Montana antelope draw results

[DFS]

I hope they take as much time as they need to get the quota right. I predict 5500 for region 7 about double what it should be.

 

[DFS]

If I was a betting man I would take the over on 5500 tags.

 

[NDGuy]

I hope they take as much time as they need to get the quota right. I predict 5500 for region 7 about double what it should be.

ND just cut Antelope tags a ton after a 40% drop in population this year lol nothing north of i94 and no doe tags

 

[DFS]

ND just cut Antelope tags 40% this year lol nothing north of i94 and no doe tags

I know and I stand by my prediction.

 

[NDGuy]

I know and I stand by my prediction.

Sorry wasn’t clear I meant it’s laughable when we are across the border and often are far quicker to react

 

[DFS]

Sorry wasn’t clear I meant it’s laughable when we are across the border and often are far quicker to react

It is laughable WY has done the same. It’s like we are on an island that can’t be touched. Montanas priorities:
1. Funding
2. Opportunity
3. Wildlife
It should be the exact opposite.

 

[Bambistew]

I've driven about 500 miles of MT roads in the last week and have seen very few antelope, like crazy few and I've been looking. 3 trips up and down the Madison valley and in the mountains and have seen fewer than 2 dozen antelope. Zero lope R/T Missoula and Bozeman... zero. What has happened? Usually see 50-100 in this circle not really looking. There is usually a herd of 50-60 around my folks place and I've seen 3.

 

[rogerthat]

I've driven about 500 miles of MT roads in the last week and have seen very few antelope, like crazy few and I've been looking. 3 trips up and down the Madison valley and in the mountains and have seen fewer than 2 dozen antelope. Zero lope R/T Missoula and Bozeman... zero. What has happened? Usually see 50-100 in this circle not really looking. There is usually a herd of 50-60 around my folks place and I've seen 3.

Yeah I’m not surprised. Montana is generally in a pretty rough patch when it comes to our wildlife right now. Just a few bright spots across the whole state. But we are still selling tags so the hunting must still be great right?

 

[brockel]

The fawn crop is pretty rough in my area this year

 

[300stw]

ne corner fawn crop ugly as well,

 

[Hem]

I've driven about 500 miles of MT roads in the last week and have seen very few antelope, like crazy few and I've been looking. 3 trips up and down the Madison valley and in the mountains and have seen fewer than 2 dozen antelope. Zero lope R/T Missoula and Bozeman... zero. What has happened? Usually see 50-100 in this circle not really looking. There is usually a herd of 50-60 around my folks place and I've seen 3.

I drove from 3Forks to Varney every work day from January to June. You weren't looking closely enough Bambi .
Those antelope have spread out now, very few visible from 287, but earlier this year there seemed to be a healthy population.

 

[Bambistew]

I drove from 3Forks to Varney every work day from January to June. You weren't looking closely enough Bambi .
Those antelope have spread out now, very few visible from 287, but earlier this year there seemed to be a healthy population.

Interesting because I've driven that road as well a few times and that's the only place I've seen any. Not sure about how healthy it is. This is the fewest antelope I've ever seen in the valley, by far.

 

[Badlandcat]

ND just cut Antelope tags 40% this year lol nothing north of i94 and no doe tags

They cut back from 1970 tags in 22 to 420 tags in 23 and closed 9 units.
Too bad Montana can't learn from their neighbors.
Only a few of us on here remember back when 700 wasn't one unit.
Back then there was big bucks on public, very little crowding and landowners that
would let you hunt their land.

 

[Hem]

Interesting because I've driven that road as well a few times and that's the only place I've seen any. Not sure about how healthy it is. This is the fewest antelope I've ever seen in the valley, by far.

Yes, " healthy amount" being relative.
I will say that I saw much more than a couple dozen on a daily basis, with highest concentration McCallister to Ennis, but also along the fish hatchery road.

 

[8andcounting]

ND just cut Antelope tags 40% this year lol nothing north of i94 and no doe tags

They cut it by way more than that . Close to 80% . 1970 last year to 420 this year .

 

[NDGuy]

They cut it by way more than that . Close to 80% . 1970 last year to 420 this year .

I misspoke, I meant the population took a 40% hit and they cut tags as such

 

[Elky Welky]

Back then there was big bucks on public, very little crowding and landowners that
would let you hunt their land.

What is this magical fantasy land of which you speak???

 

[Badlandcat]

What is this magical fantasy land of which you speak???

Back before FWP made 700 region wide tags. You actually had to pick a unit and stay in that unit, imagine that.

 

[Carnage2011]

Back before FWP made 700 region wide tags. You actually had to pick a unit and stay in that unit, imagine that.

I wonder why they don’t do that? In western MT you have to choose a unit. Seems weird that other parts of the state are different

 

[Elky Welky]

I wonder why they don’t do that? In western MT you have to choose a unit. Seems weird that other parts of the state are different

It's a great question, I have some theories, but all of it is speculation. So here goes: I'd mostly guess it is because significantly more Montanans live in the western half of the state, and, historically, the antelope numbers are far higher in the eastern half. The western half is more tightly managed because of the number of people compared to the carrying capacity of the landscape.

I don't think restricting hunters in the 700s to just a single unit is going to make landowners more likely to freely open their gates or big bucks to appear on the landscape though. Those days are gone. There's too much money to be gained from outfitting, leasing, or programs like LandTrust.

As @DougStickney pointed out above, money is priority #1. Don't get me wrong, I don't think these people are being greedy. If ranching isn't panning out and someone needs to make a livelihood, it isn't their fault that they make the logical choice to make money instead of foster goodwill with a bunch of hunters. One puts food on the table, the other doesn't. The failures largely fall with those in charge for prioritizing monetization over the resource.