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

[cgasner1]

After Ben Lamb ferries me across the reservoir on his yacht. Disappointing that Ben was unable to secure bottle service for the champagne tasting enroute. I expect better next year.

 

[Ben Lamb]

After Ben Lamb ferries me across the reservoir on his yacht. Disappointing that Ben was unable to secure bottle service for the champagne tasting enroute. I expect better next year.

Yes, but we have rum.

 

[JLDemo]

And so what. The birds of the year can take care of themselves well enough, that the state says residents can hunt them then.

I've got a young setter that I've been training this month. I will also continue training her into September.


Training bird dogs on wild birds is so far down the list of threats to game birds, it is essentially nil. At most, it wises them up some.

You're right, the birds can take care of themselves at this point.

I hope your pup does well, and gets as many bird contacts as you can get. Hard to not smile at young dogs working well.

I have no ill feelings towards any of the regs, just got a laugh out of the fact that one of the biggest drivers for the wait period was due to NR dog trainers creating pressure, or at least that's how I saw it being portrayed. Thus, the 10 day wait period was birthed for NR's hunting, but still allow dog training September 1, which was a driver of change in the first place.

 

[Tradewind]

That buck isn’t going to be accessible to the common peasant. That caliber of deer can only be killed by landowner connections via secret lobbying deals for outfitters. Sure glad I’ve made those connections….
View attachment 415510

 

[Ben Lamb]

You're right, the birds can take care of themselves at this point.

I hope your pup does well, and gets as many bird contacts as you can get. Hard to not smile at young dogs working well.

I have no ill feelings towards any of the regs, just got a laugh out of the fact that one of the biggest drivers for the wait period was due to NR dog trainers creating pressure, or at least that's how I saw it being portrayed. Thus, the 10 day wait period was birthed for NR's hunting, but still allow dog training September 1, which was a driver of change in the first place.

The bird training license was a part of the effort as well. The issue was trainers showing up before the Sept. 1st opener. Having the season in place manages that. And yes, I would expect to see that the next iteration of the bird dog training season will be a bit more stringent than this year. Resident trainers get to start August 1st.

 

[JLDemo]

The bird training license was a part of the effort as well. The issue was trainers showing up before the Sept. 1st opener. Having the season in place manages that. And yes, I would expect to see that the next iteration of the bird dog training season will be a bit more stringent than this year. Resident trainers get to start August 1st.

Let's not make it too strict, I enjoy it up there.

Some good sales going on right now! Just about time to test out these new toys that came in today;



Okay, I've thrown enough fuel on this fire, let's get back talking about how easy it is to catch deers in R7.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Let's not make it too strict, I enjoy it up there.

Some good sales going on right now! Just about time to test out these new toys that came in today;

View attachment 415523

Okay, I've thrown enough fuel on this fire, let's get back talking about how easy it is to catch deers in R7.

I've heard that the Commission is gonna make a specific rule just for you.

Nice collar! I need to grab a new one for my lab. Moving the old sportdog over to the puppy once she gets older.

 

[JLDemo]

I've heard that the Commission is gonna make a specific rule just for you.

Nice collar! I need to grab a new one for my lab. Moving the old sportdog over to the puppy once she gets older.

I already feel attacked, just when I found spots that hold birds where I can escape resident pressure, I get the boot. They've got 10 days to find it!

My dog just hit two and has started ranging where I lose track. Glad I got these on sale, expensive things, but it'll pair with the watch so it'll be fun to learn. My hope is I spend less time looking at the handheld now that it'll pair with the watch, and focus more on what I went out there to do. Good luck this year, shaping up to be a good one.

 

[DFS]

I already feel attacked, just when I found spots that hold birds where I can escape resident pressure, I get the boot. They've got 10 days to find it!

My dog just hit two and has started ranging where I lose track. Glad I got these on sale, expensive things, but it'll pair with the watch so it'll be fun to learn. My hope is I spend less time looking at the handheld now that it'll pair with the watch, and focus more on what I went out there to do. Good luck this year, shaping up to be a good one.

Do the birds need to fly? Or can you shoot them on the ground. I’m fairly new to bird hunting but I am going to take advantage of the opportunity Montana provided for us.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Ground pounding < dink deer

 

[Forkyfinder]

Yes, but we have rum.

View attachment 415517

Good pirates do.

 

[R.K.]

Ground pounding < dink deer

Only prairie birds. Mountain birds are fair game by whatever method. I even got a hun with a stick while packing out a mule deer. Don’t ask me what they were doing at that elevation.

 

[Matthew57]

Let's not make it too strict, I enjoy it up there.

Some good sales going on right now! Just about time to test out these new toys that came in today;

View attachment 415523

Okay, I've thrown enough fuel on this fire, let's get back talking about how easy it is to catch deers in R7.

Did someone say sale? Where'd you find these? I've been looking to purchase one for my golden.

 

[JLDemo]

Did someone say sale? Where'd you find these? I've been looking to purchase one for my golden.

