Montana Mule Deer - First timer

[BH107]

Research has shown that APR and/or width restrictions are not effective… the only answer is limiting tags. Unfortunaly for Montana the FWP is funded by the tags they sell and they won’t give up that revenue.

 

[AHayes111]

Research has shown that APR and/or width restrictions are not effective… the only answer is limiting tags. Unfortunaly for Montana the FWP is funded by the tags they sell and they won’t give up that revenue.

The other option is to make it more difficult to select the bucks with the best potential and force people to shoot bucks with less potential by season at a less than optimal time or weapon restrictions. Limited tag will also work, but even if cut tags by 75% and that remaining 25% target the bucks with the top potential we will not grow lots of truly big deer. With a season like Montana's, bucks like the one in my avatar will still get shot at an age before they reach potential and lesser bucks will die of natural causes. This is one of the reasons 270 is not producing as many top end bucks as it did at the start. There is just no short cuts to growing big deer and ultimately it will likely take a combination of both LE , Change in season and maybe weapon restrictions. We in MT will have to decide if it is worth it. Right now we have more pressing issues with mule deer to fix.

 

[Derekc6713]

How serious is it being looked at to change the season structure? I mean to me that would be the most obvious way to help mule deer recover. I can’t think of another state that allows for 5 weeks of rifle hunting including during the rut for whitetail or mule deer.

 

[BH107]

How serious is it being looked at to change the season structure? I mean to me that would be the most obvious way to help mule deer recover. I can’t think of another state that allows for 5 weeks of rifle hunting including during the rut for whitetail or mule deer.

In 2024 there were changes to some hard hit Region 4 units, including making some LE and others LE for the second half of the season. The problem with this is it redistributes those hunters to other general units increasing the pressure there. Until FWP controls the hunting pressure in every region all it is going to do is hurt the general units more.

 

[Jake Larsen]

In 2024 there were changes to some hard hit Region 4 units, including making some LE and others LE for the second half of the season. The problem with this is it redistributes those hunters to other general units increasing the pressure there. Until FWP controls the hunting pressure in every region all it is going to do is hurt the general units more.

LE is NOT THE ANSWER!

Season dates is the gigantic red easy button for MT. We hunt OTC general tags in the rut. That’s insane.


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[finner]

LE is NOT THE ANSWER!

Season dates is the gigantic red easy button for MT. We hunt OTC general tags in the rut. That’s insane.


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Season dates is easy, but so is pick your weapon, pick your region (or unit), and separating out whitetail from mule deer on the deer A tag. Ultimately, it's going to have to be some combination of measures if we want to avoid going to LE for residents.

 

[BH107]

LE is NOT THE ANSWER!

Season dates is the gigantic red easy button for MT. We hunt OTC general tags in the rut. That’s insane.


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Shorten the season and you just force more hunters into those regions at the same time. Until they can control the number of deer taken by controlling the number of hunters in a unit things will continue downhill.

 

[Scottf270]

Montana had a 5 week season that included the rut when hunting was at its peak for both numbers and trophy potential. The problem was when the resource started suffering from drought, disease, over zealous doe harvests, FWP failed to recognize the problem and act accordingly.

They did not have the courage to cut tags and limit opportunity because doing so would hurt their revenue. Government always lacks the courage to act decisively when it hurts their bottom line.

When herd numbers and quality fall, limiting harvest till things improve is the only solution. It's like when the Fed left interest rates too low for too long. Rather than act like they should have, nobody had the courage to do anything till inflation was out of control. Same with FWP. They didn't want to lower their revenue and listen to people gripe about lost opportunity. Now things are so bad, they have no choice.

 

[Jake Larsen]

Shorten the season and you just force more hunters into those regions at the same time. Until they can control the number of deer taken by controlling the number of hunters in a unit things will continue downhill.

Don’t need to shorten it. Just move it to Oct like every other sane OTC state. Still spreads out pressure, just makes the deer much more difficult to hunt. I’d also be in favor of reducing lethality with open sights or similar. I agree there’s probably more that needs to happen besides a change in season dates in order to keep from going LE. But LE is not a good solution. Look at every example of every unit where that’s been tried. All you do is lose your opportunity within a few cycles.


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[Jake Larsen]

Season dates is easy, but so is pick your weapon, pick your region (or unit), and separating out whitetail from mule deer on the deer A tag. Ultimately, it's going to have to be some combination of measures if we want to avoid going to LE for residents.

