I'm feeling a little pushed out up here in MT.

[sclancy27]

It's odd to have such a vast difference in #'s from @D4570 to @Forkyfinder . I asked in one of the two threads how we handle the 10% NR allocation and those I place a lot of credibility on Hunt Talk - far beyond my joe hunter mind, found it a challenge to decipher as well.




Would that be the same, Resident or Non Resident ""total hunters" is based on hunting licenses"? I buy a sportsman's tag that has Deer, Elk, Bear, Turkey, fishing, (far too cheap) etc... Some people buy elk and deer alone. Both from the same source though VAST difference. I would like to believe Forkyfinder's holds the real truth behind the drastic #'s. I've always gone along the thought it's 10% of all tags, drawings, etc. Though I believe there are exemptions, i.e. landowner, salvage, B tags, unlimited vs quota, MOGA, etc. There has to be a common equation, no?
Thus, FAR from 10% using Forkyfinders #'s as well.

Sometimes I believe KISS works JUST FINE. Other times, I understand how it has to weave... then, unfortunately, IMO... as soon as we start that weave - it goes into the weeds.

I think a better representation is the annual report FWP has to do now on license sales. That tells the true story.

And NR are not limited to 10% outside of draw tags. In the case of draws for B tags, if there are not enough resident applications to fill the tag quota, the remainder can go to NR before they are surplused, I believe. So, with some of those elk and deer B tags a large proportion can go to NR.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

I know the Information is from 2022 but Its upward trend is evident.

WOW! I knew I saw a LOT of nonresident license plates this year hunting. What to do about it?
I'm not going to be a Scrooge and say NO nonresidents. But what I'm seeing is they all seem to be concentrated on the BIG block managements and the Big blocks of Public land. I feel very strongly that it would ease the pressure If they Had to choose an area to hunt Not just region. Maybe put a cap on each area? But it would spread the added pressure all over the state. It's not another draw like now it's kind of OTC but they would have to pick let's say 405 or 690 and their deer hunting had to be done in the area. Thoughts?

I’ve mentioned this before that we need to head East. Get together a contingent of disaffected western states HTers and go whack OTC deer in the southeastern states. It’ll be like the annual camps of distant memory to many. Where you never worried about drawing a tag and bag limits were generous.

 

[Mudranger1]

I’ve mentioned this before that we need to head East. Get together a contingent of disaffected western states HTers and go whack OTC deer in the southeastern states. It’ll be like the annual camps of distant memory to many. Where you never worried about drawing a tag and bag limits were generous.

I think you might be a little generous in your ability to go whack the deer in the southeast. It doesn't work like out West. And besides the deer population could probably handle it even if you could. It's not the same

 

[rogerthat]

I think you might be a little generous in your ability to go whack the deer in the southeast. It doesn't work like out West. And besides the deer population could probably handle it even if you could. It's not the same

Could you expand on this for me? Hunting is tougher or access is tougher?

 

[Mudranger1]

Hunting is tougher in general. IMO there is public land to be had

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Hunting is tougher in general. IMO there is public land to be had

I grew up hunting primarily state game lands in Ohio and used state lands exclusively when I lived briefly in North Carolina. You’re right in certain aspects like Eastern hunters are limited in access, acreage and the Orange Army is sometimes overwhelming. Shotgun or archery only is a thing to expect though at times visibility is only 25yds anyway.

 

[Sytes]

Missoula Current ran this article. A wall of confusing #'s.

From: Butte Skyline Sportsman Association:

Two months of delay, legislative assistance, incorrect information, and follow-up communication later, we were provided data that illustrated the number of nonresident big game combination licenses (Class B-10) issued through the annual drawing remained 17,000, but the Class B-10 was only one of many deer and elk license types issued to nonresidents.

When all available license types were considered, the number issued in 2021 was reported to be 59,395. Soon after publishing that number, we discovered an alternative Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks table indicating 66,644 deer and elk licenses were issued to nonresidents in 2021. That total was verified to us by Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff following another two months of requests.

Just as hunter frustration with nonresidents had exceeded a breaking point, so had our frustration with the laborious process of securing accurate nonresident hunting license information—something we felt should’ve been readily available.

Viewpoint: Nonresidents secure more than 85,000 hunting licenses

Butte Skyline Sportsman Association writes, Just as hunter frustration with nonresidents had exceeded a breaking point, so had our frustration with the laborious process of securing accurate nonresident hunting license information.

missoulacurrent.com

 

[Pucky Freak]

I know the Information is from 2022 but Its upward trend is evident.

WOW! I knew I saw a LOT of nonresident license plates this year hunting. What to do about it?
I'm not going to be a Scrooge and say NO nonresidents. But what I'm seeing is they all seem to be concentrated on the BIG block managements and the Big blocks of Public land. I feel very strongly that it would ease the pressure If they Had to choose an area to hunt Not just region. Maybe put a cap on each area? But it would spread the added pressure all over the state. It's not another draw like now it's kind of OTC but they would have to pick let's say 405 or 690 and their deer hunting had to be done in the area. Thoughts?

 

[Ben Lamb]

I think you might be a little generous in your ability to go whack the deer in the southeast. It doesn't work like out West. And besides the deer population could probably handle it even if you could. It's not the same

It would definitely give some folks a better understanding of what hunter pressure looks like in other states. It ain't whacking deer in farm fields or sniping river bottom bucks as they come out to find some nookie.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I know the Information is from 2022 but Its upward trend is evident.

WOW! I knew I saw a LOT of nonresident license plates this year hunting. What to do about it?
I'm not going to be a Scrooge and say NO nonresidents. But what I'm seeing is they all seem to be concentrated on the BIG block managements and the Big blocks of Public land. I feel very strongly that it would ease the pressure If they Had to choose an area to hunt Not just region. Maybe put a cap on each area? But it would spread the added pressure all over the state. It's not another draw like now it's kind of OTC but they would have to pick let's say 405 or 690 and their deer hunting had to be done in the area. Thoughts?

This graph includes fishing licenses (season, 1 day, etc) as well as hunting. Montana is a destination state for angling, and there are roughly 8-ish million tourists who come to the state every year.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I think a better representation is the annual report FWP has to do now on license sales. That tells the true story.

And NR are not limited to 10% outside of draw tags. In the case of draws for B tags, if there are not enough resident applications to fill the tag quota, the remainder can go to NR before they are surplused, I believe. So, with some of those elk and deer B tags a large proportion can go to NR.

Here is the report:

https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/aboutfwp/legislature/2023/hb-593-report-v4.pdf

 

[R.K.]

I'm seeing 71,302 total NR hunters and 59,013 NR deer & elk hunters for 2022.

Yep. I’m dumb. Guess I was more tired than I thought.

 

[Sytes]

One would think ALS #'s would simplify the total NR count for those hunting "big game", wolf, upland/waterfowl, trapping, specialty big game - i.e. rams, goats, moose, etc.
NR's are assigned ALS #'s right? (Humor intended).

Seems that would resolve the actual question sought.

I've been told the number of NR meet/greet, on estimate, based on locality, are roughly 3 per 10.