BMA on USDA lands in SE MT closed for season

[rogerthat]

https://billingsgazette.com/outdoor...cle_62ee7666-ec68-5f7b-bfac-2703aba69f4f.html

This decision is the definition of out of touch federal bureaucrats. This is the only bma ranch still closed in Custer county and also the only ranch backed by the full faith and credit of the US govt. I urge everyone to contact the local Lead Researcher at 406-874-8200 and urge them to reconsider. His inexperience played a big part in this poor decision.

 

[TheTone]

Paging the bundys…

Totally ridiculous for any of these properties to be closed. I was talking once with a sheep experiment station employee in Idaho regarding wildlife and hunting as the lands are well posted to no trespassing or hunting. He told me very little wildlife on the land as we proceeded to watch a nice herd of pronghorn inside the fence including a nice buck I was interested in

 

[EYJONAS!]

I wish they'd shut down the entire SE MT. That's just me though.

 

[rogerthat]

Paging the bundys…

Totally ridiculous for any of these properties to be closed. I was talking once with a sheep experiment station employee in Idaho regarding wildlife and hunting as the lands are well posted to no trespassing or hunting. He told me very little wildlife on the land as we proceeded to watch a nice herd of pronghorn inside the fence including a nice buck I was interested in

The low deer numbers they are referring to in the article is only mule deer. This ranch sits squarely on the confluence of the tongue and Yellowstone rivers and is home to a large population of whitetail deer. I asked the lead researcher why not just close it to mule deer if that’s the concern? He didn’t have a good answer. I’m not sure he even has a handle on the two different deer species, their use and distribution on the ranch, or their habits. Dumbest smart guy you will meet

 

[rogerthat]

I wish they'd shut down the entire SE MT. That's just me though.

Why? Hunting has never been better on the majority of large private ranches with no access. Every loss of access to the public hunter puts that much more pressure on the accessible lands and thus further down the toilet bowl we go.

 

[EYJONAS!]

Why? Hunting has never been better on the majority of large private ranches with no access. Every loss of access to the public hunter puts that much more pressure on the accessible lands and thus further down the toilet bowl we go.

In the past, Fort Keogh has opened up more than 55,400 acres attracting about 1,300 hunter days.

Is that per season?!

Why? Because there isn't shit left on accessible public land in SE MT. That's why.

 

[rogerthat]

In the past, Fort Keogh has opened up more than 55,400 acres attracting about 1,300 hunter days.

Is that per season?!

Why? Because there isn't shit left on accessible public land in SE MT. That's why.

Agreed and losing access will only make this worse.

 

[rogerthat]

In the past, Fort Keogh has opened up more than 55,400 acres attracting about 1,300 hunter days.

Is that per season?!

Why? Because there isn't shit left on accessible public land in SE MT. That's why.

Yes, that’s per season. It’s a huge loss of hunting access in the Miles City area

 

[EYJONAS!]

Yes, that’s per season. It’s a huge loss of hunting access in the Miles City area

I'm sure it probably is, that seems like an insane amount of days to me though.

 

[timmy]

I'm sure it probably is, that seems like an insane amount of days to me though.

Insane amount of hunter days on the blm around the area. Insane amount of hunters. Any distribution is good. This was a huge loss for the area and displaced a lot of hunters on an already crowded landscape during November. I’m fairly confident the guy calling the shots doesn’t know the difference between whitetail and muleys.

 

[Bambistew]

What is amazing is how many people piss and moan about how crappy the hunting is in SE MT, then the feds step up and actually do something meaningful to help the spiraling turd bowl. Then the same guys whining about how bad it is cocksuker them for doing something about it...

What do you want?

 

[timmy]

What is amazing is how many people piss and moan about how crappy the hunting is in SE MT, then the feds step up and actually do something meaningful to help the spiraling turd bowl. Then the same guys whining about how bad it is cocksuker them for doing something about it...

What do you want?

