What's yer total?

[Gerald Martin]

When you know Montana has zero management and I know you knew that. And you put the spotlight on it during a 5 week rut hunt and the message was not come to Montana to hunt, it was come to this specific area. A state wide general hunt where residents and nonresidents can both freely go, no limit on residents. It doesn’t exactly matter how many mule deer bucks you shot. You collectively put the spotlight on one area and wiped it out. It blows my mind that sportsmen that care about a resource would do that. Cool YouTube video though hope it was worth it.

It was. I’m glad that I have a great spot to send the hundreds of folks that PM me every year and ask where in eastern MT they can kill a mule deer. The first group of guys last year got a small buck right in a guy’s subdivision backyard. Forkie or spike, I can’t remember. They had a good time. I think that’s a real sleeper spot. Probably send a couple dozen more folks to check it out this year…

 

[BoulderBulls]

The bigger havalon...no question. You can flat get some shit cut up with that thing. Plus it's easy to resharpen the blades and I can get them sharper in about 5 minutes than when they're new.

What do you use in the field for sharpening a v notch or a stone?

 

[Gerald Martin]

Pretty cool stats on the MT FWP website if you’re inclined to check it out.

The year after that episode came out there were 400 less deer harvested in that unit than in 2004.

Guess we’re so influential and deadly that the effect is retroactive by nearly 14 years.

 

[Carl]

Ok this has been a question I've had for years... who jumped off the boat in POW into 8 feet of water going after the bear. Is that a HT'er?

Of the hunting media moments I can recall, I laughed hardest at that one. Thanks for the prompt to remember it. And it was definitely a guest who took the plunge, not Randy.

 

[BoulderBulls]

4 antelope, 2 buck 2 doe
3 mule deer, 2 buck 1 doe
2 elk, cows
5 whitetail bucks
15 whitetail does, guess
2 wild hogs

 

[BuzzH]

What do you use in the field for sharpening a v notch or a stone?

I don't...I pack 6 blades. I've quartered 2 elk with one blade several times.

I sharpen them when I get home on a worksharp.

 

[DFS]

Pretty cool stats on the MT FWP website if you’re inclined to check it out.

The year after that episode came out there were 400 less deer harvested in that unit than in 2004.

Guess we’re so influential and deadly that the effect is retroactive by nearly 14 years.

A quick look at the stats and harvest is really tanking the last several years. You obviously translate that as less hunters I’m guessing it’s less animals on the landscape due to weather and years and years of over harvest and piss poor management. Mandatory reporting right @geraldmartin? Let’s get this thread back on track.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Mandatory reporting 100%. I’m all about focusing on the real issues. I think an objective look at harvest in those areas before Big Fin ever produced an episode, during his productions and afterwards would show that the trend downward in quality of animals and experience for hunters has been happening for at least thirty years.

Downward trends in other parts of the state are also going to have a big effect on hunters migrating to where they can still find game.

Look at the increased pressure in region 6. To my knowledge Randy has never produced an episode there.

Hunters are going to find where game is and congregate accordingly unless limited by legal restrictions.

That is why FWP bears the responsibility of managing hunter distribution, not everyone keeping hush hush about where a critter might live.

FWP’s refusal to change to stay relevant with changing hunting practices, demographic trends and wildlife populations is no one’s fault but FWP leadership.

Take the incredible WY elk hunt where Matthew passed up dozens and dozens of mature bulls. Did that unit suffer dramatically after that episode? No, because Wyoming already has a mechanism in place to limit harvest to what the resource can handle.

 

[DFS]

Ok here we go.
0 YouTube video of anywhere I hunted even if I didn’t plan to hunt there again.
0 invites from the Wisconsin hunters that were shooting mega bucks in Wisconsin and dinks in Montana.
0 thanks from the local guys that were pounding tame muleys in my backyard.
0 changes from the advocates you’ve created.
0 improvements to wildlife
management
11k doe tags most years in my parts.
5 North Dakotans that wiped out an entire population where I grew up.

Keep hammering there are still a few left.
You might not have seen the differences but I certainly have.

 

[Bc1992]

I can think of 196 white tails that I’ve killed but I’m sure there’s probably a few more that I can’t think of. I’ve kept a record the last 5 years and I wish I would have started that when I was a kid.
37 turkeys.
At least 150 hogs.
1 bull elk

 

[DFS]

Mandatory reporting 100%. I’m all about focusing on the real issues. I think an objective look at harvest in those areas before Big Fin ever produced an episode, during his productions and afterwards would show that the trend downward in quality of animals and experience for hunters has been happening for at least thirty years.

