Not specific to Utah, I’m a MT resident, but a subject that hits close to home.
@robby denning
I was a little surprised to hear your thoughts on rut hunting in Idaho. I’m all about opportunity, but it can definitely go too far. MT is a great example of that. General season tags that go until late November every year is devastating to buck populations. It’s getting to the point where 115” 3x3 are considered “nice shooters” by locals. A 140” 4x4 is called a “big deer” Not an exaggeration. Based on reactions I’ve seen from most hunters, even very experienced locals, they’ve seen maybe one or two 170 class bucks in the last 10-20 years.
I’ve been discussing how this could be addressed with buddies, and have often appealed to how Idaho does things with their season dates. In my mind, an October season allows for lots of opportunity without crushing buck numbers…Even if we allowed the first week or so of November. But the 10-25 is a straight blood bath for 2-3 year old deer every year…
I’ve wondered if we did a 4-5 week season Oct 1-31, or even Oct 1- Nov 5/7. Then had a random lottery for an extended season rut hunt. 25% of tag holders (or something along those lines). Keeps opportunity, protects the younger deer allowing for some quality, spreads out hunting pressure and still gives great odds of having a rut hunt and good chance at older deer for the average hunter.
As noted in the podcast, these long season dates like we have in MT really do spread out hunting pressure. It’s amazing to see how animals respond and change behavior as the season progresses, both for archery and rifle.
Based on the fact that this thread exists, maybe it’s not enough. Other states have been far more proactive than MT about mule deer management, and are still in the same boat…
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