Survey: Montana residents generally happy with elk, deer management

Elk hunting has been an emotional topic for some Montana hunters in recent years, with rallies on the Capitol steps, special conferences between differing interest groups and bills introduced in the Legislature.

Yet according to a Fish, Wildlife & Parks press release, 73% of the respondents to a recent survey are “satisfied with elk management in Montana. Generally, hunters surveyed were also satisfied with current elk hunting regulations and support the timing of the current general elk hunting season.”

In an email, the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association hailed the findings.

“These results should inform public discussions and the elk management policies of the (Fish and Wildlife) Commission going forward,” said Mac Minard, executive director of MOGA. “Montana hunters made it clear that they do not support additional regulations or loss of opportunities and underscored a need to increase hunting on private lands in order to disperse elk to public lands.”

Nonresident elk hunters were also questioned. More than 60% of nonresidents said they would prefer having the opportunity to hunt every year in the state, even if it meant a lower probability of killing a mature bull. Yet almost 75% said they were very interested in killing a bull elk.

“These surveys are important ways for us to gauge hunter opinion on our elk and mule deer management,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple in a statement. “We’re currently working on regulation proposals for the public’s review early this fall. We hope hunters take the time to review the proposals and let us know what they think.”

Regulation proposals will be out for public comment in October and will be in front of the Fish and Wildlife Commission for a final decision in December.

Elk emotions

Controversies over elk management in the state have been in part driven by large congregations of elk on private lands where few hunters have access. It’s also been compelled by an increasing number of hunters concentrated on fewer publicly accessible acres. FWP’s recently released draft elk management plan noted a 73% increase in nonresident archery hunters between 2004 and 2021.

The plan also said the number of days hunters pursued elk climbed about 31% between 2006 and 2016. Despite FWP offering more elk tags and an extended season for elk hunting, the elk harvest peaked in 1994.

Access to hunt bull elk on publicly owned land ranked higher than all other reasons nonresident hunters choose Montana. The regions they are most likely to visit are southwest Montana and in the center of the state. These are also two regions with high concentrations of elk and lots of accessible public land.

The other top reason the surveyed hunters came to Montana was to hunt elk and other species at the same time. In Montana, the elk and deer rifle seasons occur simultaneously. This year, that’s Oct. 21 through Nov. 26. The same goes for archery season. Bowhunters can pursue deer or elk from Sept. 2 through Oct. 15.

Survey says

The surveys were mailed to 5,000 randomly selected resident hunters. Less than half responded, despite two prompts. Eight-hundred nonresidents were sent the survey. Again, less than half answered.

For comparison, FWP’s data shows there were more than 163,000 resident elk licenses sold in 2021 and 221,600 deer licenses. Nonresident deer and elk licenses in 2021 numbered more than 66,600.

Yet FWP’s sampling provided close to a plus or minus 3% margin of error, according to Mike Lewis, FWP’s Human Dimension supervisor. He said the sample size of 5,000 was fairly high for the agency because they wanted to get accurate results.

“The sampling fraction required to produce accurate estimates at population-level gets smaller the larger the population is,” Justin Gude, chief of FWP’s Research and Technical Services section, explained in an email. “The randomness of the sample is the key.”

The return rate for such surveys is getting more and more difficult, Lewis said, which is why FWP reached out twice to try and encourage those involved to respond.

“Twenty-five years ago, we expected to get a 60% response rate,” he said. “People are just saturated.”

Even with a lower response rate, the numbers are dependable, Gude said.

“They certainly do not reflect the opinion of every hunter or hunters in every local area, which will vary from the overall proportions and themes represented in the general results,” he qualified.

Trophies

Another information point noted in the survey is that Montana elk and mule deer hunters like their five-week general rifle season, even if it means giving up the opportunity to hunt more trophy animals.

“While important to many, trophy hunting was the least important reason expressed by survey respondents for hunting elk in Montana,” FWP noted.

John Sullivan, chairman of the Montana chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, said he thought the way FWP framed its survey questions and analysis regarding hunting mature bull elk were tricky.

“Sure, people who hunt in general areas probably want to retain the ability to hunt there each and every year; but many of those same people are likely supportive of the limited entry opportunities they can take advantage of every decade or so,” he said.

“Our worry is that FWP is asking questions in ways that fail to fully take into consideration current season structure and opportunities, and they fail to flesh out a likely hypothesis: that Montanans appreciate our opportunity to hunt elk each year in general units, but we like the opportunities to hunt limited-entry areas too,” he added.

More than 60% of residents who responded to the survey said they would rather hunt mule deer bucks every year, even though that might mean less of a chance of taking a mature buck, and they like hunting during the rut. Montana allows hunting for bucks during the annual mating season, called the rut, a time when mature male deer are more vulnerable.

Montana hunters’ support for hunting in general, rather than trophy hunting opportunities, didn’t surprise Jeff Lukas, acting director of conservation for the Montana Wildlife Federation, a sporting advocacy and conservation group.

“Most Montanans aren’t out for big bucks or big bulls (although we’ll take them any chance we get) but for family togetherness and to fill our freezers,” Lukas wrote in an email. “Many of us eagerly anticipate the weeks spent in the field, preparing for elk camp, deer hunting with family members, or planning the use of our precious vacation days.”

Also of note, the responses to FWP’s mule deer survey matched fairly closely to one done 12 years earlier. “Results from both years also show that 85 percent of survey respondents favorably rate mule deer hunting opportunities in Montana,” FWP said.

Pressure

Sixty percent of residents would like to see fewer of their fellow hunters when they do go afield. Thirty-five percent rated the number of hunters they see each day as unacceptable or very unacceptable.

“Montana has had an influx of 300,000 people to the state in the last 30 years, and we’ve doubled the number of nonresident licenses sold for deer and elk,” Lukas said. “Since 2015, nonresident antlered deer hunting has grown exponentially while antlerless tags have doubled as well. The same goes with antlerless elk licenses. During that time as well, the number of residents taking to the field for deer and elk has grown, albeit at a much smaller pace.”

The survey also showed “gaining access to hunt elk continues to be a topic of concern, particularly on privately owned property. Also, there are concerns about the numbers of both antlerless elk and bull elk on publicly owned lands in Montana,” FWP said.

Lewis said FWP, like many public agencies, often hears from those most critical of its management decisions.

“Quite often what I’m told is we have a problem,” he said. “Ultimately, most surveys show things aren’t as bad as we thought.”