MT Shoulder Season Public Comment

[BuzzH]

Yeah. It's the same as, "I give up - Let's kill them all."

Just give it a few years...even the dimmest bulb on the Christmas tree will realize that 6 months of "opportunity" to fill a freezer means jack chit when there's no elk available.

May as well get to rock bottom as soon as possible...get on with the killing.

 

[Sioux33]

What a joke MT FWP has become. Political pawns, wolves in sheep's clothing, whatever you want to call it, it's a shame. From this debacle to their ridiculously priced $1,001 NR tags, as a NR I just don't see any incentive to investing one iota of my hunting future in this state. I'll save $300 a year and go to a state that values it's public resources and will provide a quality hunt for generations to come, or at least will give a damn trying.

 

[BuzzH]

Its a great state to take your rifle for a walk on public lands...and decent camping.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Because there's a change on HD 313 from the Tentative they will take public comments tomorrow on it. MSA will be there to express our opposition to the new changes. Who else will go?

I cannot go, but I'm curious as to how a public comment tomorrow weighs compared to those over the last several months.

 

[----]

I'm confused. You think it's all good that there is now no permit at all required for 8 of the 10 weeks of hunting? And additional B tags? All this means is nobody needs a permit to participate in a goat show at Gardiner, and the outfitters can book as many clients as ever, with the exception of the last 10 days.

WTF.

I didn't make the connection of going from unlimited permits to general last night, that is a joke.

When there is the big migration of elk when the mature bulls get picked off, how often is it before that date they set for the limited permits? I honestly don't know, but assumed it was usually around Thanksgiving.

 

[Big Fin]

Yeah. It's the same as, "I give up - Let's kill them all."

....and when they are all gone, let's blame it on the wolves.

 

[mplane72]

As an outsider looking in all I can say is don't give up. Reading through this thread makes me think of the late antlerless season we had forced upon us here in Iowa. The two situations are very similar. Deer are managed here by the legislature not the DNR like most states. Caving to pressure from the Farm Bureau and auto insurance industry a "working" group was established and target levels were negotiated. Then antlerless quotas were increased and a late antlerless rifle season was established, high power rifles are not allowed in our traditional seasons. Hunters flocked to the rifle zone and the blood bath was on.
Long story short it took 2 years of EHD outbreaks AND a reduction in tag sales to get everyone's attention and finally reduce antlerless tags and end the rifle season. The situation had to get bad enough to effect the average hunter for them to cry out to their legislatures and the Governor.

 

[tjones]

I cannot go, but I'm curious as to how a public comment tomorrow weighs compared to those over the last several months.

"Thank you for your comment,,,next."

 

[Big Foot]

I am going to attempt to attend tomorrows meeting in the R3 office if possible. Anyone else going?

 

[katqanna]

Trucks in the shop so I cant go to Helena, walking to R3 office, but I will be there. Just got off the phone with some others from other regions who will either be in their regional office or they are going to Helena.

BTW, FWP still has not supplied my requested original elk shoulder season public comments for the Oct meeting, nor the originals for the pilot project they sent the overview of with the questionable categories.

 

[Straight Arrow]

When there is the big migration of elk when the mature bulls get picked off, how often is it before that date they set for the limited permits? I honestly don't know, but assumed it was usually around Thanksgiving.

It is often weather related and has been as early as the first week in November.

 

[The Hedgehog]

The solution to help that herd of elk, isn't to allow more hunting and give out B-tags, then only allow 50 bulls to be shot the last 10 days. That's bat-shit crazy thinking there.

The solution is to limit the quota on elk hunting during rifle season, which limits the insane outfitter pressure by default. Solution would also involve removing the ridiculous low wolf quota in an area with high wolf numbers and a giant refuge for them to avoid hunters. It's that simple.

I limited quota permit of 300 permits would be WAY better than what they ended up with.

 

[RobG]

I am going to attempt to attend tomorrows meeting in the R3 office if possible. Anyone else going?

It depends on what happens at work tomorrow. I was going to bag it, but I suppose it is important to show up otherwise they will think we don't care.

 

[mdunc8]

It's not a complete bust. At least streams in the Central District are opening to fishing all year now....

 

[RobG]

Elk discussion is live now. http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/audio.html

 

[Gerald Martin]

Discussion so far. One side- don't mess with our hunting opportunity, we'll kill the last one. The other side- Manage for the health of the herd. Commission try to offer a solution that allows for hunting opportunity and seems to manage for the health of the herd, but they agree probably won't change the amount of bulls/cow ratio.

Still talking...

 

[Ben Lamb]

Discussion so far. One side- don't mess with our hunting opportunity, we'll kill the last one. The other side- Manage for the health of the herd. Commission try to offer a solution that allows for hunting opportunity and seems to manage for the health of the herd, but they agree probably won't change the amount of bulls/cow ratio.

Still talking...

I'm not sure which is worse, this or the crud I came down with yesterday afternoon.

 

[----]

I vote we donate unit 313 to the Park Service.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Hey we are getting somewhere!!!!! Sounds like we are about to change the B licenses to B permits to ensure hunters don't kill two elk. Good start.

What about the bulls????? Did we change the subject or did I miss something?

 

[Gerald Martin]

My prediction- The ammendment saves two bulls lives.


Back to the main issue please.