Montana General Season Structure Proposal 3.0

[Gerald Martin]

Youd have to be an elite member of the forky proposal club to know .

Ideally - itd closely match existing R hunter numbers that those units are seeing.

So is it fair to view this as a mechanism of limiting NR without substantially changing R pressure?

 

[Forkyfinder]

So it’s fair to view this as a mechanism of limiting NR without substantially changing R pressure?

Not really, thats an oversimplification.

If you can only hut rutting muleys in one unit, R would be forced to pick instead of hunting mule deer while chasing elk everywhere.

 

[Schaaf]

Personally speaking, I’m thrilled to see some more ideas being floated around. I don’t think any particular idea is perfect but the more ideas out there, the better off we’ll end up.

 

[cgasner1]

Not really, thats an oversimplification.

If you can only hut rutting muleys in one unit, R would be forced to pick instead of hunting mule deer while chasing elk everywhere.

Hypothetically if I was gonna go down this road I’d consider that our resident split is 60/40 for whitetail to mule deer harvest given that I’d take 10-15% of whatever licenses are sold and apply that number to each unit to come up with your le tag numbers. The western side could be more on the 10% and the eastern more on the 15%. Would probably be a pretty decent starting point

 

[Forkyfinder]

Can you give a recap of the meeting?

Largest attendence. R 5 manager noted that we care more about MD than R3 and noted a much larger than expected group.

Most everyone was for some kind of change, understood habitat challenges, and was for some kind of compromise of opportunity.

We talked statistics for a while, and we again heard mandatory reporting wasnt really necessary. I pointed to problems with phone sampling. Someone suggested using ALS numbers for their random sampling and a prompt when buying a license and using an online survey (in addition to or other than phone calls).

 

[cgasner1]

Largest attendence. R 5 manager noted that we care more about MD than R3 and noted a much larger than expected group.

Most everyone was for some kind of change, understood habitat challenges, and was for some kind of compromise of opportunity.

We talked statistics for a while, and we again heard mandatory reporting wasnt really necessary. I pointed to problems with phone sampling. Someone suggested using ALS numbers for their random sampling and a prompt when buying a license and using an online survey (in addition to or other than phone calls).

Like I mentioned last night thought that group was still a safe place with a lot of like minded individuals. 38 people in Billings cared enough to show up that’s far from winning the crowd over and you got a long haul of your gonna start pushing. Best of luck

 

[antlerradar]

View attachment 372311

Not all bad.
I would tweak it some. and see some potential bumps in the road.
Any real limiting on mule deer the last three weeks could shift too much pressure on whitetails. especially in the east where public land whitetails are not widespread.
Limiting NR to two weeks and 10% of the draw is sure to result in an even stronger push form Outfitters and landowners for landowner tags and bumping up the 10% limit.
If you draw a Rut tag, could you still hunt the first two weeks?

 

[antlerradar]

Like I mentioned last night thought that group was still a safe place with a lot of like minded individuals. 38 people in Billings cared enough to show up that’s far from winning the crowd over and you got a long haul of your gonna start pushing. Best of luck

The meeting is in Miles City tonight, Forkyfinder should drive east and try to sell it there too. I am driving just about as far to get to Miles City.

 

[Forkyfinder]

If you draw a Rut tag, could you still hunt the first two weeks?

With all the non res and general guys? I'll see ya in the rut - ill take my rifle for a nice mountain walk for elk instead of a prarie one for mule deer. Thats sort of my hope - folks would have to choose between hunting deer or antlered elk in a lot of november.

Not sure if itd work, but allowing landowners to put BMA in ONLY during the LE season is an option for reducing bma pressure.

 

[cgasner1]

The meeting is in Miles City tonight, Forkyfinder should drive east and try to sell it there too. I am driving just about as far to get to Miles City.

I got a baseball game with the kids tonight or I’d head over

 

[Forkyfinder]

The meeting is in Miles City tonight, Forkyfinder should drive east and try to sell it there too. I am driving just about as far to get to Miles City.

I'd be heading there if i could.

The home supervisor is mystified that i care this much about MD already - i cant imagine the look id get heading to Miles City.

@DFS will go in my place

 

[antlerradar]

With all the non res and general guys? I'll see ya in the rut - ill take my rifle for a nice mountain walk for elk instead of a prarie one for mule deer. Thats sort of my hope - folks would have to choose between hunting deer or antlered elk in a lot of november.

Not sure if itd work, but allowing landowners to put BMA in ONLY during the LE season is an option for reducing bma pressure.

So you are looking at fairly strict limits on mule deer during the rut. Going to make that first two weeks glowing orange on public, but that is not all bad.

 

[Pagosa]

The meeting is in Miles City tonight, Forkyfinder should drive east and try to sell it there too. I am driving just about as far to get to Miles City.

Is the meeting tonight in Miles City FWP office at what time? Thanks

 

[SwaggyD]

I'd be heading there if i could.

The home supervisor is mystified that i care this much about MD already - i cant imagine the look id get heading to Miles City.

@DFS will go in my place

He's probably golfing.

 

[bigsky2]

Is the meeting tonight in Miles City FWP office at what time? Thanks

Yes. 5:30

 

[russelldprice]

Here’s a graphic to help folks easily understand the season layout. One note about the early cow season. We have it on the graphic as “Private land- by permit only”. The season will be for private land only but it will be per department regulations for individual hunt district based on that district’s antlerless harvest objective.
View attachment 371805

Leave Montana’s archery season alone, please!

 

[BuzzH]

Leave Montana’s archery season alone, please!

Right, heaven forbid if an archery hunter has to compromise a single thing...FFS.

 

[golfer]

Right, heaven forbid if an archery hunter has to compromise a single thing...FFS.

Could say same thing about rifle hunters. I believe 3.0 adds even more time for rifle hunters than current season structure.

 

[cgasner1]

Leave Montana’s archery season alone, please!

Could say same thing about rifle hunters. I believe 3.0 adds even more time for rifle hunters than current season structure.

So here we are 14 months into this Fwp has opened links and had meeting asking for input. We have been asking telling people if they don’t like it being another idea…..crickets. If you guys wanna see something now is the time

 

[russelldprice]

Sorry I’m late to the game fellas, i couldn’t make it to the meetings but my buddy always sends me the links to respond to FWP. I feel this proposal tries to change too much too fast and is overly complicated. I feel we should have 3 general mule deer regions in Montana West Central and East. Everyone should have to pick a general region, and that is the only region they can mule deer hunt in. Then our general seasons should close November 15th every year and then offer limited entry hunts for the last 2 weeks of the season and if you draw a limited entry hunt, you can only hunt that region even during the general season. You can then open the general season two weeks earlier for mule deer so we have the same length season. Leave the archery season alone and let the mule deer rifle season go on the same as the end of archery season Wyoming does this and has great success with it.