Changes to MT Upland Season - Resident Priority Takes Effect This Year

[El Jason]

Don’t worry it will be trumps fault at some point in this thread

He will blame it on vandals

 

[Gerald Martin]

I guess we'll just always wait for you, moga, and mcs to address the shifted baseline of why 1 in 5 to 1 in 3 md bucks harvested should be acceptable to the resource shareholders.

It does speak to what long time residents say though. NR are a problem for mule deer.

Compare total numbers of mule deer or whitetail harvested in 2006 vs 2025 relative to numbers of NR hunters for 2006 to 2025. That’s going to be a pretty good clue as to why the percentage of mule deer take by NR’s is higher now than 20 years ago.

 

[El Jason]

View attachment 415439
Here are some popular Wyoming general units. I promise to step down as Complainer in Chief if we get close to those levels. I wonder why Wyoming had to cap nonresidents in those regions.

There is a distinct commonality in season dates that is far different from MT.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/media/33694/download?inline

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Wyoming has long had NR caps for NR regions?

You and forky start the petition. I’ll sign it.

Edit: @BuzzH have the NR deer quotas decreased as a percentage of total tags over the last 10 years?

 

[Forkyfinder]

View attachment 415441View attachment 415442

Compare total numbers of mule deer or whitetail harvested in 2006 vs 2025 relative to numbers of NR hunters for 2006 to 2025. That’s going to be a pretty good clue as to why the percentage of mule deer take by NR’s is higher now than 20 years ago. View attachment 415441View attachment 415442

Your proposal was about bucks. Nice way to move the goal post and completely not answer my question.

 

[El Jason]

Back to birds, are you guys excited for your enhanced pheasant hatchery program?

 

[Gerald Martin]

I’m seeing an overall increase of NR hunters of approximately 1000 more in 2025 than 2006 yet
NR mules deer hunters killed 2000 more mule deer in 2006 than they did in 2025. However, Residents killed more than 25,000 more mule deer in 2006 than they did in 2025.

NR Hunter numbers and NR mules deer hunters deer harvest in total has remained relatively flat.

The percentage variable is largely dependent on the 50% reduction of mule deer by residents.

Truth be told, I’m far more concerned that in 2006 all hunters were able to harvest @163,000 deer and in 2025 all hunters were only able to harvest @ 77,000 deer across the state.

We’re not getting back that discrepancy by eliminating part or all of the 27,000 NR deer hunters.

 

[DFS]

There is a distinct commonality in season dates that is far different from MT.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/media/33694/download?inline

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Wyoming has long had NR caps former regions?

You and forky start the petition. I’ll sign it.

I think they capped them in region G in the 80’s could be wrong on that. They cut them after some bad winters 10 years ago-ish. I really don’t care if the other 6 regions want the nonresidents I just think we need some side boards here in region 7 and FWP’s harvest data shows that.

 

[Forkyfinder]

The percentage variable is largely dependent on the 50% reduction of mule deer by residents.

Gee - whyd they do that? And why are nr not willing to?

Guess that takes care of the narrative that its "all the people moving here"

 

[brockel]

Back to birds, are you guys excited for your enhanced pheasant hatchery program?

It’s a rough year for wild pheasants in my part of the world. Drought, cpr is all but gone, and the creek bottoms that usually hold birds have had cows on them longer than normal with the drought conditions

 

[El Jason]

I think they capped them in region G in the 80’s could be wrong on that.

All WY NR regions are capped and have been forever.

 

[DFS]

All WY NR regions are capped and have been forever.

I could be wrong, seems like a reasonable thing to do in sound management for sure.

 

[El Jason]

I could be wrong, seems like a reasonable thing to do in sound management for sure.

Absolutely. I’ve argued for years how good the deer hunting would be in MT if they simply adopted WY season structures. A quick check showed NR get about 20% of the deer tags. I’ve already posted harvest data.

 

[corndog1]

It’s nice to seem them all band together to collectively f$&@ the people paying for the access they enjoy

Just hunt roosters in your own state the first ten days, then come out shoot your roosters and fork horn buck. I hope Montana only give whiners less days in the future.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Your proposal was about bucks. Nice way to move the goal post and completely not answer my question.

Looks to me like NR are killing@ 1000 more mule deer bucks in 2025 (@10,000) compared to 2006@(9000).
Residents are killing @9000 less mule deer bucks in 2025( @25,000) compared to 2006.(@ 34,000)

Looks like we could probably address the increase in the NR numbers and harvest by plucking the low hanging fruit of eliminating those 1/2 price OTC NR tags that are sold in excess of the NR cap as a start. Let’s get that accomplished in the Legislature.

I’m fully on board with residents first at the table for access to the resource. However, to me, dead is dead whether by resident or NR bullet, fang, claw, or winter kill. I’m more concerned about the overall reduction in harvest opportunity for everyone than about what percentage of harvest is by R or NR.



@El Jason, I’m super excited about those pen raised pheasants. I’m so jazzed I think I’m going to apply for a slot in the lottery for an opportunity to hunt @the Headwaters State Park with five other hunters on the weekend I could hunt if I luck out. I’m pretty sure there’s at least 100 acres in the designated upland bird zone.

I bet it’s almost as exciting as chasing chukars in Hells Canyon.

 

[Forkyfinder]

I’m fully on board with residents first at the table for access to the resource. However, to me, dead is dead whether by resident or NR bullet, fang, claw, or winter kill. I’m more concerned about the overall reduction in harvest opportunity for everyone than about what percentage of harvest is by R or NR.

Nice - lets just regulate them like antelope then. Responsibly with the bios setting quotas.

Theres not a legiative requirement to sell either species deer tags.