Montana winter

[mariano742]

Anyone know how region 6 Montana is doing this winter? I usually hunt the north side of the breaks. I live in New England. Just wondering how the deer and antelope are doing. Thanks in advance

 

[huntnfisher]

Had a really mild Winter here in NW Lower Michigan.

 

[Zellhouse]

Check out Fresh Tracks Weekly Episode 36 on Randy's U-Tube Channel. There are having a rough winter...

 

[mariano742]

Check out Fresh Tracks Weekly Episode 36 on Randy's U-Tube Channel. There are having a rough winter...

Yeah but does he just say it’s rough around Bozeman and the park where he likes to hunt elk or does he talk about Region 6?

 

[Hunting Wife]

There are several threads on here with info from recent game counts and FWP meetings.

-after recent years of historic drought and now a big snow winter, numbers are down and recruitment is in the toilet.

-single digit buck:doe ratios.

 

[JEL]

Anyone know how region 6 Montana is doing this winter? I usually hunt the north side of the breaks. I live in New England. Just wondering how the deer and antelope are doing. Thanks in advance

Not good. We still have a foot of crusted snow on the ground. Was -3 the other night.

 

[mariano742]

Not good. We still have a foot of crusted snow on the ground. Was -3 the other night.

Im in for general deer and i put in for an elk permit. 50% chance in the elk. If I don’t get my elk permit I’ll put in for antelope are antelope and deer on the north side of the Missouri getting creamed??

 

[JEL]

Im in for general deer and i put in for an elk permit. 50% chance in the elk. If I don’t get my elk permit I’ll put in for antelope are antelope and deer on the north side of the Missouri getting creamed??

I can’t say for sure but suspect there has been some mortality. We are almost in Canada and they are definitely struggling. Had 30 in the yard the other night. They are hitting the hay bales which is the first time we have seen that at our place.

 

[Schaaf]

Here’s the snow drift 3 feet above the gun range tables on April 1. Region 6.

 

[mariano742]

There are several threads on here with info from recent game counts and FWP meetings.

-after recent years of historic drought and now a big snow winter, numbers are down and recruitment is in the toilet.

-single digit buck:doe ratios.

I haven’t seen any of those. I tried searching. I’ll try again thanks

 

[DFS]

I’ve been assured by the professionals the low numbers I’m seeing aren’t real. We can continue to shoot every buck on the landscape and even shoot does too. Everything is looking good stay the course.

 

[Zellhouse]

Yeah but does he just say it’s rough around Bozeman and the park where he likes to hunt elk or does he talk about Region 6?

The discussion is on a broader basis than the Bozeman area. Looks like tag reductions for NW Colorado & Wyoming are on the way with almost 50% of deer & antelope herds gone. Both Wyoming & Utah are into emergency feeding programs. Billings area tied the 2nd longest record for the most days straight under 60 degrees, as reported just last week.

According to the Fresh Tracks Weekly episode mentioned earlier Mt does not reduce tags to offset winter kill. It does affect hunter harvest rates for the next couple of years until the herds rebound. Once we get into May the effect of this winter will be more fully understood & reported out.

 

[DFS]

You have to appreciate how concerned Wyoming is with their game numbers when things go south.

 

[WanderWoman]

The discussion is on a broader basis than the Bozeman area. Looks like tag reductions for NW Colorado & Wyoming are on the way with almost 50% of deer & antelope herds gone. Both Wyoming & Utah are into emergency feeding programs. Billings area tied the 2nd longest record for the most days straight under 60 degrees, as reported just last week.

According to the Fresh Tracks Weekly episode mentioned earlier Mt does not reduce tags to offset winter kill. It does affect hunter harvest rates for the next couple of years until the herds rebound. Once we get into May the effect of this winter will be more fully understood & reported out.

I think you misheard what was said in the episode. They were very specific that Montana does not feed wildlife, and while they didn’t talk about major announcements from MT re: tag reductions, they did note that while season structures can be changed every other year, they can adjust quotas within a certain quota range (now printed in 2023 regs) every year by a certain date (usually after spring surveys/harvest results are out).

Biologists can also propose outside-of-range adjustments but those need commission approval and with the changing F&W Commission timelines, I’d imagine that’d be difficult. But, if you look in the regs a number of those ranges are fairly wide, so yes, FWP can (and does) adjust tags based on that year’s prior winter, etc. They will not show up in that year’s regs.

 

[DFS]

If the past repeats itself we can expect tag reductions in 2 years and a great comeback in 4 years. And a new bottom end to manage off off for the next 10 years. Things are looking great.

 

[DFS]

Every resident and nonresident could potentially be hunting in the same district for the entire rut, that is great management. Adaptive management at work. Hunt before it gets worse is my advice for the OP.

 

[rogerthat]

I think you misheard what was said in the episode. They were very specific that Montana does not feed wildlife, and while they didn’t talk about major announcements from MT re: tag reductions, they did note that while season structures can be changed every other year, they can adjust quotas within a certain quota range (now printed in 2023 regs) every year by a certain date (usually after spring surveys/harvest results are out).

Biologists can also propose outside-of-range adjustments but those need commission approval and with the changing F&W Commission timelines, I’d imagine that’d be difficult. But, if you look in the regs a number of those ranges are fairly wide, so yes, FWP can (and does) adjust tags based on that year’s prior winter, etc. They will not show up in that year’s regs.

How do they adjust quotas in the general tag units?

 

[WanderWoman]

How do they adjust quotas in the general tag units?

Sorry, not general licenses, I meant B-licenses and LE permits/licenses. Units that have quotas. I know you know that and are making a point. Taken. But to say that MT does nothing to respond to bad winters re: license allocation is misleading.

And yeah, a structural change to buck only on a general vs either-sex is another step that is done biennially, but can also be done in emergency situations in an off year.

 

[DFS]

Doe tags don’t matter in overall population according to mtfwp so what exactly are they responding to? Just trying to make it look like they are doing something?

 

[SAJ-99]

Doe tags don’t matter in overall population according to mtfwp so what exactly are they responding to? Just trying to make it look like they are doing something?

Weren’t you arguing in the Mule Deer Mismanagement thread that they should cut B Tags? Seem like you are going to get that. Small changes are better than nothing- also a DougStickney argument, if I remember correctly.