Agree there. Anything to keep from LE. Once tags cut and LE happens, you never get it back. Look t every example we have in every other state…


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[Lawnboi]

A lot of these places have no sanctuary. Close down some roads and make it so you can’t drive a whole unit during the rut.

One way they could do better at reducing pressure, and it wouldn’t cost much.

 

[Buglebrush]

Research has shown that APR and/or width restrictions are not effective… the only answer is limiting tags. Unfortunaly for Montana the FWP is funded by the tags they sell and they won’t give up that revenue.

Limiting tags is NEVER the only answer. Hunters taking it upon themselves to only harvest mature mule deer bucks, and taking whitetails would also be an answer. It wouldn't limit any hunting opportunities, or money received; but would certainly reduce Mule Deer mortality. Increased predator take is also a valid option that we can all engage in. Why is the knee jerk reaction always to have FWP limit tag numbers? We hunters need to look in the mirror and think about what we can do personally.

 

[Cahunter805]

Season dates is easy, but so is pick your weapon, pick your region (or unit), and separating out whitetail from mule deer on the deer A tag. Ultimately, it's going to have to be some combination of measures if we want to avoid going to LE for residents.

Has it ever been proposed to make Region tags and a quota?
This seems like a pretty easy solution to start limiting the hunting pressure especially in Regions like 6 and 7.

 

[AHayes111]

How serious is it being looked at to change the season structure? I mean to me that would be the most obvious way to help mule deer recover. I can’t think of another state that allows for 5 weeks of rifle hunting including during the rut for whitetail or mule deer.

Hard to say, FWP is stubborn when it comes to change. What I can say is that the support for season change has grown exponentially. When I was young and first started hunting in the late 70s and early 80's, I was of the opinion we in MT had the best season ever. Then I went to CO for collage. Opening day of first deer season found me several miles back in on a mountain at daylight. I figured I would have the mountain to myself like I would have back home in SE MT. Wrong. Hunters were everywhere. I realized then why CO had an early season. The deer in SE MT would never hold up if we ever got close to CO pressure levels.

Then it was off to Bozeman to finish school in the late 80's and early 90's. I soon was hitting the mountains of SW MT looking for antlers. I found some nice ones, mostly old and nothing really big. That changed when my wife to be graduated a few years ahead of me and took a job in Idaho. I started looking for antlers in Idaho, The difference was like night and day. Just about everywhere I went in Idaho I would find big mule deer antlers and the best place I found was less than 40 miles from some of the places I looked in MT. It didn't take a genius to figure out want the difference was.

By the mid 90's I was back in SE MT. Hunting pressure was up and the quality of the deer was slipping. At a FWP public info meeting I suggested that FWP might want to start to look at changing the season to deal with the increasing pressure. You would have thought I was a member of PETA. It was every Montanans god given right to hunt for five weeks and Thanksgiving. I was all alone. Fast forward to now and the mule deer herd is a shadow of what it was in the 90 in terms of both quality and quantity on public land. Speak up at FWP public meeting and you will not be alone anymore. Few will argue that the current season is sustainable.

 

[BDWMT]

OTC unlimited mule deer rut tags is the biggest problem in my opinion. Other options would help but I see this as the biggest first step. Reduce mule deer by 3 weeks and add those 3 weeks to the whitetail season.

 

[Lelder]

i loved hunting mulies in the mountains of SW Montana but the last few trips were only able to find small forkies and does. i know they had some long winters in the past few years. hope this helps

 

[Dos Perros]

OTC unlimited mule deer rut tags is the biggest problem in my opinion. Other options would help but I see this as the biggest first step. Reduce mule deer by 3 weeks and add those 3 weeks to the whitetail season.

That's a good idea, shift the opportunity to whitetails.

 

[mt terry d]

Is there an overpopulation of whitetails in MT?

 

[AHayes111]

Is there an overpopulation of whitetails in MT?

With the recent EHD outbreaks in eastern MT, not even close. Part of the issue for mule deer is that hunters can not fill there tag on a whitetail as easy as in the past. Small part but part non the less.

 

[wind gypsy]

Slight correction:
MT manages for $$$$$$
which they advertise as "opportunity".

The hole in this talking point is that they only charge the most adamant "opportunity" advocates $16 for a deer tag.