Presented by Rob Arnaud Montana Hunting Company · Balance your harvest management with your...
Transcript of Presented by Rob Arnaud Montana Hunting Company · Balance your harvest management with your...
Presented by Rob Arnaud
Montana Hunting Company
Boone and Crockett Score
Front Tooth for cementum analysis
A GOOD photo
Harvest Weight
339 2/8 B&C
8.5 years 339 B&C
7.5 years
324 B&C
8.5 years 341 6/8 B&C
9.5 years
2.5 years
220 B&C
3.5 years
254 7/8 B&C
4.5 years
270 B&C
5.5 years
296 B&C
6.5 years
327B&C 7.5 years
358 B&C
8.5 years
346 3/8 B&C
9.5 years
362 7/8 B&C
What does your data say?
o How old are your elk? Mature bull elk = 7 years of age
o What’s their gross Boone and Crockett scores?
• Scores peak at 8.5 years of age
o Are you harvesting the appropriate age of elk?
• Are you over harvesting?
• Would you be better off cutting back on numbers of hunters, increasing
Boone and Crockett scores and charging more?
o Meld this information with your ground and flight data
• Do you have enough bulls/elk to achieve goals?
• Do you have to many cows? – reducing cow elk can narrow bull/cow
ratios and increase fecundity
o Are you priced equitably with other outfitters in the West?
• Are you selling a $5,000 hunt when it should be an $7,500 hunt?
Balance your harvest management with your habitat
management
Hunting needs to pay for the AUM’s used by elk
o Land owner’s tolerance for game increases when they are paying
their way
o Convert elk to AUM’s multiply by numbers on ranch and convert to
dollar amount
• 3 Elk = 1 AUM
• 1 AUM = $20-$35 per month
• Example: 100 Elk = 33 AUM’s x 12 months = 396 AUM x $20 = $7,920
• That is the forage consumed by elk herd and they should pay for their own
feed.
Geographic Size and Location of Property (Limitations)
o Ranch is too small to affect ages of harvested elk
• Can you take more elk or should you take less?
• Landowner and neighbor consideration of quality
Habitat Enhancement Strategies
o Consider leaving second crop alfalfa for food source for elk
o Consider leaving sanctuary areas on the ranch for elk security
and/or road management
o Work with landowner on cattle rotation
o Work with silviculturalists on timber management
Best survey helicopter
Second best survey fixed wing
Third best ground census
You need to balance survey method with budget. On smaller
properties, a ground census may be adequate. Get flight data
from FWP.
Be consistent with methods and time and fashion.
Keeping accurate records and data will pay dividends!
Land owner appreciation – usually translates into long term
leases
Scientific analysis helps make good decision
Helps educate guides on age class of animal to be targeted
for hunting
Clients can make informed decisions = happy hunters