Top of Page Examples of Privatization All totaled, nearly 8 million acres of private property in Montana are leased to outfitters. This number is growing every year. On the Ruby River in SW Montana, many property owners have closed off access to the river. 2,000 licenses are set aside for people sponsored by landowners. On the Smith River, one of few access-regulated waterways in Montana, nearly four out of five people that apply for public launch permits are denied.
Outfitted clients are virtually guaranteed launches.
In North American areas with little wildlife privatization, wildlife biomass is higher than in Texas or Germany-two places with a great deal of privatization. In Clajon v. Patera, the court ruled that private individuals do not have the authority to regulate hunting on private lands. This ruling affirmed that wildlife is publicly owned and state wildlife agencies are the proper managing authorities. In Geer v. Connecticut, the preeminent case involving the Public Trust Doctrine, the Supreme Court held that, because wildlife is a public resource to be managed as a trust for the benefit of all people, states could take steps to prevent the commercialization of their wildlife. The strength of this economic contribution from wildlife is built on the number of participants.