EXTEND the MT Mule Deer Season by 1 week...

[HuskyMusky]

I would like to see MT extend the mule deer season.

Rather than ending the 1st Sunday after thanksgiving, I think the 2nd Sunday after thanksgiving would make much more sense.

Not to mention the added $$$ revenue the state would see.


The non-resident does not want to miss thanksgiving with their family in order to hunt the end of the mule deer season.

Perhaps that's MT's plan, essentially keeping non residents from hunting past the tues before thanksgiving, ie due to a 1-2day drive home...

 

[QuazyQuinton]

I thought the whole reason they started Thanksgiving way back when was to give guys a couple days off to get in a little more hunting. Who spends Thanksgiving with their family unless you're all in the woods together?

Kind of funny to hear this from Montana. Oregon's season is 12 days in early October.

QQ

 

[ivorytip]

10th to 24th of October in Idaho. (any weapon, regular season) till 31st of oct in a few units. if I could hunt general into November there would never be a small buck shot again

 

[MTHusker]

If the month of November plus 9 days in October aren't enough to bag a deer in Montana, you need to find a new hobby. Winter can come early up here, putting plenty of stress on animals, they do not need another week of hunting. This is a objection many raised with the new shoulder seasons starting in a lot of areas this winter for elk. If you can't get away from home, tough luck, our state wildlife folks shouldn't set seasons based on NR time frame.

 

[Tim McCoy]

Celebrate Thanksgiving in Oct, hunt MT in mid to late Nov, seems good to me. Wait, forgot for a moment I'm married...

 

[Shooter]

If the month of November plus 9 days in October aren't enough to bag a deer in Montana, you need to find a new hobby. Winter can come early up here, putting plenty of stress on animals, they do not need another week of hunting. This is a objection many raised with the new shoulder seasons starting in a lot of areas this winter for elk. If you can't get away from home, tough luck, our state wildlife folks shouldn't set seasons based on NR time frame.

I agree. MT has the longest mule deer season of all the western States. If anything cut a week off the end of the season.

 

[TimberJunkie]

Agreed. 5 weeks through the rut. Amazing. In Oregon, rifle mule deer seasons last 12 days, and it's in the beginning of October.....last year I hunted the Steens at 7 to 8k feet elevation and it was almost 80 degrees toward the end of our hunt Montana is a very liberal season. I will be hunting there in a few days.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I would like to see MT extend the mule deer season.

Rather than ending the 1st Sunday after thanksgiving, I think the 2nd Sunday after thanksgiving would make much more sense.

Not to mention the added $$$ revenue the state would see.


The non-resident does not want to miss thanksgiving with their family in order to hunt the end of the mule deer season.

Perhaps that's MT's plan, essentially keeping non residents from hunting past the tues before thanksgiving, ie due to a 1-2day drive home...

I haven't been at home for Thanksgiving very much in the past 40 years. I think I was present 4 maybe 5 times because I was sick or injured.

 

[Slugz]

I agree. MT has the longest mule deer season of all the western States. If anything cut a week off the end of the season.

x3......I didn't even know the season was that long up there until this thread popped.

 

[ceby7]

MT has one of the longest general seasons in the country and right smack in the middle of the rut. What more do you want? If anything I'd like to see the season shortened a week or two to take a little pressure off the bucks in the peak of the rut. And like has already been said, make hunting Thanksgiving your family tradition, no better way to spend time with loved ones!

 

[mntnguide]

Like stated above numerous times...one of the longest seasons in the west already...what more do you need? go 2 weeks before thanksgiving if you are so worried about it...but no way should the season be lengthened. I guarantee you montana F&W doesnt set the seasons based on Non-res family traditions...

 

[go_deep]

So you want more? I just looked at the Illinois DNR site for the deer season in your home state and its 7 days long. Why not lobby for longer deer season in your home state? Sooner or later the deer need a break so they can make the winter.

 

[HuskyMusky]

They could shorten it on the front end...

 

[MTHusker]

They could shorten it on the front end...

Are the winter's in Illinois usually tougher in October, then in December??? Not a lot of corn and soybean fields for deer to depend on here in Montana, but there is plenty of snow and cold in December...

 

[labahertd]

I have spent many thanksgivings in Montana hunting. Quite a few of the years the bucks came out of rut early because of the weather. Depending on where you are hunting there weather might send you packing home early also.


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[hoshour]

I agree with shortening the season, maybe by cutting off some on the front end. Having a season in the rut is unusual and a gift to hunters.

I'm hunting a unit this week in CO that has had almost back to back seasons since August - archery, ML, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and later on, 4th season. It's too much stress on the animals and makes hunting them much tougher and their behavior unnatural. Their "normal" now is to spend almost four months as high as they can go and stay in the timber, afraid to venture out or has them congregating on private land - out of reach. That drives down success rates and incentivizes the CO FWP to authorize even more tags to get the harvest they want.

Even worse, the unit has concurrent elk and deer seasons, doubling the pressure.

 

[Naturebob]

Who lets people like this forums. WE all got High some where at least once. I want what drug this guy has or is He just nuts...........................................BOB!

 

[Bowhunter65]

How about this, why don't we just leave everything alone, "If it is not broke, don't fix it" , Montana is not broke and I love how we see all the jealous out of staters saying shorten the General season for Montana. If you guys don't like the amount you get to hunt in your state, you know you can do a simple thing, Move. Leave us (Montana) alone, we like it the way it is.

 

[brianboh]

So you want more? I just looked at the Illinois DNR site for the deer season in your home state and its 7 days long. Why not lobby for longer deer season in your home state? Sooner or later the deer need a break so they can make the winter.

This is why there are giant bucks. However the bow season is like 4 months long.

 

[bigsky2]

I would like to see MT extend the mule deer season.

Rather than ending the 1st Sunday after thanksgiving, I think the 2nd Sunday after thanksgiving would make much more sense.

Not to mention the added $$$ revenue the state would see.

The non-resident does not want to miss thanksgiving with their family in order to hunt the end of the mule deer season.

Perhaps that's MT's plan, essentially keeping non residents from hunting past the tues before thanksgiving, ie due to a 1-2day drive home...

Are you kidding me?! At some point you have to start thinking about the resource. I personally wish our deer and elk seasons ended two weeks earlier. I know this would be far to drastic for some, so they could start the season a week earlier on the front end. This would only shorten the season by a week, but would help a lot of bucks survive the rut.