Montana General Season Structure Proposal

[cgasner1]

Just curious, what about new ALS numbers? (I know that doesn’t affect deer, as much)

New als numbers being youth probably affect deer a lot. It’s easier to take a kid deer hunting and find success that run thru the hills for an elk. Especially with the youth season

 

[SAJ-99]

I think Washington hunters stick out in regions 6 and 7 because you know that they have already driven across 3/4 of the state to get there.

Yep, they stand out like a 3- plate.

 

[Forkyfinder]

@Ben Lamb do you know exactly where the funding goes?

Curious how much of tag sales is funding state parks and such.

 

[Ben Lamb]

All license revenue goes in to the general license account or to accounts prescribed by law such as Hunter access, habitat MT, Upland & wetland conservation funding, which spent by the wildlife, fisheries, communication & education, law enforcement & admin divisions.

Parks is funded through a variety of other means such as when you renew your vehicles tags, funding from the coal severance trust, rec. mj funding, user fees from over snow travel, orgs, etc.

 

[antlerradar]

Yep, they stand out like a 3- plate.

That was 40 years ago. Some one from Billings showed up and you were wondering why they drove all the way to SE MT to go hunting. Now people from Billings are almost next door neighbors.

 

[Sytes]

I know this proposal started as a mule deer group. It obviously turned into a complete season overall, but you guys in 6/7 act like no one hunts any other part of the state. We deal with the exact same thing in region 3 with elk hunters (that kill every mule deer that walks). I’ve been in the upper ruby for the opener and I’ve been in eastern MT during November. They are both a shit show. However, I don’t think acting like regions 6/7 are the only parts of the state that get pressure is a good way to build momentum. We feel the exact same way in region 3.

Region 1, 2, and 3 bordering close to WA as well. Personal struggles tend to inflate the issue. I believe the NR plates simply stand out thus take a larger brunt of the heat. I recall pulling to a tiny corner of public land that's always been an unknown across from former block management now cornered with a large swath of "corner crossing" to public.
Finally made it to that little slip we've considered "ours" to find, for the first time in 15 years, four WA plated trucks, two campers, atvs, horse trailer, pecker poles nailed/roped into/onto trees for hitching, my meat pole I Dsnow9'd my way up to create our first year there, already hanging elk bags... on and on, we sat in the truck, very bummed and bent at the vast blown up camp setting typically used by ourselves and one other camp set by 3 MT plated couple good guys, Two-three trucks max, two wall tents and utv.
It's perfectly legit for them to hunt out of and camp there though it was a kick in the nuts, regardless. Had this been some other MT plated group - we'd still feel like chit though the vent point was the NR plates.

What I'm getting at, WA / NR plates really stand out to me when I'm sour about showing up only to find another truck(s) at the location. I hunt less populated deer/elk areas to stay away from hunters. Reality though, it's $$$ for FWP operations. I'd like to see less NR plates though that's a bean counter operation for game population density vs NR $.
After all, for some lame reason we have the oxymoronic belief to gripe about NR's yet be damned if we pay another nickel for our Resident tags!

Just a ramble.

 

[DFS]

I know this proposal started as a mule deer group. It obviously turned into a complete season overall, but you guys in 6/7 act like no one hunts any other part of the state. We deal with the exact same thing in region 3 with elk hunters (that kill every mule deer that walks). I’ve been in the upper ruby for the opener and I’ve been in eastern MT during November. They are both a shit show. However, I don’t think acting like regions 6/7 are the only parts of the state that get pressure is a good way to build momentum. We feel the exact same way in region 3.

I know you are talking elk hunting pressure, but circling back to mule deer.


We are not getting a good return from the nonresident money. Our hunting is swirling right down the toilet bowl. Nonresident funding is preventing meaningful changes.