2020 Montana deer recap

[BuzzH]

People will be unethical with a bow or a rifle. I saw more deer getting shot at 600 plus yards with a rifle than I care to even think about. There isn’t a great compromise but if it’s opportunity we are after I’d rather have people with bows than rifle during the mule deer rut. The deer are truly dumb that time of year.

Yeah, who cares about putting wildlife first, it's all about opportunity.

 

[timmy]

That’s why I’d rather not see them hunted at all in November. A September archery season and October 1-20 rifle season would still 7 weeks of opportunity and eliminate any rut hunting. What’s wrong with that?

Sounds great but we are arguing with people that agree. The problem would be be getting the fwp and the people that want opportunity to agree with us. I haven’t seen a plan proposed yet I haven’t been on board with. Any change would be better than what we are doing.

 

[timmy]

Yeah, who cares about putting wildlife first, it's all about opportunity.

I am on the same team but you have to be realistic with changes that could actually happen.

 

[BuzzH]

I am on the same team but you have to be realistic with changes that could actually happen.

Yeah, because there's been so much change to the season structures since the 1950's...well, I guess you can't kill 2 mule deer bucks per hunter during the same time frame anymore. I shouldn't complain, that's something positive for the resource in 70 years of "management".

 

[antlerradar]

Yeah, because there's been so much change to the season structures since the 1950's...well, I guess you can't kill 2 mule deer bucks per hunter during the same time frame anymore. I shouldn't complain, that's something positive for the resource in 70 years of "management".

Don't forget, We can now fill the freezer with a truck load of public land does.

 

[BuzzH]

Don't forget, We can now fill the freezer with a truck load of public land does.

Opportunity.

 

[timmy]

Yeah, because there's been so much change to the season structures since the 1950's...well, I guess you can't kill 2 mule deer bucks per hunter during the same time frame anymore. I shouldn't complain, that's something positive for the resource in 70 years of "management".

Any drastic change you could suggest I would agree with. Now try to get mtfwp to do the same.

 

[shrapnel]

Sure, as per usual the general public gives up something so it doesn't get in the way of leasing, outfitting, etc. When is it someone else's turn to "compromise" and find "common ground"? Because I think as a guy that's hunted Montana every year, for over 4 decades, the only common ground that ever gets approved is when the public hunters, and/or the public's wildlife gets it broke off in their ass.

For someone who is the most critical of Montana and it’s hunting opportunities, you keep coming back. You bitch about everything that isn’t done your way. As you said earlier, this is a new election cycle and Gianforte is asking for a panel to choose a new FWP director, maybe you should throw your hat in the ring before they give the position to Kerry White.

 

[MTTW]

Eastern Mt mule deer hunting is actually one of MTFWP's greatest success stories. You guys are barking up the wrong tree. FWP is sitting around the coffee pot saying "look at these guys barking up the wrong tree". Why would they even consider fixing something that is 10% as screwed up as most public land hunting in the state?

In my opinion you will not fix eastern mule deer hunting by taking away from the hunters in the east. They will fight you.
You fix it by giving something to the mule deer hunter in the west. They will not fight you.

The predator worshippers will fight you. Good luck.

 

[BuzzH]

For someone who is the most critical of Montana and it’s hunting opportunities, you keep coming back. You bitch about everything that isn’t done your way. As you said earlier, this is a new election cycle and Gianforte is asking for a panel to choose a new FWP director, maybe you should throw your hat in the ring before they give the position to Kerry White.

Yeah I keep coming back because your State is dumb enough to allow former Residents to buy cheap OTC NR tags to continue to slaughter what's left of your wildlife.

Figure while I'm helping my nephews, Dad, and Brother who still live there, may as well shoot another on the cheap. The sooner the wildlife is shot down to the point even the dumbest hunters in Montana (like you), recognize there's a problem, the sooner changes will happen.

As to the Gov. elect and managing Montana's wildlife, I couldn't care less. People deserve the Government they elect and the impacts to their States resources.

