…Sportsmen know some of the best hunting can be found in rugged and unroaded areas. Places like the West Big Hole, the Sapphires and the Pioneers are rife with lore about some old bull that’s still out there. We rely on these places not only to fill our freezers each fall, but also as the fabric for our way of life here in Montana.
And these secure areas are economically important too. A recent analysis by Headwaters economics showed that hunter expenditures in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge forest alone increased by $5 million between 2006 and 2011. You can’t separate high-quality habitat from hunting opportunity or hunting opportunity from our economy: they’re all intertwined…