Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Draw Odds For Montana

I started this thread to help me get info on what is to be my first trip outwest. Sure the price increase will mean a little more saving but $200 can be easily done..My wife and I have 2 kids and earn about 45000 a year so I sure as hell wont be paying 10,000 to hunt a ranch..
I apprciate your opinion DINK, but with the amount you guys are already spending....what the hell is 200 more???
Hell if you aint gonna miss the 200..Send it to me to help with my first western adventure!

So thanks for all the info thus far...What other tips do you guys have for a "greenhorn" who wants to go to Montana to hunt elk/deer????
I really want to put in for the combo tag, but wonder if I should just keep it simple and apply for one species for my first trip..

CBB I did not mean to side track your thread.

If I were you I would buy the muledeer tag and then wait and see if there were any left over cow/calf license for reduced price.

Its not about how much money you make or don't make. Its about being treated unfair because my license plate does not say montana on it. Everyone is mad at outfitters because they have the money to lease the big ranches. So there jealousy caused them to do away with the outfitter tag in hopes of putting outfitters out of business. Now they want the average out of state hunter (me and you) to pick up the tab. They wanted to be mean to the outfitters and let everyone else suffer. I already spend more on hunting in the state of montana than most locals (probaly) and now they want a little surcharge.

Montana will gladly take our federal tax money from out of staters (because they don't have the population to sustain itself) and then give non-resident hunters the finger and say you are going to pay anyway. Just pisses me off.

Like I said I did mean to side your track so badly but it really pisses me off about the tag increase.

Dink

Montana is a producer......we send out of state more timber, oil, natural gas, power, grain, beef. various minerals, produce and products than we use...not to mention the tourist industry.....im thinking we can sustain ourselves just fine.....

you wouldnt believe the amount of power that is pumped out of this state to fuel those south and west of us and we are always looking to build new power plants to sell more....

as ive said, just turn over all the federal land to the state and we will not take any federal money......

Dink - I think you should relocate to Montana. I think your views would change.

I doubt most residents here in Iowa even know what a nonresident pays. Montana can charge whatever as long as people are willing to pay.


ddj

No problems here Dink..Just trying to get on track...Next season will be here before I know it, as will the app deadlines..I need to get my chit together...

CBB- JMO, but it this is your first non-whitetail type hunt, I'd go for the deer tag and try to add a pronghorn tag or three if possible. Elk, if you are successful, bring a whole 'nuther level of complication/work. Just my 2 cents...

Rattler you may be right but I don't think you guys have enough people to support yourself (which is a good thing really). I have driven hundreds of miles on paved highway and only thing I seen was beef. I don't know how much taxes those bring in.

If I lived in montana I might have a different opinion but I doubt it. Look at the guys on this forum from montana that kill big elk and deer every year. They hunt hard on public ground and get it done. I doubt they are hoping a outfitter goes out of business in hopes they will get on some ranch they can drive around on. That is my opinion only.

Trout I won't hunt iowa because of the tag price. I have been invited a couple times but I won't pay that much to kill a deer. That and I don't like slugs or muzzleloaders.

CBB you are right next year will be here before you know it. My wife is due with son number two at the end of Jan and I had this muledeer hunt already planned. Now this. I have to either pay the $200, start all over in another state or not hunt in the west next year. I am making phone calls tomorrow......grin.

Dink

I'm just getting into this thread but all those miles seeing nothing but beeves is one of the things we like love about this place...

ingwe its one of things I liked about montana too.

3 pronghorn tags?? That just sounds like fun!!!
Are there that many lope out there??

In places....

Well, I supplied useless drivel in a silly debate, I might as well try to contribute something useful.

The out of state guys I know often have deer tags. However, elk hunting is very consuming. Trying to fill the elk tag dominates the trip, and the deer tag ends up being a distant afterthough. They often shoot anything legal to fill the tag, usually a dinky muley. Moderately irritating to someone who laments the lack of mature muleys out west, but I'm not going to accuse anyone of stealing. I will say that where elk are, it is rare to find great mule deer except special draw areas that I don't think are part of this discussion. And by the time you actually locate and take an elk AND get it to the truck, you won't be that keen on a really hard hunt for deer. Now that I've offered this advice, you will probably come out with your elk tag and have a huge deer stand in front of you... Now obviously if the money doesn't bother you, as it does seem to bother some bothersomes, then carry a deer tag with you on your visit.

I think your chance of being drawn will be very good for next year, for reasons mentioned. MT essentially increased supply and cost for the same number of elk tags, so demand should ease in response. I would guess that past draw results for NR will be worthless.

As for tips, I think you will need to ask more specific questions. Probably best to start a new thread, since this one has been highjacked so badly (I accept responsibility in part for this, sorry).

Glad to hear it Ingwe.


Problem is there's getting to be alot of misinformed people who don't agree.

Cows, not condos..

CBB be careful about the antelope tags. They have had die off and have cut tags. Last year we drew buck tags in one unit and then had to drive to another unit to shoot antelope doe's.

Dink

Nothing to see on that sucky drive, except cows..

Sammo...I think the figures put us at the 13th highest taxed people in the nation IIRC, and Dink may be right, the beeves are'nt bringing in as many taxes as some things...but I know a schittload of us won't mind throwing in on their share....

Ingwe how can you taxed that high with out sales tax? Property taxes that high?

Dink

cattle? not a ton, Sam could prolly tell yah what the tax is per head......lot of tax money made on oil, nat gas, coal and the like though.....right now there is a ton of oil under a chunk of tribal land the size of Rhode Island that if it was privately owned or owned by the state would be developed.....as is the oil companies will not work with the tribes and i dont blame them...and its not some spiritual keeping the land pure its cause plain old fashioned greed by the tribes....

as others said dont like the tag prices move here.....as a business owner i will say the state is pretty business friendly....