Little more complexity to it than you can see. Shut the whole season down I’m perfectly happy with that. This was the only access to a large chunk of public or USDA land unless you were buddies with someone that worked there. They recently closed the fishing access as well. There are a few mule deer on it and there are a good number of whitetail. I get what you are saying but it isn’t as black and white as you are saying. I’m sure the mule deer did need a break they have for a long time.

 

[brockel]

Heard someone in the gas station the other day saying “it took all week for us three to fill our 4 mule deer doe tags we bought”. I naturally couldn’t hold my tongue and mentioned that maybe they shouldn’t have filled them if the deer were that hard to find. “Well we bought them and we damn sure were going to fill them”. Carry on

 

[easternmt]

Heard someone in the gas station the other day saying “it took all week for us three to fill our 4 mule deer doe tags we bought”. I naturally couldn’t hold my tongue and mentioned that maybe they shouldn’t have filled them if the deer were that hard to find. “Well we bought them and we damn sure were going to fill them”. Carry on

And this is the problem not their fault but fwp for allowing it to happen. Carry on!

 

[Hem]

Heard someone in the gas station the other day saying “it took all week for us three to fill our 4 mule deer doe tags we bought”. I naturally couldn’t hold my tongue and mentioned that maybe they shouldn’t have filled them if the deer were that hard to find. “Well we bought them and we damn sure were going to fill them”. Carry on

Yep

 

[EYJONAS!]

How many posts till this thread turns into another montana mule deer management issue thread.

I have two buddies that guide out east, when they make the comment of its hard to find clients a buck older than 2 or 3, while hunting private land exclusively the entire time. That's pathetic, if it hasn't been for a very long time.

I do share the OPs thoughts on it'll direct lots of hunters elsewhere. But JFC when is enough enough. Let it rebuild and regrow.

 

[brockel]

How many posts till this thread turns into another montana mule deer management issue thread.

I have two buddies that guide out east, when they make the comment of its hard to find clients a buck older than 2 or 3, while hunting private land exclusively the entire time. That's pathetic, if it hasn't been for a very long time.

I do share the OPs thoughts on it'll direct lots of hunters elsewhere. But JFC when is enough enough. Let it rebuild and regrow.

It’s going to have to completely crash for that to happen. We are on our way

 

[timmy]

How many posts till this thread turns into another montana mule deer management issue thread.

I have two buddies that guide out east, when they make the comment of its hard to find clients a buck older than 2 or 3, while hunting private land exclusively the entire time. That's pathetic, if it hasn't been for a very long time.

I do share the OPs thoughts on it'll direct lots of hunters elsewhere. But JFC when is enough enough. Let it rebuild and regrow.

The bigger picture is they are closing access to a good resource for miles city where there isn’t a lot going on. Fishing was shut down several years ago. I doubt the hunting will open back up next year the fishing hasn’t, even though they have the funding and plan to do it. This is what happens when you put highly educated highly unqualified people in charge of a glorified ranch with the full backing of the federal government. I don’t hunt there don’t care to but it’s a waste of a good resource for people to be outside. Whether that be fishing hunting or just being outside.

 

[EYJONAS!]

The bigger picture is they are closing access to a good resource for miles city where there isn’t a lot going on. Fishing was shut down several years ago. I doubt the hunting will open back up next year the fishing hasn’t, even though they have the funding and plan to do it. This is what happens when you put highly educated highly unqualified people in charge of a glorified ranch with the full backing of the federal government. I don’t hunt there don’t care to but it’s a waste of a good resource for people to be outside. Whether that be fishing hunting or just being outside.

I agree with you 100 percent I didn't realize it was a year round recreation area open to fishing and basically camping and rec activity.

 

[timmy]

I agree with you 100 percent I didn't realize it was a year round recreation area open to fishing and basically camping and rec activity.

It’s not there was fishing access with a curfew of being out there. That’s gone. There was block management hunting thurs-sundays during season. That was the access they allowed unless you were in the buddy club. Fishing is what ticks me off the most.