Montana Mule Deer Mismanagement

[cgasner1]

I think a lot of the angst is the sheer amount of hunters and animals that we are pulling off the landscape and when we are doing it. I have literally bounced a rock off of a young 4 point that would not leave the side of the road on public. Couple that with never or very rarely seeing a good buck where there used to be good bucks. Roger has the age data the best bucks are 3.5 with the occasional 4.5 and the older bucks are scuz heads that nobody wants to shoot. Montanas season structure makes it nearly impossible for a buck with good genetics to live past 3.5 or 4.5 without very protected private land that the majority of hunters will never experience.

Awhile back some guys were complaining about how Wyoming suffered a hard winter a couple years ago ago and their numbers are down. The structure they have makes it harder to kill a mature deer I wonder how much worse their herds would have been in if they hunted the same structure we do

 

[DFS]

I will add when FWP touts that thing have never been better it is especially infuriating to the people that have seen different.

 

[El Jason]

Montanas season structure makes it nearly impossible for a buck with good genetics to live past 3.5 or 4.5 without very protected private land that the majority of hunters will never experience.

The last time I hunted in Montana, I killed a whitetail buck the second day of my hunt. It was the week before thanksgiving and I had five days to hunt.

The next day I was looking for a bull. This little 20” 4x4 mule deer buck was so love struck dumb I could have killed him numerous times that morning. He had the self preservation instinct of a drunk 18 year old at his first sorority party.

 

[WanderWoman]

I will add when FWP touts that thing have never been better it is especially infuriating to the people that have seen different.

Who is saying that now? Or is this in reference to when one(?) person said it like 4 years ago?

 

[brockel]

Who is saying that now? Or is this in reference to when one(?) person said it like 4 years ago?

Watch FWP Facebook videos they’ve put out. Or any of their mule deer meetings they’ve had over the last couple years. The PowerPoint they presented in multiple areas saying what we are seeing in field isn’t actually true

 

[8andcounting]

Who is saying that now? Or is this in reference to when one(?) person said it like 4 years ago?

The fwp is … been all over fb last few weeks

 

[Forkyfinder]

Who is saying that now? Or is this in reference to when one(?) person said it like 4 years ago?

Watch FWP Facebook videos they’ve put out. Or any of their mule deer meetings they’ve had over the last couple years. The PowerPoint they presented in multiple areas saying what we are seeing in field isn’t actually true

@WanderWoman

Likely in reference to this:

1.1K views · 18 reactions | Part 4 of 5 - Montana Mule Deer Myths and Misconceptions Are mule deer populations affected by one single factor? Do predators, hunting, weather, or habitat alone tell the whole story? Let’s take it one myth at a tim

Part 4 of 5 - Montana Mule Deer Myths and Misconceptions Are mule deer populations affected by one single factor? Do predators, hunting, weather, or habitat alone tell the whole story? Let’s...

www.facebook.com

 

[WanderWoman]

The fwp is … been all over fb last few weeks

They said, “things have never been better,” and they’re referring to the whole state?

 

[8andcounting]

Go to the fwp fb page and scroll to August 17 there’s about 4-5 parts they put out that day about mule deer most of it bragging how they’ve improved things

 

[8andcounting]

They said, “things have never been better,” and they’re referring to the whole state?

I never said that but just scroll fwp fb page on aug 17

 

[WanderWoman]

@WanderWoman

Likely in reference to this:

1.1K views · 18 reactions | Part 4 of 5 - Montana Mule Deer Myths and Misconceptions Are mule deer populations affected by one single factor? Do predators, hunting, weather, or habitat alone tell the whole story? Let’s take it one myth at a tim

Part 4 of 5 - Montana Mule Deer Myths and Misconceptions Are mule deer populations affected by one single factor? Do predators, hunting, weather, or habitat alone tell the whole story? Let’s...

www.facebook.com

I did not hear “things have never been better” in that video clip. I heard that rut hunting doesn’t affect recruitment (it doesn’t), I heard that deer populations are ok if the ratio is above 10:100, and (assuming in relation to that ratio) FWP says the buck or deer population is healthy in that respect. That’s a far cry from “things have never been better.”

 

[8andcounting]

I did not hear “things have never been better” in that video clip. I heard that rut hunting doesn’t affect recruitment (it doesn’t), I heard that deer populations are ok if the ratio is above 10:100, and (assuming in relation to that ratio) FWP says the buck or deer population is healthy in that respect. That’s a far cry from “things have never been better.”

Basically from what I watched and read , they are saying , things are looking up , come out to Montana and kill some deer . Am I wrong ?

 

[Forkyfinder]

I did not hear “things have never been better” in that video clip. I heard that rut hunting doesn’t affect recruitment (it doesn’t), I heard that deer populations are ok if the ratio is above 10:100, and (assuming in relation to that ratio) FWP says the buck or deer population is healthy in that respect. That’s a far cry from “things have never been better.”

Oh im aware. I think "the sky isnt falling" will be receieved that way by some no matter what.

 

[brockel]

I did not hear “things have never been better” in that video clip. I heard that rut hunting doesn’t affect recruitment (it doesn’t), I heard that deer populations are ok if the ratio is above 10:100, and (assuming in relation to that ratio) FWP says the buck or deer population is healthy in that respect. That’s a far cry from “things have never been better.”

I believe “we are in the glory years” was said a few times during their power point presentation

 

[DFS]

I did not hear “things have never been better” in that video clip. I heard that rut hunting doesn’t affect recruitment (it doesn’t), I heard that deer populations are ok if the ratio is above 10:100, and (assuming in relation to that ratio) FWP says the buck or deer population is healthy in that respect. That’s a far cry from “things have never been better.”

I started following closer after the bad winters of 2010-2011 could be off on those exact dates. I will never forget John Ensign saying we aren’t into knee jerk reactions when people asked him to move forward conservatively. Since then going to regional meetings the amount of gas lighting the local office has done has led me to lack of trust of the department. Recently they are claiming antelope numbers are back to pre 2009 levels and we can issue the tags. Anybody that pays attention can see the move that fwp is going to take with mule deer and it’s none. They have a strange way of painting a rosy picture on things when that is not reality. They are into knee jerk reactions but it’s only increasing tags and not taking the boot off the throat.