Montana 2026 Elk Proposal

[bigsky2]

Did you actually read the amendment? This is not about opening up private access. This amendment addresses the fact that elk on public lands cannot sustain the amount of hunting pressure to justify killing more than one elk per year on public.

Antlerless harvest will still take place on public lands at whatever level area biologists determine is necessary. That public land cow harvest will be either by general tag in units that allow for either sex or antlerless/browtine harvest or by a conjunction of an antlerless elk permit and your general tag by drawing.

If you shoot an elk on public land you would have to use your general tag. A hunter could still shoot up to two more cows with B-licenses but those would have to be harvested on private.

In a perfect world it would work that way. Unfortunately, biologists don't get to make the calls nearly as much as they should. Just look at the either sex elk proposals in R4 and R7 as evidence of that. Maybe since we're talking about cows instead of bulls, it might be a little different. Landowners are increasingly getting paid good money to shoot cows too though, so I have my doubts.

 

[Gerald Martin]

It’s okay, I know most of you big mouths have private land access. Don’t be afraid to admit it. Let’s keep it real

Dude. Let’s keep it real. I haven’t stepped foot on private property beyond BMA’s for hunting for the past five years. The only exception to that was a single day pheasant hunt that I was invited to.

Do you really think that you or I need to be able to kill two elk per year on public land?

What about the rest of the public who bunts that same land and would love to kill a single elk there?

 

[Forkyfinder]

Great! Get a bunch of private landowners to fling their doors open! This is already the problem. Once again, helping outfitters’ clients kill mo’ elk while the public gets the shaft.

Booooooooo

Actually - i think the public is getting the shaft as is.

@Big Fin has rightfully pointed out for years that in MT we are killing the wrong elk. The elk that stay mostly on public are elk we generally want to live and the elk that stay on private cause the problems.

The fact that B tags and shoulder seasons have evolved into a profit seeking ploy and not population control is exactly why i support this. Think you should reconsider.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

It’s snowing! Get to Norris road!!

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[Gerald Martin]

It’s snowing! Get to Norris road!!

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Great! I am going to go whack a cow on my B-license and then wait for a bull to come past to fill my general tag. Or maybe I’ll just shoot two cows…

 

[SAJ-99]

The right elk, the wrong elk. I'm confused by this whole thing, but am comforted that it evolved to blaming NRs. It helps me know the world is still spinning in the right direction.
1) I don't think anyone needs to kill more than one elk each year, but I am sure a few people can have good arguments for it.
2) Shouldn't the Game Damage hunts be the solution to this problem? very targeted, specific, private land only, etc...

Seems solving this, or trying to solve this through broad rules or legislation might solve the problem in one area and add to the problem in others.

The new elk plan seems to have the same problems as the old elk plan.