MT - Changes in Hunting Regs/Units/Seasons coming this month

[MTLabrador]

I realize that this will be against the grain here, but part of me hopes that if they go the landowner tag route they are valid unit-wide.

It would be nice to have another option for seasons in which draw luck is poor.

How about no.

 

[Schaaf]

I realize that this will be against the grain here, but part of me hopes that if they go the landowner tag route they are valid unit-wide.

It would be nice to have another option for seasons in which draw luck is poor.

 

[mtmuley]

How about no.

The mindset of opportunity crosses state lines. mtmuley

 

[Northwoods Labs]

I realize that this will be against the grain here, but part of me hopes that if they go the landowner tag route they are valid unit-wide.

It would be nice to have another option for seasons in which draw luck is poor.

I guess if you have plenty of disposable income you have another option..........

 

[HighWildFree]

I realize that this will be against the grain here, but part of me hopes that if they go the landowner tag route they are valid unit-wide.

It would be nice to have another option for seasons in which draw luck is poor.

Will my 3000 sq ft lot get me a tag? I don't want to be lumped in with the rest of those un-landed vermin.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Holy Shit . Negative Nellie has spoken .

I know guys that have adapted to the changing hunting conditions in Montana . Yesterday they were trying to decide where out of several places to hunt they should go opening day . They were trying to stop themselves from going off in new directions chasing new and different elk and to go where they knew elk were and kill a bigger bull .

This will mean nothing to most of you, but it is the 9th of August . Opening Day is coming fast, ditch the whoa is me attitude . The Bulls are going to be screaming in a month .

The guys that hunt Public Lands and kill good bulls every year are going to make it happen again .

It's your choice listen to Negative Nellie and risk becoming a sniveling little B----, or put on your man panties and go chase Bulls . Montana is a great place to hunt elk, you simply have to figure out where and that is actually the fun part .

Negative Nellie?

Are not the same folks calling these open houses the same ones all for giving free range outfitted non-resident license allocation and 10 free bull elk permits to everybody owning a section of land? Yeah, let's be positive.

The guys that hunt Public Lands and kill good bulls every year are going to make it happen again .

I'd like to see "those guys" all in a room together, key words are IN BOLD and see what they think, and if they're so optimistic and positive -- given they've hunted in MT more than a decade or so, and your definition of "good" is better than a raghorn bull.

I love to be positive and optimistic about hunting every year. But at some time you've got to realize we are totally going to get #@)(*%* by these people in charge of making PUBLIC LAND elk management decisions. Not to mention deer and other species..

You are truly blind if you are not seeing this. Negative Nellie has a clue.

 

[Bowildee]

Not a Montana Native but I know A little bit about how the world works and money wins most of them time. Sad times.

 

[warmer]

Not a Montana Native but I know A little bit about how the world works and money wins most of them time. Sad times.

Money wins every time.

 

[antlerradar]

I realize that this will be against the grain here, but part of me hopes that if they go the landowner tag route they are valid unit-wide.

It would be nice to have another option for seasons in which draw luck is poor.

I would get tags that I can then sell to you and at the same time tell you stay off my land and hunt the Custer.
Sounds like a win for me, and a big lose for you and every one else hunting public.

 

[huntandfly]

The “Negative Nellie” comments in a Montana dominated forum is not going to go over well haha. I’m in agreement with you, MT has good hunting opportunity and still produces some quality animals and age class if you work at it.

I do also see the other side of the coin with residents who have watched things get worse especially in these most recent legislative sessions. The potential for improvement from the current status qou is pretty apparent

 

[huntandfly]

I would get tags that I can then sell to you and at the same time tell you stay off my land and hunt the Custer.
Sounds like a win for me, and a big lose for you and every one else hunting public.

This isn’t how NM does it, however that’s not to say MT wouldn’t take that route

 

[The Hedgehog]

MT has good hunting opportunity and still produces some quality animals and age class if you work at it.

The quality and age class opportunities are now 100% a result of an animal stepping off well managed private land to a lucky hunter on public. There are essentially ZERO opportunities at public land animals that are not somehow otherwise protected..

 

[huntandfly]

The quality and age class opportunities are now 100% a result of an animal stepping off well managed private land to a lucky hunter on public. There are essentially ZERO opportunities at public land animals that are not somehow otherwise protected..

I have direct experiences that contradict your statement here.

 

[huntandfly]

I have only hunted Montana a couple of times now in the last 2 years, but in that time I have seen multiple quality animals both deer and elk on public land not working against private borders.

The definition of quality matters here as well. If you want every buck to have an opportunity to grow to 170+ and every bull a chance to get to 350+, I think that’s an unrealistic expectation. I know that isn’t everyone’s expectation, but I see a lot of comments on here that seem to point towards sky-high expectations. Like I said before, I understand there is clear room for improvement for how things are right now as well

 

[timmy]

I have only hunted Montana a couple of times now in the last 2 years, but in that time I have seen multiple quality animals both deer and elk on public land not working against private borders.

The definition of quality matters here as well. If you want every buck to have an opportunity to grow to 170+ and every bull a chance to get to 350+, I think that’s an unrealistic expectation. I know that isn’t everyone’s expectation, but I see a lot of comments on here that seem to point towards sky-high expectations. Like I said before, I understand there is clear room for improvement for how things are right now as well

We all have different expectations on quality. And you ain’t even close to the ball park of the current state of affairs. Start going down.

 

[BuzzH]

The quality and age class opportunities are now 100% a result of an animal stepping off well managed private land to a lucky hunter on public. There are essentially ZERO opportunities at public land animals that are not somehow otherwise protected..

No question and ANY animal of any decent age class that is taken is IN SPITE of what the MTFWP has done, not BECAUSE of anything they've done.

 

[timmy]

The quality and age class opportunities are now 100% a result of an animal stepping off well managed private land to a lucky hunter on public. There are essentially ZERO opportunities at public land animals that are not somehow otherwise protected..

The key statement there is are not protected otherwise. Which is about to end.

 

[BuzzH]

I have only hunted Montana a couple of times now in the last 2 years, but in that time I have seen multiple quality animals both deer and elk on public land not working against private borders.

The definition of quality matters here as well. If you want every buck to have an opportunity to grow to 170+ and every bull a chance to get to 350+, I think that’s an unrealistic expectation. I know that isn’t everyone’s expectation, but I see a lot of comments on here that seem to point towards sky-high expectations. Like I said before, I understand there is clear room for improvement for how things are right now as well

I think most of the guys/gals that have been hunting Montana for the last 25-30 years aren't expecting 170 mule deer and 350 bulls every year. What they're expecting is some kind of half decent age structure with more animals living beyond 2-3 years. In particular those animals that live on public lands...a 6 year old bull elk or mule deer buck living its life on public land in Montana is an anomaly and should be called "lucky".

 

[huntandfly]

I don’t have enough experience to speak intelligently to what the norm currently is so I won’t. Apparently I have been relatively lucky my first couple attempts.

I have already said that I feel that there is room for improvement from MTFWP and the legislature based on my limited knowledge and research, I was simply trying to provide a different viewpoint from the constant barrage of negativity that I see here, even if it is mostly deserved

edit: I have not killed any 6 year old age class animals, but I have seen some nice animals whose age class I wouldn’t be able to exactly verify. I don’t want to sound like I have been extremely successful

 

[The Hedgehog]

I have only hunted Montana a couple of times now in the last 2 years, but in that time I have seen multiple quality animals both deer and elk on public land not working against private borders.

In your wealth of 2 years MT hunting - I can tell you (thanks Buzz) you don’t know shit from clay.