Thank you,
@Gerald Martin for posting this and for the work the whole group has done. Reading through comments, you guys rolled up your sleeves and dug into the 'big picture' on how to manage our resource while still providing opportunity. We'll never have a 'one-size fits-all' solution. But what you guys came up with is a huge step in the right direction. Montana is
never quick to change anything - I'm a 5th generation Montanan, and I feel like in my lifetime, we are always slow to change things on the legislative/government side of things. But hopefully, by 2026, some, if not all, of these changes can start to be put into action. In reality, this is going to be a process, and not immediate. Some of the comments giving constructive feedback have been great. But, I just have a feeling that changes are going to occur overtime (multiple years).
I like information in lists, so here are some thoughts. If I was made 'ruler' for a day and was able to set the seasons for MT, I'd implement a lot of what you proposed. Here are some other ideas I'd try to get done:
1. I love starting seasons on calendar days, rather than weekends, as your proposal somewhat reflects. Just makes it simple.
2. No mule deer hunting in November - just seems like common sense. Imagine being a mule deer buck in Montana...you can't/won't breed all year long, except for 3 weeks. Then all the sudden, you're surrounded by women for those 3 weeks, and all the while, you can be hunted and shot. No wonder bucks are hard to find and buck-to-doe ratios are bad? Again, it's what your proposal shows. I drew a non-resident LE mule deer tag in WY a few years ago. I spotted 34 deer total, including 8 bucks, on the first evening, alone. The season there goes for 2 weeks, 9/15 to 9/30. The quality was 100x what Montana has. Not saying MT will ever be what WY is for mule deer. But, making some changes can't hurt the mule deer resource. That area in WY is also a general tag for residents. And elk season was archery only during the time of my deer hunt. There were elk throughout, even with rifle deer hunters around. Elk didn't run off onto private. That's just what my experience was.
3. Give the animals a break on public land during the fall. We have the most generous seasons in the West. And our hunting has gone downhill (overpressure, populations on public, etc.). Let's pull the reigns back - I like the idea of a substantial break between archery elk and rifle elk. If we want more opportunity on public, we have to reduce the pressure. It's either have a break, or reduce the overall season lengths.
4. Eliminating mule deer doe harvest completely, state-wide. Antlered mule deer harvest, only. Unless a depredation hunt is granted for private land.
5. Increase resident fees, and increase NR fees.
6. Reduce hunting season lengths/dates for NR's. That one would be tough to fight. As a resident, that is a whole-heartedly selfish 'want', honestly.
Can't say it enough, though - thank you for starting a much-needed discussion with
actual changes. I will gladly offer my time and my resources to help in any way I can.
