Mule deer opportunity?

[Archer86]

Wait a minute I thought the whole montana mule deer managment change stuff was not about big bucks......sure seams that what most are worried about now.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

Let’s not get in the way of pleasing the masses who are happy to hunt deer every year in the rut where 2-3 year old deer are the upper echelon bucks.

 

[DFS]

Wait a minute I thought the whole montana mule deer managment change stuff was not about big bucks......sure seams that what most are worried about now.

I won’t speak for other people but the argument that Montana doesn’t have the genetics to produce big bucks often times get brought up especially by MTFWP. It is blatantly false and annoying. That’s why you saw my response. There is nothing wrong with having mature bucks on the landscape. Using high powered long range rifles during the entirety of the rut is toeing the line of fair chase imo. I want a healthy population with a robust age class of bucks and I won’t apologize for it.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Wait a minute I thought the whole montana mule deer managment change stuff was not about big bucks......sure seams that what most are worried about now.

It’s not. If the proposal was about big bucks it would be LE across the board and harvest opportunity would be greatly reduced to ensure that bucks aren’t harvested until age 5-8.

The proposal is about balancing maintaining as much OTC hunting as the resource can sustain and improving age class. Opportunity and improved quality don’t have to be incompatible with each other. There’s going to be tension and there’s got to be some compromise on each end for both to happen.

 

[Rack Daniels]

I won’t speak for other people but the argument that Montana doesn’t have the genetics to produce big bucks often times get brought up especially by MTFWP. It is blatantly false and annoying. That’s why you saw my response. There is nothing wrong with having mature bucks on the landscape. Using high powered long range rifles during the entirety of the rut is toeing the line of fair chase imo. I want a healthy population with a robust age class of bucks and I won’t apologize for it.

Let’s see your rifle and scope combo lol

 

[brockel]

Wish we had the genetics

 

[Pagosa]

I think it’s all perspective. 1000’s of people flock to Colorado every year and think the Mule Deer hunting is the greatest thing ever. Where as majority of us generational residents who’ve seen the better days gripe about how poor it’s become, which compared to pre 2007/2008 it is. Mule deer numbers and quality are down and steadily declining all across the west, doesn’t matter which state you go to. I think it’s just the reality we have to face now and I’m extremely pessimistic that it will ever return to what it was moving forward.

You would flip if you seen the quality of bucks from around 88-92 and around 2000-05 in western Colorado

 

[Archer86]

It’s not. If the proposal was about big bucks it would be LE across the board and harvest opportunity would be greatly reduced to ensure that bucks aren’t harvested until age 5-8.

The proposal is about balancing maintaining as much OTC hunting as the resource can sustain and improving age class. Opportunity and improved quality don’t have to be incompatible with each other. There’s going to be tension and there’s got to be some compromise on each end for both to happen.

moving the season to October the same 2 and 3 year old bucks you guys are complaining about getting shot will still get killed in October.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

Curious - we sure talk a LOT about MT mule deer.

Im curious - what western states have had a reduction in opportunity for mule deer, and how did they deal with it? Have those states maintained, grew, or reduced r and nr opportunity?

A decade or so ago, MT increased opportunity more so in that they established a "Youth" only season, to ensure little kids had enough time to hunt with Montana's short, limited, and restrictively unfair environment for children needing the opportunity to hunt. Oddly enough that season is in mid-October, and I'd bet that's when a quarter or more of MT's annual older age class bucks are skimmed from top of MT's bucks.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

moving the season to October the same 2 and 3 year old bucks you guys are complaining about getting shot will still get killed in October.

so what is your infatuation with November?

 

[cgasner1]

moving the season to October the same 2 and 3 year old bucks you guys are complaining about getting shot will still get killed in October.

So then why are people worried about losing the Black Friday special?

 

[cgasner1]

A decade or so ago, MT increased opportunity more so in that they established a "Youth" only season, to ensure little kids had enough time to hunt with Montana's short, limited, and restrictively unfair environment for children needing the opportunity to hunt. Oddly enough that season is in mid-October, and I'd bet that's when a quarter or more of MT's annual older age class bucks are skimmed from top of MT's bucks.

Can’t wait till my boys are old enough hopefully I can find one like I did for a co workers kid. Not a bad buck for a 10 year old

 

[Archer86]

So then why are people worried about losing the Black Friday special?

Not sure....couple free vacation days maybe

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

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Can’t wait till my boys are old enough hopefully I can find one like I did for a co workers kid. Not a bad buck for a 10 year old

I did the annual youth hunt and it was so fun, but.. maybe we also need a youth elk, antelope, bear, lion, maybe unlimted sheep too.. to give those kids the leg up they need..

 

[cgasner1]

I did the annual youth hunt and it was so fun, but.. maybe we also need a youth elk, antelope, bear, lion, maybe unlimted sheep too.. to give those kids the leg up they need..

They definitely need a jump on the spring bear around here. At least it’ll be kids mowing sows over

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

Not sure....couple free vacation days maybe

Oh well, that's a perfect reason.

 

[Archer86]

Life's must be terrible if you guys are worried about giving kids a 2 day hunt before adults.

So jealous of the kids 2 day hunt that want to move the entire general season to the same time frame........then post a picture of a big buck that was killed in that time frame that supposedly doesn't exist because they are all killed in November

 

[cgasner1]

Life's must be terrible if you guys are worried about giving kids a 2 day hunt before adults.

So jealous of the kids 2 day hunt that want to move the entire general season to the same time frame........then post a picture of a big buck that was killed in that time frame that supposedly doesn't exist because they are all killed in November

I mean I wanted to see the kids hunt moved to end of November for when they weren’t in school because I thought it would be a more enjoyable hunt for them for all the reasons I wanna see it moved out of November

 

[DFS]

I mean I wanted to see the kids hunt moved to end of November for when they weren’t in school because I thought it would be a more enjoyable hunt for them for all the reasons I wanna see it moved out of November

We need to add a thumbs down button.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

Should move the kids season to maybe August or Christmas break. Or have it selectable based on the best non resident probable vacation days.