Montana’s hunters highly value mule deer hunting, according to a Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks resident mule deer hunter survey. Nearly two-thirds of hunters surveyed said hunting mulies is “my most, or one of my most important hunting activities”.
“If there was any doubt about how much hunters value a mule deer hunt, this survey eliminated it,” said Ron Aasheim, FWP spokesman. “Hunters are also satisfied overall with many aspects of the mule deer hunt in Montana—including the regulations and the timing of the seasons.”
A full 85% rated the state’s overall mule deer hunting experience as better than average, and nearly 50% rated Montana’s opportunities to hunt large mule deer bucks as better than average.
FWP frequently hears requests for more trophy mule deer hunting, yet hunters rated a trophy hunt as the least important of 10 different potential reasons to hunt mule deer. About 91% of hunters surveyed said they go to enjoy nature and the outdoors. Other “important” or “very important” reasons to hunt mule deer include:
to be with friends who have similar interests (77%),
to do something with my family (75%), and
to get venison for eating (65%).
Managing for higher numbers of mature mule deer bucks may require more restrictive mule deer hunting regulations, so hunters were asked how restrictive the regulations should be. Consistently, nearly two-thirds of the survey respondents preferred hunting mule deer bucks every year with a lower probability of harvesting a mature buck, as compared to a little more than a third of the respondents who preferred the option of hunting once every several years with a higher probability of harvesting a mature buck.
In another interesting result, when hunters were asked “How important is it to you to be able to consistently hunt mule deer in the same place in Montana each and every year?” nearly 60% said it was important or very important to them.
When hunters were asked what the single greatest barrier is to gaining the type of mule deer hunting experience they are looking for, among the most frequently mentioned barriers were:
poor access to privately owned lands, locked gates, closed roads, time and money, the costs of hunting, physical limitation, due to age, disabilities, sickness or injury, and not enough big bucks.
A profile of survey respondents indicated on average they hunt mule deer in Montana 12 days per year and their average age was 47 years. Eighty-eight percent were male and 12% were female.
A summary of the 2011 Resident Mule Deer Hunter Preference Survey is available by contacting the FWP at 406-444-4758, or by visiting FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov. Click “Mule Deer Hunter Survey Results”. Other surveys can also be found on line at fwp.mt.gov. Click “Doing Business”, the click “Surveys”.
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