Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Montana antelope 2012 season

According to this mornings paper, there will be no doe tags for antelope this year. Sorry to see that.

Fred

I just hope they recover in population sooner than later. The goats on this side of the state really took a beating last winter.

Keep killing coyotes.

Sound decision from what I see around my place

Yoyza!

I was wondering how tags would look for this year.


Travis

Big time! From what I've seen in my travels in the last 6 months or so it was the only logical thing to do. Now I understand that maybe in some areas it isn't needed but for the most part I think it'd be awfully stupido not to close it.

I realize it was too late to close it last fall, but IMO they should of if they could of in many parts as well.

Dober

Agreed... thankfully for wildlife this winter has been wonderfully mild. Hopefully it will help game populations.

Now if FWP would quit catering to the land-gods and close depredation elk hunts in important wintering areas...

I put in for '11 buck but wasn't going to use the tag if I drew.

They should close the entire season for at least 1-2 years in couple of the districts around here.

Last Fall hunting mule deer/chasing cows, I saw zero pronghorn in places where you'd see 30-50 in years past. Driving around you might see a little bunch every 10 miles or so, maybe.


And +1 Brad, thankfully this Winter has been the total opposite of last year.

It's kind of odd they're doing it statewide. Seems like the herds on this side of the state are doing pretty well.

Good thing is it seems like everything's lining for them to bounce back pretty quick, especially with this winter. Good on F&G for being somewhat proactive.

I should have been more clear. I am sorry that the antelope population is in such dire straits that the doe tags have to be eliminated. I am glad that FWP is taking the prudent step of eliminating the doe tags. Anterless deer tags are being reduced in many areas, also, which is probably a good decision.

Fred

Snowshoed right over this one and didn't even know he was there.
Close to home, Winter pushed the pronghorn right down almost into town. Little band from way north camped on the creek.

I found 3 or 4 after the snow melted. Last Winter was hard on things.



Tops of the bush in the rifle pic are just right of the 'lope.
He was under snow for months, the ones that survived are some tough critters.

Went up to look for coyotes and feed the birds and found them. Didn't go back up and bother them again until after the snow melted. There were still a few around, looked like hell but they were alive.

Winter walk on foot.

Ouch!! Not my choice for showing snow depth.

F150.

Good photos Sam.

That was a misprint in the paper. They were talkin bout 900.00 tags for archers. Know that the speed sheep took a hit in eastern part of state but they are doing very well in my area. It's the muleys and elk that has me concerned. Wolves and lions have taken a big toll no counting the black bears abd grizzlies. The biologist did a survey and say that lions and bears are killin more calves than the wolves. But the survey was slanted. They did the survey in the spring when the wolves are denned up and taking care of new pups and not as actively hunting like they do when pups are a little older in the late summer. They also at the same time outlawed taking of female cats, which did no favours to the herd. Check out the article in the Helena, Mont. newspaper...the Independent Record titled " Perfect Storm", worth reading. helenair.com

I was wondering about a misprint, because on the west side antelope seem to be pretty muych unaffected....we shall see when the regs come out...misprints in the Helena Independent Retard are common....

If I understood the article and the following correction, the original article said thee would be no antelope doe/fawn tags.

"For antelope hunters, the commission eliminated all doe and fawn licenses statewide. Their numbers crashed due to the harsh winter in Eastern Montana. By limiting the hunting of females, FWP officials hope antelope numbers will rebound. They also lowered quota ranges in Eastern Montana, in some places from a minimum of 500 to 300.

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyl...405-b9bc-62a4bc02847f.html#ixzz1naiH9XIB

The correction said that archers with the 900 antelope tag would be able to take doe/fawn using that 900 tag.


Fred

Sound decision to not allot any doe tags. In the area we hunt it is usually non residents who wage war on the does anyway.


ddj