Montana Cutting Deer Licenses

[Mtnwalker]

Drop in the bucket, this will have zero tangible effect in reducing pressure. But it will cause more point creep and price increases. Montana has had an influx of new residents and new resident hunters just like Idaho has over the last 5-10 years. Maybe it's time to look at some things that would actually help like *gasp* not having your general season run right through the heart of the rut and not killing a metric @#it ton of does?

[vandeman17]

they will increase the price and still sell out. Residents are happy, they make up for lost revenue, win win.

Yes this is true, but the impact to small towns and the business hunters bring to these towns will be felt

Absolutely. Collateral damage without any true improvements to the deer population

[HillHound]

As much as I hate to see it happen, something needed to happen. The last two years have been getting far worse. BUT I believe the answer is in cutting out all of the antlerless tags for a few years.Resident and non resident. And a three-point antler restriction For that same three year period and I bet the herd would rebound rapidly.

[vandeman17]

General season ends before md rut in regions where populations are low with only special permits available. I don't see how that would be controversial

[3nails]

 I sure wish they would separate the east from the west. I hunt the west and haven't seen another hunter in the woods for years. All public land too. Deer numbers are great in the west.

[vandeman17]

I sure wish they would separate the east from the west. I hunt the west and haven't seen another hunter in the woods for years. All public land too. Deer numbers are great in the west.

Deer numbers are terrible in the west. Nobody should hunt there.... 

[3nails]

I sure wish they would separate the east from the west. I hunt the west and haven't seen another hunter in the woods for years. All public land too. Deer numbers are great in the west.

Deer numbers are terrible in the west. Nobody should hunt there.... 

 

[spookgus]

I’ve been hunting there as a non-resident for nearly 40 years. We have seen stretches of lean and bounty. The east side spots we frequent have been drier than normal lately and deer numbers are down from a few years ago but not as bad as the years around 2012 or the late 1990’s.

[Mtnwalker]

I’ve been hunting there as a non-resident for nearly 40 years. We have seen stretches of lean and bounty. The east side spots we frequent have been drier than normal lately and deer numbers are down from a few years ago but not as bad as the years around 2012 or the late 1990’s.

Funny, 2013 was a killer year for us in region 7. Took my best MT buck that year and saw tons of deer. Fast forward to today and we are seeing a fraction of the deer in our areas even though the population estimates are almost identical.

[furbearer365]

Trying to help the population by cutting resident deer tags from 8 to 3....lmao.  On what planet does someone need 8 deer tags. There is 4 in my household between Me, Wife, Son, and Daughter. We eat wild game all year, probably 4 nights a week between steak, roast, and Burger, not to mention specialty meats.  My son and I average 3 tagged animals a year. Usually a couple Washington deer, and 1 elk. On a good year, we will get 2 WA deer, and 2 Montana deer.  We still have meat left from the year before by the time season starts.

[lewy]

I’ve wondered why they allow so many mule deer does to be killed for years.

[Sakko300wsm]

who in the hell would kill a mule deer doe!!!

[Pathfinder101]

Trying to help the population by cutting resident deer tags from 8 to 3....lmao.  On what planet does someone need 8 deer tags. There is 4 in my household between Me, Wife, Son, and Daughter. We eat wild game all year, probably 4 nights a week between steak, roast, and Burger, not to mention specialty meats.  My son and I average 3 tagged animals a year. Usually a couple Washington deer, and 1 elk. On a good year, we will get 2 WA deer, and 2 Montana deer.  We still have meat left from the year before by the time season starts.

I doubt most people actually kill 8 deer a year.  2 or 3 maybe.  Which means that instituting this rule will bother state residents about 0.  Voters will be happy, they'll see less out of state plates, and those out of staters that still pay to show up will wind up covering FWP's shortfall.  Small hunting town economies will still suffer. Mule deer populations will stay about the same. 

[ganghis]

This seems misguided.  Why not decrease B tags instead?  And while we're at it, institute an online harvest reporting program so they have better data and can address problems on a GMU basis?  They're light years behind on that one. 

[JWBINX]

who in the hell would kill a mule deer doe!!!

Exactly!!!