Last Best Place?

[Jigapig]

Anybody else fed up with all people that have just shown up "out of thin air" recreating in spots you have never seen people before? (or sheer increase in volume of people in not so secret spots anyway) Since the inception of "Covid 19"  There are people  EVERYWHERE, EVERY day of the week.... It is nuts!!!  I have been an avid open/hard water fisherman and bow hunter for 32 years in Montana... I cannot believe the changes, especially recently... With the advent of GPS, cell phones, social media etc, Anybody with any kind of savvyat all can do their homework w/o ever leaving their house. (There is always someone(s) willing to "toot their own horn" and give out waaaaay too much information on line...) That must be how all these "Covid" recreators (many out of state, or county) are finding spots that were once sacred? What makes Montana a great place for outdoor enthusiasts is rapidly going by the wayside... Fish and game is light years behind, and doesn't really care anyway. I have been to too many meetings. Its all about the mighty dollar... There methodology behind sustaining and actually maintaining viable Walleye populations is pathetic.  (We all know "Trout" generates the money for Montana, and T/U has very deep pockets and legal resources that are world wide...) Fisheries biologist don't understand how "proficient" anglers have become, and their willingness to drive 6 hrs. to capitalize on a  hot "WC" bite (woman and children bite) Yes, I just said that... If your laughing, you totally "get it"... If you are offended, you don't get it.... "Meatheads" come out of the wood work to "get theirs" (Holter Perch boom, prime example of a crap show, good luck finding any #'s numbers now?) And big game is a whole other story.... All about selling as many Elk tags as possible and not protecting resources or trying to grow a true trophy deer in any regions that might really need it.... (how many 2 1/2 year old deer did you see in pick ups?)  Montana has always kinda had a "fill your tags, and catch and kill" philosophy..... But times are a changing, and have been for many years actually.... Lets try to do our part and keep Montana the "last best place" People are flooding this direction everyday, bringing their stupidity, political values, and just plain ignorance. If you value the few secrets you have left, maybe you should think twice before you share them in full detail. (Heck, I have GPS coordinates I would not share with my own mother) lol.... Seriously, not trying to sound like an ass, or some kind of primadona or "better than you" outdoorsman.  Most of us all "started" very green, and  we were mentored by someone(s) in our lives.... But now its just a simple "click away" by so many that bring absolutely "nothing to the table" (just an empty plate and fork!)  I just don't like the direction things have been going for quite some time! Thank you for the rant, mind you it is a very short rant nonetheless... "readers digest" version of so many things negatively affecting our outdoor experiences...  Good luck out there to those of you that pay your dues...     

[BobberdownMT]

Couldn’t have said it better myself. It sucks.

[Fortpeck1]

I totally agree

[missoulafish]

ive found my spirit animal...

[jakediesel1]

But they keep telling us this is "the new normal". This is one reason why I dont have social media presence other than ice shanty and my fish finder. I rarely ask for help but I dont mind sharing tips and tricks when I meet another good local human being.

[missoulafish]

The people saying this is the "new normal" arent the people out their grinding and doing the work to get better. The people calling this the "new normal" are the potlickers that have gotten us to where JigAPig is describing....

[jakediesel1]

The people saying this is the "new normal" arent the people out their grinding and doing the work to get better. The people calling this the "new normal" are the potlickers that have gotten us to where JigAPig is describing....

I wasnt arguing with you, I was agreeing. Me typing that was a joke/jab at the saying.

[missoulafish]

Oh I know, wasnt trying to be rude or offensive either lol. Appreciate your comment:)

[zcm_82]

Welcome to everywhere east of the Mississippi 15 years ago. You can't fart on a public access hunting area without 5 other people smelling it out here, and fishing isn't much better. You're lucky it lasted that long out West.

[ice dawg]

Things happen when the desire for money outpaces the wants of sportsmen. Our Pheasant hunting in South Dakota has pretty much become a pay to hunt situation for many. There is a reason for more nonresidents hunting Pheasants here than residents. I quit hunting Pheasants about 12 years ago when stopping on a county road to take a shot at a bird hiding in a ditch would get me rewarded in two minutes by a land owner telling me I was shooting at HIS pheasants. We even have a procedure to follow for pulling over on the side of the road to get out of the vehicle and take a shot.

[njoy]

above not a rant---- just fact

[zcm_82]

Things happen when the desire for money outpaces the wants of sportsmen. Our Pheasant hunting in South Dakota has pretty much become a pay to hunt situation for many. There is a reason for more nonresidents hunting Pheasants here than residents. I quit hunting Pheasants about 12 years ago when stopping on a county road to take a shot at a bird hiding in a ditch would get me rewarded in two minutes by a land owner telling me I was shooting at HIS pheasants. We even have a procedure to follow for pulling over on the side of the road to get out of the vehicle and take a shot.

Heck, that's a felony here. You have to have written permission from the landowner to hunt or even retrieve fallen game here, plus shooting from within 60ft of a roadway is another felony. And 97% of the state is private property.

