Region 7 mule doe tags

[0hndycp]

Totally agree Gomer, the rut hunting of bucks should be extremely limited and the only antlerless deer shot should be done on private land! Just eliminating the unlimited rifle rut hunting would help tremendously because 3/4 of the hunters would never kill a deer because they wouldn't be able to shoot one from truck window or 4-wheeler because the bucks wouldn't be rut dumb!

Irish I've hunted region 7 mule deer every year since 1991 and believe me the deer seemed to survive the winters and have enough forage when the numbers were SIGNIFICANTLY higher than now! I realize the glory days will never return, but the days seeing a few mature bucks (no FWP a 2.5 year old 4x4 is not mature) a day certainly could return with some simple common sense!

 

[8andcounting]

I agree totally that in some areas, no doe's should be shot on public, they should be private land only tags. Most areas. However, I gotta say taking away hunting bucks during the rut is a bad idea. Isnt it good that people get to shoot bucks? Not everyone is a trophy hunter.... NOT EVERY BUCK needs to be a trophy..... some people think that they should manage the state to be a trophy buck state. Move to Arizona . The season length and time of season is perfect. Only real problem I have is the doe killing. There should be no doe tags for muleys at all for a few years in my opinion .

 

[0hndycp]

I'm not saying take away the chance for everyone to shoot a buck, let's just not do it unlimited during the rut! The problem is that the average hunter in MT wouldn't be able to kill a buck that wasn't full rut dumb standing next to the road so the "hunter" can shoot with a mirror rest or handle bar rest!

I'm far from a trophy hunter, but if you're asking if i like seeing a mature deer every now and again then I'm guilty as ever! Do I want a system like other states where it's difficult to draw permits or archery only, no, but hunting mule deer with rifles on an unlimited basis during rut for 6 weeks is simply asinine!

 

[8andcounting]

I'm not saying take away the chance for everyone to shoot a buck, let's just not do it unlimited during the rut! The problem is that the average hunter in MT wouldn't be able to kill a buck that wasn't full rut dumb standing next to the road so the "hunter" can shoot with a mirror rest or handle bar rest!

I'm far from a trophy hunter, but if you're asking if i like seeing a mature deer every now and again then I'm guilty as ever! Do I want a system like other states where it's difficult to draw permits or archery only, no, but hunting mule deer with rifles on an unlimited basis during rut for 6 weeks is simply asinine!

I agree mostly . But how do you regulate it then and still have good opportunities? Make it mandatory 4 point? I'd be ok with that but then there'd be no 4 points

 

[0hndycp]

Just make it a 3 week season like a few of the units in NC Montana are. If you then want to do some REGULATED rut hunts by permit only great or a general late archery season great also. It wouldn't take a lot of management to have great mule deer hunting again!

 

[huntin24/7]

I agree totally that in some areas, no doe's should be shot on public, they should be private land only tags. Most areas. However, I gotta say taking away hunting bucks during the rut is a bad idea. Isnt it good that people get to shoot bucks? Not everyone is a trophy hunter.... NOT EVERY BUCK needs to be a trophy..... some people think that they should manage the state to be a trophy buck state. Move to Arizona . The season length and time of season is perfect. Only real problem I have is the doe killing. There should be no doe tags for muleys at all for a few years in my opinion .

I think I can speak for a lot of montanans concerned about the deer herd in the fact that they don't want it to be like Arizona or Nevada, etc. Most of us want management to be more reasonable though. I love hunting muleys in the rut,but do we really need 5 weeks to hammer them during the entirety of the rut. You can still manage for "opportunity" and use some common sense biology. For example, make the majority of the rifle season in October and catching the beginning of the rut in Nov. Maybe break down regions like 6 and 7 into somewhat smaller zones, and obviously the doe management needs to change. Without becoming like other states in the difficulty of drawing tags, we can easily do much better.

 

[8andcounting]

I think I can speak for a lot of montanans concerned about the deer herd in the fact that they don't want it to be like Arizona or Nevada, etc. Most of us want management to be more reasonable though. I love hunting muleys in the rut,but do we really need 5 weeks to hammer them during the entirety of the rut. You can still manage for "opportunity" and use some common sense biology. For example, make the majority of the rifle season in October and catching the beginning of the rut in Nov. Maybe break down regions like 6 and 7 into somewhat smaller zones, and obviously the doe management needs to change. Without becoming like other states in the difficulty of drawing tags, we can easily do much better.

I could agree with this . Thanks for the good conversations. Maybe something will change but I won't be holding my breath

 

[bigsky2]

I would like to see the season shortened by two weeks, but I know a lot of my fellow Montanans would be outraged. I think a good compromise would be to start the season a week earlier and end it two weeks earlier. The season would only be a week shorter and there wouldn't be as many rut crazed bucks getting hammered during the peak of the rut in November. You would still get some rut hunting, but not nearly as much as we have now.

 

[8andcounting]

I would like to see the season shortened by two weeks, but I know a lot of my fellow Montanans would be outraged. I think a good compromise would be to start the season a week earlier and end it two weeks earlier. The season would only be a week shorter and there wouldn't be as many rut crazed bucks getting hammered during the peak of the rut in November. You would still get some rut hunting, but not nearly as much as we have now.

Agreed. Can you imagine how many bucks are shot in montana on a Saturday in November . For instance , this year November 18 is a Saturday , if it's a nice day with no major weather can you just imagine how many rutting bucks are smoked ..... it's unreal .

 

[tjones]

2018 and 2019 season change scoping session is happening now. Don't just gripe on a forum, get your suggestions to FWP and plan on going to tentative season structure and reg change meetings when they happen in your area.

