MT Elk Regulations Should Change!

[Troutslayer2]

We are all hunters - when Joe the Plumber from Ohio concludes elk hunting in MT, CO, or WY is just too expensive or difficult, we all lose.

I disagree. There will always be some new NR to replace him. The more of him we have, the less quality experience our residents have. Our elected officials make the rules so if residents just decide it's not worth it to buy a license you can bet their legislators are going to keep pushing the pay to play model with free tags for their landowner buddies screw everyone else. I'd rather the tags go to people invested in the future of hunting in the state they live in.

 

[nksmfamjp]

I disagree. There will always be some new NR to replace him. The more of him we have, the less quality experience our residents have. Our elected officials make the rules so if residents just decide it's not worth it to buy a license you can bet their legislators are going to keep pushing the pay to play model with free tags for their landowner buddies screw everyone else. I'd rather the tags go to people invested in the future of hunting in the state they live in.

It's hard to disagree with that logic, but I'm not sure the decline of your hunting experience is not as much about DIY NR hunters as it is about a massive influx of ultra rich liberals moving there, buying influence, etc.

Who wanted all the predators back? Who wants land owner preference tags? Who is pushing for unlimited outfitter tags? ….the super tag gamble? It is not some Joe the Plumber DIY NR hunter…..or most R hunters. Considering your governers place he came from, he is not looking out for the little guy. Neither are the people stuffing his pockets. You may believe he sees things your way, but how can he? He's from New Jersey!

 

[LRNut]

I disagree. There will always be some new NR to replace him. The more of him we have, the less quality experience our residents have. Our elected officials make the rules so if residents just decide it's not worth it to buy a license you can bet their legislators are going to keep pushing the pay to play model with free tags for their landowner buddies screw everyone else. I'd rather the tags go to people invested in the future of hunting in the state they live in.

I love landowner tags as well as ranchers who lease their property to guides - I can afford to buy them and go on guided hunts - much easier - great experience. Shouldn't landowners get the tags over folks who live in an apartment in Bozeman? After all, they are "taking care of the game."

 

[Shane Lindsey]

Ok. Where do we sign?

Parlez vous Francais?

 

[BSPPC]

What can organizations like RMEF and SCI do to help improve the MT elk issues ?

 

[Grizzly60]

8. Gate more roads and end the buggy plague!

Dude, you got issues. Maybe you should quit hunting and all your stress will go away. Public land, federal land. Which collects taxes from taxpayers in all US states. They should have the same right to hunting as you. And it shouldn't cost so much to hunt land they Pay taxes on.

Yeah that's it. I think I'll form a nonprofit and lobby that nonresident should only be require a regular hunting license on federal lands.

 

[stovepipe]

I hunted archery in Montana in a general unit for 6 days in September and can honestly say it was one of the worst hunts I've ever been on. The hunting pressure was intense to say the least. I walked over 60 miles and spike camped several nights way back in. There was sign in all the places it should have been but the elk just weren't there.

The reality was that the vast majority of the elk had been pushed off public in to the private. I saw over 300 elk within a half mile of the public and called a bull to the private public fence line but he wouldn't cross.

I talked to a lot of guys. Everyone was super friendly but only one guy had killed a bull. He said "I've hunted all over the west and besides general Colorado this is the most hunting pressure I've seen."

The animals just weren't accessible. Not much to be done about it. If I lived in MT I think I could probably get it done at some point with more scouting and time but as a nonresident with little time and no local knowledge to point me in the right direction it's a pretty low value tag in my opinion.

The reality is that demand for elk is high and there's lots of people hunting.

I had pretty much the same experience in Idaho a few weeks ago, the amount of road hunters was ridiculous, like you said plenty of sign but no elk

 

[Troutslayer2]

What can organizations like RMEF and SCI do to help improve the MT elk issues ?

Work towards limiting public land cattle grazing so that the NF has better habitat. Thin forests so that they are more park like.

 

[MtPockets]

Work towards limiting public land cattle grazing so that the NF has better habitat. Thin forests so that they are more park like.

Get back to logging, especially in beetle kill or storm damaged areas.

I don't think those who havent seen it realize what a tinderbox those dead trees become. And contrary to the fires in more open areas, the fires that occur in areas with lots of downed timber sterilize the ground instead of improving it.

 

[LRNut]

Work towards limiting public land cattle grazing so that the NF has better habitat. Thin forests so that they are more park like.

My observation is that lands that are grazed have a much lower risk of fire.

 

[LRNut]

Dude, you got issues. Maybe you should quit hunting and all your stress will go away. Public land, federal land. Which collects taxes from taxpayers in all US states. They should have the same right to hunting as you. And it shouldn't cost so much to hunt land they Pay taxes on.

Yeah that's it. I think I'll form a nonprofit and lobby that nonresident should only be require a regular hunting license on federal lands.

I often see the issue of paying taxes as the prima facie test of hunting rights; if that is true, then those who pay the most in federal taxes should get first dibs. Why should someone who pays less than 10K in fed taxes get the same access as someone whose quarterly tax payments are 100K?

Game is owned by the state; it doesn't matter whether that game is on state, federal, or private land - they own it, and they make the rules.

 

[Horse1]

I often see the issue of paying taxes as the prima facie test of hunting rights; if that is true, then those who pay the most in federal taxes should get first dibs. Why should someone who pays less than 10K in fed taxes get the same access as someone whose quarterly tax payments are 100K?

Game is owned by the state; it doesn't matter whether that game is on state, federal, or private land - they own it, and they make the rules.

Because that person also pays state income tax. State sales taxes on fuel for sure and except for MT, everything else that they buy. And they pay property taxes.

 

[LRNut]

Because that person also pays state income tax. State sales taxes on fuel for sure and except for MT, everything else that they buy. And they pay property taxes.

Because that person also pays state income tax. State sales taxes on fuel for sure and except for MT, everything else that they buy. And they pay property taxes.

I was being sarcastic - but I would argue that state taxes don't justify resident licenses either - I pay property taxes on three properties I own in CO and pay income tax as well, but neither entitles me to a resident license.

 

[BlazerBeam]

I was being sarcastic - but I would argue that state taxes don't justify resident licenses either - I pay property taxes on three properties I own in CO and pay income tax as well, but neither entitles me to a resident license.

Let me help you keep some of those elk off your property in CO….