antlerradar
Well-known member
I have lived next to the Custer all of my life and started hunting there since the late 70's. The hunting has been is decline as long as I have been hunting and likely since the 60"s. Sure there are some years that are better than earlier years but the general trend line is down. There are many reasons for the decline. In no particular order some of the reasons for the declining hunting as I see it.
Reduction in agriculture.
When I was young most of the private land on the smaller side creeks had fields planted in alfalfa. This provided a high quality food source for deer throughout the Custer. The deer eating on these fields went into the winter in better shape and this could mean the difference between life and death. In the 70's my aunt owned one these fields. In a late summer evening you could watch over 100 deer come in to the field to feed on the second cutting alfalfa. There was fields like this throughout the Custer. Now the field and and most of the others has gone back to grass and are no longer a food source for deer . One only has to look at the numbers of deer on Tongue and Powder Rivers to see what alfalfa does for deer numbers.
The Fires.
Better than 60% of the Custer has burned in the last twenty years. I am not saying the fires are all bad. The numbers of deer in the burns may even be better than before the fire. The quality in the burns has taken a big noes dive. The burned off places are just too easy to hunt and the bucks will not live long. Also with little securty cover deer are much more likely to be pushed off of the public by hunting pressure.
The Elk
It is well documented that as elk numbers increase deer numbers decline. I saw my first elk on the Custer in the mid 70's. I didn't see any more for the next 20 years. Now there are elk just about everywhere. Some days I see more elk than deer. It is not just the elk but also the people the the elk bring. Now archery season is nearly as popular then the first part of rifle season. If some one is lucky enough to draw a bull tag they hunt hard and often also leave with a buck. Often it is not just the bull tag holder but several of their friends come along for the fun and they have deer tags. The elk have brought a lot more hunting pressure to the Custer.
The predators.
There has been a large increase in the number of four legged deer hunters. With the high fur prices of the 70's coyotes were hunted hard and it wasn't that long after the use of 1080. I saw my first lion track in 78. It was a big deal. Didn't see any more lion sign for 10 years. Now I see multiple sets of lion tracks every year. The first bear I saw was in the 90's. Now I see close to 20 a year. I am not going to blame predators for all of the decline. They might only be a small part. One thing is certain. There is a lot more four legged hunters than 20 or 30 years ago. It is all about your expectations. You could have a great time and the hunting can still be good but the hunting is but a shadow of what it was 20 years ago.
Doe tags.
FWP issues thousands of region wide doe tag with no restrictions to ensure that the harvest is distributed evenly across region 7. Far too many of those tag are filled on the Custer. It is not that different than with the elk in SW Mt where the public elk are hammered in an attempt get elk numbers aria wide back to objective. Does ether learn that private land is much safer or they are harvested from the heard. The imbalance between the number of does on the public and private is much greater than I remember 20 or 30 years ago. The problem with the doe tags is not just the does that are removed but also the increase in hunting pressure. If every one that bought a doe tag spent an average of one day hunting for a doe it would likely translate in to several hundred if not more than a thousand additional hunter days on the Custer. Also may hunters use the doe tags to fill the freezer. Can not say that I blame them. Does are tasty. A doe tag can do wonders to lessen the fill the freezer pressure. Once a doe or two is in the freezer a hunter can be a lot more picky with his A tag and not have to worry about eating A tag soup. This results in more days of hunting. A great opportunity for the hunter but it also means more hunting pressure. This increase in pressure tends to push deer on to private and keep them there.
The increase in nonresident licence prices.
Back in the 70's when nonresident licence fees were relatively cheep the Custer had a lot of nonresidents from as far away as Minnesota that would come out for a just a weekend of hunting. With the higher prices those weekend warriors no longer apply. Today's nonresidents are much more committed. They spend a minimum of a week and often more than two weeks. They hunt harder, smarter and do there homework. It all adds up to a lot more hunting pressure.
The increase in commercialization
Back in about 1980 you could hunt just about any private land if you asked. Now there is almost no private ranches were permission is just for the asking. A lot of local hunters ether quit hunting or were displaced to the public. It is not like the ranches are have little hunting. Many are hunted harder now than they ever were before the hunting was leased. The hunting is just a lot different now. The ranches are sanctuaries for does. Few if any are shot. This combined with the doe hunting on the Custer has lead to an imbalance in the number of does on private compared to public. This imbalance leads to a lot of bucks leaving the public during the rut. If they are even close to a nice buck they will not be returning to the public.
I don't want to just sound negative. The hunting is all about your prospective. You can still see plenty of deer and finding a nice 130 to 150 inch buck is more than doable. Randy jokes about some kids that claim to have seen a good number of 170 class deer. It is hard for me as I can remember when I did see four 170 inch bucks in one morning and not another hunter all day. Now there are hunters everywhere and I am lucky to see four 170 class bucks a year of hunting and scouting.
