Hmmm

[Bonecollector]

Not sure what to make of this. I thought I heard licenses sold out in record time. Did folks simply not travel to hunt? I'm not debating the weather track. FWP using narrow, distorted KPIs to inaccurately assess hunt participation and success? Bad data leads to bad decision making for wildlife management. I hope they do more research before making and 2021 decisions.
What say you EF Montanians?

Bad weather, fewer hunters lead to decade's smallest elk harvest along Rocky Mountain Front

A combination of unseasonable storms, low hunter turn out leads to smallest Montana elk harvest in decades.

www.greatfallstribune.com

Could mean good numbers for next year if the winter is not to bad Dan Pickar is already scouting!

 

[JimP]

People were breaking down doors to get a license or tag this last year. There were lots of them that haven't hunted in years, they were worried about the Covid stuff and wanted to make sure that they had enough meat to survive. Then when all the panic buying died down and they found that they could still go down to the local market and pick up their hamburger and steaks they became fair weather hunters. A little bit of rain, snow, or any other bad weather and they stayed home.

I know a couple of hunters like I just described, one doesn't even own a high power rifle, he was just scared that his family would starve to death this winter. So he purchased a elk tag with the presumption that he would be able to borrow a rifle and get someone to take him to where the elk hang out in a hay field.

I saw pretty much the same thing with the spring draw down in Arizona. Units that usually have left over tags had nothing left after the draw. It has been a crazy year and hopefully some common sense will come back around this coming year.

 

[kidoggy]

wouldn't hold yer breath. common sense ain't to common anymore.

 

[taskswap]

Where I hunted for CO elk Rifle 1, it was just as busy as every other year I can remember. I got out there the Sunday before the opener (6 days early) and it was full up by Wednesday. And folks were tagging out just as well. Honestly, there wasn't even any discussion of impacts from the pandemic. This quote from that article is my read on it:

“Two blizzard events, 60-plus degree temperatures between the blizzards and very windy days do not bode well for good hunting conditions,” Lonner said.

Where I was, it was very hot and dry. We had several days in the 70s. The exact same week/season/location last year, we got a foot of snow and it was -9F/14F/25F the first three days of the season. Weather has a huge impact on elk behavior and I'd bet anything that was 90% of it right there.

That's how hunting the Rockies goes. I don't bring the gear I think I need. I bring it all!

 

[mosquito]

It also said its been a three year decline. I might be a compilation of several things. Good article thanks for sharing

 

[marcusvdk]

Good read