fully expect to see people on that land this year hunting and guiding.
I don’t know sh1t from shinola here just trying to learn as I go..

It certainly seems taboo, to ask or know about specifics.

 

[gouch]

I'm guessing it has to do more with the information not being handled well by the departments in the first place. They probably don't have a system/database where this info gets entered that is efficient to pull inquiries from. Probably costs them many hours of work to pull the info for a request like that.

Every BLM and Forest Service office is way understaffed and everyone is doing the job of three or four people. The information you want, more than likely, has never been put on any kind of data base so who ever needs to get it for you will have to go through every single permit individually and tabulate it for you. Those permits may not even be digitized so that person will have to drag the paperwork out of some old file cabinet. All the time they are spending on that is taking away from the time they want to be spending on that other project that their supervisor has been giving them sh*t abut because it is three weeks overdue. If you want the information for more than one forest or BLM district you will have to piss someone off in each office because that kind of info is not shared between offices.

After that person gets all that info together and gives it to you It would be very easy to then give it to the GIS person in the office, to be put on a database, so that the next person who wants the info would have it with a mouse click. But he or she won't because they are so pissed off and hurried that it won't even cross their mind to do so.

 

[BRI]

As someone on the receiving end of similar requests, the information isn't likely readily available with the click of a button. Depending on the level of information requested, it could take time, resources and effort that would take away from other tasks that are, quite simply more important. As others have mentioned, call and talk to whomever is in charge of the license program and ask specific questions. Being courteous and polite helps a lot. They likely get hundreds of requests for information and don't have the time, nor resources to immediately jump to every request.