Elk Shoulder season meeting

[SAJ-99]

It is clear that most hunters are against shoulder seasons and most landowners are for them. There are also a couple of mentions on new ideas. e
This post is meant to inform, not inflame.

Extended elk hunt regulation proposals draw spirited debate

Montana’s wildlife officials took heat — even from retired staffers — over proposals that would continue six-month elk hunting seasons for another year.

billingsgazette.com

 

[Ben Lamb]

There was a lot of confusion about the extra elk tag that the legislature approved last session. The bill originally didn't put any sideboards on the number of tags that would have been issued, so MWF worked to change that to 1 extra license, rather than leave it open to 5-10 licenses. After that, MWF and many other groups dropped their opposition since the extra license would have to go through the commission process, rather than simply be an edict from the legislature.

Regardless, this issue is going to continue to heat up, and unless sportsmen and landowners sit down and try to find some common ground, we're going to see this issue really bleed over to the legislature, where public land hunters likely won't have the horse power to stop another assault on elk management.

It's also time to start asking candidates for the Governor's race where they are on this issue.With FWP bringing forward a new planning effort, the next Governor will be the one who drives that process to completion. Depending on who that is, blue collar hunters could easily get the shaft while privatizers get the gold mine.

 

[JMG]

It's also time to start asking candidates for the Governor's race where they are on this issue.

When Montana Legislative candidates come to my door asking me for their vote or to put a sign in my yard … I ask them where they stand with some of these wildlife issues. It not only allows me to hear from them on whatever issue I ask about, but it lets them know that there is a concern and what there constituents are voicing. So, the next time a candidate comes to your door, ask them some of these questions and let them know your opinion and you expect them to represent you in the legislature and not stick to party lines.

 

[Mtnhunter1]

Ben Lamb...Quote:"blue collar hunters could easily get the shaft while privatizers get the gold mine."

Seems that has been the direction the flow has been going for the last 20 years!

 

[BRI]

Some questions I've asked over the past several years with no answers are:

1. Why are they so reluctant to utilize the EMP where they have the ability to not count elk that primarily reside on private land?
2. Why is it when a landowner says there are too many elk, they're given full attention yet when a hunter claims not many elk reside on public land, they're discredited?
3. What's next? I believe these seasons are hammering the accessible elk populations rather than the "problem" elk. When the accessible elk are so difficult to find or have been run to inaccessible places, what's next?

 

[Ben Lamb]

Some questions I've asked over the past several years with no answers are:

1. Why are they so reluctant to utilize the EMP where they have the ability to not count elk that primarily reside on private land?
2. Why is it when a landowner says there are too many elk, they're given full attention yet when a hunter claims not many elk reside on public land, they're discredited?
3. What's next? I believe these seasons are hammering the accessible elk populations rather than the "problem" elk. When the accessible elk are so difficult to find or have been run to inaccessible places, what's next?

Because the Legislature has made it clear they should only care about the landowner, and blame the rest on wolves.

 

[Sioux33]

What gets my blood boiling is John Vore's quote that his department is out of ideas and doesn't know what else to do. Well, here's a hare brained idea: follow the god damn elk management plan for once. It says right in there on page 56 that privately harbored elk should be excluded from objective. Lack of access to these private harbors has been the crux of the problem from the start and we wouldn't be in this mess had we actually followed the plan as written.

 

[onpoint]

A shit ton of the same folks who originally voiced opposition against shoulder seasons are participating the hell outta' them right now. All kindsa' folks hitting the ground west of Bozeman for their 16 minute hunt.
Will be interesting to see if the genie can be stuffed back into the bottle, now that everybody is taking advantage of what they wished against.......................

 

[BuzzH]

Not everyone... I don’t even participate in the general elk season anymore.

 

[onpoint]

Not everyone... I don’t even participate in the general elk season anymore.

There needs to be a "Buzz's auto reply" for every Montana hunting topic, it'll save you the blood pressure spike everytime you see one pop up

 

[BuzzH]

No blood pressure spike about Montana...is what is, and I don’t fight the monster anymore.

 

[onpoint]

Oh, I bet you do........................................................

 

[onpoint]

What if the genie is stuffed back in the bottle? The elk will still be on private. The hunters will still be trying to catch the landowners' elk running across a state section.
Do you think the elk will choose to go back up on the mountain?
Do you think landowners will be overwhelmed with cows and give up their lucrative bull sales, and allow public hunting?
Personally, I don't think it makes a hell of a lot of difference. Shoulder season, or no shoulder season.

Sounds like you should make comments and attend the meetings - give some (more?) input

 

[onpoint]

Great reply, and I sincerely understand where you're coming from......
I hope you can understand where I'm coming from -
Your reply is illustrative of, along with (at least) many dozens of former co workers attitudes-positions (or lack thereof) -and actions, the thousands of Montana public sportsmen/women whose attitudes, positions (or lack thereof), and actions that had a direct influence upon my decision to get out of the fish and wildlife management bidness after only 31 years.

Interesting situation Montana hunter's find themselves in - those that give a shit, anyway...............................................................................................................

 

[Flatlander3]

What is a shoulder season? Only cows like a bonus hunt?

 

[Schaaf]

What is a shoulder season? Only cows like a bonus hunt?

It’s when it’s encouraged to whack as many cows as possible. Just don’t go shed hunting, we need to give the animals their space.

 

[SAJ-99]

Shoulder season is the dates before and after the regular season- so like Aug 15 to start of bow season and end of reg rifle to Feb 15. Hunters are restricted to shooting cows and hunting private land only. The overall idea is to reduce pops to the levels landowners can accept. I don’t think it has worked very well, but that may be because the idea is a undefined moving target.

 

[7 mag]

They need to stop the shoulder season and shorten the genral season elk and deer are under way to much stress,

 

[RobG]

I don’t know of any shoulder season 16 minute hunts on land open to the public. Elk management/game damage hunts that were used before the shoulder season were sometimes like that.

Here are some numbers I tabulated from data on FWP page for 2016-2018 seasons. Region 2 is getting whacked. The others notsomuch and not even meeting recruitment.
Before going bananas over these hunts it would be useful to compare this to the management hunts that were the tool before the shoulder hunts, but no data is available.

 

[onpoint]

"I don’t know of any shoulder season 16 minute hunts on land open to the public".

Not gonna' name landowner names, but whether or not somebody is specifically aware of it, yes it is a fact. Either I'm stating fact or I'm lying.....
Maybe it takes 25 minutes...............................

And, do you see HD 311 listed on that "data"? Last years "news"........