Ollin Magnetic Digiscoping System

900-20 woes

Stubaby

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Oct 26, 2010
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3rd year in a row not drawing 900 elk putting in for 2nd choice.

Still don't understand why they feel the need to do this. Every unit in 900 that I hunt is over objective, so why can't I try to kill a bull with my bow?

If they really just want you to choose your weapon then just make it so..........


Ok----vent over.
 
Put in for a cow tag if you're worried about helping them meet their objectives and/or you could put the archery tag as your first choice. Problem(s) solved.
 
Seems a lot of people didn't get it second draw this year.

I think that's incredibly accurate. The days of drawing your second choice might be over? Well for a little while anyways. We got our first choice, but only because we put it as our first choice. Had we put it second choice we would have gotten nada...
 
Thanks for the advice md and spaz ������.

My point is that this tag shouldn't be a draw, and/or only available by putting in for it as a first choice. Why group so many units together and put such a small number of total tags available when the elk in these units are doling fine?

Fish and Game should be more worried about the deer herd in these units than the bull elk that are chased with archery tackle. Alas, the deer stay OTC, and are available to hunt during their breeding season with rifles.
 
You're right. We should have more opportunity to hunt and kill the giant over objective herds of MT elk.
 
There are plenty of units to hunt on a general tag. There is no reason to open up the 900 units to anyone. If you really want to hunt them apply for it as your first choice.
 
It will be back to normal in a couple years when people realize there are not world records behind every tree.
 
As non-residents, four of us drew this permit our first yr(party application). Last year we did not draw(party application). This year we all agreed that we would apply as individuals in hopes that at least one of us could draw it...no dice. We hunt a few units within this LE area becasue it is close to family, so I just opted for the refund if I didnt draw the permit. I will apply for a B tag and hopefully get a chance at a cow while learning the area a bit better. Congrats to all who drew and best of luck.
 
What? So you're saying I can burn my 7 elk points and get the 900 archery tag as my first choice?

Man, you guys are sooooooooo helpful.

Easy to say when you live in Helena. If the general areas are so great then why do I see plates from Bozeman to Missoula two hours east of Billings archery hunting for elk?


900 has too many units lumped together. Agree to disagree.
 
You chose points, instead of bowhunting. :) Agree all the eastern units should be managed independently, but you can wish in one hand .. Better luck next year.
 
You can put in for 1st choice and don't elect to use bonus points and you'll still have your points the following year. I do agree with you though Stu, I don't know why FWP does this. I put in for 900-20 as a second choice with the only intention on hunting one of the units. That unit used to be a guaranteed draw as a 2nd choice for bow. It frustrates me that I'm now competing for a permit with people who want to hunt entirely different units than mine. I get the appeal of lumping a bunch of units together, but I wish they'd then increase the number of permits. Chasing bull elk with a bow is challenging enough with low success rates and FWP has made it harder for those who may just want to hunt one of these 20+ units.
 
Why should FWP increase tags? Because they lumped a bunch of units together? So you can draw it as a second choice? Because elk are above objective in most areas? Because it doesn't matter what elk numbers since archery hunters suck at killing elk? Because they're eating ranchers out of house and home?
 
Let's assume F&G is content with how they set tag quantities. Why assume otherwise?

So, you have a currently 100% draw option to hunt bull elk if you select 900-20 as a first choice. The tag gods will allow you to thus hunt bull elk every year.

You opt for a different first choice. Your logic is you deserve to draw a better hunt than 900-2 since you have gathered together a nice, shiny pile of bonus points which seem to have the effect of the cherished though dangerous ring in Lord of the Rings.

This is known as a mutually exclusive choice. You get to pick. But only one first choice. Choices have consequences. In this case, highly predictable consequences. Insanity is sometimes defined as doing the same thing repeatedly and being surprised at getting the same result. The tag gods have spoken. For you to keep your precious ring, er, elk points, you will not find happiness.
 
Why should FWP lump a third of the landmass of the state into a single bow permit? They manage all of these units individually for rifle, so it's obviously not about proper herd management. If that's the case, why limit?
 
It's often hard to explain what FWP does these days, so I've quite trying or even worrying about it. However, increasing the tags numbers, presumably so everyone can draw it as a second or maybe even third choice, doesn't seem like it would help anything other than decrease the quality of what opportunity exists and to get a few adults to quit whining about not drawing a permit that they could have drawn if they REALLY wanted it.
 
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