In the meantime...pass another OTC cheap NR tag.

 

[El Jason]

People deserve the Government they elect and the impacts to their States resources.

The ongoing premise hunters should exercise self restraint in order to offset the lack of adaptive management strategies by the state is rather ridiculous.

 

[8andcounting]

Eastern Mt mule deer hunting is actually one of MTFWP's greatest success stories. You guys are barking up the wrong tree. FWP is sitting around the coffee pot saying "look at these guys barking up the wrong tree". Why would they even consider fixing something that is 10% as screwed up as most public land hunting in the state?

In my opinion you will not fix eastern mule deer hunting by taking away from the hunters in the east. They will fight you.
You fix it by giving something to the mule deer hunter in the west. They will not fight you.

The predator worshippers will fight you. Good luck.

If that’s a success then I’d hate to see their failures

 

[MTTW]

If that’s a success then I’d hate to see their failures

Look west

 

[Mallardsx2]

Anyone over the age of 18, that feels the need to shoot a muley doe is pretty much a wanker.

What a STUPID comment.

I guess should have shot one of those 25 fork horns I saw all week instead....lol

I passed the forkeys and shot a doe in the last 15 minutes of the last day of my hunt. So that makes me a wanker. lol

Meanwhile I saw 10 trucks with MT plates happily loading fork horns into the backs of their trucks.

I am attaching a picture of an elderly bologna doe I killed (that didn't have fawns with it) just for you and the 1,000,000 MT road hunters that drove by me on the last hour of my hunt. I literally saw over a hundred does daily and I would fully believe that the ratio is ~1:50 (Bucks to Does) in the public land area I hunted.

 

[8andcounting]

Look west

Yeh compared Eastern Montana to west that’s like a Chevy to a dodge .... ain’t no comparison

 

[Eric Albus]

Buzz...glad to see you haven't changed.

I have hope for a change in the way Montana manages with a new Gov. at the helm. Perhaps I hope in vain, but at least there is a chance for something positive, unlike the past 16 years of Democrat Gov's running the show, same old same old.

I realize you may not like landowners or outfitters, but were it not for guys like myself and the landowners I deal with there would hardly be a mule deer left in Montana over the age of 1.5 at the end of hunting season.

I would happily forgo rut hunting, IF I thought that the trophy deer poachers would stay home, but I don't think they would. A camo clad bow hunter is about the only way to keep poachers honest if there is no rifle rut hunt. As for 110 yard bow hunters, not with me, anymore than I would let a rifle hunter shoot one a 6-800 yds. Kind of defeats the purpose of hunting, killing buck deer during the rut is sick enough, let alone shooting at 1/2 mile. However, I did see some "ethical, honest, upstanding sportsmen shooting at a good (180 plus) mule deer on a parcel of BLM at 7-800 yds, disgusting.

As to the majority of poaching taking place during season, it most like does. However one of my landowners had to run off a guy yesterday out "hunting coyotes" but he had no coyote hunting/calling gear, and this wasn't the first time after season this has happened. A gate was left open in one of my pastures since season has ended, and tracks driving out on the ridges overlooking the creek that were not there when season ended, suppose they're hunting sharptails without permission?

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Wouldn't it be something if FWP actually managed the number of tags in the area? Right now they have no idea how many people hunt each general region.

 

[El Jason]

A camo clad bow hunter is about the only way to keep poachers honest if there is no rifle rut hunt.

Absolute malarkey.

 

[Nameless Range]

Absolute malarkey.

We need an order of magnitude more Wardens on the landscape.

 

[8andcounting]

I’m not turning this into a NR vs R issue so don’t think I am , however it’s hilarious to me when I look on certain Facebook pages and other online blogs where residents bitch cuz it’s the NRs ruining hunting in Montanan . More NRs than ever blah blah blah . As far as I know the number of non resident elk and deer tags is the same or close to same as always ? I get theirs more b tags now . But Um maybe there’s a shit ton more R hunters than there used to be ?