Correct, and also lets not let the average MT hunter off the hook either, they're also pretty well entrenched in having "brown its down" for 11 weeks.
Not to this level, FWP is in handcuffs now more than ever.
Absolutely, and I was directly referring to the general hunting public in that comment.
Who was in charge in 2012 after back to back bad winters and dismal numbers? Nothing was done for several years because fwp isn’t into “knee jerk reactions”. This mismanagement has been going on for a very long time. Regardless who is governor.
Unfortunately most hunters in Montana (and even on this forum) just mark the ballot R or D, depending on their particular tribal affiliation, likely forgetting or even never realizing the contentious public access and ensuing legal issue between GG and FWP. If you don't think there are lingering ramifications, then your blindness emphasizes my point.
Yeah, it’s certainly not all GG. But, anyone expecting marked and drastic change to benefit the public land hunter right now is slightly delusional.
Good luck there LOL. It sounds good in theory, making it reality, well…
I would say it is much more common for areas to see a decline in mule deer and an increase in whitetails. Whitetails typically out compete mule deer. I can think of one particular area in eastern MT that matches what you have observed though. My guess of why there seems to be increasing mule deer and decreasing whitetails is because the area has been affected by EHD and blue tongue pretty regularly in the past 10 years or so. Whitetails are much more susceptible to those diseases than mule deer. I can remember when I first started hunting in the early 2000's we had a ton of whitetails, and I can't remember ever having big die off years. It seems like anymore we have die offs about every other year. I think the decrease in whitetails has allowed the mule deer to thrive. It is also an area that is predominately private land (mainly farm ground) so it's not as much of a destination area for hunters and the mule deer don't get slaughtered as bad as other areas that have a lot of public ground.
No, they don’t.
You missed the point that historically poor management is exacerbated by the ramifications of the issue and ensuing current political climate and administration in Helena.
This absolutely has to be the case because the mule deer population in central and eastern montana isn’t a fraction of what it was when I started hunting Montana 25 ish years ago . It’s a joke . Very very sad really
Why do you feel this way? Why do you think whitetail occupy the better habitat? They are definitely more aggressive from what I have witnessed. My grandpa used to throw corn out in his backyard in the winter and I spent hours watching them. The mule deer would always leave when the whitetails showed up and started acting aggressive.
This is a direct result of a deer season that coincides with a very liberal elk season.
Well maybe things should have been changed when the political climate was more favorable. Yet here we are.
Because it’s not true. If it were, mule deer would be gone in the areas of overlap. I live in one and see it all the time.
Certainly there are/were some old school biologists that needed to go, long before 2012. Where I hunt in NW Montana there was only one very good biologist that worked there since I started hunting. He was promptly reassigned for what I understood was a conflict with senior FWP leadership.
Whitetails are much more tolerant of human activity, mule deer much less. Displacement of muleys has much more to do with human activity around that “better” habitat than whitetail presence.
I respectfully disagree. Around here there are multitudes of mule deer living in town, living in subdivisions, and sleeping under decks. Meanwhile 5 miles away in the foothills they are absent where they used to be thick.
