The FWP commission has given its approval to purchasing 5,000 acres in the Big Belt Mountains near Helena. The purchase could provide public access in a hunt unit where the elk population is over objective.
The purchase still has a long way to go, including appraisals and, finally, State Land Board approval. The the approval process for state land purchases has been cast in turmoil recently with the governor taking the attorney general to court regarding a legal opinion on conservation easement.