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  1. AHayes111

    Question About MT Tag Drawing Stats

    In 2023 region 7 was one unit, This year region 7 is divided into two units. One north of the Yellowstone and one south. The 2023 stats do not apply anymore.
  2. AHayes111

    What’s the coolest thing you found in the back country

    I found th Speaking of the old 45 calibers, My father found a loaded 45-70 a half mile from the stones and I found this old 45-60 case maybe two miles away.
  3. AHayes111

    What’s the coolest thing you found in the back country

    I found these three stones way of the beaten path on the Custer in SE MT. One of the stones is broken and hidden by the sage. Natural or grave stones is up for debate, but I am leaning on grave stones. You just don't find three flat sandstone rocks standing up in a row at least a 100 yards from...
  4. AHayes111

    Mule deer and forest fire

    With over 2/3 of the Custer burning in the last 25 years. I have a bit of burn hunting experience. The burns have greatly improved the feed for the deer. That is the good part. The bad part is the burns have also eliminated most of the cover deer need to hide. The result has been lots of deer...
  5. AHayes111

    Montana backcountry vehicle recommendation

    Hunting the gumbo is real simple. You do not drive off of the improved roads if it is wet. Chains will help if there is deep snow, but using them in wet gumbo may just make it worse. You want to keep your tires spinning as fast to throw the mud off of your tires if you hit a patch of wet gumbo.
  6. AHayes111

    Fighting for Big Mule Deer with Darby Finley

    This I believe is check station data and extrapolated region wide. Unfortunately it doesn't differentiate between public and private land. Likely a big difference between the two. It would also be interesting to find out what percentage of older bucks were less than 4 by 4s.
  7. AHayes111

    Awesome trail cam pictures?

    My favorite of all time
  8. AHayes111

    Fighting for Big Mule Deer with Darby Finley

    Montana has a long experienced the effect of the rut hunt on mature bucks. We still have older bucks in The herd. the most recent data I have seen says that 29% of the bucks taken in region 7 were four years old or better and that a whopping 72 % were four point or better. When you consider...
  9. AHayes111

    Fighting for Big Mule Deer with Darby Finley

    I agree, it is not the job of game departments to provide big bucks for us to shoot. Game departments need to be managing with the long term interests of the deer and habitat in mind, not what the hunters want.
  10. AHayes111

    Fighting for Big Mule Deer with Darby Finley

    Thanks for doing the interview. Not sure if I am sold on the we need to shoot them to avid an even bigger die off. I can see why a steady population would make hunters happy, and no one wants to see deer starve, but I am not so sure that a big die off is not a good thing in the long run. Some...
  11. AHayes111

    How common are mature bucks?

    Here is a picture of the sheds of three bucks that lived in the same bachelor group. All three are mature bucks. The single set is the only set I found from the buck, but he grew two more sets of antlers. The sheds I found are around 207, I think he was four years old. I would bet money he was...
  12. AHayes111

    How common are mature bucks?

    I would also say that close to half of the bucks in many places will never make 160 no matter how old they get or how much food is available to eat.
  13. AHayes111

    How common are mature bucks?

    I am convinced if you are seeing lots of deer today you are hunting in the wrong spot. Bucks that live where there are lots of other deer to attract hunters die young in OTC units.
  14. AHayes111

    Fighting for Big Mule Deer with Darby Finley

    Man is this timely. Just went round and round with CWD at the MT Mule Deer CAC Will give it a listen when I get time.
  15. AHayes111

    Is Ag Good or Bad for Mule Deer Fawn Survival?

    I have to believe that deer in the WY herd are effected more than most other herds. There is always a chance that a deer will get caught in a fence, but fawns like those in the WY herd likely are seeing a fence for the first time in their life when they migrate and have zero experience on how to...
  16. AHayes111

    Montana season change proposal

    This proposal is not cow hunting on private land only. There is sill going to be cow hunting on public and private during Nov. The reason for private land cow hunting two weeks in Oct is to give landowners the opportunity to bust cows off of ag fields earlier. A long time ago when outfitters...
  17. AHayes111

    Antler size vs age Rokcast

    The biggest issue on ag is getting a buck with potential to live more than three years. Three points that never get bigger than 130, those will die of old age. Bucks that might be something special, they die as 160 inch four points at age three.
  18. AHayes111

    Antler size vs age Rokcast

    I also kind of agree that does in good shape produce the best fawns. The best year I have ever saw in SE MT for big deer was 1987. No other year is even close. I don't think it is quiescence that it is 8 years after the big winter kill of 78/79. Once does that survived recovered they would have...
  19. AHayes111

    Antler size vs age Rokcast

    Quite a few years back we had a yearling whitetail that busted up the pedicle on the left side. The antler hung down along side of his jaw. I didn't find those antlers but I found all the rest until my brother shot him at age seven. That antler was always a little goofy and came off of his head...
  20. AHayes111

    Montana 2025 Elk Hunt

    What not to do! Don't think for a minute that scent elimination or scent free gear will keep elk from smelling you. If you are down wind you will be busted.

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