BLM denies guided hunts in Sweet Grass Hills

The Bureau of Land Management has denied an outfitting permit in the East Butte of the Sweet Grass Hills after the public protested about competing for elk and deer with an outfitter on public land. “While we recognize there’s a need for outfitting in some areas, we don’t feel there’s a need in all areas,” said Stanley Jaynes, field manager for the BLM’s Havre Field office, who signed the decision. Northern Rockies Outfitters Ltd., owned by Richard Birdsell, had applied to expand its special recreation permit in the West Butte portion of the Sweet Grass Hills to the East Butte portion, which has 4,000 acres of BLM lands adjacent private and state lands...more