That ship has sailed, they were on sale for a few days on ugly dog hunting. Keep an eye on the refurbished units from gun dog supply, way cheap and go fast.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Do the birds need to fly? Or can you shoot them on the ground. I’m fairly new to bird hunting but I am going to take advantage of the opportunity Montana provided for us.

Grouse fly? . This will be my 38th season hunting this fall. I’ve never shot a mountain grouse on the wing…. . In fact, I’ve never shot a ruffed, dusky or spruce grouse with anything other than a bow.

Sharpies, Huns and pheasants on the other hand… they get to fly first.

 

[406dn]

You're right, the birds can take care of themselves at this point.

I hope your pup does well, and gets as many bird contacts as you can get. Hard to not smile at young dogs working well.

I have no ill feelings towards any of the regs, just got a laugh out of the fact that one of the biggest drivers for the wait period was due to NR dog trainers creating pressure, or at least that's how I saw it being portrayed. Thus, the 10 day wait period was birthed for NR's hunting, but still allow dog training September 1, which was a driver of change in the first place.

Going back in time, residents did get the first crack at pheasants, until motel and bar interests convince the legislature they were losing business.

I think the issues are connected, but not entirely. The training issue, I think, came from a dog pro with a large string of dogs from a quail hunting plantation, was training on state land on the high line. It's hard to not be noticed when you have a large horse trailer, and thirty or more dogs, staked out. There was a lot of hyperbole about how the training was being conducted. It was presented as all of the dogs being run together, with a bunch of people on horses tearing thru the country.

Some trainers will put a litter of puppies down on the ground together, and go for a loop. It is to teach the dogs to go with the handler, more than anything. At that age, they aren't really certain why they're out there, and their physical stamina is pretty limited.

If you're working finished, or close to finished dogs, things start trending towards a cluster, if you put very many dogs down together. You just can't watch, and correct so many dogs, at the same time. I can handle two dogs, pretty easily. A brace of dogs is about ideal, you get into more birds, and each dog will likely have to honor points of the other dog.

The hunting change, I think, comes from the large number of non resident hunters going to NE Montana, and overwhelming the place. It was not so bad, twenty years ago, with so much more CRP. Now, there just aren't nearly as many places to disperse hunters. It kind of tells me how bad the hunting is now in most states. The hunting in NE Montana is nothing like it was, but the NR hunters still flock there.

 

[mtmuley]

Why do we even have a "training season"? mtmuley

 

[406dn]

The bird training license was a part of the effort as well. The issue was trainers showing up before the Sept. 1st opener. Having the season in place manages that. And yes, I would expect to see that the next iteration of the bird dog training season will be a bit more stringent than this year. Resident trainers get to start August 1st.

More than a few of the dog pros are training field trial strings. They have limited interest in killing very many birds. The birds are worth more to them to finish a dog's manners around birds.

The draw is young sharptails. They are an ideal bird to finish a pointing dog's training. They hold well, and often flush sequentially. A dog can make a mistake on the first bird flushed, get a correction, and have another chance to get it right, when later birds flush.

By moving the date as late as they have, a dog pro is going to try find private land to train on. While it not common knowledge, the preferred method is to have several places to train. One, to rest the birds, and also to train the dog to handle in different locations.

 

[JLDemo]

Going back in time, residents did get the first crack at pheasants, until motel and bar interests convince the legislature they were losing business.

I think the issues are connected, but not entirely. The training issue, I think, came from a dog pro with a large string of dogs from a quail hunting plantation, was training on state land on the high line. It's hard to not be noticed when you have a large horse trailer, and thirty or more dogs, staked out. There was a lot of hyperbole about how the training was being conducted. It was presented as all of the dogs being run together, with a bunch of people on horses tearing thru the country.

Some trainers will put a litter of puppies down on the ground together, and go for a loop. It is to teach the dogs to go with the handler, more than anything. At that age, they aren't really certain why they're out there, and their physical stamina is pretty limited.

If you're working finished, or close to finished dogs, things start trending towards a cluster, if you put very many dogs down together. You just can't watch, and correct so many dogs, at the same time. I can handle two dogs, pretty easily. A brace of dogs is about ideal, you get into more birds, and each dog will likely have to honor points of the other dog.

The hunting change, I think, comes from the large number of non resident hunters going to NE Montana, and overwhelming the place. It was not so bad, twenty years ago, with so much more CRP. Now, there just aren't nearly as many places to disperse hunters. It kind of tells me how bad the hunting is now in most states. The hunting in NE Montana is nothing like it was, but the NR hunters still flock there.

It's unfortunate for sure, the digital age content probably has something to do with the influx. We also need to put it in perspective, even with bird density not reflecting the past, it's still far better than most places where the normal person can access.

Its a good gesture and a move in the right direction for residents with the delay. I'd expect more states to follow the date selection periods ND and SD has put in place.

 

[cgasner1]

Why do we even have a "training season"? mtmuley

Undereducated guess people are assholes and would probably turn dogs loose on birds that couldn’t fly.