Montana D & E this week??

I'm not sure if I'd go that far. Seems a bit overly cynical and I'm not a beaming optimist by any means. But I think there's 3 contributing factors here.
1. The notion that hunter numbers are in decline, which has led to movements like r3 to boost numbers.
2. The idea that more hunters has long been thought to make our voice larger and thereby the conservation effort larger...both in policy and in $.
3. A rise in western hunting demand

I don't think the meateater crew or randy sat down 10 years ago and said "man, let's make more hunters so we can make more money off them". That would seem a bit dubious. I don't think it's unreasonable for loads of people to start to like something that most of us like so much we sit on this forum and talk about it 365 days a year. But if we're not careful...we'll love huntingas we know it....to death.
I don’t disagree with any of this but facts are facts. The people pumping western hunting and tag applications the most are the same people whom are set up to make money off of an audience interested in that very subject. People who used to say they only got Huntin Fool to know where not to apply have turned around and told everyone exactly where and how to apply.
 
My opinion it could be a good thing, more people involved. More $, more votes/voice. Hopefully for public lands. But someday prob soon residents like myself need to realize hunting mule deer bucks or bull elk may not happen every yr. Quality and quanity to protect our resources.
 
There you go this hunter recruitment business is really paying off.
I’m glad I have built up points across the west, not so I can draw a great tag but so I can just hunt. Hoping next year I’ll be able to cash in some of my points.
Happy hunting to all of those that drew a tag!
 
I don’t disagree with any of this but facts are facts. The people pumping western hunting and tag applications the most are the same people whom are set up to make money off of an audience interested in that very subject. People who used to say they only got Huntin Fool to know where not to apply have turned around and told everyone exactly where and how to apply.
Some are for sure. Some have seen dollar signs and ran with that, we can point to plenty of those people. Welcome to the land of the free where we are free to chase opportunity.

I think a lot of it is just unintended consequences. I think a majority of the conservation minded folk have the best intentions and the peripheral thoughts about creating too many hunters just didn't seem like a real possibility...or maybe it was seen as good problem to have?
 
My opinion it could be a good thing, more people involved. More $, more votes/voice. Hopefully for public lands. But someday prob soon residents like myself need to realize hunting mule deer bucks or bull elk may not happen every yr. Quality and quanity to protect our resources.
As much as I want to agree with this I think this is a naive thought process. The reality is the increases in applications we are seeing is huge in terms of getting tags but in terms of percentages of total voters in states to control policy it is meaningless (Colorado wolves as an example). The reality is no matter what we do there is a limit to our resources as human populations and development expand. If hunter numbers increased by x% I can guarantee public land and resources would increase by a fraction of that % if at all. More $ does not equate to more opportunities for hunters as we have seen and will continue to see.
 
But if we're not careful...we'll love hunting as we know it....to death.
This right here it really is this simple people. I told a friend of mine for the last several years this. Every year all I hear is how the Deer and Turkey populations are crap on his hunting ground. However every year you can bet he tags out on both animals along with his child hunting every day possible just because the State says it's okay in the regs. My hunting grounds flourish with Deer and Turkey and we have 1,200 acres versus 10,000 my buddy hunts. The difference between the two are we have self imposed limits we have put in place 1 mature animal each versus 3 on his and hunter numbers on each piece of property.
 
More $ does not equate to more opportunities for hunters as we have seen and will continue to see.
There's some truth to what you're saying. But this last part I disagree with. It's just a matter of fact that habitat and public access cost $$...lots of $$. Look at the CRP program. In its prime it was absolutely a opportunity creator. Birds, fawning, cover, waterfowl nesting. It was good habitat and it wasn't free. We had millions and millions of acres more than we do now and there were more critters on the landscape because of it and there was far more "opportunity" for hunters to hunt. Look at the American Prairie Reserve....millions of dollars of land purchases to preserve habitat and prioritize wildlife. Habitat costs $$$ and one of the reasons the North American Model has been successful is because we've taken money from the like of Pittman Robertson, license sales, etc and invested that into the resource that sustains the critters.

I believe leopold's phrase was "improve the well not just the pump"...or something to that effect? We need more habitat, more public access/land.
 
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Yeah I don’t think we need another YouTube video or podcast on how to apply for (insert state). Clearly people have figured it out by now. It’s funny because a lot of people pushing this got in early on draw schemes or are in the twilight of their hunting careers or can afford more expensive hunting opportunities.



IMO it is people trying to make money off of a resource in the disguise of conservation. Or just straight up hunting egos. And anybody that complains about not drawing a tag every year or every other with Montana’s season structure hasn’t looked at the other western states or doesn’t care about the resource.

And yet, here you two are, on Randy's Newbergs forum.
 
Pretty sure goose eggs in the drawing means I can use my new Hawken to hunt nesting geese this spring,right? Opportunity, baby.
 
Heard from an outfitter that there were over 30,000 apps for 17,000 NR Big Game combos. Not sure where he got that info or how he got it so soon. Only 20% of his clients drew. If these numbers are accurate be prepared for outfitter-sponsored licenses to be brought up again.
The outfitter might have applied the 29.52% increase in NR permit applications, since last year, and that would equal about 30,000 combo licenses. I'm glad I'll have 3 points when i apply for my deer and elk combo!
 
Once the economy tanks again it will be easier to draw. Until then, you better have lots of irons in the fire if you want to hunt out west.
I don't see that having a significant change in drawing odds, especially in states with points systems.
 
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