MRS, Blue Chip rankings? MT Moose?

[HuskyMusky]

Do you like or not like that Eastmans' doesn't rank the blue chips in an order from 1st to 10th say...?

I guess I see both sides of it, but at times I wish there was a ranking.

Perhaps say there were 10 blue chips, they could put 3 in the 1st place category and then the next 3 in 2nd etc...


I'm trying to figure out MT Moose, I'll take a tag but I'd prefer one in the future, I'm sure any blue chip would be a good/great unit...

I'm trying to figure out region 1 vs 2 vs 3.

 

[Bonecollector]

I agree. However, it's tough to start whittling down extremely specific details without putting a lot of boots on the ground in order to acquire said information. As you know, the MRS is only designed as a general reference tool. A lot of times there are hidden gems listed in the commentary. There are some folks that complain now, can you imagine getting more specific, someone burning 10+ pts on a unit to have someone kill a better animal in a lesser valued unit.
The research is part of the fun. But I understand where you are coming from.

 

[HuskyMusky]

totally agree,
that's like when I talk whitetail, and say it's almost more likely a world record will come out of a lesser known area than these top units which may produce on average more big boys.

I may be mistaken but I thought region 1 and 2 were doing way better than 3 for moose in MT just a few years back? I thought region 3 Moose were getting hammered by wolves etc...? I thought they even shut down moose hunting in 3 for a couple years? perhaps that helped things a lot?

 

[QuazyQuinton]

Separating hunts into chip categories is pretty subjective (or heavily based on a limited number of criteria). Ranking the blue chips would be a further subjective step. I believe it would just create the impression that there is more data than there really is.

QQ

 

[Montana]

I like it the way it is... list of top hunts and then from there, to each is their own.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[hoshour]

Guy divided his 2016 chip ratings into 3 subcategories for antelope, the first time we've done that. Look on the WY antelope chip color map and you'll three different shades of blue and of green.

Chip ratings have several hard #s that go into them, but because the chip rating is basically a forecast for the coming year based on the information available at that time (spring and summer weather being the wild cards), there is a subjective element. Weather is especially tough for the earliest MRSs because not even all the winter info is known in the earliest MRSs of the year.

Also, feedback from outfitters, guys that hunted there, biologist information like herd condition, buck/doe ratios, gaps in herd makeup from winter kill or disease and other factors are things many MRS readers don't know. Most guys are pretty much thinking about long-term reputation and how many points it takes to draw, which is highly correlated to reputation, and since we are making a forecast, that can lead to a difference in opinion.

Also, figure that great trophies also come out of green chip units and even marginal units. Or, a unit like WY antelope 69 can be a great unit but be missing its usual top end for 2-3 years due to drought or a hole in the age demographics from severe drought or a couple bad winter kill years.

Bottom line, chip ratings are a tough to nail every time mix of art and science and and you'll never see universal agreement.

 

[ILbowhunter17]

I put in for Montana moose, just hope for a tag not to worried about blue chip. I will fine a nice moose

 

[missjordan]

I don't sweat over the chip ratings that much either, the moose districts I put in for are the same ones we hunt elk in. So I feel confident if I drew a tag that I could find a bull I'd be proud of. One district is a blue chip and the other is green. I've seen a lot of big moose in the green unit that are very unique

 

[HuskyMusky]

I don't sweat over the chip ratings that much either, the moose districts I put in for are the same ones we hunt elk in. So I feel confident if I drew a tag that I could find a bull I'd be proud of. One district is a blue chip and the other is green. I've seen a lot of big moose in the green unit that are very unique

I need to move...

 

[Bitterroot Bucks]

totally agree,
that's like when I talk whitetail, and say it's almost more likely a world record will come out of a lesser known area than these top units which may produce on average more big boys.

I may be mistaken but I thought region 1 and 2 were doing way better than 3 for moose in MT just a few years back? I thought region 3 Moose were getting hammered by wolves etc...? I thought they even shut down moose hunting in 3 for a couple years? perhaps that helped things a lot?

You are mistaken, none of that is true.

 

[ivorytip]

the mrs blue chip thing a nice tool to have. but like with everything its nothing more than a guideline based on statistics, for a guy that doesn't know the area he wants to hunt then this is the greatest tool in the bag outside of boots on the ground. just like in idahos mule deer mrs, I agree with the most part but I'm certain the next Idaho record buck will come out of unit not even mentioned. this may have been done intentionally and for that I'm thankful. but there are always certain areas in certain units that just don't get talked about by the few people that hunt it. for the guy that doesn't live in the west I think the mrs is done pretty all right for them. then a few calls to some locals to pinpoint an area you wanna target and bingo! when it comes to moose, being how its not an animal you get to chase after more than once or twice in the lower 48, people seem to be more than willing to set you up right where you need to be.