Southern Elk
Well-known member
I’m not going to get in a big argument with you, but you are wrong. Lots of folks would be happy with those deer, but they are not big mule deer, period.
MT - Changes in Hunting Regs/Units/Seasons coming this month
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
huntin24/7
Well-known member
I’ve been a MT resident for just about 14 years now in NE MT. I definitely put my time in, although I don’t get out scouting as much as in the past with 3 kids at home. I have noticed a big difference in quality in the short time I’ve lived here. I’ve known 2 guys that hunted public or easily accessed private that consistently killed big bucks of that 4+ age class. Both guys had schedules that allowed them to scout probably 30+ nights a summer and hunt at least part of every day of the rifle season. Of those big bucks I know of, they were all killed after many days watching property lines and taken after they finally left good private land.
I find it a bit hypocritical that guys who want some older age class deer in the herds on public land are somehow labeled selfish, but guys that want a tag every year to kill any buck aren’t. Shoot whatever makes you happy and I’ll always be the first to congratulate you, but it’s something to ponder.
I find it a bit hypocritical that guys who want some older age class deer in the herds on public land are somehow labeled selfish, but guys that want a tag every year to kill any buck aren’t. Shoot whatever makes you happy and I’ll always be the first to congratulate you, but it’s something to ponder.
Flatbrimmer
Well-known member
What’s mature? You know they lose size and mass as they move past their prime right? Mature to you is no teeth left in the head and smaller than prime rack? I know it’s not a BIG one but shit dude it ain’t a baby and it MAY have gotten bigger next year but after that it MAY have gotten smaller thereafter. What’s mature to you? 5 with a prime set or 8 with smaller then 5 but he’s MATURE.. mature to me means reached sexual maturation. When a spike leaves the cows and becomes branch antlered that’s mature enough to be with the boys… I can understand the argument about mature meaning OLD.. in which case you can’t tell from rack. I can show you a WT that’s aged at 8+ and you’d say he’s 2-3.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
Those bucks that come late from Saskatchewan are gonna get hammered with round balls soon. 
Nick87
Well-known member
The old I shot a buck smaller than I wanted... must be real old and going down hill. I've heard that one a lot on 1.5 old and 2.5 year old bucks always get a kick out of that.
T
timmy
Guest
Let’s see your public land Montana 200 inch migratory buck. How to screw your hunting spot 101.
huntandfly
Well-known member
Is that how it is? Because I think it’s selfish for (edit) *a nonresident* to think they deserve a tag every year, and I think that many people also feel that way
BuzzH
Well-known member
No, that's a bunch of bunk. Big elk and big mule deer are big even when they're 8-10 years old. That whole nonsense about bucks and bulls regressing hasn't been my experience.
I guarantee you, 99% of the buck mule deer in Montana and elsewhere that are 8+ years old are NOT deer that 99% of the hunters are going to be passing on.
I shot a bull that was 10 years old in Wyoming...can't know if he was bigger at a younger age, but I doubt his antlers lost mass.
The best bull I've ever killed was 9 years old...over 370 gross and I bet if he made it to 11-12 wouldn't have been much smaller.
Paging @JM77...I've seen bulls he's killed that were old and he has sheds from previous years, they don't loss score and mass much, if at all.
huntin24/7
Well-known member
No, I think it’s selfish for a resident or nonresident to feel entitled to an antlered tag or non antlered for that matter regardless of how herds are doing. For what it’s worth, my comment wasn’t directed at you or your experience in any way. I’m speaking in regards to comments I tend to regularly hear.
antlerradar
Well-known member
I am pretty confident I could have pulled the trigger on a 170+ mule deer every year in the 90's on the Custer. Would have to hunt my ass off to get one now and would probably still fail.
Flatbrimmer
Well-known member
As a resident I feel much more entitled than I do about a non resident with more paper than I have….. damned skippy
Flatbrimmer
Well-known member
I’ll find this thread in 2-3 months
Edit. YOU find this thread in 2-3 months and show everyone wrong. Get em!
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
Facts usually are.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
Your place needs a TV show or 3, the tourism industry all about it, maybe go hunt and huntin fool, and maybe an army of guys in early December with muskets cleaning up the ones you missed or showed up after you left ….for a few years. Then, …guess who will be the sniveling little bitch.
i ordered a pound of blackhorn 209 today and don’t yet have a rifle. I’ll be one of those guys you want to kill.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
And I’ll be bringing friends..
antlerradar
Well-known member
I remember days in the 80's and 90's were I had opportunities on several bucks 20 inches better than your dad's. Those type of days didn't happen every time you went out, but if conditions were good there was a chance.
When I would scout in the summer there was many days were your dads buck wouldn't even be in the top five for deer I would find.
huntandfly
Well-known member
If you are telling me that you used to pass up multiple 185” deer some days, then you are right, MT is a nightmare now. I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but that clearly isn’t a reality now.
With the explosion of popularity in western hunting, do you think something like that is ever realistic again? Maybe it is, but I think it would be very difficult to balance opportunity with those type of results
huntandfly
Well-known member
You are also a stronger man than me. 180 inch deer are going to have a tough time seeing a pass from me, but I didn’t grow up in an era or a location that provided me the opportunity to look at a lot of bucks like that
@antlerradar and a good friend of his used to locate a half dozen or more 180-190 deer each year on the Custer.
Were there even 10% of the hunters back then compared to now? I can hardly even imagine what it must have been like back then. Such an enormous amount of beautiful country with very few hunters.
