huntin24/7
Well-known member
A 160’s buck has become a really nice buck in most parts of the state.
Montana on the Upswing?
- Thread starter Blacktailbc
- Start date
As long as someone is happy about shooting 160” deer then good for them. But I know guys that will bitch about the lack of quality bucks and then thanksgiving weekend they shoot a 150-160” buck because “they needed to fill their tag”.
Talked to a guy at the gas station last week and he said they just weren’t seeing a lot of mule deer this year compared to the years before. Still thought putting 6 mule deer does in the back of their pickup was a good idea though
The Hedgehog
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I get a kick out of the internet. A legit "160" buck is a nice buck, always has been.
What's the numbers you guys put on this one?
www.hunttalk.com
What's the numbers you guys put on this one?
Wyoming knows how to manage mule deer
I’m at home today, resting for two days in between the last trips and the next trips. Thought I would craft a few lines of a Wyoming deer hunt that we wrapped up this week. This hunt is a migration hunt. Takes max points in both the special and regular draw. Is surely weather-dependent, but...
www.hunttalk.com
I’d say low to mid 170sI get a kick out of the internet. A legit "160" buck is a nice buck, always has been.
What's the numbers you guys put on this one?
Wyoming knows how to manage mule deer
I’m at home today, resting for two days in between the last trips and the next trips. Thought I would craft a few lines of a Wyoming deer hunt that we wrapped up this week. This hunt is a migration hunt. Takes max points in both the special and regular draw. Is surely weather-dependent, but...
EYJONAS!
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- Mar 17, 2017
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- 6,496
Gotta get that jerky meat stock up....... on a lighter note. There's a herd of 20 cows that showed up this morning. Any takers? You just gotta guess where I am.......
Montana? Did I win?
EYJONAS!
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Pretty close
MT.PERCHMAN
Active member
Love this Site ! Lol
I'm setting here with a Cow tag in pocket !
MT.PERCHMAN
I'm setting here with a Cow tag in pocket !
MT.PERCHMAN
MT.PERCHMAN
Active member
Spending time with Family today but I'm going all out in the Am ! Lol
MT.PERCHMAN
MT.PERCHMAN
168, a nice buck.I get a kick out of the internet. A legit "160" buck is a nice buck, always has been.
What's the numbers you guys put on this one?
Wyoming knows how to manage mule deer
I’m at home today, resting for two days in between the last trips and the next trips. Thought I would craft a few lines of a Wyoming deer hunt that we wrapped up this week. This hunt is a migration hunt. Takes max points in both the special and regular draw. Is surely weather-dependent, but...
If someone pays $700 for a deer tag I can honestly care less what buck they shoot as long as It’s legal. I do however get tired of hearing “there’s no quality bucks out there so I settled for this meat buck” and next to it “I’m just not seeing many deer” but my wife, kids, uncle, and cousins killed some does this morning.
huntin24/7
Well-known member
I agree with you. A 160 is a good solid buck, by my standards anyways. I’m sure that’s not the case for a lot of guys here. Finding a 160+ has definitely become more difficult over the last 5ish years in my part of the state.I get a kick out of the internet. A legit "160" buck is a nice buck, always has been.
What's the numbers you guys put on this one?
Wyoming knows how to manage mule deer
I’m at home today, resting for two days in between the last trips and the next trips. Thought I would craft a few lines of a Wyoming deer hunt that we wrapped up this week. This hunt is a migration hunt. Takes max points in both the special and regular draw. Is surely weather-dependent, but...
I get a kick out of the internet. A legit "160" buck is a nice buck, always has been.
What's the numbers you guys put on this one?
Wyoming knows how to manage mule deer
I’m at home today, resting for two days in between the last trips and the next trips. Thought I would craft a few lines of a Wyoming deer hunt that we wrapped up this week. This hunt is a migration hunt. Takes max points in both the special and regular draw. Is surely weather-dependent, but...
I agree a 160s is solid. My problem is the guys that want to shoot a 180”+ buck but dump the 160” thanksgiving week to fill a tag and toss the horns in the shed when that buck has less than a week to go before he’s out of the woods and could be 180” the following year
8andcounting
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- Joined
- Dec 16, 2013
- Messages
- 3,253
I ran into a guy ,a former Montana resident , on a section of state boardering the ranch i have permission on, he went on to tell me how far in the toilet hunting has gone around that area and blah blah and said he’d just come from eastern Montana where he hunted all week and bucks were all small and everyone shoots small deer and don’t let the bucks go and this went on for 10 minutes, at the end of his bitching he asked if I’d help load his 14” wide 1.5 -2.5 year old 4 point buck in the pickup . When I did I noticed the 3 doe’s he shot in eastern Montana . Unreal . But it was his last day and he had to have that buck .....
8andcounting
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- 3,253
I score a lot of whitetail for people , but never scored many muley’s . I could be way off but I’ll say 155-160” . But it’s a very nice buck .I get a kick out of the internet. A legit "160" buck is a nice buck, always has been.
What's the numbers you guys put on this one?
Wyoming knows how to manage mule deer
I’m at home today, resting for two days in between the last trips and the next trips. Thought I would craft a few lines of a Wyoming deer hunt that we wrapped up this week. This hunt is a migration hunt. Takes max points in both the special and regular draw. Is surely weather-dependent, but...
joelweb
Well-known member
Back to the original question, I think the wet summer weather helped with antler quality this year. It was green all summer long and nutrition was exceptional.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Montana deer hunting is not on an upswing. A supposed "blip" caused by favorable conditions that result in a bit better than normal antler growth for a year or two means next to nothing.
Total deer populations, buck to doe ratio's, age structure in the population, doe/fawn ratio's, etc. mean a whole lot more, in particular on public land. Those things will not do anything but get worse, in general, unless there are significant changes made to seasons, b-tags, etc.
Long term trends paint the picture...and its no masterpiece. One place I hunt, its now been 8 years since my family and I have even seen a mule deer there. Not one change to any season, permit requirement, etc. I guess in fairness, in the last 8 years, it hasn't gotten any worse.
Total deer populations, buck to doe ratio's, age structure in the population, doe/fawn ratio's, etc. mean a whole lot more, in particular on public land. Those things will not do anything but get worse, in general, unless there are significant changes made to seasons, b-tags, etc.
Long term trends paint the picture...and its no masterpiece. One place I hunt, its now been 8 years since my family and I have even seen a mule deer there. Not one change to any season, permit requirement, etc. I guess in fairness, in the last 8 years, it hasn't gotten any worse.
Doublecluck
Well-known member
No good deer or elk in Montana, I heard Wyoming and Colorado are the places to be...
.....However I would agree that plenty of rain from spring Thru summer was responsible for the non upswing that didn’t happen and not management...
.....However I would agree that plenty of rain from spring Thru summer was responsible for the non upswing that didn’t happen and not management...
Lots of good moisture in eastern Montana this year. Last I seen Baker was at 23” for the year and we normally average around 13”. That was before the snow storm earlier in the month and the 12” of snow they are predicting for us in the next two days.
