Rie Bread
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 4, 2024
- Messages
- 389
I agree if they do choose your weapon MT will be a bow hunters paradise and make rifle hunting that much more of a zoo.
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You left out muzzleloaders season on the choose your weapon statement.As a resident, I do not have a problem with increasing the fees for my hunting licenses and or tags.
What I don't think is fair, is the archery hunters. If they do not harvest during archery season, they hunt again during general season with a rifle. End that - make them chose their weapon. That would lessen pressure on the big game, if you really want to lessen pressure on the animals.
I chose to live in MT where I don't make high wages like people from some areas outside of Montana. Stop pandering to the nonresidents and reduce the number of NR licenses. NR choose to live outside of MT where they make higher wages, they need to understand they can't get everything they want in MT if they don't choose to live here. Reducing the NR tags would lessen pressure on the big game, if you really want to reduce the pressure on the animals.
Because we had to buy a gun it cost more than the archery stampYou left out muzzleloaders season on the choose your weapon statement.
Also why don't the muzzleloader hunters have to buy an extra tag like the archers have to?
Ahem - looked at any bows recently?Because we had to buy a gun it cost more than the archery stamp
Nope just dropped mine off for a new string Friday. I like my bow also was a joke they probably should have added a tax with it alsoAhem - looked at any bows recently?
Because sadly we are still operating like it is 1978 here in Montana.Why don’t they make people pick a unit when they apply for the draw? If not a unit, then at least a region?
As a nonresident, even I see that having a general tag puts far too many hunters into certain areas.
Spread em out by having a set unit or region.
BINGOSaj99 what compromise is there. With your proposal. We are giving non resident, landowners, outfitters the exact same thing with little benefit for mule deer on public land. And an October mule deer season greatly effects a Nov elk season.
Appreciate Ben and just don't agree with everything he stated. I fully understand this is politics. Money and landowners. 2024 hunting is $ and politicians. Regardless of state.
Yes archery season does push elk to private. Once again understand that is not managed by fwp as well. They sell tags opurtunity. Not for the public but for the landowners and non residents. But u are out of you God dam mind if u think General mule deer season will not have a huge impact on general Nov elk. It's $*)Q!#@$ unbelievable to me very few c this.
So basically do the proposal. Archery elk otc public land will be no secret best hunting a guy like me will get but it's cut short. Otc mule deer Oct. Fwp still selling a shit load of tags and not managing the mule deer anyway so the public will suck. Private manages so there loving it. A shit ton of elk, more than currently will be pressured onto private because a bunch of dipshits hunting 2 to 4 yr old bucks in October. SO otc elk comes around and less than half the elk currently I predict on public. But some land owners will allow massacres for cow elk. Disgusting. I think. But all those raghorns that Gerald brags about living with proposal will die on private otc hunts.
Hey let's do it because it's change. And it looks good. Sounds good. But most importantly it works for who will profit off it. They getting mule deer still and more elk. Public getting phucked
It's not so much the migration of elk onto private. But the migration of rifle hunters from one season to the next. On paper it can be portrayed as reducing overcrowding when dividing hunting effort/over a longer 8-week duration. However, i believe that the "effort" value overall will increase significantly, potentially even double into each of the 4-week seasons. ITs a great idea to be more precise in placing concentrated pressure on both Mule deer and elk independently. The most immediate noticeable impact will be to elk hunting on public lands particularly in southwest and central Montana. its gonna cause a wreck and for what. Yes, it would definitely point the needle in the right direction for Mule Deer, but will it move the needle. One good snow storm drifting all the roads shut on Veterans day in eastern mt does more to protect mule deer bucks.For everyone saying MD season in October will ruin November elk hunting, I assume your mechanism is bumping elk while hunting deer. I guess I don't see that happening for a couple reasons, depending on the area.
1. Elk and mule deer have different habitat preferences. If you are hunting bucks in the first 15-20 days of October, they are going to be in different areas entirely than the majority of elk. As bulls pull off the cows, bulls and bucks may show more overlap, but still will not show much overlap as bucks move into the pre-rut and bulls move into their post rut hell holes
2. Direct vs indirect pressure makes a huge difference, ie getting shot at vs not.
3. Neighboring states that run similar season dates don't see the mass migration to private of elk, outside of areas without much public land, ie NE Wyoming.
I don't think you can get more elk moving to private than you already do with 12 weeks of straight hunting with a 5 day break at the midpoint plus multiple months of shoulder season on either side.
I'd echo this. I can't see a mechanism for "doubling effort" when people have finite time off, money, etc. I will say for a minority of hunters "effort" may double, but I see that as by far the exception, not the rulePretty sure there’s way too much inaccurate assumption regarding how much “effort” will be put in if deer/elk seasons are split.
Way fewer animals would be killed out of happenstance/convenience. And two species hunters will be hunting for each more.
Hunters are not going just magically start hunting harder. Fat chance.
I guess a quick survey of the Block Management records for hunter home addresses or even special permit applications would give an idea as to how much effort folks are willing to put forth to hunt.Pretty sure there’s way too much inaccurate assumption regarding how much “effort” will be put in if deer/elk seasons are split.
Way fewer animals would be killed out of happenstance/convenience. And two species hunters will be hunting for each more.
Hunters are not going just magically start hunting harder. Fat chance.
I know people that talk about hunting daily, apply all over, including out of state, and are hard pressed to spend 2 or 3 whole days hunting anywhere, including on high end limited permits.I guess a quick survey of the Block Management records for hunter home addresses or even special permit applications would give an idea as to how much effort folks are willing to put forth to hunt.
I predict all hunting would be better, especially if you take things serious, manage your time, and especially if you’re a bowhunter.First I hear all of western Montana is going to head east and piss pound 6 & 7 harder than they are now and then I hear that the mountains will be so full of people that all of the elk will run to private even worse than they currently do.
Its all noise until something happens.First I hear all of western Montana is going to head east and piss pound 6 & 7 harder than they are now and then I hear that the mountains will be so full of people that all of the elk will run to private even worse than they currently do.
Rut hunting mule deer with rifles is a uniquely montana thing. Have you been to other states? Its more than just age class/antler size. Its also herd health, genetic diversity, doe/buck ratios.Does the committee have any legitimate data to support the season structure changes would indeed improve mule deer numbers? Or is this mostly based on improving age class? And is there data that supports that or is it just a guess to try and do something? I guess it would be hard to have any data considering Montana doesn’t even have mandatory reporting so we have no idea exactly how many people are hunting mule deer and how many are getting killed, along with trends from years past for an actual comparison. I’d probably start there along with eliminating mule deer doe harvest before making any other changes…
Its all noise until something happens.
At the risk of sounding like a gun grabber - we need to do something.
Rut hunting mule deer with rifles is a uniquely montana thing. Have you been to other states? Its more than just age class/antler size. Its also herd health, genetic diversity, doe/buck ratios.