Proposed changes Sweeping!

[shoots-straight]

Folks, take a look at the changes in your regions and look them over for what they might do to the hunting in your areas. We only have a couple of days to reply, or testify on these.

http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/meetings/agenda.html?meetingId=37238843

 

[Flatrock]

Shoulder seasons in 44 units? Whoa.

 

[MTHunter1321]

Thanks for posting! Definitely some major changes potentially coming as far as I can tell.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I'm looking for potential investors to go in with me to buy and Apache attack helicopter. If we are going to devastate deer and elk numbers we may as well do it right.

 

[Bugle 'Em In]

This looks like a full frontal assault on the MT sportsman.

 

[exponentialpi]

Wow. This doesn't bode well for the future.

 

[SixPoint]

Good Idea FWP, let's harass cow elk for 7 months... good grief.

 

[zachthebowhunter]

Interesting changes to the cow tags where I hunt. And some boundary changes.

 

[zachthebowhunter]

Interesting changes to the cow tags where I hunt. And some boundary changes.

Edit: "Non youth hunters may not talk antlered elk in these HDs" Wait what?! I would like to hear the reasoning behind this

 

[Nameless Range]

Interesting changes to the cow tags where I hunt. And some boundary changes.

Edit: "Non youth hunters may not talk antlered elk in these HDs" Wait what?! I would like to hear the reasoning behind this

That confused me as well, but it was clarified for me by others on here. That only applies if you are holding a cow tag. So if you draw a cow, you cannot shoot a bull in that same district as I read it.

 

[zachthebowhunter]

That confused me as well, but it was clarified for me by others on here. That only applies if you are holding a cow tag. So if you draw a cow, you cannot shoot a bull in that same district as I read it.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Folks, take a look at the changes in your regions and look them over for what they might do to the hunting in your areas. We only have a couple of days to reply, or testify on these.

http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/meetings/agenda.html?meetingId=37238843

Showing up is what wins these issues. I hope everyone who can make it to Helena does, or at least make it to your regional HQ to stream in and let your voice be heard.

Letters, emails, etc are great, but no substitute for being there in person.

 

[BuzzH]

Showing up is what wins these issues. I hope everyone who can make it to Helena does, or at least make it to your regional HQ to stream in and let your voice be heard.

Letters, emails, etc are great, but no substitute for being there in person.

I question that...

Elk b-tags, no support for it, a majority against it...still got elk b-tags.

Beg the MTFWP to close doe seasons on mule deer in Western Montana...still hunted them into oblivion.

OTC whitetail b-tags in region 2, deer tanking, it took 4 years for them to finally close it down.

Telling the MTFWP to not count harbored elk in management decisions...has happened a couple times in the history of the EMP.

Trying to stop "cow week" in units that didn't have the elk to spare...nope, no luck with that either.

Shoulder seasons that are controversial as a best case...yep, we're going to do a "pilot" in a few units this fall, then recommend them in 44 districts a few weeks later.

Need I continue on the long list of how much good it does to show up at a meeting with the MTFWP?

If the MTFWP wants it, its a forgone conclusion...public input is a cheap formality, as a best case.

Also, at the end of this latest public comment period, watch how much difference public input changes whats proposed....I bet next to nothing.

 

[Art Vandeley]

Am I reading it correctly that in some regions (Ex: 312) cow elk will be open to rifle hunting during archery season?

 

[Nameless Range]

I question that...


Need I continue on the long list of how much good it does to show up at a meeting with the MTFWP?

If the MTFWP wants it, its a forgone conclusion...public input is a cheap formality, as a best case.

Also, at the end of this latest public comment period, watch how much difference public input changes whats proposed....I bet next to nothing.

I think you are spot on. In my recent experience public input seems to have little effect, and when this is pointed out the buck is passed to the legislature.

 

[Oak]

Showing up is what wins these issues.

I question that...

I think you are spot on. In my recent experience public input seems to have little effect, and when this is pointed out the buck is passed to the legislature.

That is the question I was going to ask. Is there really any recourse in MT? Because in CO it seems to have become a foregone conclusion if CPW wants and proposes it.

 

[RobG]

I think you are spot on. In my recent experience public input seems to have little effect, and when this is pointed out the buck is passed to the legislature.

It makes a difference. The original shoulder seasons and ARM changes were tempered down quite a bit.

If you go to the regional office and watch they generally will allow you to make a comment or ask a question. I think I'll be at the Bozeman office.

I don't know what to make of these proposed changes yet since I don't understand them. Currently there are "game management seasons" so the cows are already being hunted in the off season. The shoulder season gets around the requirement that the landowners provide public access during the regular season if game management seasons are to be used.

I think we'll have time to comment after we understand what's in it. From one of those agendas:

Public Involvement Process & Results
Elk season comments were received during scoping and included interest in antlerless opportunities, archery permits, and public/private land management. In addition to public comment at the Dec. 10 Commission meeting, public comment will run through 5 p.m. Jan. 22, 2016. Any final adoptions will take place at the Feb.11, 2016 Commission meeting.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I think you are spot on. In my recent experience public input seems to have little effect, and when this is pointed out the buck is passed to the legislature.

I don't get my way all the time either but I think it's incredibly short sighted to give up on the commission and the agency because we haven't gotten our way. Make this a fight, and give them no room to just move forward. We've stood up countless times during the session to fight for the agency. They need to continue to hear from us and remember who actually stands with them.

 

[BuzzH]

Oak, the only recourse I've seen in Montana if you're a sportsmen, is to just shut up and deal with the fall-out of crap policy.

If I don't do that, my last recourse is to stop contributing any more elk tag money to a state that does nothing to manage elk, deer, or much of anything else.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Oak, the only recourse I've seen in Montana if you're a sportsmen, is to just shut up and deal with the fall-out of crap policy.

If I don't do that, my last recourse is to stop contributing any more elk tag money to a state that does nothing to manage elk, deer, or much of anything else.

Commission approves the tentatives or makes changes. Focus on the commission, they work for you.