Planning for an Eastern Montana mule deer hunt

[brockel]

Does anyone have any information they could share on the effect of the drought last summer. I'm looking for something from Montana G and F.
Also did it affect the pronghorn as well as the deer? Thanks

Business as usual. Game rich environment. Overpopulated really. Grab some doe tags

#gloryyears

 

[brockel]

Think I need to start a new post with a poll on what boot laces can be pulled tighter for more success

 

[DFS]

Business as usual. Game rich environment. Overpopulated really. Grab some doe tags

#gloryyears

“numbers were down a mere 40%, all in all things are looking good to maybe even great!” Fwp biologists

 

[brockel]

“numbers were down a mere 40%, all in all things are looking good to maybe even great!” Fwp biologists

It wouldn’t shock me if that was actually said

 

[isu22andy]

Welcome to the forum jpopejoy .

 

[mtmuley]

Seems those of us that are hoping and working toward better mule deer hunting are in the minority. Residents and non residents. mtmuley

 

[DFS]

To the OP I hope you come and have a good hunt with your dad. This subject has been beat to death on hunt talk and if anyone ever brings it up again I will continue to beat it to death, I might even derail other threads and beat it to death more. And until something changes I won’t be sorry. I simply would like some sort of management and regard for the resource, I have seen it can’t handle what we are doing to it.

 

[WYelker]

My take… We have went to 704 and 705 the last 2 years. First off, there was a noticeable difference in numbers between 2020 and 2021. In 2020 we found significantly more deer on the Piblic lands than we saw in 2021. The drought was the real deal last year and places where we found water and decent feed in 2020 were dry and desolate in 2021. When we spoke with the biologist, 202 was supposed to be the worst he had seen for deer, then in 2021 he claimed that he had lost another 30-40 percent of deer from the drought.

Again our experience I. The 2 years confirmed this. The hunting is different. Lost of small scatter public access. The larger chunks of forest get hit pretty hard as does the larger chunks of BLM. We focused more on being mobile and hitting little random spots scattered around. We hunt late over thanksgiving and do not find a lot of pressure if you you get out away from the roads.

My son killed the best mule deer we saw in the are on our first trip and on the second trip took a pretty nice whitetail. We are happy with both, and honestly since we always hunt mule deer in WY and CO, it was nice hunting for both white tailed and mule deer.

As most have said, especially with the drought, the mature deer are just not around. This year the majority of deer we saw were 2.5 years old. We only saw one Miley buck that was older and when we ended up in town there were dinks hanging from every pole.

White tail was 2021 and Mule deer 2020.

 

[brockel]

When we spoke with the biologist, 202 was supposed to be the worst he had seen for deer, then in 2021 he claimed that he had lost another 30-40 percent of deer from the drought.

And this is why I’m constantly bitching. Another 30-40% from the previous year that was supposedly the worst he’d seen. Yet this year we are continuing on business as usual. 30-40% is huge and that’s not even counting winter kill from the cold and lack of feed around this year.

 

[8andcounting]

And this is why I’m constantly bitching. Another 30-40% from the previous year that was supposedly the worst he’d seen. Yet this year we are continuing on business as usual. 30-40% is huge and that’s not even counting winter kill from the cold and lack of feed around this year.

And they are still selling 5500 mule doe tags this is baffling

 

[brockel]

And they are still selling 5500 mule doe tags this is baffling

And they will sell out early

 

[isu22andy]

And this is why I’m constantly bitching. Another 30-40% from the previous year that was supposedly the worst he’d seen. Yet this year we are continuing on business as usual. 30-40% is huge and that’s not even counting winter kill from the cold and lack of feed around this year.

From my earlier posts in the thread , I failed to realize it was that bad now. We were out in 2019 and a friend and his boy in 2020 and haven’t been back since . That is stupid they aren’t adapting to current population models . Also from 2019 I don’t think they needed doe tags then .

 

[RobertD]

My take… We have went to 704 and 705 the last 2 years. First off, there was a noticeable difference in numbers between 2020 and 2021. In 2020 we found significantly more deer on the Piblic lands than we saw in 2021. The drought was the real deal last year and places where we found water and decent feed in 2020 were dry and desolate in 2021. When we spoke with the biologist, 202 was supposed to be the worst he had seen for deer, then in 2021 he claimed that he had lost another 30-40 percent of deer from the drought.

Again our experience I. The 2 years confirmed this. The hunting is different. Lost of small scatter public access. The larger chunks of forest get hit pretty hard as does the larger chunks of BLM. We focused more on being mobile and hitting little random spots scattered around. We hunt late over thanksgiving and do not find a lot of pressure if you you get out away from the roads.

