In the state of Washington, a person wanting to harvest a moose 

 does so with the understanding that if successful, he will not be 

 eligible to hunt moose again in that state, ever. I would think 

 that an average moose hunter wouldn't "waste" the one tag he'll 

 ever get on an immature bull or bow moose. Why not apply some of 

 that thinking to elk and mule deer hunting in western Montana? A 

 six point bull elk is a truly magnificent animal. Most hunters 

 will never get one, but if a person is successful, should he be 

 able kill another next year? If Montana had a big game policy 

 where if you were successful in bagging an elk you wouldn't be 

 eligible for another tag in say 5 years, you would eliminate a 

 lot of problems of administering cow tags, and branch antlers 

 only etc. regulations. Most people would not shoot a cow or 

 spike if they knew they couldn't get another tag for 5 years. 

 Myself and everyone I've talked to about this would hold out for 

 a true trophy. Would this policy deprive people of 

 opportunities? I don't believe this would materially reduce the 

 numbers of tags sold or decrease the outdoor recreational 

 manhours . The net resutr would be that fewer immature bulls and 

 cows would be taken, thus eventually building the herd numbers to 

 a point where a hunter seriously hunting on foot for 15 straight 

 days would do considerably better than seeing only the tracks of 

 3 elk. If this policy were adopted, I believe that the average 

 elk hunter would have a better overall chance of getting that six 

 point bull. 



When I began hunting in 1964 one could venture out from Darby on 

 the east side of town in any of the side drainages and see dozens 

 of mule deer on any given occasion. Now it is rare indeed to 

 see any deer at any time in this same area. Long time residents 

 from other areas tell me similar stories of the plight of mule 

 deer in their favorite areas. I covered hundreds of square miles 

 on foot, horseback, ORV, and 4 wheel drive this fall. I saw few 

 game animals and only 1 legal buck deer (a smallish 2 point) 

 which I decline to take. Mule deer must be protected as must the 

 elk, if we are to enjoy at least seeing huntable numbers of 

 either species. The either sex deer portion of the rifle season 

 should be eliminated for the mule deer, as a first step toward 

 improving the muley numbers. 



Most people "put in for a cow" every year hoping to increase 

 their chance to kill an elk. I say fine let them put in for a 

 cow tag, but if they are successful in drawing a cow tag, then a 

 cow is all they are eligible for in the areas they have selected. 

 This would separate the guys who really want a cow from the 

 others who just want to kill an elk, any elk. I also believe 

 that if you choose to bowhunt then you should not be allowed to 

 hunt during rifle season. I currently bowhunt and rifle hunt, 

 but if I had to choose I would hunt only during the bow season. 

 Making this choice would help to reduce the large numbers of us 

 competing for a limited resource. With fewer numbers of hunters 



