Legislative & Agency Efforts

Photo credit: Don & Lori Thomas

BSUBA is Montana's only organization that advocates for: 

• All upland bird species

• Better access to, and investments improving habitats on public and private lands

• Effective collaborations between hunters, landowners, biologists, and agencies

Legislative Efforts

During Montana’s 2025 legislative session we successively supported bills to increase funding for the Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program. An additional estimated $1.2 million will be dedicated to upland bird habitats and hunting access annually.

In addition BSUBA supported broadening the capacity of the Block Management program to procure public access routes across private land to isolated public tracts.

Finally we resolved to support a more controversial proposal to delay nonresident hunting on public lands for the first 9 days of the pheasant and prairie birds seasons to reduce spikes in crowding afield experienced since Covid and recognition of Montana as one of the premier upland destinations in the U.S.  Nonresidents will not be delayed hunting on private lands not enrolled in public access programs, or in hunting forest grouse. The nonresident delay goes into effect in September ’26.

Agency Efforts

BSUBA has also been involved for years with Montana's Citizen Advisory Council on upland birds, supported expansion of Block Management acreage, worked to reopen illegally closed roads accessing federal lands, helped advance with agencies and landowners an intensive project to restore sharp-tailed grouse to western Montana, and spent over a decade monitoring greater sage grouse populations and participating in stakeholder meeting to develop conservation plans to keep this game bird off the federal Endangered Species list.