22 June 2014, 06:46
CrazyhorseconsultingHow many have seen this article?
Or, how many have been affected by the situation this article discusses?
http://blog.eastmans.com/the-predator-death-spiral/23 June 2014, 19:54
AnotherAZWriterDon't know; I am hunting the Selway this fall; shot a very nice 6x6 in 2008, but haven't been back since. I can distinctly recall the year because it was the week Lehman filed for BK and I lost a lot moolah.
24 June 2014, 02:21
hunt99I think that anyone who hunts elk in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have been directly affected by this problem. I live in SW MT and I now avoid the mountains as the elk hunting is very poor in most areas. This of course just means more pressure on the good elk herds elsewhere in the state.
A problem that Guy failed to mention was the big money "trophy ranch" phenomenon which locks up the land that holds the most remaining elk. This is another part of the "death spiral" which was really focused on the political pressures on state F&W agencies after we were screwed by the Clinton administration forcing the wolf reintroduction. Guy was especially spot on with the winter kill impact as many of my favorite MT pronghorn hunting areas are completely killed out. Eastern MT pronghorn tags have been cut from 13,000 to 3,000 and it may be a decade or more before populations recover.
The double-whammy of predators and winterkill is very real and any non-resident hunter will find very different conditions that just a few years ago!
For reference, as of today, MT has 4,147 non-resident elk license remaining (includes the big-game combo). As the article says, many are probably looking to CO and NM instead since we have a lot fewer elk, deer and pronghorn to hunt. Guy also forgot to mention disease which has devastated whitetail herds throughout much of eastern MT! Mule deer and all the extra B deer tags are also way down or eliminated in many areas.
AZ writer, make sure and get an ID wolf tag, your odds there are much better than for another 6x6, central ID has been hit the hardest of all. I used to hunt the upper Salmon area each year but wolves have hammered the elk throughout that region. With a good outfitter and lower hunting pressure you might still get lucky!!
25 June 2014, 03:17
AnotherAZWriterquote:
Originally posted by hunt99:
I think that anyone who hunts elk in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have been directly affected by this problem. I live in SW MT and I now avoid the mountains as the elk hunting is very poor in most areas. This of course just means more pressure on the good elk herds elsewhere in the state.
A problem that Guy failed to mention was the big money "trophy ranch" phenomenon which locks up the land that holds the most remaining elk. This is another part of the "death spiral" which was really focused on the political pressures on state F&W agencies after we were screwed by the Clinton administration forcing the wolf reintroduction. Guy was especially spot on with the winter kill impact as many of my favorite MT pronghorn hunting areas are completely killed out. Eastern MT pronghorn tags have been cut from 13,000 to 3,000 and it may be a decade or more before populations recover.
The double-whammy of predators and winterkill is very real and any non-resident hunter will find very different conditions that just a few years ago!
For reference, as of today, MT has 4,147 non-resident elk license remaining (includes the big-game combo). As the article says, many are probably looking to CO and NM instead since we have a lot fewer elk, deer and pronghorn to hunt. Guy also forgot to mention disease which has devastated whitetail herds throughout much of eastern MT! Mule deer and all the extra B deer tags are also way down or eliminated in many areas.
AZ writer, make sure and get an ID wolf tag, your odds there are much better than for another 6x6, central ID has been hit the hardest of all. I used to hunt the upper Salmon area each year but wolves have hammered the elk throughout that region. With a good outfitter and lower hunting pressure you might still get lucky!!
I got a wolf and bear tag - they are practically giving them away!
25 June 2014, 05:02
Topgun 30-06Yep, read the piece the same day Guy put it up on the site. He didn't hit everything that is causing problems, but did a pretty good job touching on a lot of them!
My hunting buddy in MT called me the other day to tell me he drew a moose tag for the Cabinet Mts...good luck for sure. The problem now is...are there any moose left in the Cabinets. A sad state of affairs. I've hunted NW Montana for 20 years....the game populations have declined significantly. Yet, across the border in BC, it's a hunters paradise. Makes ya wonder.
Phil
25 June 2014, 08:09
Nortonquote:
Originally posted by hunt99:
The double-whammy of predators and winterkill is very real and any non-resident hunter will find very different conditions that just a few years ago!
I've hunted MT the last 8 consecutive years for elk/deer as a NR.....the difference is astounding between then and now. I hunt up near Malta for whitetail and I'd say there's less than 10% of the number of bucks I used to see every time I went out the first few seasons. As far as elk, this is the second time I've drawn the Breaks archery tag....we'll see what happens.
Personally, I think there needs to be a moratorium on whitetails until someone figures out a fix to the EHD problem....that Milk River herd has been devastated.
I love my buds out there like brothers or I wouldn't go anymore.