Montana Mule Deer Mismanagement

Hunting Wife said:
My gut feeling is that collecting samples for a specific purpose (CWD) that has a well-documented and publicized age bias, then trying to use those data for a second purpose (to represent the age structure of the population at large) may not be the best sampling strategy for that second purpose. Though I get the temptation because sampling and testing samples is labor and money intensive.

I am not a stats/study design expert by any means. But I talk to a lot of hunters and I collect samples if they want it done. Most people I talk to are familiar with the research, and in my experience they are much more likely to want it sampled if it is older and they think it might be a good candidate or more likely to have CWD. So yes, I think there is potential bias in who volunteers a sample.
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Not only that but the fact hunters are trying to shoot older deer in general adds to the bias
 
Hunting Wife said:
My gut feeling is that collecting samples for a specific purpose (CWD) that has a well-documented and publicized age bias, then trying to use those data for a second purpose (to represent the age structure of the population at large) may not be the best sampling strategy for that second purpose. Though I get the temptation because sampling and testing samples is labor and money intensive.

I am not a stats/study design expert by any means. But I talk to a lot of hunters and I collect samples if they want it done. Most people I talk to are familiar with the research, and in my experience they are much more likely to want it sampled if it is older and they think it might be a good candidate or more likely to have CWD. So yes, I think there is potential bias in who volunteers a sample.
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This was my reaction as well. FWP is not biased in their sampling but hunters are consciously or subconsciously skewing sampling results because they know older age class deer are more likely to be CWD positive and they’re submitting what they believe to be older deer at a higher rate than deer believed to be younger.
 
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Gerald Martin said:
This was my reaction as well. FWP is not biased in their sampling but hunters a consciously of subconsciously skewing sampling results because they know older age class deer are more likely to be CWD positive and they’re submitting what they believe to be older deer at a higher rate than deer believed to be younger.
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Yes. It is important that your sampling strategy is designed with your question in mind. They are not necessarily interchangeable, for exactly this reason.
 
So I guess with the cwd data the prevalence of younger 4x4 is kinda moot then?
 
sclancy27 said:
But no one is going to give me a "like" or "LOL" emoji for participating.....count me out
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I submitted comments asking for the ability to rifle hunt the first week of archery season since it’s too much competition to find a mature deer in the rut. Does that count? 😁😏
 
Its relatively simple. Manage mule deer similar to how pronghorn in MT are managed. Limit tags, not hunt in the mating season, establish smaller managed districts. Study/track mule deer with GPS collars, determine migration routes, critical wintering/fawning areas, and construct more game fencing along sections of high vehicular kills. I bet we are losing more deer to vehicles than hunting in sections like Hwy 212, 59, 16.

The pronghorn numbers were pretty bleak about four years ago in NE WY and eastern MT, with only allowing 7500 tags in region 7 they have recovered nicely and plenty of bucks/does. I submitted my comments but it was a waste of time and I will contact the biologist and let them tell me I don’t know what Im talking about and how they need to kill more deer or CWD will kill them.
 
BuzzH said:
What elk remain can only dodge hunters for so long. Typically in the area I'm talking about a disproportionately high number of bull elk are killed in the later part of the seasons (snow).

General elk areas in Wyoming have post season bull to cow ratios, in some places over 50:100. If bull to cow ratios drop below 17:100 they shorten the season or exclude spikes from the season.

Of course, we don't pound on bulls for 12 weeks and change seasons to improve management. Not being stuck in the same old seasons for 70 years has its obvious advantages.

Oh, and almost forgot our hunter success in general elk areas buries Montana.

It's almost as if management matters.
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I’d be willing to bet the people that can’t find an elk in those five days would disagree with you
 
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