Doug Leier
By Doug Leier
Hunters this past fall had more than 800,000 Private Land Open To Sportsmen acres available. An increase of about 5,000 acres from 2022 for this walk-in access program.
Some might be disappointed to read the number, which has shrunk from the historical high of over 1 million acres. Those hunters need to understand growing up in the 70s, 80s and 90s there were no PLOTS acres. The program didn't even exist until the late 1990s, and like many access and habitat programs it takes time to grow the interest, habitat and wildlife along with it.
The growth of habitat and benefits to wildlife is a long process, yet as long as it takes to see some positives, a change in federal government policy and funding can undercut the growth. Higher commodity prices can steer interest from landowner participation as well. Combine the economics with weather and disease and it's about the worst possible storm for habitat and wildlife populations.
Kevin Kading, North Dakota Game and Fish Department private land section leader, explains some of the hurdles, "One thing that we've talked about for a decade is the loss of CRP in the state. We're going under a million acres of CRP in our state. We use to be one of the highest in the country, with 3.4 million acres."
It's important to note that CRP is a voluntary federal program and PLOTS is more of a piggyback with habitat and landowners interested in receiving compensation while providing walk-in hunter access.
Part of the changing landscape Kading explains is in landowner priorities: "While there is still interest in PLOTS, some people are just deciding it's not for them. Commodities come and go. Ag prices come and go. We can get people interested, but they're the ones who have to make that decision. Those are continual challenges on any private land program."
When commodity prices are up, many landowners are more interested in increasing their profitability with production and choosing not to enroll in PLOTS or other conservation programs. It's a balance of sorts for conservation funding or rental rate payments to remain competitive while not competing with local rental rates.
CRP is habitat and PLOTs is walk-in hunting access, but the two components go hand in hand when it comes to winter survival for wildlife populations.
"Whether it's through PLOTS or outside of PLOTS … we're trying to get more habitat on the ground. With the winter we had last year, it's tough on a lot of things," Kading said. "And I think what we're going to see is just a slow rebound to some of these populations because we don't have that habitat base out there like we've had in the past. It's important that we do what we can to get more habitat out there, whether that's through PLOTS or not."
A reminder that PLOTS is a voluntary program. Landowners can come into the program any time they want, but they certainly don't have to stay in the program.
If you are a landowner, you may want to consider contacting your local Game and Fish Department private land biologist at gf.nd.gov/private-lands/contact to find out more.
You may also inquire at your local FSA office.
Leier is an Outreach Biologist with the North Dakota Game & Fish Department.
Featured Photo: The PLOTS program came about in the 2000s in conjunction with increased CRP acres, providing access to huntable habitat which ND sportsmen did not have prior to that time. NDG&F Photo
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