Choose Your Weapon law

[lamdilligaf]

Four or five years ago the Mt. game commissioner from Whitefish proposed the "choose your weapon" option at the meeting in Miles City. The turnout against it was primarily the MBA and organizations with commercial archery interests. This is what I was told by people involved. I can understand the commercial archery people being opposed, for obvious reasons. I suppose the MBA was afraid of losing membership and therefore political clout if such a bill passed. I was also told that there is no support for this across the state of Mt. That is simply not true. The majority of experienced bowhunters that I know in Mt. would be in favor of it. A simple archery or rifle elk tag choice would help resolve some of the conflicts relating to hunting pressure in many areas of the state. Exemptions for kids and the elderly could easily be added. Why the opposition?

 

[Dinkshooter]

If the elk herds can be healthy without it, why bother? I dream of being able to take my time and hunt elk 10 weeks a year.

 

[Drake4]

That would suck in my opinion.
Probably shorten bow season, shorten rifle season, add a muzzy season, spear chucking season, and whatever other stupid season they come up with.

Montana's long seasons are fantastic and the envy of many...I definitely wouldn't support a "pick your weapon" change, and don't know of anyone personally that I hunt with, that would.

 

[1_pointer]

If the elk herds can be healthy without it, why bother? I dream of being able to take my time and hunt elk 10 weeks a year.

+1. My thoughts exactly.

 

[shoots-straight]

We need to work in the system that's here. First thing we need to do, is get the legislature out of Big Game management.

 

[Big Fin]

I don' think the opposition is from the hard core rifle hunter or the hard core archer. Those guys hunt one season or the other.

I think the resistance is from guys like me who enjoy both. I love a six week archery season, followed by a five week rifle season.

If evidence was shown that demonstrated the resource cannot handle those seasons, AND choose your weapon laws would help solve that, I would probably support such.

At this time, no one has shown any benefit of such legislation, other than personal preference to see such legislation.

Other than personal preferences, was evidence shown that those kind of seasons help solve problems with the resource? If so, I think those of us who are in the "both weapons" camp would be interested to hear it, and could be swayed, if it truly solved some identified problems.

I probably didn't answer your question of "WHY." I suspect I am asking a different "WHY,"being why change it?

Yes, I am a member of the MBA, but I am a member of just about every group. My membership in MBA does not affect that.

The guys in CO, NV, AZ, NM, and other western states have these kind of laws. I would be interested in hearing if they like them, or not. And, if the laws in their states solved any problems, or not.

Seems like the either weapon states are WY, MT, and ID.

I like the fact that my WY elk tag lets me hunt the month of September with my bow, and later in the year with a rifle.

 

[drahthaar]

Most of the "hard core" archery guys that support this can't get it through their thick flipping skulls that their cherished long bow season would soon be cut down to about 2 weeks long, after the ML guys jump in with wanting to hunt the rut with their "primitive smoke-poles". A couple years of that, without limited entry tags cutting down on harvest, you would see the quality of bulls drop dramatically, IMO. I believe archery hunting has an impact, contrary to what many say, but not that kind of impact.

Between this legislative session, and all the talk about choose your weapon now, we are inching our way toward ranching for wildlife, and LE everything worth a damn. Sounds like a couple of other places I've heard about.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Take it from me, it SUCKS having to choose your weapon.

In a strange way, it seems to me that it puts more pressure on the younger bulls. I would hold out alot longer if I had the time. Hunting in Colorado that season clock tics fast.

 

[nidahunter]

Idaho is not primarily an either weapon state (at least for elk.) You either buy an "A" tag, which is a long archery season with a very short rifle season, or a "B" tag,which is a long rifle season with a very short archery season. I think this was their way of not having to put up with the debate of "choose your weapon", even though in all actuality that is what they did.

 

[Sytes]

I remember this reaching a level of attention maybe a few years back. Seem some good aspects - less orange in rifle and archery hunters during that season as well.

On one side - it is becoming quite the pumpkin patch in MT. I tend to go where less elk pop are simply to avoid such... In that factor it seems a reasonable item...

However, we have it good with our duration of time and as mentioned the variety of seasons to accomodate these (spear chucking - haha! future truth though?...), would hinder an already great duration of hunting time afforded to us. (Don't fix if it ain't broke...)

Would be interested in discussion of such here and elsewhere as it serves no purpose to close down discussion simply because we have other large focuses with our zanny legislature this year. I would imagine such a bill would be a couple years down the road if it gained traction - regardless.(?)

 

[JohnCushman]

I would love it if I could hunt elk with my rifle if I was unsuccessful (which has been every year so far lol) during archery for the cost of paying for an archery stamp added to the elk license. I like the way it works in Wyoming where (my only experience is with antelope, so I'm not sure how it works with other species) the license is good for the animal as a general rifle season, but for a small cost of another stamp you can use it in the archery only season as well. Either that, or be allowed to buy both a rifle and an archery license seperately. I would be willing to pay full cost. It makes no sense to me why we can't do that...especially with OTC tags.