Downward trends in other parts of the state are also going to have a big effect on hunters migrating to where they can still find game.

Look at the increased pressure in region 6. To my knowledge Randy has never produced an episode there.

Hunters are going to find where game is and congregate accordingly unless limited by legal restrictions.

That is why FWP bears the responsibility of managing hunter distribution, not everyone keeping hush hush about where a critter might live.

FWP’s refusal to change to stay relevant with changing hunting practices, demographic trends and wildlife populations is no one’s fault but FWP leadership.

Take the incredible WY elk hunt where Matthew passed up dozens and dozens of mature bulls. Did that unit suffer dramatically after that episode? No, because Wyoming already has a mechanism in place to limit harvest to what the resource can handle.

Ummm yes I had that tag at much less points than it took a couple years after. Yes the impact was felt, I feel bad for the people applying for that tag.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Ummm yes I had that tag at much less points than it took a couple years before. Yes the impact was felt, I feel bad for the people applying for that tag.

Point creep has zero effect on the resource.

Two different issues.

 

[DFS]

Point creep has zero effect on the resource.

Two different issues.

Agreed. It all ties together in the grand scheme. I can see I’m not getting the last word.

Back to my totals

8 mountain grouse
Let’s say 15 turkeys that’s a guess.
Never shot a goose don’t care to.
Handful of pheasants.
Would hate to think back to when I was a kid packing my BB gun. I know I bounced a BB off a rock trying to shoot a frog and hit my buddy in the nuts. Glad we both still have our eyes and he has 3 kids.

 

[fleabagmatt]

I am quite the conservationist, I guess.

0 deer (have yet to even take a shot)
0 turkeys (same)
1 pheasant
1 dove
5 quail

My dog is almost outpacing me, she's better at bird hunting than me:
1 dove
1 quail
1 pheasant

Going into deer season #4, hopes are high for getting it done this year.

 

[Hem]

Ok here we go.
0 YouTube video of anywhere I hunted even if I didn’t plan to hunt there again.
0 invites from the Wisconsin hunters that were shooting mega bucks in Wisconsin and dinks in Montana.
0 thanks from the local guys that were pounding tame muleys in my backyard.
0 changes from the advocates you’ve created.
0 improvements to wildlife
management
11k doe tags most years in my parts.
5 North Dakotans that wiped out an entire population where I grew up.
View attachment 262359
Keep hammering there are still a few left.
You might not have seen the differences but I certainly have.

Looks like a truck heading back to Bozangelas?

 

[DFS]

Looks like a truck heading back to Bozangelas?

Who knows, this particular outfit had Montana plates. A truck or trailer load of deer hasn’t been that uncommon of a sight when fwp really started pumping out the doe tags.

 

[Hem]

Who knows, this particular outfit had Montana plates. A truck or trailer load of deer hasn’t been that uncommon of a sight when fwp really started pumping out the doe tags.

Ressler logo on tailgate.

 

[tkhuntsman]

I've been keeping a hunting journal since I was 12 because I always thought someday I might write a book. Not necessarily about me or even success or failure but the adventure. In response to the actual question I've shot
12 bull elk with a bow
5 bull elk with rifle ( 1 bc qualifier)
10 cow elk
9 mule deer bucks with rifle ( 2 bc qualifiers)
2 mule deer bucks with a bow
7 whitetail bucks with rifle
2 whitetail bucks with a bow
10 whitetail does
4 pronghorn bucks with a rifle
2 pronghorn bucks with a bow
3 pronghorn does
2 black bears with a rifle
1 black bear with a bow
1 mountain goat
1 mountain lion
1 bull bison

 

[tkhuntsman]

I also love to hunt Turkeys and have killed 31 spring birds and 2 fall. I call lots of predators and have shot 100s of coyotes 20 bobcats and 40 red fox and another 33 grey fox. At my last count I've taken about 25 hogs. I haven't done a very good job on keeping numbers on waterfowl and upland birds but they do make the list

 

[Misguided]

11 bull elk
10 black bears
1 brown bear
70-80 whitetail bucks
6 whitetail does
6 mule deer bucks
2 mountain lions
1 Ak/Y moose
1 Dall sheep
3 buck antelope
1 bobcat
50-60 coyotes
1 wolf
14 red fox
2 grey fox
Bunch of African plains game from the only trip to Africa I’ll ever take

Moved from Michigan to Colorado 3 years ago explains some of these numbers