Knowing little about federal land transfer burdens, such as the management costs that states would incur, many voters would likely support a transfer, Weigel said. That’s because people consider local government better than federal government.

Voters have a bigger say in local government decisions. And public approval of Congress is in single digits, much worse than public opinion of state government, even in Montana, where according the Lee poll 48 percent of voters say state government is on the right track.

“Usually, the complications are not at the top of people’s minds,” Weigel said. “When we say that would mean the state would have more ability to make decisions over the use on these lands, but they would also have to pay for wildfires, things change.”

Montana has 25 million acres of federal land. Democrats argue that a land transfer would result in a sale to private owners eventually.

Republicans say they don't want to sell federal lands, but want to keep Montanans working in the woods, drilling for oil and gas, mining coal.

Both presidential candidates have indicated they won't support a lands transfer. Republicans say those positons make lands transfers a nonstarter.