 

[Devil Diver Down]

The guys in CO, NV, AZ, NM, and other western states have these kind of laws. I would be interested in hearing if they like them, or not. And, if the laws in their states solved any problems, or not.

Until the last year or so I had not even bothered to look into hunting outside my state (AZ) because I had heard the costs were astronomical, etc. , which turned out to be a lot of bs. I really had no idea states like Montana and Wyoming allowed such long seasons. We have 7 day elk hunts, 2 weeks for archery. I can tell you firsthand that it stinks. You almost always get stuck with a bad moon phase; archery hunts this year will probably be over before prime rut activity begins. It's a boondoggle.

If the elk herds can be healthy without it, why bother? I dream of being able to take my time and hunt elk 10 weeks a year.

My dream, too, but my wife's nightmare. I'd love to have the ability to get after a bull, first with the bow and then with my rifle later in the season if I couldn't close the deal.

One thing the longer season allows is for more selective herd management by hunters. The pressure is not on like for a short, "It's brown, it's down" hunt.

The biggest danger to me is that once you start limiting the hunts, the direction will probably never change--regardless of herd number increases. The more restrictions you put on something don't usually make it better IMHO. It's a dangerous road to explore because it's a hard course to reverse.

Maybe Montana should put some limits to things--or close the season early when the high snow is putting elk at an unfair disadvantage like last year, but if I were the OP, I'd take my long season sans more restrictions and smile. Just my 2¢. Your mileage may vary.

 

[theat]

Wont get any support from me or those I hunt with for the reasons stated above. I work all year so I can take off as much time as I can in the fall. I can't imagine being stuck with only getting to hunt a couple of weeks each year. The best part of MT hunting is being able to chase bugling bulls in a t-shirt in sept and cutting a track after a late Nov snow storm.

 

[Lawnboy]

I am opposed to choose your weapon right now. We have a wonderfully liberal season and as has been mentioned once you change it probably won't come back. I feel for the Utahns and others who basically get a week at the end of August (the elk rut ) or they have to wait for the powerball lottery for an LE tag.

What I am tired of is Montanans saying is that it's getting overcrowded. That's like me saying that waiting at the light at 19th/Main for 5 minutes is a bumper to bumper traffic jam. We are so spoiled here and I'm grateful for it. Every area I've hunted has had it's ups and downs with hunter densities. Some years my "spot" will be empty and others I wonder if Huntin Fool wrote something. The answer isn't choose your weapon. The answer for me is
1. well I can go a little farther in to get past the crowd
2. Try a different spot (huge state with plenty of remote and great spots left)
3. Cry to my wife that the place is over run
4. Cry that I need a specific season for the purists.

I've found that hunters are a lot alike. Word gets out that Gardiner or the Madison or the Bitteroot etc.. is having great success and they all flock for a year or two. Then the novelty and reality sets in that it's good but not great especially because every tom dick and harry has shown up and they move on. Those are the years that some of my areas are vacant. They have all gone to get the pot of gold in some other unit. We are far from being overcrowded. Are some areas overcrowded? You bet! but with the size and resources of this great state we are far from needing to say "The sky is falling".

Lace up your boots, get out the maps, gas up the trucks (wheelers for Dink ) and a box of Kleenex to clean up your sniveling. And go exploring new areas you've got 10 weeks of hunting season to do it.

 

[tjones]

or look for some great private property!

 

[Lawnboy]

or look for some great private property!

Oh we can't do that. This is a strictly a DIY site and anyone that might knock on a door, trade work for access, marry into some access is simply not a true hunter

 

[shoots-straight]

Or say to heck with it and stay home and watch OYOA.

 

[Drake4]

I agree with Bart on the overcrowding issue. I don't see it.
But then again..I don't hunt the Breaks.

 

[Mudranger1]

Take it from me, it SUCKS having to choose your weapon.

In a strange way, it seems to me that it puts more pressure on the younger bulls. I would hold out alot longer if I had the time. Hunting in Colorado that season clock tics fast.

+1 to that...coming from Florida where it was open season from Sept thru Jan and some limited til the end of Feb.... This hunt 1 week a year is serious let down...I don't have vacation time or money to spend going to all these other states to spread out my season

 

[elk_hunter]

Fin & everyone...I can say that I absolutely LOVE Montana's stance when it comes to hunting. It's unlike every other state I've hunted and it's so cool. I LOVE being able to draw an MT tag and chase elk with a bow...if not successful, perhaps try muzzy. But if that doesn't work, come out and whack them with a rifle...simply awesome. I spend more money doing this and I'm sure MT is happy I do. I definitely don't want to see this changed.