Talk2elk
Active member
Brian, you said it well. I feel the same.
MT Elk Shoulder season legislation
- Thread starter Ben Lamb
- Start date
Big Foot
Active member
The shoulder seasons had vocal support from RMEF in the same hearings a few years back. I would like to think individuals who where in support of the shoulder seasons in the past are now the loudest opposing them. If you are an RMEF member and are opposed to the shoulder seasons, keep in mind RMEF does not mind a quality elk slaughter for the sake of opportunity.
When the original question of RMEF's stance was hitting the media... RMEF supplied this comment. Seems pretty good stuff to me though, to each his/her own.
Brian in Montana
Well-known member
I'm afraid that at this point its simply a big source of revenue the FWP feels it can no longer do without, and obviously now wants to expand.
Hunting pregnant cows on their winter range just irks me. I anticipate that in years come, the science will show this to be pretty bad for the overall elk population, but by then the only way to get out of it will be for the FWP to raise the price of licences significantly.
Hunting pregnant cows on their winter range just irks me. I anticipate that in years come, the science will show this to be pretty bad for the overall elk population, but by then the only way to get out of it will be for the FWP to raise the price of licences significantly.
D
Deleted member 20812
Guest
Personally, I believe this has absolutely nothing to do with revenue and everything to do with succumbing to political pressure.
Brian in Montana
Well-known member
Maybe, but those tags are immensely popular. It's certainly a pile of $ they used to not have.
PaulRevere
Well-known member
Allowing party "hunting" during the shoulder season will encourage flock shooting. SAD!
D
Deleted member 20812
Guest
They had B tags long before they had shoulder seasons. They are not integrally linked.
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
That is true. Furthermore, those B tags were often used during the late season hunts targeting specific areas / ranches, where the hunting on private was a management tool used to mitigate problems for certain private land where elk and/or deer were overpopulated and creating problems for the landowner(s). The late hunts seemed to be an effective management tool, but appear to be a thing of the past with the extreme extent of shoulder seasons.
May I suggest you read Posts #34 and #45.
Big Foot
Active member
I called Mark Lambrecht (RMEF) after the 2016 season setting meeting and was told most MT sportsman supported the additional opportunity offered by the shoulder seasons. RMEF supported the shoulder seasons then and needs to help dig sportsman out of the sh!t filled hole we are wallowing in now.
Shoulder seasons are based on a false premise and will only get worse irregardless of the lies being told.
Legislation dictating allowable elk numbers is sad. We are all suckers in trusting the words of the FWP commission and fwp managers.
For your listening pleasure if you care to hear a bunch of d!ckheads lie and mislead the public in 2016.
http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/meetings/agenda.html?meetingId=35774001
Carry on with the slaughter and blind support of those who are supposed to lead.
Big Foot
Active member
RMEF's carefully worded release was ignoring the elephant in the room. The shoulder seasons have been morally and ethically wrong since their inception and incongruent with RMEF's mission statement from the beginning. 6 months of elk hunting in MT is gross and RMEF knows it. Simply put, money and politics ruled the decisions made by RMEF and others back in 2016 regarding the shoulder season program.
Think what you want. "Simply put"......you would be uninformed, or worse yet, misinformed.
Big Foot
Active member
Not supporting shoulder seasons today is easy. The door was cracked open in 2015/2016 with RMEF and others supporting the shoulder seasons. Immediately following the adoption of the shoulder seasons, UPOM, MOGA, FWP managers, politicians and others crashed through the door. Surprise!
Big Foot
Active member
EMP's in the early 2000's and shoulder seasons today are a sign of wildlife management in MT going in one direction. At what point does this change course? Please inform me on how RMEF's and others support of the shoulder seasons in 2015/2016 was a good move? How do you square RMEF's support of the shoulder seasons in 2016 with its mission statement?
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
It's 2019. We get it; you're upset with RMEF. Get over it. Move on.
You have an opportunity to express opposition to a couple of bad bills related to shoulder seasons. Do something constructive.
Mission - To ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat, and our hunting heritage.
In the effort to help with long-term (read future of) elk and habitat in Montana, FWP asked RMEF to support a "limited experimental" season that would supposedly prevent the legislature from dismantling FWP budgets and legislatively managing elk more than they already were. That was discussed, debated, and the decision was made to support a limited scope experiment. When the experiment was no longer what was represented and the scope was expanded, RMEF came out opposed to the expansion, as Sytes posted in post #45.
Not everyone gets to sit back and lob their volleys with the benefit of hind sight. Some have to actually make decisions with current information, assess what they think will be best in the long-term, and accept the risks that come with doing so. I'm happy to accept those criticisms. And, I will push back when the criticisms are uninformed and have no context to how the decisions were arrived at.
If you think RMEF is somehow swayed in this decision by money or politics, you were in different meetings and discussions than I was. If you think it was done without long consideration, you again would be misinformed or uninformed.
As for the EMP, you're barking up the wrong tree. I, many on this site, and RMEF, have asked FWP to revisit that plan many times. I'm not the Governor or the Director or a legislator. Other than giving comment and requesting such, I can hardly go re-write the plan and tell FWP that this will now be law.
I, many on this site, RMEF, and many RMEF members, were all there in 2002-2004 when the EMP was being crafted and we fought to keep the politicians out of it. I hope you were there, also. If you weren't there, spare me the comments about who has done what regarding the EMP.
Continue your criticisms if that makes you feel better.
