New ID Elk Management Plan

[jryoung]

I attended many of the meetings. The comments were overwhelmingly in favor of #2. I would guess around 80%+ of the comments supported #2. That is the direction the Department headed with regards to seasonal or permanent restrictions in areas where motorized travel was negatively impacting elk hunting.

As a result, MT still has an eleven week general season. Very few of our units are on limited draw. We consistently shoot some of the best elk in the west in general units.

And, we still have huge amounts of our forests open to ATV/UTV travel, some of it open year-round. It seems to be working in Montana, though some on one side still want less motorized travel and some on the other side want more motorized travel.

There can be "Multiple Use" of public lands, as shown in Montana. Often happens that some feel multiple use is defined by restrctions/compromise/reduced opportunity by one side and no compromise on their side. That makes it hard to have any common sense solutions.

The bottom line to the discussion is that the decision on motorized travel has a huge impact on elk hunting opportunity. No other way around it.

God bless Montana.....



That said, I have a love hate relationship with ATVs. I want to get away from them when I hunt, but without one in camp Dad wouldn't be hunting. The beauty of Montana is that we can do both. He can ride to this sign and hunt while I can climb the roadless mountain.

 

[MtnWest]

I was in Utah for an elk hunt last year. Same thing as Idaho, nice gate with lock inside column shot up so lazy people could drive their quads in. Strangely enough the most responsible atv use I've seen hunting has been Oregon with colored signs and not even a gate, go figure.

Idaho has signs just like the one JR posted from Montana mounted on gates, signs as soon as you enter the country stating check your Motor Vehicle Use Map, a nice website at trails.idaho.gov, you name it and people still don't comply.

Matt/Duckslayer- Thank you for your service! Truly sorry about your accident. You and your wife are the opposite of who I/we are talking about. You hunt harder than most 25yr olds I see riding around on their quads and bikes.

Logging roads are a blessing and a curse. The new growth is great for animals, allow sportsmen good access to country that is straight up and down (e.g. Idaho) but when thousands of miles of road systems are accessed illegally by atv's it ruins it for you and your wife, older hunters, youth, etc.

 

[MtnWest]

Funny thing the "more atv access" crowd doesn't realize is elk are going to have a buffer between them and the road noise. It's either going to be distance from a clearly marked forest road or a partially grown over logging road. They still have to put forth the effort.

When quads are on the logging roads it takes away the access for people that rely on them to get into better country.

 

[WapitiBob]

I hunted Utah FishLake in 2010. ATV's were all over the roads on Labor Day weekend with families having fun. Forest Service patrols were right there too. I was there for 17 days and never saw any evidence of an ATV being where it shouldn't be. We can all share the forest but it seems we need big brother to make sure everybody complies with the rules.

 

[ida homer]

I think it will increase pressure on the elk. It would allow someone to hunt two openers. I could potentially pick a unit with a 10/15 and 11/1 opener and hunt bulls for 4 weeks.

I really see no reason to do this except IDF&G is seeking new sources of revenue. There fee increase this year is also full of gimmicks. They need to raise resident fees and stop the tricks trying to justify the fee increase.

Makes sense, you make a good point. I would much rather just see them tack $10 on to the license and $10 on to the tag to make up for those funds rather than increase opportunity.

The statewide deer system with only the MD and WT designation really concentrates people into certain units as some units close early. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the late 39 archery buck hunt but the amount of hunters can't be a good thing. I suspect the same will happen with 39 bulls since the success rates are so low in the Sawtooth and McCall zones.

I wouldn't mind seeing a zoned system for deer as well.

 

[fowladdict]

I wouldn't mind seeing a zoned system for deer as well.

This! You can still buy a second tag if you want to hunt another unit. I hunt multiple units with the general tag (deer) every year, but I wouldn't be heartbroken if they did the same thing with the deer tags they do with the elk tags. I hope they don't change the general elk tag system. The Boise River elk zone will end up with twice the amount of hunters come Nov. 1st if allowed to choose to hunt in two different zones. Not a good thing.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

This! You can still buy a second tag if you want to hunt another unit. I hunt multiple units with the general tag (deer) every year, but I wouldn't be heartbroken if they did the same thing with the deer tags they do with the elk tags. I hope they don't change the general elk tag system. The Boise River elk zone will end up with twice the amount of hunters come Nov. 1st if allowed to choose to hunt in two different zones. Not a good thing.

Agreed!
Matt

 

[Elkmagnet]

I agree with most everything the Idaho guys are saying. That they are even considering the 2 zone makes me nervous.

 

[idahohuntr]

I agree with most everything the Idaho guys are saying. That they are even considering the 2 zone makes me nervous.

Yes!

It is a pet peeve of mine on how some agencies word questions in the surveys they conduct. Often (but not always) the phrasing of a question about a particular management option is presented in a way that indicates there is no downside. For example, IDFG basically asked if hunters would like the option to hunt more than one zone. Why of course we all would love that!!! But asked another way: "Hunters, would you be willing to tolerate greater crowding and higher densities of hunters so that more people can hunt multiple zones?" Will get you a very different response. I think this is what IDFG found out when they went from general support for the multi-zone concept to no real support for either specific proposal. Folks started realizing what kind of impacts this might have on the numbers of other hunters in the areas they hunt most.

 

[idnative1948]

This would not be good........



I think the rifle hunts will get busy with unsuccessful archers especially around Boise like the weiser river zone. Council/west mountain get ready...[/QUOTE]

 

[6speed]

It will be interesting to see how the 2 zone system works when they roll it out. If I remember correctly there are only a limited number of zones that would allow the option.

 

[TheTone]

The 2 zone system is not for sure going to be implemented. Judging by comments here, it seems quite a few may be against it. Be sure to let the department know when they ask for comments in the future on that issue. You'd be surprised how few hunters actually comment on management plans or season setting issues.

 

[idahobow]

This is exactly what all the ATV road hunters count on...this is what keeps it open for them to run all over the country.

I'm liking what Backcountry Hunters & Anglers did in Washington. If your being legal...and not using an ATV in non-motorized areas, and sticking to where you are supposed to be riding, then what are you worried about?

http://www.backcountryhunters.org/index.php/state-chapters/washington-bha/wa-news/513-success-washington-bha-passes-atv-identification-enforcement-legislation

Not exactly, IDFG has several zones for 2013 that banned hunting from atv's but kept trails open for general atv use, just NOT for hunting. Some people ignored the rules, and I took pics and turned them into F&G Hunters where limited to roads that a full size truck to navigate.