Y'all have some pretty lenient laws. Be glad you're not dealing with this... land doesn't even have to be posted anymore down here.

[PerchPounderMT]

Heck, that's a felony here. You have to have written permission from the landowner to hunt or even retrieve fallen game here, plus shooting from within 60ft of a roadway is another felony. And 97% of the state is private property.

Y'all have some pretty lenient laws. Be glad you're not dealing with this... land doesn't even have to be posted anymore down here.

It has never been a requirement to post here,all private land is assumed no trespassing unless posted otherwise.

[ice dawg]

We have a no trespass law here also and land doesn't need to be posted. We do have some public hunting areas here, but the public land is the first ground the hunting guides take their clients through when beginning their day. We get the left overs.

[doublehaul]

Jigapig- can I like this a million times? Those folks that just don’t get it, generally never will.

[Kinkyline]

    : You said it all my fellow sportsman!

[PerchPounderMT]

We have a no trespass law here also and land doesn't need to be posted. We do have some public hunting areas here, but the public land is the first ground the hunting guides take their clients through when beginning their day. We get the left overs.

Same here,the halfoutfitters with no leases post up on small pieces of public land 2 hrs before dawn trying to keep everyone else out,Ive seen them post public land making people wonder if its actually private...all outfitting should be confined to private and wilderness IMO.
 

[fridayfish]

now we can start to feel and understand how the native Americans must have felt 200 years ago.

[Fishin Friesz]

Could not agree with the OP's post more...

[PerchPounderMT]

now we can start to feel and understand how the native Americans must have felt 200 years ago.

Before or after they wiped out and enslaved the people that were here before them?

[MT_btagger]

[PerchPounderMT]

lmao
 
 

[Kilsdonk]

I understand 100% where jigapig is coming from and how disheartening it can be seeing someone in your "Secret Spot". But I want to ask this, how did you find that spot?? Most 'Montana Natives' have friends and family very willing to take them hunting and show them spots, or at least what a good spot should look like whether it be for hunting or fishing.
I was born in Montana but when I was young, we moved to Oregon, if you think pressure is bad here just wait... but that's not the point I would like to make. My point being is that when I came back to Montana for college and to be a part of Montana again, I was met with very cold shoulders, even being a third-generation Montanan native didn't matter. Going to school for engineering I began to get very good at desk scouting and researching spots before hitting them. A broke weekend warrior doesn't have the resources to go to every spot. Don’t get me wrong I’ve burned a lot of boot rubber and time on the water doing almost everything possible the wrong way. Not to mention while going to school I paid out of state costs and in a few years, I paid more to MFWP than most Montanans will do in a lifetime.
You talk of being mentored but have you ever considered mentoring those with “an empty plate and empty fork”. If you’ve maybe had a “full plate” the last 32 years should you not share that?
No trying to start anything and like I said before I understand, starting a family during Covid and with this new Montana Land Grab BS has made it hard. But, my family and I can count on the knowledge of others to help us through. Whether I’m BSing with an old boy on a slow day on the ice at noon, at the back of a pickup over some cold beers with a stranger who parked next to you, or like all of us on this very site right now sharing knowledge and the experiences we had. I agree, don’t be giving out coordinates to where you shot last years bull with your bow or where you landed your personal best pike. But I challenge some of you to PRESERVE the “last best place” and maybe try mentoring someone you wouldn’t normally. Teach them what it means to be a sportsman. Because sorry to say it but there’s no such thing as a secret spot anymore. Unless its private property there’s no place that only you can get to and only you have thought of.
Some people on here I respect tremendously and want to thank you for tips and tricks and anything useful you have had to offer and to those of you I have offended (if I have) keep in mind I don’t mean to take away from jigapig at all, I just want people to know Hunting and Fishing is a dying tradition and its up to all of us to pass it on the right way.
P.S MTbadger that’s hilarious!

[mountana]

Three guys walk into a bar, one from Oregon, one from California, and one from Washington. The bartender says....

[lundin-loading]

I just want people to know Hunting and Fishing is a dying tradition and its up to all of us to pass it on the right way.
P.S MTbadger that’s hilarious!

Throughout the rest of the country hunting and fishing is dying, but in most western states, that is not the case.
Im all about helping people that are on the water, but I'll be dammed if I give out specifics to the masses letting google do the leg work. Recreating outdoors isnt easy, and it shouldn't be. The sense of satisfaction in putting in the work to earn your own success cannot be matched. There are community holes all over the state, if you wanna socialize and possibly annoy people head to everyone's favorite bay or point. But it absolutely pays to grind it out and do something different. Just go, don't wait for reports, get off the internet and go for an adventure. Build up a small network of trustworthy friends that works as hard as you do and utilize each other as a resource. Good luck and stay on the right side of the ice.

[missoulafish]

🤘👊

[PerchPounderMT]

Three guys walk into a bar, one from Oregon, one from California, and one from Washington. The bartender says....

Im all out,go home.   

[JTDC]

Exact same thing happening here in ID.

[Mervin56]

I'm afraid it's getting loved to death...

[Jigapig]

Well said lundin-loading....