Brett French reports: Survey shows Montana, nonresident hunters approve of FWP’s elk, mule deer management

It may be no surprise to some of us Montana hunters that we like the five week rifle season, even though it comes in the middle of the deer rut. That may mean more young bucks are killed before they are mature, but it also means we all have a chance to shoot a big buck if one walks past. That’s one of the revelations from a recently conducted Fish, Wildlife & Parks survey of Montana and nonresident hunters. Does that mean we don’t like special draw areas? That’s a little harder to discern from the survey, because we do like the opportunity to shoot a big buck. When it comes to elk, Montanans and nonresidents approve of FWP’s management, despite some big dustups recently over landowner tags. Important to both groups is the ability to access public lands to hunt. Nonresidents in particular liked FWP Regions 3 and 4 for access to elk, both areas with lots of public land. These and more details are available by reading my story and drilling into the survey results. You can find both at https://billingsgazette.com/outdoors/montana-residents-generally-happy-with-elk-mule-deer-fwp-fish-wildlife-and-parks-hunting/article_90188ea4-3adb-11ee-bcef-f717592bf39c.html.

Written by Brett French | Outdoors Editor | Billings Gazette Communications