I've had conversations and email exchanges with the Region 7 supervisor and manager on this topic. Based on the most recent emails I've received, I don't see anything changing while they're at the helm. I was specifically asking about the potential to create a small limited entry unit similar to 652 (or whatever the unit is that's on the Big Dry Arm of Fort Peck) to see if they could provide a different experience to what they already offer. They wanted nothing to do with it. They are under the impression that most hunters are happy with the current situation (I've been told a hunter satisfaction study backs this up), so they have no intention of changing that anytime soon. Furthermore, they had pretty good buck:doe and fawn:doe ratios, so you're going to be hard pressed to convince them they're doing something wrong. It sounds like the folks in the Bitterroot, who are exceptionally organized and active, had shitty ratios to help their case. That doesn't seem to be the case in Region 7. Finally, they're not convinced limiting harvest will increase the quality of bucks. I'm just relaying what they told me.
My thoughts, the average person on this board is much more knowledgeable about the biology behind mule deer and what goes on in other states than the average deer hunter in Montana. I also think that the average person on this board is much more concerned with trophy potential than the average deer hunter in Region 7. With that in mind, I can't imagine a scenario where you convince the Region 7 folks to make any widespread changes based on the quality of bucks you want to hunt. If most folks are happy with the quality of deer hunting in Region 7, it's tough to convince them and FWP that something is wrong.
Honestly, I enjoy hunting Region 7 and so do most of my friends and family. I realize I wasn't here 20 years ago, so my standard is much different than those who have been around longer than I. Maybe if things continue to decline, assuming they are, I will be complaining about how great the hunting used to be over dinner with my grandkids. Even though I look forward to my annual mule deer pilgrimage to Region 7 more than any other trip of the year (Wyoming antelope might trump everything this year though), I'd love to have the opportunity to hunt a limited area out there. That's why I suggested creating a small unit to test the idea out.
The area of 652 represents about 1% of all of Region 7. Based on the number of 652 applicants, I'm guessing a similar unit in Region 7 would displace fewer hunters than those interested in such an area (a net win for the limited area). If most hunters aren't interested in applying for such a hunt, they still have 99% of the region to hunt. I have no idea how difficult it is to create a new limited unit, but I suggested trying it out for a while to see how it worked and whether it received support from the hunting community. Still, no interest from anyone in FWP. However, the supervisor felt it necessary to forward our exchange to every biologist in the region...I know I'm only one person, so I didn't anticipate them to start the paperwork on my idea, but I did expect more of a discussion than what I got.
Based on the complacency of hunters in general, I don't see folks gathering enough momentum to get any meaningful change. I'm open to suggestions though.