My son killed the best mule deer we saw in the are on our first trip and on the second trip took a pretty nice whitetail. We are happy with both, and honestly since we always hunt mule deer in WY and CO, it was nice hunting for both white tailed and mule deer.

As most have said, especially with the drought, the mature deer are just not around. This year the majority of deer we saw were 2.5 years old. We only saw one Miley buck that was older and when we ended up in town there were dinks hanging from every pole.

White tail was 2021 and Mule deer 2020.

I guess this about sums it up. Congratulations to your boy, though.

 

[wtrfwlhunter]

Seems those of us that are hoping and working toward better mule deer hunting are in the minority. Residents and non residents. mtmuley

Just curious mtmuley, do you think the reg changes enacted in some units this season are a step in the right direction?

 

[WYelker]

And this is why I’m constantly bitching. Another 30-40% from the previous year that was supposedly the worst he’d seen. Yet this year we are continuing on business as usual. 30-40% is huge and that’s not even counting winter kill from the cold and lack of feed around this year.

The bio said that they had cut doe tags for mule deer but not for white tails. I agree it makes absolutely no sense at all to keep killing doe if your herd is under population objective. I also found something really weird about MT in general. Listening to the locals the vast majority of the ones we talked with are not passionate about deer at all. When I visited Dillon area years ago I was told that deer hunting is for women and kids that men hunt elk. Since that time the more time I have spent in MT I see more this mentality. For both deer and antelope.

So while there are some who really value deer and deer hunting and would love to see MT manage for quality, the majority of people I interacted with treated the deer as a secondary thought. It was even worse for what the locals thought about Pronghorn and their management.

I am not sure your solution, but there likely needs to be shift in the way the majority of MT residents see deer and pronghorn. Again just from the people I have interacted with it is like 10 to 1. For every one person who truly cares about deer and deer hunting 10 people are are "MEH" at best. It is worse with pronghorn...

 

[brockel]

The bio said that they had cut doe tags for mule deer but not for white tails. I agree it makes absolutely no sense at all to keep killing doe if your herd is under population objective. I also found something really weird about MT in general. Listening to the locals the vast majority of the ones we talked with are not passionate about deer at all. When I visited Dillon area years ago I was told that deer hunting is for women and kids that men hunt elk. Since that time the more time I have spent in MT I see more this mentality. For both deer and antelope.

So while there are some who really value deer and deer hunting and would love to see MT manage for quality, the majority of people I interacted with treated the deer as a secondary thought. It was even worse for what the locals thought about Pronghorn and their management.

I am not sure your solution, but there likely needs to be shift in the way the majority of MT residents see deer and pronghorn. Again just from the people I have interacted with it is like 10 to 1. For every one person who truly cares about deer and deer hunting 10 people are are "MEH" at best. It is worse with pronghorn...

I mean I guess I can relate to this anymore. Montana’s quality has fallen so far it really is just meh for me to go deer hunting anymore. Now any kid that wants to go I’ll gladly take them. Even my wife is getting to the meh part of Montana deer hunting. Now if they tasted as good as elk it would be a different story. Not a big neck roast fan

 

[manitou1]

The bio said that they had cut doe tags for mule deer but not for white tails. I agree it makes absolutely no sense at all to keep killing doe if your herd is under population objective. I also found something really weird about MT in general. Listening to the locals the vast majority of the ones we talked with are not passionate about deer at all. When I visited Dillon area years ago I was told that deer hunting is for women and kids that men hunt elk. Since that time the more time I have spent in MT I see more this mentality. For both deer and antelope.

So while there are some who really value deer and deer hunting and would love to see MT manage for quality, the majority of people I interacted with treated the deer as a secondary thought. It was even worse for what the locals thought about Pronghorn and their management.

I am not sure your solution, but there likely needs to be shift in the way the majority of MT residents see deer and pronghorn. Again just from the people I have interacted with it is like 10 to 1. For every one person who truly cares about deer and deer hunting 10 people are are "MEH" at best. It is worse with pronghorn...

Maybe they are not interested because everybody is killing the yearlings/two year olds (just so they can go home and brag that they shot a buck) and there are few mature deer to be hunted?

 

[DFS]

The most exciting part of Montana deer season is when it ends. It’s tough to stomach the slaughter that happens during the rut with open country and high powered rifles.

 

[SwaggyD]

Not a big neck roast fan

That's too bad to hear.

 

[mtmuley]

Just curious mtmuley, do you think the reg changes enacted in some units this season are a step in the right direction?

Which units? mtmuley