Montana General Season Structure Proposal

[Rie Bread]

Unless pick your region is for elk and deer then it won’t change much.
I harvest and elk and a deer from Gallatin canyon every year

 

[DFS]

I’m sure well over 90% of the mule deer taken in Gallatin county are taken by people hunting elk in November with a deer tag in their pocket.

So, double whammy solution. Make those people 1) pick R7 on wherever else. And 2) not have rifle season for mule deer in Nov.

Not rocket science.

Too bad people are so resistant to give ANY thing up.

Nobody and I mean NOBODY intentionally hunts the gallatin canyon for deer. There are hardly any. But when it snows in Nov - some come down to get killed by elk hunters during the rut.

When I finished school at MSU and started hunting around here 2 deer were killed south of town the same season ‘92 that gross scored over 280. Everybody talked about the Bridgers.. but by then the deer hunting here was already swirling down the toilet bowl. If it hasn’t happened where you hunt already - it’s coming your way soon.

280?

 

[cgasner1]

How? People who want to hunt mule deer choose mule deer and region 6 or 7.

How many of those people will pick a whitetail tag and stay on their side of the state? Or pick the region then decide to not come over because they put elk as a priority and never left region 3?

 

[rogerthat]

Kind of funny. We all have opinions but when guys that been doing this chit for decades and decades tell you something like @antlerradar and @The Hedgehog just stfu and listen. My .02.

 

[mtmuley]

Kind of funny. We all have opinions but when guys that been doing this chit for decades and decades tell you something like @antlerradar and @The Hedgehog just stfu and listen. My .02.

Yep. mtmuley

 

[The Hedgehog]

I’m not rocket scientist but I’m pretty sure anyone could chose region 7 hunt mule deer just as many days currently and have all of November to hunt elk closer to home.

Good. Then maybe there’d end up being some deer here and locals would end up choosing to hunt here as opposed to driving half way across the state.

 

[The Hedgehog]

280?

Actually one was 290+ gross. Killed by Mike Wold. Both net scored and in the book in the 260s. The Wold buck is crazy heavy massive and something you could not expect to get even buying an AZ or UT gov tag. I held that buck at the gun show the year he killed it and had Fred measure it. Both bucks likely came from the mtns, where I’ve hunted elk for decades. Nice to dream of what could be.

 

[Rie Bread]

Kind of funny. We all have opinions but

Kind of funny. We all have opinions but when guys that been doing this chit for decades and decades tell you something like @antlerradar and @The Hedgehog just stfu and listen. My .02.

Isn’t this called hunt talk?

 

[sclancy27]

Actually one was 290+ gross. Killed by Mike Wold. Both net scored and in the book in the 260s. The Wold buck is crazy heavy massive and something you could not expect to get even buying an AZ or UT gov tag. I held that buck at the gun show the year he killed it and had Fred measure it. Both bucks likely came from the mtns, where I’ve hunted elk for decades. Nice to dream of what could be.

Did they get ages on bucks back then? That's some crazy good habitat to get bucks like that

 

[The Hedgehog]

Did they get ages on bucks back then? That's some crazy good habitat to get bucks like that

They were killed on private but had likely been on public until November. We are definitely in need of a big fire or some logging - which is unlikely (logging).

 

[sclancy27]

They were killed on private but had likely been on public until November. We are definitely in need of a big fire or some logging - which is unlikely (logging).

For sure. Even the little logging projects the State or FS do make a noticeable difference in mule deer locally. Imagine what logging at the scale of the mid-1900s would do.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Unless pick your region is for elk and deer then it won’t change much.
I harvest and elk and a deer from Gallatin canyon every year

Not trying to be a jerk but you have to draw to hunt elk in region 7. And I have some questions. You get an elk and deer every every year? Tell me about that.

Are you hunting public land? Are you happy with how all that is? Are you shooting very young deer? I’m genuinely very curious as I know tons of hunters and none that take deer and elk every year from the Gallatin canyon.

 

[rogerthat]

Actually one was 290+ gross. Killed by Mike Wold. Both net scored and in the book in the 260s. The Wold buck is crazy heavy massive and something you could not expect to get even buying an AZ or UT gov tag. I held that buck at the gun show the year he killed it and had Fred measure it. Both bucks likely came from the mtns, where I’ve hunted elk for decades. Nice to dream of what could be.

Holy chit! Two 260 plus NETS…yes that’s right @Forkyfinder NETS!!!! Out of gallatin county in 1992. I knew this state had gone to hell but that’s unreal…yup don’t got the genetics lmao

 

[SwaggyD]

Holy chit! Two 260 plus NETS…yes that’s right @Forkyfinder NETS!!!! Out of gallatin county in 1992. I knew this state had gone to hell but that’s unreal…yup don’t got the genetics lmao

Nets are for fish

 

[The Hedgehog]

From FWP website. The man I bought my house from was the taxidermist for the Plum Buck and showed me some photos. The guide told me about the hunt - they were hunting elk. It was 2 miles from USFS boundary. The Wold buck was something else though. I wish I had a photo.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Holy chit! Two 260 plus NETS…yes that’s right @Forkyfinder NETS!!!! Out of gallatin county in 1992. I knew this state had gone to hell but that’s unreal…yup don’t got the genetics lmao

Never said the genetics or habitat didnt have potential to produce. I said that it hasnt historically - in comparison to other western states.

 

[Stifler]

Thanks hedgehog, I appreciate some history lessons. I knew my imagination wasn't running wild. Reminds me alot of my dad, uncle's, and grandpa's harvests from right around that same time judging by the photos. Montana can definitely produce gems.

(Back to the general conversation)
Coincidentally antler reports go away around the time our adaptive managment plan was adopted... I wonder why that is.

I think my concerns came off as attacks, and genuinely wasn't meaning too... just some initial, probably irrelevant reactions... after listening in there's not much that wasn't addressed in some way or another that was on my mind... so I think it's a move in the right direction, even though it's not the particular route I'd take, its still a way to move the needle. Maybe one of these days we could implement le does or something. I think It's probably time, after going threw history.. we have to be smart about does. We really only did that threw the 1920-1950's. And that's why we even get to enjoy what we do today for deer. It's not feasible for social preferences with landowners to have a zero doe harvest, or even hunters. But we should get more selective about it I think.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I don’t know what you’re even talking about or recall a single comment you made - sorry.

 

[Rie Bread]

Not trying to be a jerk but you have to draw to hunt elk in region 7. And I have some questions. You get an elk and deer every every year? Tell me about that.

Are you hunting public land? Are you happy with how all that is? Are you shooting very young deer? I’m genuinely very curious as I know tons of hunters and none that take deer and elk every year from the Gallatin canyon.

I know you’re not trying to be a jerk as neither am I. Just trying to speak objectively about a subject and gain more understanding by asking questions.

All public land, young deer that have had horns or whitetail does. Iv only seen two deer nearing the size of those brutes you posted with the fat neck and brisket. I personally think Montana is a deer factory with an incredibly rich landscape.

 

[Straight Arrow]

From FWP website. The man I bought my house from was the taxidermist for the Plum Buck and showed me some photos. The guide told me about the hunt - they were hunting elk. It was 2 miles from USFS boundary. The Wold buck was something else though. I wish I had a photo.
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Cliff Plum was a local colorful character in Gallatin Gateway. He showed me his buck many years ago. It immediately became the standard of the "dream muley" buck I have hunted for since. So far with no sightings, let alone hunting success. I've seen some nice ones near where he took that buck ... but nothing that compaires to Cliff's trophy.