MT NR Big game Combo now over $1,000
- Thread starter 8andcounting
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ida homer
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ID > MT for good bucks, but not bulls.
Gerald Martin
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BuzzH, you and your family have been hunting MT since before there was a game department. It should be your right to hunt without a license! I say stick it too 'em and wave the flag and the constitution. Come on up and let's go hunting. I'll bring lots of snacks.
Seriously though. If the quality of Montana's herds was being increased in relation to the amount of increase in tag fees, I doubt many people would be complaining. No other state offers such generous seasons and easy to get tags. However, the quality and quantity of elk and deer is diminishing as tag prices increase.
Resident agricultural interests are forcing the decrease in quality and quantity and many resident hunters are jumping right on the bandwagon just because they think they can get an easy cow for the freezer.
The potential exists for Montana to have hunting that could justify a $2000 tag fee and not be a bad deal. Too bad, that potential is being gutted instead of realized.
shoots-straight
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BuzzH, you and your family have been hunting MT since before there was a game department. It should be your right to hunt without a license! I say stick it too 'em and wave the flag and the constitution. Come on up and let's go hunting. I'll bring lots of snacks.
My family came here in 1868, Grand dad was a wolfer, and Grizzly bear bounty hunter, as well as moonshiner, etc.
My dad held every tag he could from 1947 through to his death in 2003. I've held tags from 73 to present.
I like your thinking.
I like those cheese puffs and chocolate bars that have Carmela inside. Any kid of Samich would work.Flatland Crusoe
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As an out of state guy, I like knowing there are a decent option that available for more money when other options don't work out. I don't see it as much different than the special elk tag I just paid for in Wyoming other than the elk opportunity may not be as good, but I don't get a deer tag thrown in either.
My limiting factor is generally days of vacation rather than tag expense so that at least always leaves another option available later if things don't work out. Generally I see tag cost as about 30% of the cost of a DIY trip for me so even a $1000 tag over a $600 tag might only mean 15% increase in total cost. If you allow 2-3% for inflation that $1000 tag should go up $20-$30 every year to have the same value.
I personally am willing to pay for good opportunity and access. I view western tags from different states and species as competing products on an open market rather than an annual fixed cost. Generally speaking most of the states have certain things they do better than other state or have an option I could at least see as valuable in someone else's situation.
My limiting factor is generally days of vacation rather than tag expense so that at least always leaves another option available later if things don't work out. Generally I see tag cost as about 30% of the cost of a DIY trip for me so even a $1000 tag over a $600 tag might only mean 15% increase in total cost. If you allow 2-3% for inflation that $1000 tag should go up $20-$30 every year to have the same value.
I personally am willing to pay for good opportunity and access. I view western tags from different states and species as competing products on an open market rather than an annual fixed cost. Generally speaking most of the states have certain things they do better than other state or have an option I could at least see as valuable in someone else's situation.
ShootsManyBullets
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What happens to those elk tags once hunters start to figure out that the elk are gone courtesy of the shoulder seasons and poor management?
Have fun with that budget bomb coming down the pipeline.
Have fun with that budget bomb coming down the pipeline.
Gerald Martin
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My family came here in 1868, Grand dad was a wolfer, and Grizzly bear bounty hunter, as well as moonshiner, etc.
My dad held every tag he could from 1947 through to his death in 2003. I've held tags from 73 to present.
I like your thinking.
You like combos too? Just not the ones with peanut butter inside? We'll take over the Bison Range in Sept. Hold off the Indians and the Feds & live off the land with all our Hunttalk brothers and sisters. OnYourOwn Community Resource Center.
Duck-Slayer
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Agreed.... elk hunting is getting better in area's...... I can get 2 elk tags here for $70, no reason too go to MT, I love it here, grew up there, but too many retards managing the herds there...
Matt
ShootsManyBullets
Well-known member
Some reason this is still irritating me again this morning. Pricing lots of guys out then engaging in shoddy management on top of it is just brutal.
Imagine if DQ raised the price of a blizzard to $9 then made you wait 20 minutes for them to make it, then handed you a runny, milky mess that they couldn't hold upside down when they were done. How long would they be in the blizzard business?
Imagine if DQ raised the price of a blizzard to $9 then made you wait 20 minutes for them to make it, then handed you a runny, milky mess that they couldn't hold upside down when they were done. How long would they be in the blizzard business?
genesis273
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Shootsmanybullets, using a DQ blizzard analogy is genious. No one can argue that!
8andcounting
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Do u stay in Hiltons when your on hunting trips ? Tag cost only 30% of trip ? wow .....
For me, tag cost I would say is easily 60% of what I spend on a trip . We split a condo we rent between 4-5 of us so its usually around $125 each , plus gas last year was about 100 each , and I eat at home so I don't count food, and we brought beer so we weren't in the bars . I had 900 in tags cuz I had deer combo and a elk b tag , add another 75 for odds and ends, and puts my total trip cost around 1200 , by my math tag accounted for 75% . And when we tent it , tag cost is around 90% .
shoots-straight
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Flatland Crusoe
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Well I actually roll gear purchases into my trip cost since I'm still accumulating stuff for hunts out west.
This year if I draw my half of gas is probably $250. I'll probably fly out to SLC and rent a car for a scouting trip over a 3 day weekend and spend $500 on a flight/car/airport transit.
I will camp the whole time both scouting and hunting, but that isn't free since my tent/bag/thermarest have a usuable life of 5-10 years with maintenance, probably figure $100 towards new stuff, repair tape, nikwax waterproofer/down cleaner/etc. At some point I will eat out and go back into town mid trip for a shower/holiday inn and steak. Even though I could do the hunt with the gear I have I'll probably spend a few hundred on clothes or gear. At some point I'll probably leave something on the tailgate and lose or break some gear.
Clearly the more often you do something the economy gets better, but I'm assessing the realistic cost I put into the trip based on what I have spent and acquired and anticipation of my last 3 western hunts driving from the midwest.
backsmasher23
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Pure Genius.
JohnCushman
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I'm in too!! I'll cook and hopefully there's somewhere to fish. I'll bring snacks too
I hope they don't set up roadblocks because I have to go to NY for my sister's wedding on the 24th. I'll skip my archery deer tag in CO to hang out with you guys 
MinnesotaHunter
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True. 10 years ago when I started heading west to hunt, my yearly expenditures were much higher. Now it is a lot closer to tags/gas/food/replace worn stuff. Last year I spent little, and hunted MT 3 separate times; which brings the cost per trip way down.
zachthebowhunter
Member
I love my state of MT but I would gladly take a price increase for resident tags instead of putting all the burden on the non-res. $20 is awesome for a broke college student like myself, but I would gladly scrape together twice that (plus everything else that comes with the sportsmans w/ bear) or more to hunt elk here.
LopeHunter
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I'm in too!! I'll cook and hopefully there's somewhere to fish. I'll bring snacks too
I have a neighbor who is elderly and will need a caretaker soon but has no surviving family. Can I ship him out for this camping expedition? I presume once the camping winds down that the Feds will provide years of room and board for him, correct?
slipinonem
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A friendly one , yes I do
That's funny, I was looking at elk tags that were left over during the rifle portion of the general season last year, pretty sure that's the last time I checked. I know that during early October they still had elk general tags for NR left.
