I don't think there was anything keeping a NR from applying. Question on the form asked if you were a R or NR.
That’s true. I think you would be a great representative. But I just worry who’s gonna realize the real problem with mule deer if we are talking state wide , will come down to both R and NR giving up opportunities
Correction, 12 weeks....Muzzy.....and why not?
In my experience that what I perceived from them as well. When the "new" mule deer district was set up in HD 103 (Specifically north Fisher River HD 103-50) the biologist(s) had a fit. The whole redistricting was brought up and implemented from local fed-up sportsman....worried about the mule deer population. It was an easy area for others to shoot forked horn mule deer from the road. I attended 4+ meetings, where other (lack of a better word) "transplants" felt it wasn't fair, and that it would be managed as a trophy district. There is sizable deer in that area, and they were taking a beating years past. The locals got their way (thank God) and created a special district where only 13 permits are issued. Moral of the story, the Biologist(s) (without any data) said that the mule deer were doing fine, and that this would take "OPPORTUNITY" from other sportsman in the area wanting to kill a mule deer.
Mule deer are suffering from the mismanagement of the elk herds. Huge herds are outcompeting the Mule deer. I've hunted in area 380 for 50 years and especially the south half was really great deer hunting. Now we see way more elk than deer. The first elk I killed on the ranch I hunt was a few years after the trophy permit went into place. The ranch owner told me he was 80 years old, raised on the ranch and had never seen an elk in those hills in his life. Now elk are overrunning the area. FWP talks about concern for the Mule deer but heaven forbid they change their elk management practices in the Elkhorns to help the declining Muley numbers.
What are you proposing for the elk horns? Increasing cow permits to reduce numbers of elk or getting rid of the trophy management and going to general? With all due respect, that’s probably an oversimplification across the state. I know of units in Montana with few to no elk and severely declining mule deer numbers also. How long ago would you say that the change from great deer hunting happened? Was it a slow gradual decline or a sharp one? I suspect your right that elk numbers in many units do have some effect on mule deer for sure. I’m unsure how great that effect is and unconvinced it is the primary driver for the mule deer declines in Montana and actually west wide.
There’s many reasons for the mule deer decline . Recent drought years , hard winters , elk in places they didn’t use to be . However I think the main reason is over hunting /lead poisoning .
I can't think of a unit in Montana where too many bull elk are pushing out mule deer. mtmuley
I can think of a few places were too many elk hunters are putting a smack down on struggling mule deer.
Yep. That I can agree with. And they bring buddies with deer tags. Missouri Breaks prime example. mtmuley
Mule and elk have completely different diets in the winter, and there is an over abundance of food in the spring/summer and early fall, so there is no competition for food sources . Mule deer are suffering from over hunting in the rut, loss of migration corridors, habitat loss, energy development, loss of sagebrush, drought, vehicle collision. etc way before they are suffering from an over abundance of elk.
