Anyone “Not” want to draw the Montana LE elk tag?

[OpenCountry]

You are a minority for sure. The majority of people in this state want opportunity over trophy quality and that is one reason the state manages the way they do.

You are free to lobby for change if it's important to you. Maybe you can convince people in this state that big antlers are more important than being able to hunt bugling bulls every year.

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I think the minority is shifting more every year though. A lot of folks are getting sick of the resources and their hunt being over ran in the name of opportunity. We literally attempt to pound elk for over 6 months out of the year. Our management is a joke when you compare it to any other western state.

 

[cgasner1]

A guy I know was complaining about not getting a elk. My response was you get 6 months to hunt what more do you need if you didn’t kill one that’s your own fault. That makes people mad


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[MTSasquatch]

There’s no solutions, only trade-off’s. I could go either way. It is frustrating though seeing people I know who draw tags for units I want to hunt that don’t even hunt it, and instead kill elk in general areas. I suppose it’s a way to keep people honest. It will have unintended consequences, like the general areas getting more pressure from folks wanting to bull hunt across more country. I do like my opportunity that FWP provides though, so I know what camp I’m in. I’m fine with the pile of bulls I’ve killed over the years, with only having one I’d call a trophy over having only 1 or 2 bulls in total because it’s managed for trophy over opportunity. My hunting is far more than antler size. My mileage may vary though.

 

[bigsky2]

You are a minority for sure. The majority of people in this state want opportunity over trophy quality and that is one reason the state manages the way they do.

You are free to lobby for change if it's important to you. Maybe you can convince people in this state that big antlers are more important than being able to hunt bugling bulls every year.

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Half our state is general, there’s no reason why a person can’t hunt bugling bulls every year. No reason why we can’t manage part of the state for opportunity and some for quality. 410 used to have world class elk hunting, now it’s crowded and rare for bulls to see the age of 6. It’s really sad to see what its become.

 

[bsnedeker]

Half our state is general, there’s no reason why a person can’t hunt bugling bulls every year. No reason why we can’t manage part of the state for opportunity and some for quality. 410 used to have world class elk hunting, now it’s crowded and rare for bulls to see the age of 6. It’s really sad to see what its become.

Yeah, well 410 is also over "objective". That's the root of the problem. The tolerance level for elk is based on what ranchers want, not based on science.

FWP is obligated to manage elk to get them below objective numbers. That is codified in law. You can lobby against this if you want fewer tags in 410. I think a bunch of dudes in Central Montana would argue with you about it.

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[5MilesBack]

Yeah, well 410 is also over "objective". That's the root of the problem. The tolerance level for elk is based on what ranchers want, not based on science.

FWP is obligated to manage elk to get them below objective numbers. That is codified in law. You can lobby against this if you want fewer tags in 410. I think a bunch of dudes in Central Montana would argue with you about it.

I was shocked at how many tags they gave out for 410 the first time I saw that. 10 times what I would have expected.

 

[diggler]

We are all going to complain about change, just the way it is. I think its going to help out and make people think about if they really want to be locked down in one area. Which might in turn cause less people to apply for some of the LE units. Just my .02

 

[bigsky2]

I was shocked at how many tags they gave out for 410 the first time I saw that. 10 times what I would have expected.

It really put it into perspective for me when my dad drew an archery permit in Arizona a couple years ago. They gave out 100 permits for the unit we hunted and it was the most unbelievable elk hunting I've had my life. At the time, they were giving out 1400 archery permits for 410, and the unit in AZ was similar in size to 410. It has been reduced to 1000 this year, but its still at least twice what it should be.

 

[bigsky2]

We are all going to complain about change, just the way it is. I think its going to help out and make people think about if they really want to be locked down in one area. Which might in turn cause less people to apply for some of the LE units. Just my .02

It might help draw odds, but it won't help the hunting. The high number of tags are going to get allocated no matter what.

 

[5MilesBack]

It has been reduced to 1000 this year, but its still at least twice what it should be.

I'm pretty sure it was 1700 when I saw it a decade ago. I expected less than 200 for ES or bull tags.

 

[John Henry1]

I'm pretty sure it was 1700 when I saw it a decade ago. I expected less than 200 for ES or bull tags.

I remember back in the day when that archery tag was unlimited for resident and NR as long as it was your only choice. It could get crowded, but the hunting was phenomenal! Everything really started to change in or around 2008 when they had an unlimited youth rifle season and things have never been the same. It gets worse every year. I’m not sure I’ll ever burn points on that tag again.

 

[KHNC]

I , for one, will never apply for a tag in Montana again. I let my two points dissolve this year and wont buy any in the future.

 

[cgasner1]

I remember back in the day when that archery tag was unlimited for resident and NR as long as it was your only choice. It could get crowded, but the hunting was phenomenal! Everything really started to change in or around 2008 when they had an unlimited youth rifle season and things have never been the same. It gets worse every year. I’m not sure I’ll ever burn points on that tag again.

People don’t wanna look at how much hunting has changed since 2008. I think these bows with slider sights and guys being willing to slide them has had a huge impact. I bet more bulls get wounded in those units that anywhere else in the state. I think that has had a lot to do with how those particular units have changed


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[bigsky2]

People don’t wanna look at how much hunting has changed since 2008. I think these bows with slider sights and guys being willing to slide them has had a huge impact. I bet more bulls get wounded in those units that anywhere else in the state. I think that has had a lot to do with how those particular units have changed


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Yeah the harvest would be really high in those units even if you didn't figure in wounding. My dad and his buddies would have killed a lot of 350+ bulls in 410 if they had range finders and the bow technology that we have now.