EDGEFIELD, S.C.— The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MTFWP) have entered into an agreement that will allow collaboration to secure access for hunters across private lands to large blocks of public land.

The cooperative agreement with the NWTF is the first of its kind in "The Treasure State" and allows MTFWP to contact and negotiate agreements with private landowners with properties bordering public lands.

Through the project, MTFWP recently reached an agreement with a private landowner with property bordering the Custer National Forest in the southeastern region of the state, becoming the first landowner to participate with the project.

"This program will have a positive impact on users of Montana's public lands, including hunters," said NWTF Montana's State Chapter President Bodie Grundel. "The top reason hunters abandon the sport because of a lack of hunting land and this agreement will ensure access to public lands in Montana that are famously abundant with game."

The funding, provided by the Montana State Chapter of the NWTF through their Hunting Heritage Super Fund, allows MTFWP to contact and negotiate agreements with private landowners with property that borders public lands in the state. The initial goal of the project is to secure one- to five-year agreements with private landowners willing to allow hunters to cross their property to enter public land.

After successful short-term agreements, MTFWP and NWTF coordinators hope participating landowners will consider entering a perpetual access easement for long-term public access across their private property.

"Access agreements like this open up hunting opportunities for the public that may have been limited or not available to the hunters in the past," said MTFWP Public Information Officer, Dwayne Andrews. "It shows the benefits of a sound foundation of cooperation between state agencies, private landowners and organizations like the NWTF."

The NWTF helps hunters access land through its More Places to Hunt initiative. The NWTF already has spent more than $9.4 million through the initiative and obtained more than 413,000 acres for hunting since 1987. This program builds upon the success for NWTF chapters and allows the NWTF to better cooperate with partners to accomplish even more.

Since its founding in 1973, the NWTF, its partners and members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, raised and spent more than $286 million, and conserved nearly 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

The NWTF's mission remains the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of the hunting tradition. The NWTF has a membership of more than 350,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

For more information about the NWTF visit www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF.