Montana mule deer rant
- Thread starter brockel
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OntarioHunter
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There are a lot of muleys where I hunt. My first morning I saw nineteen does and fawns walking a large coulee network. That evening I did get a long shot at a barely respectable buck in a wheat field but the wind was blowing 50+ mph. Thankfully missed and didn't bugger him up. Next morning we saw more than a dozen on the drive out from town including one shooter buck on block management that disappeared by the time we got signed in. I walked out the coulees in the vicinity of the wheat fields and in the space of maybe three hours I pushed up over twenty deer. Shot my buck from a group of eleven including one other small buck. That afternoon my brother and his buddy went back to the field and COUNTED thirty-two in one bunch. More were scattered around across the road behind them. They shot a big doe near the vehicle. He's having trouble with diabetes again and difficulty making his left leg work. Glad he got one and back home to look after himself. By the way, this was all on BMA land ... correction, I shot my buck on adjacent state land. Earlier in the day my brother's buddy saw six bucks together on the BMA property but they were off and running onto the other ranch as soon as they saw him.
If there is a shortage of deer here, I'd hate to see what a "normal" year is like. Not a lot of monster bucks but that may be due to hunting pressure from wall-hanger junkies. I know there is at least one monster buck on that property. I have seen his track and know where he hangs ... very close or on posted property. They are around but hard to find ... which makes them special ... which is as it should be.
If there is a shortage of deer here, I'd hate to see what a "normal" year is like. Not a lot of monster bucks but that may be due to hunting pressure from wall-hanger junkies. I know there is at least one monster buck on that property. I have seen his track and know where he hangs ... very close or on posted property. They are around but hard to find ... which makes them special ... which is as it should be.
Nick87
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MTLabrador
Well-known member
I’ve been seeing about half the deer I usually see, but of course my area is still open for does on a general tag. Damn coyotes must be the problem here too.
Schaaf
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What?
huntin24/7
Well-known member
This statement should not surprise anyone by now. Lol
Irrelevant
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There are three truths in life.
Death, taxes, and hypocrisy.
rogerthat
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Holy crap! I’m getting the grill guard on my pickup right now and heading for highway 2!!! Time to get that deer tag punched!!
huntin24/7
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No need. Ontario’s hazing them away from the road. You should be
.KB_
Well-known member
Havre Check Station
Weeks 1-4
Hunter participation in Region 6 appears to be high again this year. Total hunters are up 8% from last year and are 20% above the long-term average (LTA). Weather and road conditions were good the first two weeks of the season, but rainy, muddy weather the opening weekend of general season and high winds last weekend likely affected hunter numbers and success.
Antelope harvest this year was down 6% from last year and is 27% below the long-term average. Antelope hunters have mostly reported seeing decent numbers of mature bucks and antelope numbers similar to the past few years.
Mule deer harvest in the Region is down 31% from last year and is 27% below the LTA. Hunter reports so far have been mixed with some hunters reporting good numbers of mule deer while in other areas hunters reported difficulty finding deer. Drought conditions the last couple years have affected mule deer recruitment and distribution.
White-tailed deer numbers checked this year are down 18% from last year and 45% from the LTA. There were no reports of significant outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in Region 6 this year. White-tailed deer hunter reports have been mostly favorable this year.
Elk harvest at the check station, although relatively small in sample size, is up from both last year and the long-term average.
Upland bird harvest and hunter reports have been highly variable, although reports have generally been better on the eastern end of the region. Hungarian partridge reports have been good and more consistent across the entire region.
Pheasant harvest this year is up 18% from last year but is 34% below the LTA. Sharp-tailed grouse harvest is down 42% from last year and is 11% below LTA. Hungarian partridge harvest is down 3% from last year but up 44% from the LTA. Duck harvest is up from last year and the LTA average even though wetland conditions this year are poor, but the samples size for duck harvest is too low to make an accurate comparison to past years’ harvest.
