Montana Deer Application

[Chesapeake173]

Planning to try and head to SE MT for mulies/ whitetail. Trying to work my way through the website and still a bit confused. I THINK that I will need to apply for a deer combination license by March 15. What confuses me a bit is the “permits”. Agin I THINK that those are an additional thing, almost like a “hunters choice” tag back here where you could shoot an antlerless deer in the area that your permit is good for.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I consider myself pretty good at interpreting these sorts of things, but a bit confused on this.

Thanks in advance for any help!


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[COSA]

You are correct that you need to apply for the deer or deer/elk combination license (general tag) first, which is the tag you need to hunt SE MT. You can then apply for the limited quota units, of which most of the better units are in the western part of the state.

 

[slick]

Like COSA said.

General Deer or Deer/Elk combination you need first. That would be your license to shoot a deer in a general area. But is still your deer license.

Limited Quota Permits allow you to hunt Sex/Species listed on the permit (mostly likely MD bucks). And where bonus points/preference points come into play.

Hypothetical scenario. You want to hunt mule deer bucks in 652. You need to apply for the 652-xx MD Buck permit, after you have drawn/bought your general tag. If you draw 652 than wa-la you’re able to hunt MD bucks there. If you don’t, you have the option of returning your general tag for like an 80% refund. Or you can keep it and hunt 80% of the state on a general tag.


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[Chesapeake173]

Thanks guys! That’s kind of what I was thinking. Looking at Unit 705, and it didn’t mention any restrictions; was just confused a bit about possibly needing a permit to shoot , say a Mule Deer buck. Think I’m getting a grasp on it.


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[slick]

Nah. You’re good in 705 with just a general deer tag for both MD and WT bucks.

If you go to the front of the application packet, or if online- the beginning... there should be a list of all districts requiring permits and the previous years stats.

Like this (from 2017 Regulations)

 

[Chesapeake173]

Excellent. Thanks! That pretty much confirmed my initial thoughts. Now hopefully we can draw!


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[maninthemaze]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you do draw the 705 permit, then 705 is the only area you are allowed to hunt. If you decide rhat there aren't any deer in 705, you can't just pick up and move to a general area. I'm just trying to get a better grasp and not meaning to hijack.

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[204guy]

705 is general. You can hunt all the general units with the deer general.

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[johnsd16]

As above, there is no “705 permit”. If the area isn’t listed in the screenshot above, it is a general area. Looking up the MT big game refs will spell out exactly what you can do with the “general” deer tag (MD vs WT vs both) for each and every area. It is overwhelming to look at initially but makes sense after you look at it for a bit.

http://fwp.mt.gov/fwpDoc.html?id=79781

 

[cwegga]

While you are looking into where to hunt you might want to check out the hunt planner Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks :: Welcome to the Montana Hunt Planner! There is an interactive map that can show you where general license opportunities are and where permit opportunities are. If you expand the "harvest opportunities 2017 season" section it has some interesting stuff. It doesn't look to be updated for 2018 yet, but usually most of the regulations stay pretty similar year to year. Hunt Planner Map

 

[maninthemaze]

Ok, so if you draw a tag that is not in a general area, like area 200. Does that exclude you from hunting in any general area? Do you have to hunt area 200 only?

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[johnsd16]

Ok, so if you draw a tag that is not in a general area, like area 200. Does that exclude you from hunting in any general area? Do you have to hunt area 200 only?

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Yes, but you can’t draw that right off the bat. The first go round is just drawing the general tag. Then, those tag holders get the application for the LE hunts. If you draw a LE permit, you cannot hunt anywhere else, only the times and areas that LE permit is for.

I’m a little confused by the question because 200 is an area that can be hunted for everything on a general deer tag.

Area 202 on the other hand has a LE hunt. It can also be hunted with a general tag but only for whitetail bucks. If you want to hunt mule deer bucks you would have to draw the general tag then put in for the LE 202-50 and draw that. If you did, you would be limited to hunting MD bucks in 202, and couldn’t hunt anywhere other than 202 for any deer or even shoot a WT buck in 202.

 

[dah605]

I've got a follow-up question... if you have a permit for a mule deer buck, I know you are restricted to hunting in that area for mule deer buck. Can you still take a mule deer doe on that deer tag? As in, 1 tag = 1 deer, buck in specific area or doe as general deer tag.

The specific case I had was a doe 20 yards from me last year and I didn't think I could take it because I had a buck permit for the area. The does are not on the permit for that specific area during archery season.

-David

 

[MuleyFever]

So I have to spend the $602 for a deer combination general to put in for a LE hunt. What if I don't want to hunt general and don't draw the LE tag? Am I stuck with the $602 general permit or can I give it back for a refund?

 

[Trial153]

Montana is so overly and needless confusing ..... I have no idea what they were thinking with their regulations.

 

[armyjoe]

I was just going to start a new post with the same questions. I've hunting all over and Montana draw process is by far the most confusing.

I think I have it figured out but it took me a while though haha

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[FlyGuy]

Montana is so overly and needless confusing ..... I have no idea what they were thinking with their regulations.