Reduction in agriculture.
When I was young most of the private land on the smaller side creeks had fields planted in alfalfa. This provided a high quality food source for deer throughout the Custer. The deer eating on these fields went into the winter in better shape and this could mean the difference between life and death. In the 70's my aunt owned one these fields. In a late summer evening you could watch over 100 deer come in to the field to feed on the second cutting alfalfa. There was fields like this throughout the Custer. Now the field and and most of the others has gone back to grass and are no longer a food source for deer . One only has to look at the numbers of deer on Tongue and Powder Rivers to see what alfalfa does for deer numbers.
The Fires.
Better than 60% of the Custer has burned in the last twenty years. I am not saying the fires are all bad. The numbers of deer in the burns may even be better than before the fire. The quality in the burns has taken a big noes dive. The burned off places are just too easy to hunt and the bucks will not live long. Also with little securty cover deer are much more likely to be pushed off of the public by hunting pressure.
The Elk
It is well documented that as elk numbers increase deer numbers decline. I saw my first elk on the Custer in the mid 70's. I didn't see any more for the next 20 years. Now there are elk just about everywhere. Some days I see more elk than deer. It is not just the elk but also the people the the elk bring. Now archery season is nearly as popular then the first part of rifle season. If some one is lucky enough to draw a bull tag they hunt hard and often also leave with a buck. Often it is not just the bull tag holder but several of their friends come along for the fun and they have deer tags. The elk have brought a lot more hunting pressure to the Custer.
The predators.
There has been a large increase in the number of four legged deer hunters. With the high fur prices of the 70's coyotes were hunted hard and it wasn't that long after the use of 1080. I saw my first lion track in 78. It was a big deal. Didn't see any more lion sign for 10 years. Now I see multiple sets of lion tracks every year. The first bear I saw was in the 90's. Now I see close to 20 a year. I am not going to blame predators for all of the decline. They might only be a small part. One thing is certain. There is a lot more four legged hunters than 20 or 30 years ago. It is all about your expectations. You could have a great time and the hunting can still be good but the hunting is but a shadow of what it was 20 years ago.
Doe tags.
FWP issues thousands of region wide doe tag with no restrictions to ensure that the harvest is distributed evenly across region 7. Far too many of those tag are filled on the Custer. It is not that different than with the elk in SW Mt where the public elk are hammered in an attempt get elk numbers aria wide back to objective. Does ether learn that private land is much safer or they are harvested from the heard. The imbalance between the number of does on the public and private is much greater than I remember 20 or 30 years ago. The problem with the doe tags is not just the does that are removed but also the increase in hunting pressure. If every one that bought a doe tag spent an average of one day hunting for a doe it would likely translate in to several hundred if not more than a thousand additional hunter days on the Custer. Also may hunters use the doe tags to fill the freezer. Can not say that I blame them. Does are tasty. A doe tag can do wonders to lessen the fill the freezer pressure. Once a doe or two is in the freezer a hunter can be a lot more picky with his A tag and not have to worry about eating A tag soup. This results in more days of hunting. A great opportunity for the hunter but it also means more hunting pressure. This increase in pressure tends to push deer on to private and keep them there.
The increase in nonresident licence prices.
Back in the 70's when nonresident licence fees were relatively cheep the Custer had a lot of nonresidents from as far away as Minnesota that would come out for a just a weekend of hunting. With the higher prices those weekend warriors no longer apply. Today's nonresidents are much more committed. They spend a minimum of a week and often more than two weeks. They hunt harder, smarter and do there homework. It all adds up to a lot more hunting pressure.
The increase in commercialization
Back in about 1980 you could hunt just about any private land if you asked. Now there is almost no private ranches were permission is just for the asking. A lot of local hunters ether quit hunting or were displaced to the public. It is not like the ranches are have little hunting. Many are hunted harder now than they ever were before the hunting was leased. The hunting is just a lot different now. The ranches are sanctuaries for does. Few if any are shot. This combined with the doe hunting on the Custer has lead to an imbalance in the number of does on private compared to public. This imbalance leads to a lot of bucks leaving the public during the rut. If they are even close to a nice buck they will not be returning to the public.
I don't want to just sound negative. The hunting is all about your prospective. You can still see plenty of deer and finding a nice 130 to 150 inch buck is more than doable. Randy jokes about some kids that claim to have seen a good number of 170 class deer. It is hard for me as I can remember when I did see four 170 inch bucks in one morning and not another hunter all day. Now there are hunters everywhere and I am lucky to see four 170 class bucks a year of hunting and scouting.
Last edited:
