Montana General Season Structure Proposal

[cgasner1]

Just curious, what about new ALS numbers? (I know that doesn’t affect deer, as much)

New als numbers being youth probably affect deer a lot. It’s easier to take a kid deer hunting and find success that run thru the hills for an elk. Especially with the youth season

 

[SAJ-99]

I think Washington hunters stick out in regions 6 and 7 because you know that they have already driven across 3/4 of the state to get there.

Yep, they stand out like a 3- plate.

 

[Forkyfinder]

@Ben Lamb do you know exactly where the funding goes?

Curious how much of tag sales is funding state parks and such.

 

[Ben Lamb]

All license revenue goes in to the general license account or to accounts prescribed by law such as Hunter access, habitat MT, Upland & wetland conservation funding, which spent by the wildlife, fisheries, communication & education, law enforcement & admin divisions.

Parks is funded through a variety of other means such as when you renew your vehicles tags, funding from the coal severance trust, rec. mj funding, user fees from over snow travel, orgs, etc.

 

[antlerradar]

Yep, they stand out like a 3- plate.

That was 40 years ago. Some one from Billings showed up and you were wondering why they drove all the way to SE MT to go hunting. Now people from Billings are almost next door neighbors.

 

[Sytes]

I know this proposal started as a mule deer group. It obviously turned into a complete season overall, but you guys in 6/7 act like no one hunts any other part of the state. We deal with the exact same thing in region 3 with elk hunters (that kill every mule deer that walks). I’ve been in the upper ruby for the opener and I’ve been in eastern MT during November. They are both a shit show. However, I don’t think acting like regions 6/7 are the only parts of the state that get pressure is a good way to build momentum. We feel the exact same way in region 3.

Region 1, 2, and 3 bordering close to WA as well. Personal struggles tend to inflate the issue. I believe the NR plates simply stand out thus take a larger brunt of the heat. I recall pulling to a tiny corner of public land that's always been an unknown across from former block management now cornered with a large swath of "corner crossing" to public.
Finally made it to that little slip we've considered "ours" to find, for the first time in 15 years, four WA plated trucks, two campers, atvs, horse trailer, pecker poles nailed/roped into/onto trees for hitching, my meat pole I Dsnow9'd my way up to create our first year there, already hanging elk bags... on and on, we sat in the truck, very bummed and bent at the vast blown up camp setting typically used by ourselves and one other camp set by 3 MT plated couple good guys, Two-three trucks max, two wall tents and utv.
It's perfectly legit for them to hunt out of and camp there though it was a kick in the nuts, regardless. Had this been some other MT plated group - we'd still feel like chit though the vent point was the NR plates.

What I'm getting at, WA / NR plates really stand out to me when I'm sour about showing up only to find another truck(s) at the location. I hunt less populated deer/elk areas to stay away from hunters. Reality though, it's $$$ for FWP operations. I'd like to see less NR plates though that's a bean counter operation for game population density vs NR $.
After all, for some lame reason we have the oxymoronic belief to gripe about NR's yet be damned if we pay another nickel for our Resident tags!

Just a ramble.

 

[DFS]

I know this proposal started as a mule deer group. It obviously turned into a complete season overall, but you guys in 6/7 act like no one hunts any other part of the state. We deal with the exact same thing in region 3 with elk hunters (that kill every mule deer that walks). I’ve been in the upper ruby for the opener and I’ve been in eastern MT during November. They are both a shit show. However, I don’t think acting like regions 6/7 are the only parts of the state that get pressure is a good way to build momentum. We feel the exact same way in region 3.

I know you are talking elk hunting pressure, but circling back to mule deer.


We are not getting a good return from the nonresident money. Our hunting is swirling right down the toilet bowl. Nonresident funding is preventing meaningful changes.

 

[mukbowhunt]

@mukbowhunt He might be yanking chains but saying that you’re from WA and you own some property over here may steer the impression one way or the other….

What is the property? Summer home? Hunting land? Place for the kiddos? You lease it out? You think the people before you bought it allowed locals access?

Obviously i do not know you or the answers but you see where that can go from a local standpoint.

I get it. 13 acres, second home (would be my first but kids/family aren’t quite there yet. Future residency. It is in a large HOA. We bought before prices went crazy. Not enough to hunt on but it isn’t posted. I have never voted for a democrat governor or senator in WA. I am not trying to change MT. I like it the way it was 25 years ago.

 

[Slam]

View attachment 346160

Found, much like a forky

Why the dramatic NR increase in deer tags?

 

[SAJ-99]

Region 1, 2, and 3 bordering close to WA as well. Personal struggles tend to inflate the issue. I believe the NR plates simply stand out thus take a larger brunt of the heat. I recall pulling to a tiny corner of public land that's always been an unknown across from former block management now cornered with a large swath of "corner crossing" to public.
Finally made it to that little slip we've considered "ours" to find, for the first time in 15 years, four WA plated trucks, two campers, atvs, horse trailer, pecker poles nailed/roped into/onto trees for hitching, my meat pole I Dsnow9'd my way up to create our first year there, already hanging elk bags... on and on, we sat in the truck, very bummed and bent at the vast blown up camp setting typically used by ourselves and one other camp set by 3 MT plated couple good guys, Two-three trucks max, two wall tents and utv.
It's perfectly legit for them to hunt out of and camp there though it was a kick in the nuts, regardless. Had this been some other MT plated group - we'd still feel like chit though the vent point was the NR plates.