Seems like I feel that way about every state I apply in. Took me a while to figure out WY. I only started looking at MT last year and it was super confusing. I drew WY so I only applied for a point in MT last year, but even for something as simple as buying a bonus point I still had to call them for clarification. But, once you wrap your head around how a state works you can sometimes find an angle. What I like about MT's system (based on my limited experience, mind you) is that your odds of drawing a limited entry tag are way better b/c you are only competing against folks that drew the general tag (a fixed number) vs other states where you are competing with any and every one who applied for the same LE unit as you (unlimited) number.

And (from what I hear) the hunting is pretty dang good in MT. So to me a general tag is awesome, and a LE tag is like a bonus!

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[johnsd16]

So I have to spend the $602 for a deer combination general to put in for a LE hunt. What if I don't want to hunt general and don't draw the LE tag? Am I stuck with the $602 general permit or can I give it back for a refund?

You can get an 80% refund which is what makes MT tough on those who want the LE hunt or nothing. I will hunt the general tag if I don’t get a LE I put in for but if you don’t want to do that it is an expensive point and stage to put in for.

 

[hobbes]

I don't know the entire draw process for a nonresident, but determining what, where, and when you can hunt is not really that difficult. I don't know when your application deadlines are, but you have to have a General License no matter where you plan to hunt. A permit allows you to hunt a specific location, but not all areas require a permit. The district specific regulations tell you what, where, and when you can hunt with your general tag and what if any requires a permit. Some permits are unlimited, but limit you to that area only once drawn. Some permits are limited. Not all permits limit you to hunt the area that they are drawn for.

Anyone that wants to hunt deer or elk, must have a General Deer License or a General Elk License. For a nonresident that's a Deer Combo, an Elk Combo, or a Big Game Combo (deer and elk). There are some prerequisites that need to be purchased to apply for these, make sure you know what they are. Last year was the first time since the big price increase that some of these were overapplied for, so some folks did not draw.

The following are the 2017 regs for Hunt District (HD) 705 (don't confuse them with 2018 which aren't out yet):

Start at the top under General Deer License. With a General Deer License (in 2017) you can kill either sex mule deer or eaither sex whitetail Sept. 02 to Oct.15 in the archery only season. You can kill either sex mule deer or either sex whitetail deer Oct. 21 - Nov. 16 during the general season(rifle season).

Then there are three different Deer B licenses.
007-03 must be drawn, there are 7500 licenses available, they are valid in all Region 7 HD's, it is good for antlerless Mule deer only. It is an additional license and not a permit.
007-00 can be purchased over the counter, they are unlimited, one per hunter and are for antlerless whitetail deer in all Region 7 HD's. It is an additional license and not a permit.
007-01 can be purchased over the counter, there are 2000, but are for residents only.

After that it says General Elk License.
With a General License you can hunt Antlerless elk only in the archery only season Sept.2 - Oct.15 and in the general season(rifle) Oct.21-Nov.26, but the general license is not valid on NF during the rifle season.

Then it says Elk Permit
These do not allow an additional elk, but allow you to kill either sex in an area that you otherwise couldn't. As shown above the general license only allows you to kill an antlerless elk in 705 and not on NF during the rifle season. If you want to shoot a bull in 705, you must draw one of the following permits.
799-20, these are a limited drawing, there are 225 total permits available and are only valid in HD 702, 702, 705, It is good for either sex elk Sept2-Oct.15(archery only) and Oct.21-Nov.26.
900-20, there are 3700 permits available and is an archery only permit and has a whole list of areas that this permit allows you to hunt.
These permits do not say that once drawn that is the only area that you can hunt, so you could draw, show up, not find elk, and decide to go check out an area that only requires a general license to shoot an elk and hunt there instead.

Then Elk B License
The licenses listed must be drawn and allow an antlerless elk in the specified locations at the specified time. A B License is an additional license and allows an additional elk (typically a cow).

 

[cwegga]

I've got a follow-up question... if you have a permit for a mule deer buck, I know you are restricted to hunting in that area for mule deer buck. Can you still take a mule deer doe on that deer tag? As in, 1 tag = 1 deer, buck in specific area or doe as general deer tag.

The specific case I had was a doe 20 yards from me last year and I didn't think I could take it because I had a buck permit for the area. The does are not on the permit for that specific area during archery season.

-David

So these are the regs for 2017 and how they would apply to the HD202 example. If you look them up, it says for the 202-50 permit, "Permit must be used with a valid General Deer License. Holders may not hunt Antlered Buck Mule Deer in any other HD." That means you could shoot an "Antlerless Mule Deer" (see the regulations for "Antlerless" and "Antlered Buck") if the unit allowed that. HD 202 doesn't allow that, but some do. If it restricted hunting antlerless in that unit or others they wouldn't have bothered putting in the "Antlered Buck" part.

One thing that may help people understand the MT system is Licenses allow you to take an animal and permits modify licenses. So a Deer B license allows you to take a second deer, but a permit changes where your general license is valid.