Originally Posted by pete53
Originally Posted by shrapnel


Originally Posted by Brad
MT FWP is run by landowners and the politicians that cater to them, not by science/biologists...


So you need science to qualify as a correct model for game management. That is only part of the picture. If you go to any of the meetings held by FWP on any management issues, you don't see many biologists and scientists, you see sportsmen that want to modify the seasons to enhance hunting opportunities. I'm not saying that is wrong, it is just how things are done.

So when a landowner complains to the FWP about elk populations, why does it have to be done in accordance with science anymore than other forms of input? I shoot gophers on plenty of ranches that don't summer cattle on public ground. I have spent days rebuilding fences that elk have knocked down on those ranches and FWP isn't funding or sending anyone there to help. So when people complain about shoulder seasons and blame ranchers for screwing up the hunting season, it isn't really a complete picture of the elk or elk management practices...


so why allow beef cows in the public mountains and all public land ? these ranchers beef cows have eaten and destroyed the grass for years and now these ranchers want to complain about the elk ? really? lets take those beef cows off and out of all public lands permanently and see in 10 years if I am wrong. lets also make residents pay more for a elk tag too seems wrong residents pay less than $40.00 for a elk license and a non-resident pays around $900.00 . then non-residents come out to Montana and ranchers have most of the public elk on there land and want a fee or won`t let you hunt on their land,but its ok to have beef cows eat and destroy public land every year. that`s just all wrong ! some day this will change and those beef cows will be fenced on ranchers land and the ranchers won`t be using public grass land no more ,so these ranchers better stop whinning so much.


Ranches in the west are a tremendous land trust for wildlife, sportsmen, and wildlife enthusiast alike. Most ranchers today are land-rich and cash-poor. Folks love to run them down but many live on million dollar plus properties and work for pennies. I don't begrudge them the bit of public grazing that is left on FS land or the vast areas of BLM that is grazed. You run these ranches out of business and the alternative is too often development, 20 acre parcels. What's more is that the truth is the opposite. Studies show that regularly grazed land is healthier year-to-year over ungrazed, overgrown land. You show some evidence that elk are starving in the mountains due to competition with cattle and I'm all ears. Finally, much of the grazing has been cut back due to the clean water act, which closed many areas to public lease. As a population, ranchers are our friends and the friends of wildlife. I don't need free access to all ranch property to recognize the benefit we derive.

Shrap, it is always interesting that folks come here because of the beauty and abundance and then want to fix it. What they might miss is that we've been hunting, ranching, farming, and mining this land as long as we've been here. Is it perfect? No, certainly not. But I'm always hearing these one-aspect solutions that are supposed to solve great issues with little consideration for what the unintended consequences might be.

As for me, I get elk during the general season every year on public land. I don't hunt the shoulder season. However I understand that the shoulder season is designed to drive elk from private holdings and onto public land, thus increasing your opportunities. It seems to me that the OP is barking up the wrong tree. Maybe stop worrying over elk that you can't hunt and go where the elk live that you can hunt?