Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Free range buff in MT?

Nope, I only want to hunt Buff and there are just limited opportunities.

Will you take me out?

Post up some pics Dink(shooter).

Be glad to take you out.

When would you like to go?

If SLM would take me out maybe I'd have some hero shots.

Are we hunting circus animals like in your avatar?

It is a transplanted unicorn.

When we going?

We'll have to hunt something else, I've never applied for the unicorns.

Maybe Buff?

Free Range of course.

Oh wait, unless we go to B.C. we'll never get the chance.

More good reading, a very hot topic.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/mo...01937fe-7e40-11e2-b4ec-001a4bcf887a.html

Brenden, however, said he and others are only seeking a balance in bison policy, and that if landowner concerns aren�t addressed, sportsmen�s groups should be worried about the backlash.

�People have closed up their properties to hunting, because of the actions of Fish, Wildlife and Parks on this translocation of buffalo,� he said. �If we don�t get this bison thing solved, there won�t be hundreds of thousands of acres locked up, there will be millions of acres.�

What a bunch of babies, I say call them on their Buff Bluff. In 2 years they'll be complaining about the lack of income from the loss of hunters and crying the animals are "eating them out of house and home".

You really have no clue. Ranchers are the stewards and harldy depend on hunters for income. You are obviously here to stir the pot and I took the bait. I recommend a couple of days with Sam and maybe you will have a realistic perspective. Then again, I doubt you live in reality.

Wow....this thread got exciting! Who'd a thunk.

I don't think anybody doesn't want to see buff once again roam and have the opportunity to hunt them, but you have to be realistic and look at the cost to everyone involved.

I say forget the buff and open up corner crossing.

That is a fuggin scandal. "Land locking" public ground is horsesh!t of the highest order.

I always laugh to myself when I hear that ranchers are the stewards of the land. There isn't any doubt that there are some fantastic landowners that take wildlife into consideration. Wyoming gives awards to these landowners every year. But their are a lot who don't and are only trying to make a profit. Which is fine, everybody has to make ends meet. But then they shouldn't go lording themselves over everybody claiming to be stewards of the land.

And while Dinkshooter may have a sharp sense of humor, it doesn't mean he has left reality. If anything it may mean he is a little more grounded in reality than the people who refuse to even consider the possibility of bison outside of the park. Bison will never be near the number they were. But that doesn't mean that herds cannot be established outside of Yellowstone and the Tetons in Wyoming and Montana. Elk, deer, antelope, and bears have been brought back. Bison should be given the same treatment. The more landowners stick their heads in the sand and hope the issue goes away, the more they ensure it will become another wolf debacle. Nobody wants that except the extreme environmental groups that will use it as a fundraiser.

I�m plenty familiar with a "stewards" daily routine.

6:00am coffee
7:00am coffee-Listen to the cattle/grain reports on the radio so you can moan and groan about the price of beef and wheat all day
8:30am fire up the truck with the Hydro bed and spread out a couple bales
10:30am call up your legislator and see what kind of things you can impose on the public to add coin to your pocket.
12:00 Samich and chips at the house with momma
1:00pm Head down to the local feed store and talk about things such as newcomers, eastern tenderfoots, how the entire world is on the government dole except you, etc.
4:00pm head back to the homestead, check a few water tanks, feed bunks etc
5:30pm Beer thirty

I�d love to go hang out with Sam for a few days (I�m assuming he is a rancher?). I�ve hung out with �stewards� a plenty. Shooting coyotes while you feeding, watching deer and elk, chopping a few troughs. It is a lot more fun than my average day.

I am here to stir the pot, I still cannot understand why we hunters let �Stewards� like Brenden(every western state has them) piss all over our heads at every step and say take like a man cause I�m a �Steward� of the land.

Amen that is a scandal. And that type of scandal is brought to you by some of the very stewards we are talking about. They know the value of keeping YOU out so they can make $ off the publics resource.

As far as landowners being the "stewards"...yeah, thats true in some cases.

Its also not true in others.

I can also tell you that the best private "stewards" of wildlife in Montana are NOT allowing public hunters on unless you have a fat wallet or know somebody.

Check this map...the 2011 map of the outfitter leased lands in Montana. This doesnt include private lands that are held by outfitters, only acreage they lease from others.



Of course this also doesnt include all the private leases held by individuals...which I'd reckon would probably nearly double the total amount of leased lands.

Currently, in Montana, about the only way the average guy is going to get a chance to hunt private is either through Block Management or have close friends/family that own private and allow you to hunt.

The days of knocking on doors and getting permission on QUALITY private are over in Montana, Wyoming, really anywhere.

I'm perfectly fine with that, their land, their right to lease it, sell it, outfit it, or not allow hunting.

However, that only increases my desire to see that ALL accessible public lands are open for business to DIY hunters. That includes corner crossing, and frankly, I dont give a flying [bleep] if it pisses off some landowners. The only ones it will piss off are those that are utilizing that public land for private gain at the expense of DIY hunters/public lands.

It also means that the MTFWP/public land hunters are going to have to purchase as much property as possible.

Again, if landowners close their lands down and throw MT sportsmen under the bus, due to the MTFWP/hunters purchasing lands (like they just recently did), then fine...close it down. I dont give a [bleep] about that either, they're just driving the wedge even deeper.

Its always entertaining to read that Hunters need to work with landowners, but that Landowners dont need to work with hunters.

The lines have been drawn by the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, the Republican Legislature, and Private Landowners in regard to public land, wildlife, and MT hunters.

Anytime any of the above dont get their way, they fling their suckers in the dirt, stomp their feet...and take it out on Montanas Hunters.

I'll return the favor in kind and tell them to go pound sand...I'm looking out for #1 from here on out. They made the decision to pick the fight, I'll gladly end it.

Corner crossing will happen, land purchases will continue to happen, and hunters will continue to be the BEST stewards of wildlife, continue to pay the vast majority for management, etc....count on it.

I don't usually get up until 6:30 this time of the year.

I have been back on the farm for a few years after a 10 year hiatus. [bleep] off in Bozeman and poured concrete(another lazy man's job).
It it a small family operation, just my dad and I, mom helps sometimes if she's not teaching school.
I have taken one full day off since last October and won't take another one off until after calving and the crop is in the ground(another 2-3 months). Last weekend my wife wanted to get out of town so we drove 150 miles and stayed the night in Miles City.

This time of the year it is kinda slow, maybe 40-50 hours a week.

My dad takes care of the feedlot and I feed the cows. Roll out about 10-12 round bales every morning and shovel off about 1500lbs of cake a day. We are usually both done feeding by noon. Then if the weather is halfway decent we'll work on random outdoor projects. Last 2 afternoons we back poured yearlings and doctored a few gimpy calves.
Calving time is right around the corner and then we'll be alot busier. Second half of calving season we will be trying to get in the field, luckily we only seed about 1000 acres of wheat so it's not like we're seeding for a month on end.

Every Sunday we do usually take the afternoon off though this time of year which is why I'm sitting here typing.

Honestly I would rather hang out with Buzz than myself. He had a chitload of time off last year and went on a bunch of cool hunts. Of course he works for the gov't so time off isn't an issue.


How about you Dinkshooter, what is your occupation?

Hey, hey...easy there..I work for the gubbermint too. Having extra vacation time is really a function of how many credit/comp hours you build up throughout the year.

I do miss the ranch/farm life though, as hard of work and long of hours as it was.