Ben Long
Well-known member
What are people seeing in terms of pronghorn along the HiLine in Montana? Looking at my options. Last drew in 2012 and pronghorn numbers were very low after a hard winter. Wondering if there's been a rebound?
MT HiLine Speedgoats?
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belly-deep
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Draw odds are pretty tough. There are a few lopes west of Havre. Haven't been east though.
I don't think numbers are really great anywhere though.
And yet, MTFWP still issues doe tags...
I don't think numbers are really great anywhere though.
And yet, MTFWP still issues doe tags...
Bulldog0156
Well-known member
Not many around here.
I just drove from Miles City to Baker to Wibeaux, Glendive, Sidney, Culbertson, Scoby, Circle, Jordan, Roundup........and saw less than I saw on the way to church today in the Billing Heights.
Granted I was on paved roads the whole time, but still........
Why there are any pronghorn doe tags issued east of Billings and north of the freeway is mind boggling.
Other days I drive from Billings to Casper and just from the freeway from Sheridan to Casper I see thousands.
Granted I was on paved roads the whole time, but still........
Why there are any pronghorn doe tags issued east of Billings and north of the freeway is mind boggling.
Other days I drive from Billings to Casper and just from the freeway from Sheridan to Casper I see thousands.
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Nemont
Well-known member
Was from Glasgow to Whitewater today on the back roads and saw more than I have seen for a while. Still no run away
Nemont
Nemont
from what i have seen north and west of chester populations are way down since that bad winter. I do not understand why they continue the doe tags. Those tags should be cut until populations rebound. Had a permit there a couple of years ago and saw a fraction of what i have seen in the past. We also had a lot die off here last year at the same time as the whitetail die off. ehd or blue tongue?
When I started hunting as a kid in the mid '80's HD 630 had 1100 either sex permits and 0 doe/fawn tags. Now they issue 10 either sex and 5 doe/fawn. Can anyone explain that logic? The population is way down and killing 5 does will not help it recover. I will be putting in for a doe/fawn tag so I can file it in my drawer with my other unfilled tags.
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Musket Man
New member
Worse yet 15 does and no bucks could be killed. Makes no sense to me either.
JEL
Well-known member
From what I see numbers are still way down. There are very few antelope where I usually bow hunt along the hi line. We used to be able to hunt and be into lots of antelope all day. I agree on the doe tags. Why are they available anywhere right now and why is the 900 tag either sex?
shoots-straight
Well-known member
I think the min. number of a tags available with the season structure in place calls for 5 doe/fawn tags. They should scrape the doe tags.
I have been told that as well that if there is a season structure for the doe tags that 5 is the minimum and that the the biologist can't eliminate the season. It must be done by the commission and they must take it up during the biennial season setting process. If that is the case the commission should have eliminated the doe antelope tags already. In the future when the population rebounds they could reinstitute the doe season. I don't think we are in danger of a run away antelope population in a two year period. 5 may not seem like much but with good fawn recruitment and a little luck with does having doe fawns those 5 does could produce a bunch of antelope.
The more I think about it, the commission eliminated whitetail doe licenses in all of region 6 and I have a helluva lot more confindence in relatively quick recovery of the whitetail population than I do of the antelope population. Seems odd.
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Are you sure that is correct?
vander34
Member
Draw odds close to home aren't real great. Many people I've talked to don't seem to see many, but in the last two years I think there are more around than most ppl think, just have to do a bit more looking. Actually saw a few pretty fair bucks last year.
I need to work on my reading comprehension. I thought you said whitetail does coundn't be taken. My bad.:W:
belly-deep
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JohnDeereGreen
Member
I'll be on a tractor all weekend, northwest of Big Sandy, putting in spring wheat, so I'll be able to give a report on Monday...
I can tell you that last fall when I hunted up there, I saw an "ok" number of antelope. The numbers are not what they were, nor are the what they should be. But I did chase some nice bucks, both on our farm and some of the neighbors. Nice is a relative term here. The buck I shot scored 73 4/8, and I'm not very good at scoring so that is a rough number. But, that buck was as nice a buck as I'd seen all season. I spend a lot of time up there from May -September, so I'd seen a lot of antelope. That's to give you an idea of what (this guy) thinks is a good buck from the hi-line. I did see a couple bigger ones, but the nature of the open farm country they were in made getting up on them tricky, coupled with the fact that they cover a pretty big territory. The buck I shot was after belly crawling for several hours to get close.
I guess what I'm saying here is that the hunting is "ok", but nothing great. I think there are better antelope hunts in Montana, but who knows. If you just want to hunt an antelope, it's fine I guess. If you are really after a nice buck I'd go elsewhere. I spend so much time looking at different bucks up there that I end up hunting there year after year because I pick specific ones to go after. Once you see a nice buck running in front of your tractor a dozen times over the course of the summer, it's hard not to want to chase it...
Hope that helps...I 'll let you know what I see after the weekend...
JDG
I can tell you that last fall when I hunted up there, I saw an "ok" number of antelope. The numbers are not what they were, nor are the what they should be. But I did chase some nice bucks, both on our farm and some of the neighbors. Nice is a relative term here. The buck I shot scored 73 4/8, and I'm not very good at scoring so that is a rough number. But, that buck was as nice a buck as I'd seen all season. I spend a lot of time up there from May -September, so I'd seen a lot of antelope. That's to give you an idea of what (this guy) thinks is a good buck from the hi-line. I did see a couple bigger ones, but the nature of the open farm country they were in made getting up on them tricky, coupled with the fact that they cover a pretty big territory. The buck I shot was after belly crawling for several hours to get close.
I guess what I'm saying here is that the hunting is "ok", but nothing great. I think there are better antelope hunts in Montana, but who knows. If you just want to hunt an antelope, it's fine I guess. If you are really after a nice buck I'd go elsewhere. I spend so much time looking at different bucks up there that I end up hunting there year after year because I pick specific ones to go after. Once you see a nice buck running in front of your tractor a dozen times over the course of the summer, it's hard not to want to chase it...
Hope that helps...I 'll let you know what I see after the weekend...
JDG
JohnDeereGreen
Member
I wanted to follow up on my reply to you from last week.
I did indeed spend most of the day Saturday on the tractor and saw some goats. They looked like they had come through the winter fine. I didn't see a whole lot, but talked to a few guys who are neighbors and they said they've seen the same amount around as last year, so it sounds like as a whole, the goats west of Havre and south of the highway wintered pretty well.
There has been a lot of moisture up there this spring, so I'd expect them to have lots of feed, and for lots of the low spots to fill up as water holes for them. That's to the good, but does tend to disperse them. Like I said above, they are there, you just have to find them.
JDG
I did indeed spend most of the day Saturday on the tractor and saw some goats. They looked like they had come through the winter fine. I didn't see a whole lot, but talked to a few guys who are neighbors and they said they've seen the same amount around as last year, so it sounds like as a whole, the goats west of Havre and south of the highway wintered pretty well.
There has been a lot of moisture up there this spring, so I'd expect them to have lots of feed, and for lots of the low spots to fill up as water holes for them. That's to the good, but does tend to disperse them. Like I said above, they are there, you just have to find them.
JDG
