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

True enough in Bozeman but not so much in Jordan, Ekalaka, Richey, etc. Just talk to the taxidermists. The unintended consequences of I-161 will not be known for years.

Rattler I am not sure what it was really over. Other than people being mad at outfitters. Everyone that voted for it had to know that what ever tag price increases would be taken out on the "average" non-resident hunter.

I think the economic impact will have a effect on many. The guys that pack there tent,meals and supplies from home probaly don't spend alot of money in montana other than for there tag and fuel. This is just a guess on my part but I think there will be alot of montana business owners unhappy about the money they make in october.

What really is going to be bad is if everyone continues to hunt montana. Then the rest of the western states will raise there tag prices to match.

Dink

Here's hoping that the intended consequences greatly overshadow any of the possible unintended consequences. Natural resource development would be a far better way for small town MT to see economic success than pandering to out of state hunters for a few dollars in the fall. While my home town businesses see hordes of pheasant hunters in the fall, the other 10 months of the year require the patronage of those of us who live here. Sharing with NR isn't a problem until they try to take it all.

No doubt its different for each part of the state. Do you think with less non res hunters in Garfield county will make a huge impact on revenue?

Honest question as im not trying to be a prick but actually see what kind of impact there will be for the smaller towns.

According to the locals it will have a huge impact. Check the plates in the local motels, primarily nonresidents. Ask the taxidermists where their work comes from. Remember the impact wolves had on the outfitters in Gardiner? Ask the motel owners about their business. Try to put a number on how many of those nonresident hunters return with friends (or tell friends). Any blow to tourism is not good for the state.

the fact of the matter is its actually fairly rare to run up against a Montanan that is dead set against nonresidents....hell i extended an offer to one of the guys participating in this thread from out of state to come out and ill show him around and he can crash at our cabin.....have extended the same invitation to many.....

push comes to shove i doubt many that voted to get rid of the outfitter sponsored tags would have a problem at looking at the nonresident tag costs in the future.....the vote wasnt about nonresidents hunting in Montana, the vote was about outfitters and their overall attitudes.....whole lot of us that voted to get rid of those tags did so knowing it was likely not going to change a damn thing with access to private land currently leased by outfitters, most residents know how to hunt just fine without getting access to that land....

whole lot of us were sick of the bullchit the outfitters were pulling and dont have a single bad word to say about out of state hunters...

I don't think for one second that the number of NR hunters will diminish in the future. Licenses are slightly more expensive - that's all that happened.

I hope that is the outcome. However, we know one that has decided to hunt elsewhere.

Thats the way I see it too. With more tags available will it bring in more hunters to hunt block and public lands? Will that in turn bring more revenue to local hotels, gas stations, restaurants and stores?

Im always more then willing to help someone out that wants to hunt Montana. Even better someone who is coming to hunt public lands and block.

Like was said before. Time will tell.

i have a hard time taking anyone ive never hunted with on to private land.....i live here 365 and when i take someone to land that aint mine ive got to vouch for them and my reputation gets tied to theirs.....more than happy to help someone new get the basics of the public land figured out, might not share my favorite spots but i will try to give them the best chance possible of a decent success.....if i hunt with the guy a few times then i might consider introducing them to the landowners i know.......

pretty well will help anyone out where i normally hunt, pointed more than a few NR hunters i only met in passing out in the hills to where an ok buck is i passed on cause they said they havent had good luck and were getting desperate....most the locals i hunt with are the same way....

The guys that hunt public/block land are the guys that buy nothing but a tank a gas on there way through. They like to hunt but won't spend any money. Thats my opinion anyway.

Dink

as someone that hunts those areas im gonna say bullchit.....they fill up the hotel rooms and bars and such around here....

The hotel near my home town is booked for next year with NR hunters for two months. No outfitters here - all hunters are on public and private DIY with the exception of the 2 leased ranches. If we have a bad winter a lot of them will cancel - Nobody will die or lose everything they have over it either.

Yes. When you have private-land honeyholes, you don't want to be bringing other people to them. Not much good comes of that. No good deed goes unpunished, etc.

most my honey holes are on public land.....most hunters be they resident or NR dont like to walk......ive got a couple easy walks where i rarely to never see a sign of another being there.....most the private land i know is for pheasants and whitetail....mule deer and goats are pretty well all public land hunting for me.....

Exactly the argument many of the outfitters made - landowners are tired of irresponsible hunters. When the landowner leases to one entity, they have just that entity to hold repsonsible.

true but if your local and willing to fix fence and help brand it can get yah on alot of private land

Therein lies the secret...

in high school i had access to a hell of alot of land in northern McCone county cause me and my buddies would make rounds in the spring and see if anyone needed help.....once i started dating Darla, her dad has a cabin at The Pines on the northside of Fort Peck, in a year i went from hunting mostly private to mostly public land.....thats about the time i also started getting pretty busted up and fencing all day and messing with a bunch of calves with only 3 wrestlers started loosing its appeal.....no longer have the access i used to, still have some cause my younger brother helps alot of ppl out and through him ive got access but rarely hunt out south anymore......

I used to hunt with guys that would only hunt public ground. Those guys always brought thier tent and meals from home. They also drive from straight through even if its 24 hour drive. They thought paying a tresspass fee was paying to much to hunt. I know alot of guys that do it this way and there is no way they are paying for meals and hotels.

Dink