SB 380 Reconsideration of Bill!

[Eric Albus]

mtgunner...that may be the most sane posting on here I have read.

Greedy outfitters? Where could anyone ever think that Rod, myself, or MOGA would ever want a 7 week season? How could anyone even dream that up from what either myself or Rod has said? I will speak for both of us(and a lot of MOGA membership)we want to see mule deer managed...and rifle hunting them in the rut is "just managing" to kill most of the buck deer every year.

I am a hypocrit for taking clients during the rut and for having taken a couple really good deer(on public land) during the rut? Really? I have always been an advocate for the resource...and I am willing to give up rifle hunting during the rut....and it would certainly make selling hunts a tougher proposition, the rut hunts are a great selling point....so perhaps we are not as greedy as some of you may think...but again, perception is a hard thing to change.

If Montana would go to a different structure on the season we could have more opportunity and less impact. This would result in a win-win-win...win for the resource, win for FWP, and win for sportsmen. We could even keep the traditional turkey day hunt...only it should be archery at that time of year.

If we as sportsmen do not look at things pro-actively, we will be in a limited entry permit situation before long. Montana's population is right at 1 million people. Why do you think other states are in limited entry situations? To many hunters, not enough resource, how long 'til we are there? If we do not want a limited permit on deer/elk in most of the state, we best wake up and demand some management, different season structures, ect. Put that in your pipes and smoke it.

 

[shoots-straight]

By allowing the general deer season to extend through the Thanksgiving holiday......that is good for the "resource"?

Did I say it was good for the resource? No! It's not much worse than any 5 week time frame. Re read my post a couple of more times and you'll figure it out.

Mule deer are not that smart, no matter what people say. They are vulnerable to lots of types of hunts. The only way to protect them when numbers are low, is limited entry.

Words outfitters cringe at.

 

[Big Shooter]

Buzz....Thank you so much for the lesson on the timing and dates of the rut because I am sure that it's the same time every year just like clockwork. On most years, depending on how the calendar falls and the season dates, two weeks earlier would possibly be early enough to stay out of most of the rut. Never once did I say that Thanksgiving weekend was the best time for big mule deer, or whitetails for that matter, but that week/weekend is when there is a hell of a lot more hunters out scouring the roads in search of them though and the law of averages say that more will be killed that week, young or old. I still think that by hunting from the first part/middle of October until the first part of November, it wouldn't encompass QUITE SO MUCH of the rut. I don't feel as I am quite the expert that Buzz claims to be on this topic, so instead of putting.."That's a fact" on the end of my post I will put "just my opinion".

Shoots....."Words outfitters cringe at"? Are you sure that it's the outfitters that would cringe at these words or is it the resident sportsman, the ones that seemingly set season dates and pass ballot initiatives while thinking that they are "managing" something?

 

[shoots-straight]

Shoots....."Words outfitters cringe at"? Are you sure that it's the outfitters that would cringe at these words or is it the resident sportsman, the ones that seemingly set season dates and pass ballot initiatives while thinking that they are "managing" something?

Take a proposal to the local sportsman's group there and see if you get any support for either season structure.

You might not like what you come away with.

 

[Pierre]

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.
When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin
to use it with love and respect . . . A land ethic changes the role of
Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land community to plain member
and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also
respect for the community as such."
-- Aldo Leopold

 

[MTGunner]

Well said...

Pierre, I see that you art a reader and have gleaned the essence of what should be. But, has been somewhat disregarded as the ramblings of an old man that has been forgotten. Again, a very good post and I applaud your thoughtfulness. We as hunters, conservationist need to take a moment and reflect on what truly is the correct path for all involved and work as one. MTG

 

[Eric Albus]

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care." Theodore Roosevelt