Nice to read that most of the guys in MT, CO, ID, and WY think they are spoiled. Let's face it, we are spoiled. We get to hunt elk a lot, and we don't have to enter a drawing to do so. We can do the limited entry option, but if we don't draw, we are still elk hunting. And if we choose to hunt certain weapon types, can hunt for a month(s).
I tell people we are living the "Good old days" of elk hunting. Even if I did not live in an elk state like Montana, I can hunt elk in three states every year my budget allows, without be subjected to the whims of the lottery luck; MT, CO, and ID. And if I play the point system in WY, I can hunt there every other year, or at least every third year.
Other than budget constraints, there is no reason a person cannot go elk hunting in this country. Unless, they want nothing but a glory tag. That is a remarkable change to what it was 20, 30, 40 years ago. There are more elk on this continent today, than at any time in my 50 years. Compared to what elk hunting opportunity was out there for our parents and grandparents, today is an embarrassment of riches; the good old days of elk hunting.
I do feel states need to re-think the notion of hammering NRs as the way to keep agencies afloat. I've said it many times and people probably tire of it. In MT, we pay $20 for an elk tag you can use for 11 weeks. Less than $2 per week to go elk hunting from early September to late November. Any MT resident who wants to complain about fees can stick it in their ear.
When you have a guy like Greenhorn state he would pay NR fees to hunt elk in MT, that gives some indication of the quality of the general elk tag here. I would also pay the NR fee for what opportunity that tag provides. It's that good.
I get to travel to every state in the west, hunting a lot of different species. If there is one thing I have observed in those travels, it is how much some folks would give anything to have the opportunity we have in states like MT, ID, WY, and CO. Yet, at least in MT, we seem to have a lot of residents who lack perspective as to how good we have it. I suspect the same could be said of the other three states. Anyone thinking elk hunting sucks in those four states, as far as opportunity goes, just travel to some other states and talk about how often/seldom they get to hunt elk, and when they do, how short their seasons are, how restrictive the weapon types are, and how much higher price they pay for resident fees than what we pay.
I hope everyone goes elk hunting this fall, no matter where they live.
....nope...can't do it...lol