What I'm getting at, WA / NR plates really stand out to me when I'm sour about showing up only to find another truck(s) at the location. I hunt less populated deer/elk areas to stay away from hunters. Reality though, it's $$$ for FWP operations. I'd like to see less NR plates though that's a bean counter operation for game population density vs NR $.
After all, for some lame reason we have the oxymoronic belief to gripe about NR's yet be damned if we pay another nickel for our Resident tags!

Just a ramble.

Exactly. But all that being a legit gripe, I found MT residents being the largest offenders of setting up huge camps on the prime public land spots 3-5 days before the season started and not taking them down until the Thanksgiving tradition hunt was over.

Start printing the bumper stickers…
“Montana…We want your money, we just don’t want you”

 

[SAJ-99]

We are not getting a good return from the nonresident money. Our hunting is swirling right down the toilet bowl. Nonresident funding is preventing meaningful changes.

Residents get to hunt deer for about $0.62/day, and that is all-in. Seems like a good price to take your rifle for a hike.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Anyone else read this while they poop?

You can pm me for pins, since this is a MT trophy

 

[antlerradar]

View attachment 346135

I know you are talking elk hunting pressure, but circling back to mule deer.


We are not getting a good return from the nonresident money. Our hunting is swirling right down the toilet bowl. Nonresident funding is preventing meaningful changes.

This illiterates why people in regions 1 through 5 are not jumping on board with pick your region and regional caps. When the vast majority of MT residents live in those regions, region caps are going to be a tough pull politically even if they are needed. If you can not force NR to hunt regions other than 6 and 7, the other option is to make more of them want to hunt the other regions. I think the will incentivize NR to hunt in other regions. By separating mule deer from whitetail and elk, NR with a Combo tag will no longer be able to hunt elk and mule deer on the same trip. This will incentivize NR hunting whitetail in the west. Also by holding MT mule deer season at the same time as the majority of other states, hunters that hunt multiple states a year will find it more difficult to fit in a MT mule deer hunt. This will favor NR looking to hunt whitetails.

 

[Rack Daniels]

Or we can get rid of the combo for NR altogether so they can come for one out of the 3… why incentivize anything for NR beyond the will to see mule deer populations improve? Don’t need to urge anyone to kill whitetail now, Just relax a little on the mule deer.

 

[bigsky2]

Or we can get rid of the combo for NR altogether so they can come for one out of the 3… why incentivize anything for NR beyond the will to see mule deer populations improve? Don’t need to urge anyone to kill whitetail now, Just relax a little on the mule deer.

We all recognized that the NR combo wasn’t doing mule deer any favors, but that is set in statute. It would be a huge legislative task to get rid of and again, it’s money the dept relies on.

 

[Rack Daniels]

“we’re fixing our mule deer problem but you can come out in your same numbers and kill all our whitetail up”….



I don’t like that part

I don’t see how the dept wouldn’t make MORE money selling tags separately. Make them choose what they really want to come to Montana for…?

Everybody knows you get more money with “parts sold separately” just ask Mystery Ranch…. What backpack doesn’t come with a water bottle pouch….? People should have to choose what they want in a hunt here

 

[Gerald Martin]

Folks can talk about “how things should be” all they want and it won’t change a thing unless they can influence FWP or the Legislature to change a policy, rule or structure.

If anyone wants change, talk with the decision makers. There’s plenty of decision makers who lurk on this site and read these threads but they’re not going to initiate change on their own without folks engaging directly with them and participating in the public decision making processes where policies are decided.

 

[Forkyfinder]

“we’re fixing our mule deer problem but you can come out in your same numbers and kill all our whitetail up”….



I don’t like that part

I don’t see how the dept wouldn’t make MORE money selling tags separately. Make them choose what they really want to come to Montana for…?

Everybody knows you get more money with “parts sold separately” just ask Mystery Ranch…. What backpack doesn’t come with a water bottle pouch….? People should have to choose what they want in a hunt here

87-2-505. Class B-10--nonresident big game combination license, MCA

archive.legmt.gov

Changing this is a way bigger lift dude. Might as well be trying to change tax policy changing that. . .

But hey if you want to do that - start a thread and get your friends to write the leglislators to change the law. It wouldnt hurt my feelings for it to change dramatically one bit.

 

[SAJ-99]

Changing this is a way bigger lift dude.

I have seen the Montana Legislature propose and pass some bat-shit crazy ideas that were WAY more complicated than changing that.

People should have to choose what they want in a hunt here

...including the people that live there.

 

[Forkyfinder]

I have seen the Montana Legislature propose and pass some bat-shit crazy ideas that were WAY more complicated than changing that.


...including the people that live there.

Oh its simple in a theoretical sense.