Weeks 1-4
Hunter participation in Region 6 appears to be high again this year. Total hunters are up 8% from last year and are 20% above the long-term average (LTA). Weather and road conditions were good the first two weeks of the season, but rainy, muddy weather the opening weekend of general season and high winds last weekend likely affected hunter numbers and success.
Antelope harvest this year was down 6% from last year and is 27% below the long-term average. Antelope hunters have mostly reported seeing decent numbers of mature bucks and antelope numbers similar to the past few years.
Mule deer harvest in the Region is down 31% from last year and is 27% below the LTA. Hunter reports so far have been mixed with some hunters reporting good numbers of mule deer while in other areas hunters reported difficulty finding deer. Drought conditions the last couple years have affected mule deer recruitment and distribution.
White-tailed deer numbers checked this year are down 18% from last year and 45% from the LTA. There were no reports of significant outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in Region 6 this year. White-tailed deer hunter reports have been mostly favorable this year.
Elk harvest at the check station, although relatively small in sample size, is up from both last year and the long-term average.
Upland bird harvest and hunter reports have been highly variable, although reports have generally been better on the eastern end of the region. Hungarian partridge reports have been good and more consistent across the entire region.
Pheasant harvest this year is up 18% from last year but is 34% below the LTA. Sharp-tailed grouse harvest is down 42% from last year and is 11% below LTA. Hungarian partridge harvest is down 3% from last year but up 44% from the LTA. Duck harvest is up from last year and the LTA average even though wetland conditions this year are poor, but the samples size for duck harvest is too low to make an accurate comparison to past years’ harvest.
OntarioHunter
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Interesting. Since I've been here this year we have seen one other deer hunter and I haven't seen a half dozen pheasant hunters. It was easy to tell no one had been on the BMA land we deer hunt since it rained the week before. Usually the place is overrun with hunters. I must be hunting the right places? I wasn't here for opener but heard it was nuts. One BMA owner in the district said he had fifty people sign in that weekend ... and he doesn't have a huge piece of property. Motel I stayed in at Malta was pretty much empty by Tuesday after opener. Usually it's packed the first week.
Seems to be about the same number of pheasants as last year ... = not good but I have seen worse years. Sharpies seem to be down compared to last year but last year they filled the air everywhere. Even more two years ago. I seem to be seeing "average" numbers of sharpies this year. Not seeing a lot of Huns but I usually don't so no surprise.
johnp
Well-known member
I didn't make it out this year but just got the hunt report from my hunting partner and his buddies who are on the back home now. "Disappointing" is an under statement. Four hunters saw a total of one buck and a handfull of does in four days of hunting.
A couple of the fellows first Montana hunt will probably be their last. This is in an area where we would usually have several opportunities at bucks of some size on most days.
I was over there in the pronghorn season, youth deer, and 6/7 days of the general season and we didn’t hear any shooting, except for one evening we heard two shots. I talked to multiple hunters that hadn’t seen any bucks. They really need to go a draw for a couple years for elk, deer, and let’s the herds rebuild. I hope to call the biologist and commissioner’s after season
When the landowners that have lived their whole life here and don’t like deer eating their alfalfa bottoms are saying they’ve never seen anything like it, the deer are gone. It raises a lot of flags for me, not the fwp though, all they see are a bunch of very satisfied hunters with ample game to chase.
MLaird
Well-known member
I spent 2 days in the Broadus area looking for antelope. I saw a couple of mulie does & fawns on the side of the road in the dark but I didn’t see one mule deer while out hunting. I probably covered 15-20 miles walking/glassing.
Nameless Range
Well-known member
Hunter numbers are up (20% over LTA)
Mule deer harvest is down (-27% LTA)
Antelope Harvest is down (-27% LTA)
Whitetail harvest is down ( -45% LTA)
rogerthat
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- Aug 29, 2015
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They’re out there boys! #fwpsaysso #keephammering #tightenthemboots
