2012 regulations

I went to the fish and game meetings here in Billings and listened to the proposals for Bird hunting and elk hunting. There were 5 proposals for elk hunting that were up for public comment. At the meeting public opinion favored Proposal 3, while some bow hunters and the MBA favored proposal 5. I believe most of these proposals were for the Missouri breaks and the 500, 600, and 700 regions. Proposal 1 is, in my opinion doing an end run around I161 and it says that all individuals res and non res can put in for elk on private land only and be receive a permit but that will be their 1st and only choice. In Billings the majority of the people were for proposal 3 which was keep it the way it is now. Proposal 5 was go back to 2007 regs. What I found interesting was in the new drawing regs for this year proposal 1 was already is in the regs with the word PENDING. Why weren't any of the other proposals there? I did write F & G a two page letter of puplic comment.. Did anyone else go to the meeting and what was said in your areas?

The breaks tag propasal is exactly that,a measure being pushed through by the outfitter puppets making sure that any non res that they book to hunt can get a gauranteed elk tag for the private land around the breaks.Another attempt to give the landowners/outfitters free reign over the game that inhabit the private ground,where as the guys that DIY on public are left to fight over the scraps.This is just the beginning of the fall out from the I161 changes,they will be trying to backdoor it for the next 10 years.

So what did you say at the meetings or say to FG in their online comment form?

LAST EDITED ON Jan-25-12 AT 05:26PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jan-25-12 AT 05:25?PM (MST)

I had the dream hunt this past Fall. Either sex rifle elk in North Missouri Breaks. Opening morning herds ran onto private land, lots of elk and some big guys. Guide hunting only.
You could drive by and glass elk everyday on the hillsides, pay a few thousand [I suppose] walk up and shoot a 6pt?

Anyway, elk didn't move much in the 2 weeks or so that I hunted. Didn't appear to be customers or anything to bother those elk.

So how does the MT F,W and Parks manage the Breaks elk herd? there are LOTS of elk in the North Breaks.

Got to get the NR's into the private property somehow. You think?

I don't know what the answer is. Landowners for sure have their rights.

Side note, I could have killed elk almost everyday, on land open to hunting, but HOLY CRAP! did I have to get into the rough
stuff. Raghorns spikes an a couple 6pt. So you can do it, but you got to work at it.

Yhe give em unlimited bull elk tags in the N breaks and see what happens to the quality of the elk in the breaks over the next 3 years.