I’m curious as to how bad we are screwed. I’d like to know what everyone’s opinions of what Montana and Montana hunting should look like going forward. Especially on public land but not limited to. Personally I look at Newberg (Minnesota) and Rinella (Michigan) and wonder if maybe these aren’t the ambassadors we need for moving Montana hunting in the right direction. I personally would like to see less hunters and shorter seasons. I certainly would be willing to sit out the year or pick my season to have better management. I would also like to see see a cut of tags go to outfitters both nonresident and resident. I think it would help disperse hunting pressure. Let me know what you think.
Vision for Montana in 20 years
- Thread starter DFS
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Why does there need to be an outfitter pool? I’m a big fan of capitalism, therefore I Think that healthy competition for the available customer base of 17,000 big game combos makes for a more robust outfitting industry. Those who provide good service, that have strong reputations will survive, while the shadier ones, and the industry is full of those, may go out of business.
I do a little guiding for an outfitter in Arizona. The last couple of years we have taken over 50% of the nonresident sheep tag holders hunting. There are no outfitter set asides in Arizona, these people just hire us due to the reputation he has built.
I do a little guiding for an outfitter in Arizona. The last couple of years we have taken over 50% of the nonresident sheep tag holders hunting. There are no outfitter set asides in Arizona, these people just hire us due to the reputation he has built.
Excellent! just looking for ideas to move things forward. We seem to be stuck in a rut. I was just looking for a way to disperse pressure and it made sense to me.
If hunting degrades the next 20 like it did the last twenty there won't really anything g to talk about. I don't there's an answer. To me it's about delaying the inevitable. There's to much pressure on the resource.
In my opinion the beginning of the end was the establishment of the block management program. Every that happened since would've happened anyway, it just speed it up.
In my opinion the beginning of the end was the establishment of the block management program. Every that happened since would've happened anyway, it just speed it up.
Can’t we change things to make them better?
I think changing the season structure like you mentioned above would help a lot. Wyoming seems to do a good job balancing opportunity with quality. Maybe become a little more like that
BuzzH
Well-known member
There's been a lack of vision in Montana in regard to hunting for 25 years...it's full throttle opportunity with no concern for anything but this upcoming season and what we can kill.
Very few want solutions.
Very few want solutions.
Well I do and it needs to happen.
huntandfly
Well-known member
But this doesn’t force people onto private unless the private landowner is willing to allow access. That is usually going to require some incentive for the landowner. BM is one method of incentive (not strong enough I don’t think) and the other is what many landowners are proposing: transferable landowner tags (I think we have covered ad nauseam the reasons why this is a bad idea)
Gerald Martin
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Honest question. Why 65% or any percent to outfitters?
Why not to building contractors? Why not to dentists, doctors, farmers or teachers?
Gerald Martin
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Why do we allow any hunting of deer and elk at all in MT?
Great question. Those numbers probably need to be adjusted off of suitable habitat on public vs private. We simply can’t keep putting pressure all in the same area.
That’s why I changed them to private land tags, many can’t stomach outfitter tags.
Gerald Martin
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Great question. Those numbers probably need to be adjusted off of suitable habitat on public vs private. We simply can’t keep putting pressure all in the same area.
A quick rough estimate of elk distribution across MT shows that distribution is 58% public vs 42% private.
I don’t know how we could tabulate the total amount of population on public vs private since elk move across their habitat regardless of property ownership.
I think that the management policies of the past ten years have influenced a shifting of elk populations from public to private. That’s due in large part by liberalized harvest by hunters and increased predation by growing grizzly and wolf populations.
I view the next 20 years to be a continuation of the same shift and increased elk/landowner conflict unless there is a drastic shift in management policies.
A quick rough estimate of elk distribution across MT shows that distribution is 58% public vs 42% private.
I don’t know how we could tabulate the total amount of population on public vs private since elk move across their habitat regardless of property ownership.
I think that the management policies of the past ten years have influenced a shifting of elk populations from public to private. That’s due in large part by liberalized harvest by hunters and increased predation by growing grizzly and wolf populations.
I view the next 20 years to be a continuation of the same shift and increased elk/landowner conflict unless there is a drastic shift in management policies.
huntandfly
Well-known member
How much do I have to pay for a sponsorship? Could I lease rights to be the sole sponsorship recipient for my outfitted clients?
Edit: *hypotheticals* I am not an outfitter
42% go to private land tags? Although I think it would have to vary on district.
