Montana Unlimited Questions

bstrasheim55

bstrasheim55

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North Dakota
Today I took the long journey down the wormhole that is Mt Unlimited Sheep threads. After doing so I have a few questions for those of you more educated than I am. This may have already been discussed but I haven't found it yet...

Why aren't there more units in the state that are unlimited entry? Wouldn't that equal a lot more revenue for the state with more tags being purchased while the quota remaining the same? Or, is it because some of those other units are so much easier to hunt than the current unlimited's? You'd think that there'd be a few more units with low success rates that could be made unlimited.

Just curious on what you all have to say!
 
I think most other areas would have a season lasting about 30 seconds and then being over harvested by the end of the day.
 
^yep. There are a few units that could support an UL hunt style but I don’t think that would be something FWP would be interested in pursuing.
 
It would be a blood bath, most all districts wouldn't work with the way the unlimited unit's are setup. I would like to see some kind of archery unit though or I believe Wyoming or Idaho could have one. That would be sweet
 
The Spanish Peaks unit (301) and Hilgards (302) both used to be unlimited units. 302 had a die-off and was closed for some time. It has recovered and is now a draw unit. There has been a little bit of discussion by the biologist to open it back up as an unlimited unit again but I doubt that will happen. 301 had one year where I believe 16 rams were harvested before the 48 hour closure was met back in the 1990's. That unit will never go back to an unlimited unit.
 
That's right big horn I couldn't remember which unit was which. A friend of mine told me that story though, he said it was an absolute war zone in Spanish peaks unit that year. My uncle took a nice ram out of 302 last year. I think that unit could have a archery only style hunt. 30 day season. 2 rams. Sounds like fun to me.
 
I could theoretically see another unlimited unit work in an existing draw unit if they had regulations set up like Tom Minor has now. A very short season while the sheep are still on their summer range.

There's quite a few draw units where the sheep live in big roadless country in the summer, then get shot 50 yards off asphalt in November. One unit I live near hasn't had a ram killed before November 5 in something like 15 years.

That said, I don't think it would ever happen, nor do I think it probably should.

MAYBE if it was a new unit that is being opened for the first time.

There's much bigger issues with bighorn to be worried about though.
 
EYJONAS! said:
That's right big horn I couldn't remember which unit was which. A friend of mine told me that story though, he said it was an absolute war zone in Spanish peaks unit that year. My uncle took a nice ram out of 302 last year. I think that unit could have a archery only style hunt. 30 day season. 2 rams. Sounds like fun to me.
Click to expand...

I like your thinking on an archery unlimited hunt in the Hilgards! Does sound like fun.
 
I tried to convince the biologist to open this drainage up for mountain goat. It was thick with them.

IMG_3240.jpg

It would be a heck of a hunt and a long pack out. She was not too interested in that idea.
 
Im gonna second Bighorn for archery hunt with that picture on point. There is a area in 500 that could stand to have a goat unit as well. I am firm believer that some backcountry areas in Wyoming and Idaho as well. But, with some laws in Wyoming I doubt that would fly. Being that a NR has to have a guide or resident with them in "wilderness areas." Might shift a little attention away from MT UL though ;)
 
BigHornRam said:
I tried to convince the biologist to open this drainage up for mountain goat. It was thick with them.

View attachment 80396

It would be a heck of a hunt and a long pack out. She was not too interested in that idea.
Click to expand...

that you in the picture BIGHORN, if you end up going to the meeting in March i want to know who i need to look for.
 
EYJONAS! said:
that you in the picture BIGHORN, if you end up going to the meeting in March i want to know who i need to look for.
Click to expand...
That was me about 8 years ago. Look for a little more grey hair.:D

The biologist I am referring to here is the same one we need to lobby for our Hilgard archery hunt. ;) She brought up bringing back an unlimited hunt on her own when I was talking to her about mountain goats.
 
Changing the criteria for a legal ram from 3/4 to 4/5 curl in conjunction with revised season dates would do wonders for allowing expansions of "unlimited" hunting while maintaining sufficient mature ram ratios ....
 
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