Montana Deer Crowds

[DWBMontana]

Heard from one source the number of apps already received here in Montana is up significantly over last year , with 10 days to go  till the application deadline, good luck to all putting in.

[wooltie]

I wonder if applications for deer/elk combo will exceed the quota.

[mburrows]

I wonder if applications for deer/elk combo will exceed the quota.

It will. There will be people that dont get drawn

[dvolmer]

I wonder if applications for deer/elk combo will exceed the quota.

Last year they exceeded the quotas and all three combo licenses had a success rate of around 70-75% if I remember correctly.  This year will be much lower I would imagine.  I called a week ago to Helena for some questions on the landowner combo license I was applying for.  The licensing agent that I spoke with told me they are completely overwhelmed and figure that this years applicant numbers will exceed last years by quite a few.  She said on March 1st when everything opened up they answered 1000 phone calls that day and the average hold time was 45 min to an hour.  She said that out of all the calls they receive, 90% are non-residents and they have had heavy calling everyday since the 1st.  I know that hunting numbers have increased but its hard for me to figure how they have increased so much in so short of time and I am not talking about Montana only.  Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, etc etc etc are all being massively swamped with massive applicant increases and I mean thousands and thousands of applicants.  Ya know how all this will end?, big increases in non-resident tag and licenses costs is how it will end!  So start saving your money!!!

[Karl Blanchard]

It'll end with an economy dip. The government handouts are gonna dry up. The artificial mortgage rates will eventually go up. The current state of affairs is unsustainable.  LESS than a decade ago idaho was having to sharply discount tags in order to sell them and you could snag a second tag from Walmart on your way to the mountains the last week of the season. A decade before that when you couldn't buy online, you better be on your game or those deer and elk tags were gone in a hot minute. We are often times very short sighted when it comes to ebs and flows of draws and tags and their correlation to the economy.

[Igor]

It'll end with an economy dip. The government handouts are gonna dry up. The artificial mortgage rates will eventually go up. The current state of affairs is unsustainable.  LESS than a decade ago idaho was having to sharply discount tags in order to sell them and you could snag a second tag from Walmart on your way to the mountains the last week of the season. A decade before that when you couldn't buy online, you better be on your game or those deer and elk tags were gone in a hot minute. We are often times very short sighted when it comes to ebs and flows of draws and tags and their correlation to the economy.

Curiosity question........what are "artificial mortgage rates" ?

[Karl Blanchard]

The low low low interest rates we have now. They aren't gonna be around for much longer.

[Igor]

The low low low interest rates we have now. They aren't gonna be around for much longer.

That doesn't explain the "artificial" part...............

[grundy53]

It'll end with an economy dip. The government handouts are gonna dry up. The artificial mortgage rates will eventually go up. The current state of affairs is unsustainable.  LESS than a decade ago idaho was having to sharply discount tags in order to sell them and you could snag a second tag from Walmart on your way to the mountains the last week of the season. A decade before that when you couldn't buy online, you better be on your game or those deer and elk tags were gone in a hot minute. We are often times very short sighted when it comes to ebs and flows of draws and tags and their correlation to the economy.

100%

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[Karl Blanchard]

You have a point to this? If you've got something to say then say it. Is artifical not an acceptable term to describe the fed keeping the interest rates low despite an absolutely insane housing market and strong economy?

[Igor]

You have a point to this? If you've got something to say then say it. Is artifical not an acceptable term to describe the fed keeping the interest rates low despite an absolutely insane housing market and strong economy?

Relax Karl.  You made a statement I did not understand, and was just trying to understand it.  If you don't want to explain it, I really don't give a rats patoot.

[Buckhunter24]

Thats kind of what were banking on. We didn't buy idaho tags for the second year in a row. Regarding mortgage rates, since we've sold and are varying we have kept a close eye on them. I think we have hit the bottom and are heading back to 4 percent soon.

[Karl Blanchard]

I'm plenty relaxed but your open ended comments made it seem like you were getting ready to educate me on interest rates or something. Is artificial not the correct term

[Igor]

I'm plenty relaxed but your open ended comments made it seem like you were getting ready to educate me on interest rates or something. Is artificial not the correct term

That was not my intent.  I merely asked a question because I didn't understand the term.  You want a discussion, I don't.  I'm sorry I derailed the thread.  Maybe some other time...............

[idahohuntr]

It'll end with an economy dip. The government handouts are gonna dry up. The artificial mortgage rates will eventually go up. The current state of affairs is unsustainable.  LESS than a decade ago idaho was having to sharply discount tags in order to sell them and you could snag a second tag from Walmart on your way to the mountains the last week of the season. A decade before that when you couldn't buy online, you better be on your game or those deer and elk tags were gone in a hot minute. We are often times very short sighted when it comes to ebs and flows of draws and tags and their correlation to the economy.

I generally agree - an economic downturn or recession will reduce NR demand in a given year.  NR hunting is discretionary spending, so significant declines in the economy likely hit the discretionary stuff hardest.  However, I also think there are foundational differences between today and previous economic downturns (e.g., 2008-09).  Today, the interest, knowledge, and resources for western state hunting and applications is enormous and it has attracted massive attention and made the barriers to entry extremely low.  Furthermore, non-resident hunting continues to be an activity that trends towards those with a solid financial position in life...folks less likely to be significantly affected by economic downturns.  It won't always be a straight upward trend of increasing demand for western tags, but it also won't be a return to the days where a recession drops demand by a massive amount.