Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Montana Tag Sales Languish, Again...

i understand we dont have the deer we had 4 or 5 years ago, but quit shooting every doe in the country that will help,, especially the first year after a hard winter, not 3 years later,

i have 11 muley bucks scouted up right know that will be 150-170 class 4 pointers, all on bma or public land, seen couple pushing 180 two nights ago that could meander off and on private/ public boundary,, we will see how the season goes, i am very hopeful

hell of a lot better deer hunting than in idaho the last 5 years hunting and scouting there i havent turned up a single 170 class buck,,,in a general season over the counter tag

i also understand that throughout the west i think mule deer populations are lower than what we would like, thre will probably be a day when all mule deer hunting will be by a drawing in all western states,, that will be a sad day when the managers of our deer herds let that happen,,,

JG: Yeah that's a riot! "They ain't selling....we'll raise the prices! That'll fix it!"

Fundamental rules of supply and demand don't apply to government at any level.No wonder this country is in trouble! LOL!

Did any of these bureaucrats ever go to college? Or get a degree in common sense? Hilarious.

I agree with 300STW about shooting does. I've watched non residents completely eliminate all the deer in several areas I used to hunt over the past 30 years. There should be no doe hunting on state or federal ground since they are the future of the herds. What I've seen happen is an area carries maybe 20 deer in 5 sections but after seventeen hunting parties flashing cash to the landowner are done there is absolutely nothing left. I have BMA areas close that are totally pounded to the point where there's not enough cover for a pheasant to hide in let alone a deer or elk. A group of friends apply annually for the 700 antelope tags and never intend to use them since there's hardly any thing left to shoot. I wouoldn't care if FW&P raised the local tags 10 fold if it would help and cut the number of nooresidents they think we need to cater to. As stated elswhere there are so few deer in some areas buying a tags is only donating to the state.

There are no mulies across the west. I just read a stat that the deer numbers in Colorado are almost half of what they were in 2006! Yet they won't dump the 4th season rut hunt, nor will they quit shooting does.

The Jicarilla Rez has got mulies, if'n you got the cash.

I want to make sure the f&g depts here in the west don't destroy the hunting by their poor management of the populations, both of the deer and elk, and of the predators as well. At this moment, much of what I can do is just hope. I've done plenty of non-filled tag buying the last few years. If this is what it takes, I'll do it.

I am amused by the commentary from out-of-staters on what Montana needs to do.

I always figured that if I want a say in what Montana does, I need to move there and become a resident.

The real question seems to be "Does FWP manage by dollars or by wildlife?"

This isn't the same F&G we had 40 years ago. I believe that we have more environmental people in FWP than hunters. That being the case, it would only make sense that the game would be managed to the advantage of the game, not the hunter. Although the regulations don't seem to mirror that philosophy, I really don't think that the FWP is a bunch of accountants either.

Deer numbers are down, Elk numbers are very stable, Moose are almost gone around the Greater Yellowstone area. There are lots of influences that affect game populations as well as tag sales, but I don't think they are mutually compatible.

About 4 years ago a bunch of Sportsman groups got together to put a ballot initiative out to eliminate the Outfitter sponsored licenses for out of state hunters. There is an undeniable gap between what sportsmen want vs what Outfitters want. To eliminate the sponsored tags was to get more hunting opportunities for residents and to stop the concept of the state subsidizing the outfitting business with those tags.

Since that initiative passed, the out of state sales have not made quota. Before that, there were no NR tags available. I don't think it is the economy as much as how well the outfitting business had clients lined up for hunting. As those tags go unsold, it does leave a deficit that didn't exist previously and that hasn't recovered.

Will it recover? Who knows, it will take time to wash out. In the mean time we need to be better informed on what the game populations are vs tag allotment and give input to what we have for FWP to help keep Montana's game managed to a level we have come to enjoy.

I have lived and hunted Montana all my life and I can tell you, other than moose populations, all the game in Western Montana is more abundant than it was in the mid 60's...

Must be the same folks that run the D.C. Metro system- ridership is down, so we have to raise fares and increase parking fees. That'll make 'em want to ride!

By the way, we also like to kill a few folks now and then, just to make things more interesting.

I am not from Montana but it seems to me the problem in this statement isn't the out of towner willing to pay the land owner for the opportunity.

I will refrain from armchair quarterback comments but the pooch was obviously screwed.


Did see 4 mule bucks last Monday on public land. 2-3 year olds, hope they survive the hunting season!

This time of year seeing bucks is easy.