Montana deer management

[8andcounting]

I guess in my mind when I threw the comment out. It keeps the "opportunity" alive. Sure it's popular but it's a serious limitation to compared to the rifle game. I'm not saying my ideas are perfect, just thoughts.

Ok . It's actually not a horrible idea but we know it's not gonna happen . Every blog or arcticlr I read where Fwp issues a statement regarding deer the big word they use every single time is Opportunity, they say it 1,000 times . Opportunities....

 

[8andcounting]

Some of you guys from Montana might know this but can a landowner that puts some of land in Block Management limit hunter to Whitetails only or does only.

Yea I believe he could . He can pretty much make the rules .

 

[The Hedgehog]

In MT each district should be managed specifically for that district. Like that'll ever happen

If I were boss, general season areas would be September for archery season. Rifle would be Oct 1-20. Zero buck hunting after that, antlerless hunting on private land only all through Nov-Dec.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Make the rut hunt a special draw

 

[The Hedgehog]

No rut hunt- zero

 

[JLS]

Some of you guys from Montana might know this but can a landowner that puts some of land in Block Management limit hunter to Whitetails only or does only.

He can make it for three legged deer only if he wants to.

 

[Straight Arrow]

No rut hunt- zero

Amen!

 

[JLS]

In MT each district should be managed specifically for that district. Like that'll ever happen

If I were boss, general season areas would be September for archery season. Rifle would be Oct 1-20. Zero buck hunting after that, antlerless hunting on private land only all through Nov-Dec.

You didn't just kick over the apple cart, you're launching a Minuteman missile here.

 

[The Hedgehog]

yeah, radical. Still 7 weeks of hunting deer. Imagine all the tears if something like that would happen, until 5 years down the road people realized, hey, Montana deer hunting is pretty great.

 

[Straight Arrow]

"Make Montana mature buck deer hunting great again!"

 

[The Hedgehog]

"Make Montana mature buck deer hunting great again!"

It wouldn't be just about that - 7 weeks of hunting deer still allows all the 2 point happy jacks to get out and kill everything they possibly can. A couple months of hunting does on private, still allows all the doe killers and CWD self-perceived do-gooders to get out and make themselves feel like they are contributing to healthy deer herds, while feeding their families with prime organic, self-harvested, venison.

Of course the outfitting industry wouldn't like it, and really, all the do-gooders REALLY do want to be out for 3 months shooting every buck and doe possible when it comes right down to it.

 

[scubohuntr]

Some of you guys from Montana might know this but can a landowner that puts some of land in Block Management limit hunter to Whitetails only or does only.

I don't think they can limit it like that. Some BMAs are not open to elk hunting. Some don't allow bowhunting. A lot of them don't participate in shoulder seasons. They can add a statement encouraging the harvest of does like this, which I think is a good idea, but I don't think they can micromanage things to the level of saying "You can shoot this legal deer but not that one". It seems to me that they are being paid to allow public hunting, which is managed by FWP, so they have to give up some control. Otherwise you have landowners saying, only spike whitetails, and they get paid for essentially excluding almost all kills, while the pressure drives the deer over onto their other, outfitted, property. I wouldn't be surprised if it happens verbally on some Type 2 BMAs, though, where you have to contact for permission. Given any system, there will be those who simply have to game it.

 

[MTGomer]

I’ve hunted a BMA that is known for its antelope and whitetail hunting (that allows elk hunting and has excellent elk that nobody targets)
They don’t allow mule deer hunting although mule deer is open on a general tag in that unit. 2 of, or 50% of the only 180 bucks I’ve seen in Montana were on that property.

As for Montana’s deer ‘management’ ...
It’s easier to find a legal ram in the unlimiteds than it is a nice buck in Montana. That’s the consequence of believing in the God given right to road hunt rutting bucks with rifles OTC.
Maybe I’m just not putting in the effort necessary to find big deer: as u1299 would say ‘they’re out there, hunt a little harder”

 

[scubohuntr]

It wouldn't be just about that - 7 weeks of hunting deer still allows all the 2 point happy jacks to get out and kill everything they possibly can. A couple months of hunting does on private, still allows all the doe killers and CWD self-perceived do-gooders to get out and make themselves feel like they are contributing to healthy deer herds, while feeding their families with prime organic, self-harvested, venison.

Of course the outfitting industry wouldn't like it, and really, all the do-gooders REALLY do want to be out for 3 months shooting every buck and doe possible when it comes right down to it.

That might be a point if Montana was like some other states and allowed unlimited tags. There are, of course, unlimited B tags available in some regions, but they are limited to one region-wide B tag per hunter. So "doe killers" can take up to seven does from high population areas in addition to their general tag or permit, but they have to hunt the entire state to do it. And is feeding your family with "prime, organic, self-harvested venison" supposed to be a bad thing, since only "self-perceived do-gooders" apparently do it?

 

[Irrelevant]

Does MT have a muzzy season and if so where would you place that Greenhorn?

 

[The Hedgehog]

And is feeding your family with "prime, organic, self-harvested venison" supposed to be a bad thing, since only "self-perceived do-gooders" apparently do it?

My freezer is bursting at the seams with that stuff and I'm not a self-perceived do gooder. I lost the interest in killing half adult animals with milk on their lips and does a long time ago - I wouldn't know what to do with all the meat. In the name of doing good, managing a balanced age of deer in an area is a good thing. Even if that means you can't hunt and kill everything that walks, for half the year.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Does MT have a muzzy season and if so where would you place that Greenhorn?

If I were boss, the muzzy season would be just as long as the rifle season, and take place at the same time. In 1997 I shot an antelope with a muzzleloader at 240 yards. They are a rifle, single shot, period.

 

[Ben Lamb]

If I were boss, the muzzy season would be just as long as the rifle season, and take place at the same time. In 1997 I shot an antelope with a muzzleloader at 240 yards. They are a rifle, single shot, period.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG0faW-LRZU

 

[phutch30]

Greenhorn-It is currently is just as long as the general rifle season lol....240yds???? they are shooting up to 1000yds with some of them now. For the most part they aint primitive weapons anymore. Heck u see guys on TV talking about 80-90 yd shots with their bows

 

[Ben Lamb]

If you want to focus on mature bucks of trophy quality rather than opportunity, then you're going to need a helluva lot more limited entry areas. Greenhorn's concept of shutting down the season after 3 weeks of rifle works well in some areas, and I think it wouldn't make much difference in others depending on topography, difficulty of hunt, etc (Backcountry units, etc). I hunt in areas that have adopted this model and there are still plenty of forkies shot every year, road bucks in the back of trucks, etc. I've got an unlimited permit this year, and in that district, no forkie is safe since folks shoot the first legal animal they see, rather than hold out for a mature buck or eat the tag.

I'm tracking with Kurt here, but I do think we need opportunity in order to get younger kids into the sport, even adult onset hunters. The Montana heritage of kids shooting an immature deer, 7 weeks of general tag hunting, etc are tough things to take away. You're messing with people's history and a lot of memories. That may be accomplished through whitetail, as they tend to be more prolific and less delicate than mule deer.

If you take the 3 week rifle season and expand it into a few different areas, you'd get more buyin, especially in places that are closer to urban centers. But you'll also have to kill a pile more elk in order to reduce competition for forage, etc - unless MT gets on the bandwagon of helping fund habitat improvement projects like other western states do. We're killing off populations now to fit the existing habitat in some areas, areas that used to be considered prime OTC units where sweat equity would get you a damned nice buck.

But until there is organized efforts to change the way things are done at the FWP commission level, where opportunity reigns supreme, I think we're just middling around the edges.