On the weekend of July 26 & 27, 18 volunteers from Montana BHA joined forces with the National Wildlife Federation, staff from the BLM's Butte field office, and a couple of conservation-minded ranchers to remove 2.7 miles of livestock fencing from public lands managed by the BLM near Melrose, MT. The fence in question was over 70 years old and consisted of 5 strands of barbed wire strung up along jackleg posts. This fence design is extra wide and tall, making it difficult for ungulates to clear while leaping. And with barbed wires close to the ground, the fence posed a barrier to pronghorn who prefer to duck under fences, often lacerating their back against the barbs or being turned away entirely. This fence transected an important pronghorn corridor within a habitat bottleneck formed by Interstate 15 to the west and the rugged terrain of the Highland Mountains to the east, in an area that also serves as seasonal range for bighorn sheep, and as vital winter range for elk and mule deer.

BHA volunteers, ranchers, and BLM staff gathered for dinner after a hard day of pulling fence.

Volunteers pulled fencing staples, took down wire, hauled and piled posts, and dodged rattlesnakes in the July heat for a very productive weekend of work. With the help of a new-fangled device called a wire winder, BLM staff was instrumental in pushing this fence removal across the finish line. After the removal, a new wildlife-friendlier fence will be installed that allows for freer passage of big game. When the work was done, we gathered along the Big Hole River to camp out and eat mule deer burgers with the satisfaction of knowing we contributed to landscape-scale improvement of the habitat navigated by the wildlife we hunt and cherish.

Pronghorn, like the doe shown here, may receive nasty injuries by scraping their back against sharp barbs when the wires are too low. This fence will be replaced with a wildlife-friendlier fence that has a smooth bottom wire 18" off the ground. Photo credit National Wildlife Federation.
Huge thanks to NWF and the BLM Butte field office for their coordination and support of this successful project!