As much as I want the animals to make it. I would gladly trade you our snowpack for yours. I am just 25 miles east of the MT border in ND and we have had virtually zero snow until about 2 weeks ago we got about 10 inches. We need moisture bad or crops will be crap again. You guys in central and Eastern Mt also know what last summer was like and that big snowpack is gonna be a godsend for farmers and ranchers in your area. Stockponds and dugout will fill up again and hope enough melt soaks in to get the crops and grass off to a good start. Where I am we are still behind the 8 ball. Gonna need rain every week all summer to keep up.
SE Montana winter kill
- Thread starter mn taxidermist
- Start date
Dams are definitely full around here after the last couple days. A lot is running off but some is soaking in. About got stuck in the mud checking horses out at the pasture tonight. Been along time since I’ve almost been stuck in mud. Water was running across the highway west of baker this evening because most culverts are still iced up
oldschool.06
Active member
Hey thanks for the kind words . I really hope there is a miracle and more of the wildlife survives then we are expecting .
brownbear932008
Well-known member
LOL Keep dreaming the best you will see is 80% if you return it the day you get it in the mail. Honestly that may be the best thing to do versus spending a bunch of money on a camping trip. I hunted the year after the last bad winter kill in Montana. I came home with my best buck ever but it was pure luck. Met two wardens and their eyes about popped out of their heads. My hunting buddy wasn't so lucky toughest hunt ever almost no deer and antelope where almost extinct in region 6-7.
EYJONAS!
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I guess you could look at it as a learning lesson in a way to pay attention to conditions, wherever you apply in the future. What was it like the year before? What's the current winter doing? Did they have a bad EHD year? I'm not a outta state guy i haven't ever nor will I probably ever apply outta state. Those are some things I would consider if I did. If you get a tag come out and make the best of it. I think fwp can do a better job of making people aware of current conditions but fact of the matter is their not gonna say anything until the dust settles and they can see exactly what's going on. After they've received the funds of course. Look someone started this thread to see what it's like so we are answering the questions. Sure there's been a couple jabs in there but we're giving a pretty honest report to you to so take it for what you want. Good luck maybe you'll kill the buck of a lifetime who knows. I hope you do
8andcounting
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So where is the line as far as where it gets bad ? I have yep close friends that ranch in central Montana and they say deer look fine and been a decent winter overall . However , both said they have been to eastern Montana in the last few weeks and it's very very bad . Hopefully the Fwp does not sell the 11,000 muley b tags for region 7
On the I 90 corridor the snow really starts piling up about 20 miles east of billings. We had an exceptional snow here in Billings as well, but nothing like further east. Three weekends ago there was 30 to 40 inches at Pompeys pillar and I’ve heard even more south east of thereI have not ventured north this winter so I can’t speak to that first hand.
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Actually I have been watching the weather conditions but just like this post and several others, it’s hard for some to judge because there are always people saying “the deer are fine”, “the deer are doing bad”, etc
mn taxidermist
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All I know is if we get drawn we'll go hunting and have a great time. I've never been on a bad hunt. I've been on lots of unsuccessful ones. Hunting to me is all about the experience with friends .
EYJONAS!
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Ok how's this, if you get drawn come out and have a great time there's nothing better then being out in the hills especially with friends and family. Regardless of how the hunt ends that's what it's all about. Whoever thinks the deer are doing great or fine needs to get their eyes checked, or maybe I do because I don't think their fine. Put this into perspective along the entire Big Horn river we are actually having a fairly massive die off of waterfowl because they couldn't get to feed in the fields. The fwp estimates 200 up to 500 birds are dieing a day. That should tell you something. If you wanna come out great I'm all for it it's just as much your right as it is mine. I as a resident and fellow hunter will kindly ask though for anyone and everyone to use some discretion on the deer they intend to harvest i.e. let some younger deer grow and take it easy on the does don't just punch a tag to punch it. I think every little bit could help but that's just me.
Nice post enjoyas. I am a nonresident and will come out to hunt this fall as normal but it won’t be the southeast part of the state. There are other areas of Montana that have good hunting. Too many people lose sight of what’s important (to me anyways) and focus solely on killing an animal. FWP shares at least a portion of culpability in this. They could easily move the draw dates out a little further and get more accurate counts to justify tag allocations on top of fully disclosing current herd conditions and projections prior to application.
LCH
Well-known member
I decided to apply in Colorado this year, so I don't have a decision to make. BUT IF I had, and the die off turns out as bad as many are predicting, I'd probably head to NW MT and hunt whitetails. I've been surprised by the numbers each time I've bear hunted up there, and seen some dandies that aquaintances have taken from the area.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
This photo was taken 3/23/2018 on the ND MT border.
Montana’s a big state. Lots won’t be affected much by the winter, but it might be wise to dig a little before an expensive trip to hunt.
8andcounting
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Wow . I gotta friend that lives west of Bowman , said it's been just awful . They've been getting snow weekly .
Nameless Range
Well-known member
Looks rough. I have often wondered what deer and elk populations in Montana would look like if there weren't hay bales lying around for cattle. I think many local populations have basically come to depend on such things for a couple months a year.
double_a85
Member
The deer around our place are doing "ok" since one of the neighbors didn't fence off his hay stack and the deer have been doing a fine job of eating it all. You could see deer trails from every direction heading to that stack. Although, now that the snow is receding the dead deer along the highway shows the "bad" that happens when a few hundred deer cross the highway 2x a day to get the easy food source.
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Hmm I kind of regret putting in for tags if the heard is struggling this much..What are the options now if we do not want to hunt the herd? Would a guy have to eat the tag? I do not suppose you can cancel app but whats their policy on returning a tag if our group does draw?