 

[bigsky2]

2018 and 2019 season change scoping session is happening now. Don't just gripe on a forum, get your suggestions to FWP and plan on going to tentative season structure and reg change meetings when they happen in your area.

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/publicComments/2017/2018_19huntingSeasonsScoping.html

It looks like I missed the boat for sending in comments. How can I find out when the meeting is in my area?

 

[tjones]

Call your bio, we've been meeting with ours since March.

 

[0hndycp]

I send in my comments every season and attend every meeting I can possibly swing. My voice is always heard, but always ignored! After all what do I know about wildlife and mule deer, I'm not a biologist. It's not like I spend upwards of 80 days a year in the woods, and have done so every year since about 1995.

 

[mtmuley]

I send in my comments every season and attend every meeting I can possibly swing. My voice is always heard, but always ignored! After all what do I know about wildlife and mule deer, I'm not a biologist. It's not like I spend upwards of 80 days a year in the woods, and have done so every year since about 1995.

How do you know if you are being ignored? I know many people that bitch about management that don"t send comments or attend meetings. Why? Because they say it won't do any good. So, they sit on their ass year after year bitching to each other. And wondering why they are ignored. mtmuley

 

[tjones]

I send in my comments every season and attend every meeting I can possibly swing. My voice is always heard, but always ignored! After all what do I know about wildlife and mule deer, I'm not a biologist. It's not like I spend upwards of 80 days a year in the woods, and have done so every year since about 1995.

The problem is most don't understand the FWP process. If you wait until the tentative meetings start, only comments directly related to the proposals matter. If you make a season suggestion that has not been put out for public comment, it really won't matter. I see it all the time at meetings. FWP will have a proposal for number of MD buck permits and some guy will suggest a 4 point restriction and get mad when FWP doesn't consider his idea. If you want your ideas to matter outside of FWP proposal during the tentative meetings you must get to your Bio
prior to the proposals going to the commission.

Like I said before our group has been meeting with our bio off and on since March. What goes out for tentatives will be a product of those meetings. Some we agree with some we don't. We will have the public meeting process to try and get rid of the ones we don't like.

 

[onpoint]

The problem is most don't understand the FWP process. If you wait until the tentative meetings start, only comments directly related to the proposals matter. If you make a season suggestion that has not been put out for public comment, it really won't matter. I see it all the time at meetings. FWP will have a proposal for number of MD buck permits and some guy will suggest a 4 point restriction and get mad when FWP doesn't consider his idea. If you want your ideas to matter outside of FWP proposal during the tentative meetings you must get to your Bio
prior to the proposals going to the commission.

Like I said before our group has been meeting with our bio off and on since March. What goes out for tentatives will be a product of those meetings. Some we agree with some we don't. We will have the public meeting process to try and get rid of the ones we don't like.

how many times has a post similar to this appeared over the years............................

 

[antlerradar]

The Montana season is badly out dated and now longer in the best interest of the "average Joe" public land hunter.

This is why.
The season that ends the last part of November will insure that nearly all of the deer have come down out of the mostly public land mountains. This was great in the 70's when the foot hills were owned by crusty old ranchers that let just about any one hunt. Not so great today as that crusty old rancher has sold to a billionaire. Now it costs a pretty penny to hunt those ranches. Great season if you are willing to pay to hunt a private ranch in November for deer that were on public land in early October.

In eastern Montana the vast majority of the does spend the fall on or near the hay fields. Few deer can pass on a meal of alfalfa. During the rut the buck will be with the does on or near the fields. This was great back in the early 80's when if you ask a landowner if you could shoot a deer and they would reply "Don't shoot one, shoot 3 or 4". Now that landowner will refer you the the outfitter that has the place leased. The season is still great if you are willing to pay someone to drive you around on an old pickup and shoot a rutting buck in the hay field. A buck that in October was living a few miles away in a juniper choked canyon that is colored yellow on a map.

Why we have doe tags that are good on public land in eastern Montana is beyond me. Shooting does on public land will only help to push the does that do remain on public to make the move to private and the bucks will fallow. Public land doe tags and a season during the rut is a disaster for the public land hunter.

 

[JLS]

I send in my comments every season and attend every meeting I can possibly swing. My voice is always heard, but always ignored! After all what do I know about wildlife and mule deer, I'm not a biologist. It's not like I spend upwards of 80 days a year in the woods, and have done so every year since about 1995.

Just because your comments are not implemented does not mean they are ignored. There is a difference and some fail to understand that.

Do you have personal conversations with the local biologist?

 

[0hndycp]

Yes I've spoken with several of the region 4 wildlife biologists, and I always give them my input and thoughts. Ryan, Jay, and a couple others have always been very professional in listening to my complaints and concerns. I may be mistaken, but I believe that region 4 has the only general deer season that closes after 3 weeks in several units......and you'll never guess but there is a very solid population of mule deer in those units and a decent (much much better than the eastern MT units that I used to hunt religiously) age class of bucks. Granted the vast majority of these units are private land that either doesn't allow hunting or is leased by outfitters that charge $5-8k for a hunt!

If it was up to me these ranches that lease their hunting rights should be taxed differently than the outdated tax codes for farm and ranch! When they are making an extra $50-75k a year leasing hunting rights, which in essence locks out public hunter, that land should be taxed differently. Or better yet lets provide tax breaks for the ranches that allow public hunting and lets see how many open their gates for hunting.

Just my opinion which obviously is just that.

 

[8andcounting]

So you guys that are bitching won't hunt with a gen tag after nov 12 right ??? Right ?