Fort Peck Deer herds

[wapiti11]

Anyone else notice the lack of quality/quantity of the mule deer around Fort Peck this year?

 

[Stubaby]

That's the case state wide I think. How about not giving guys 5 whole weeks to hunt deer with their rifles during the mating season?!?! Not to mention all the doe tags they give out.



"That's a special feeling, Lloyd"

 

[NeMont]

I gave up on hunting out there a couple of years ago. Access is way too easy, too many people, too many tags. Only so much the resource can take.

At least On the north shore the CMR has the good sense to not allow rut hunting.

Nemont

 

[36moose]

hunted cow elk in 622 and saw half the deer we saw two years ago. even the doe population seemed way down. the size of the bucks on the meat poles at fourchette bay was also poor. with no mule deer doe hunting on the refuge i don't see what happened to the population of deer overall so quickly. disease, winter kill , the place is loaded with coyotes , i don't know what went on .

 

[wapiti11]

Yea, it was disappointing. There is lots of people. Although we have a area, where in 5 years we have only seen 1 person drive in and drive out. The gate is posted and people don't know that there is a cmr easement through the private property. The area is very remote, perfect for growing something big. We saw 23 bucks in this area (in one day) with a 24" 4x4 being the biggest. Every year I see this many bucks and think that one of this bucks will grow big, but it just does not happen. Going through Jordan we drove through the motel and there were trucks from Washington with 2 and 3 bucks in the beds. My Dad had a 652 tag and we spent alot of time in the area as I have had the tag 3 times and know of some remote areas that has had some good bucks in the past. Very sad in that unit......Population is down...We took the biggest buck we found 5x4 27" wide 23" tall. I can tell you that there is people shooting deer in this unit without knowing it is a draw unit. F and G needs to patrol this area and cut tags 70%.....and stop this extra doe tag #####.
With the wet spring and lots of grass to feed I thought this could be the year for great antler growth, but I was wrong.
Fun area around Fort Peck but something is wrong with the deer herds......We also almost did not make it out as the wind picked up and drifted us in.

 

[36moose]

funny they don't put signs at the roads and at the gates. in 324 there was (attention mule deer hunters 324 is draw only unit)signs all over the unit. i was disapointed at what 652 had to offer as well and agree that there is bucks coming out of there with out the right permit.

 

[wapiti11]

36moose, did you hunt 324 this year and what kind of quality did you see? I have always thought about putting in.
How did you do in 652? I think putting up signs in 652 is a great idea and way overdue...There is no standard with F and G.

 

[forkhunter]

We found the same things. Hunted the south side this year for the first time in years. Chris, I think we were probably close to you somewhere unless that is when you were over on 652. Our party of 4 hunted hard for several days before the weather came in. We didn't see any good bucks at all. Took 3 decent bucks home, but very poor compared to the last few years we have gone.

Wapiti, check your PM's.

 

[wapiti11]

forkhunter, pm sent..