Bowsite.com

Harvest Statistics

How accurate are the harvest statistics in Montana. It seems to me from studying them for the first time that some stats don't add up, especially the success percentages. Am I reading this all wrong or what?

From what I could tell percentages are district wide. Im thinking those percentages could be skewed a bit if your looking at a district with a decent portion private ground. Not sure if I understand it 100% either though?

Not sure how Montana's statistics read but all Colorado stats include kills and animals taken on private land which can be very misleading to a public land hunter.

COs stats are also taken from a small random sample and extrapolated. Depending on who they sampled, it can be waaaaay off.

Only stats that I really pay attention to are the draw stats!

Don't understand how Montana's are even close to being accurate, They only contact random hunters . I called them wondering about reporting the bull i harvested last September and thats what they told me. So guess you can't believe that those harvest reports are accurate. My opinion is their probably much higher.

Thanks, guys...you've confirmed my suspicions. Will take 'em with a grain of salt.

It might interest you to know that Montana does not even have game checks during archery. All of their stats other than the off season random phone calls, half of which are also to gun hunters... are based on rifle season check stations. MT FWP is a joke. 10 minutes on their website will tell you that. I think Obama runs it. lol

Unfortunately you guys are correct here. They group all hunt types into entire 'unit' stats. There is no information for deer and elk draw hunts that can be broken down into bull/buck only numbers. They take no over the counter tag stats, other that rifle hunt check station numbers, and most of us can get home after a hunt without having to go through one of them. This is one of the few downsides to running an opportunity hunting state. There are just to many hunters and tags to compile accurate information. Nevada on the other hand is just the opposite. Managed as a true trophy state, there are no over the counter tags, there is a fraction of annual data for them to compile, and they do a tremendous job reporting what they do have. On the plus side, Montana's moose sheep and goat harvest reports are pretty spot on. They just aren't usually released before the application deadline.

I believe it's similar in AZ. In 2011 I hunted all archery season in multiple areas in my Unit and saw one dead elk other than mine.

Why don't they just do like Idaho does, you get a harvest report with your license and if you don't fill it out and mail it in or go on line and do it you can't get a tag next year.

Good question.

Register here to reply to this topic