Dear FWP and the Elk Management Citizen Advisory Group -
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on your ‘Develop User Friendly and Effective Methods to Collect Data’ proposal.
The Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers fully supports this proposal and encourages increased utilization of FWP’s mobile app when it comes to harvest data, elk movement trends, and elk counts.
However, we would ask that the department consider fair-chase principles when determining what data should be shared, specifically when it comes to elk movements and patterns during hunting season. We request that any data sharing program be rigorously developed with fair-chase principles in mind.
Finally, we would also strongly encourage the department to take this idea one step further and implement mandatory harvest reporting via their app and/or online. This is the only way to ensure the accuracy of the harvest data FWP receives, as voluntary data shared by the public would be skewed to only show data collected by those who choose to share it with FWP. There would be absolutely no way to know what the margin of error is with this kind of data. With mandatory harvest reporting, the margin of error would be significantly smaller, and the public could be put at ease knowing that FWP’s decisions are based on the best science available.
Thank you again for the opportunity to comment on your ‘Develop User Friendly and Effective Methods to Collect Data’ proposal. We appreciate your careful consideration.
-The Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers