Montana contemplates shooting more cows, less bulls

[VikingsGuy]

I’m hopeful to one day read about your successful family elk hunt in a hunt talk thread that includes all the boring details around killing the last one in the national forest. I’m a big fan of the long winded tear-jerking up-chucks detailing family traditions, the ups and downs, obstacles and blessings, and ending with with a picture of a dead lost calf elk (and maybe a forkie mule deer) followed by dozens of atta-boy posts -way to git’r done, thanks for sharing, strong work, or epic adventure! It never gets old.

Snotty commentary better suited for reddit. Not sure why 3 or 4 HT users consistently have to play it like this.

 

[belly-deep]

Snotty commentary better suited for reddit. Not sure why 3 or 4 HT users consistently have to play it like this.

Much better to just pretend everything is peachy in MT.

 

[rustneversleeps]

Snotty commentary better suited for reddit. Not sure why 3 or 4 HT users consistently have to play it like this.

Someone's gotta bring us down to reality at some point or another

 

[Killergaurd]

Hey don't want to be the negative guy but. All u out of staters look at the harvest rates. That take in shoulder seasons/private lands which alters the actual percentage of harvest. Granted I get it. Hunt montana, have some fun with family and friends. Make memories. Sometimes when u don't get anything are the best memories. I have lived and hunted mt my entire life and will never hunt another state based on my income. I would not choose mt over other states. Not trying to discourage u but. U too should be pissed off at the game management of public lands. I encourage u too apply for montana but post your experience good or bad. But truthful public or private. We are all hunters most on public lands.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Much better to just pretend everything is peachy in MT.

Not my point at all. I wasn't commenting on supposed content, but the tone in which it was delivered. Some HT users find a way to make things unnecessarily personal and unnecessarily combative - on a whole range of topics - that is what I was criticizing. If things are tough in MT, no problem with folks proclaiming as such. Also no problem with others disagreeing on the state of affairs (of which in this case I have no opinion). Let's just keep it on the topic and not personal with minimal abrasiveness.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Someone's gotta bring us down to reality at some point or another

Not my point at all. I wasn't commenting on supposed content, but the tone in which it was delivered.

 

[ImBillT]

No draw on otc. Pay to play. Trespass fee or outfitter. On LE tags landowner preference . In montana landowners cannot sell there land owner tags. In montana landowners are reimbursed loss of hay whatever.

I’m not 100% clear regarding what you mean, but land owners not being able to sell their tags could be part of the problem. If an LO get paid for losses caused by elk, and can’t get paid for his tags, why would he let a stranger come onto his property? Allowing them to sell their tags would increase the amount of hunting that occurred on private land, pushing some elk back onto public. Of course there are some LOs now that allow hunting free of charge that would probably start charging money, and I hate to see that.

 

[ImBillT]

I haven’t read every post, but I’ve skimmed through. It seems that some areas are over objective by population, but have poor bull/cow ratios. How else do you fix that other than to issue more cow tags and fewer bull tags? If you’re at carrying capacity the only way to increase your number of bulls is to reduce your number of cows. If their all on private, then I guess you just have to issue more LO cow tags. It seems to me that the public/private issue is somewhat separate from the bull/cow issue. Both need to be addressed.

 

[klizm]

The public can’t kill what they can’t access. Needlessly overly complicated licenses and permits, just a train wreak in management. That said it’s a great state and great people, lots of memories hunting there over the years and I would like to go back.

WOW, Well, I am new to Hunt Talk. I truly didn't know MT is having these issues. Looks like I will need to look elsewhere for elk hunting. Just made 60 yrs old last month. I am in reasonably good health except for this diabetes I have, which appears to become an epidemic of serious proportions. I just finished my annual physical and doc says I am in great shape considering. However, dreams of a Montana elk hunt just died. I mean, what's the point with all this crap going on??? I'll probably die before I can even get a chance at a hunt like this anyway. Just saying.......

 

[VikingsGuy]

I'll probably die before I can even get a chance at a hunt like this anyway. Just saying.......

Getting a tag to hunt elk is easy (Colorado and a few others have over the counter tags), killing elk is the hard part. But if you enjoy the hunt more than the harvest, you can hunt every year in CO with a 20% chance of punching your tag.

 

[mtmuley]

WOW, Well, I am new to Hunt Talk. I truly didn't know MT is having these issues. Looks like I will need to look elsewhere for elk hunting.

Move along. Nothing to see here. mtmuley