Reviewing the elk management plan

During the last few days, I have been reading the new 470-page Montana Statewide Elk Management Plan. What was of most interest to me and probably most hunters, is found on pages 15-41.

These pages outline elk hunting, economics, population trends, habitat, predation and harvest strategies. There is lots of good information for the serious elk hunter.  

Over the last 20 years the number of elk hunters in Montana has been steady at about 115,000 hunters with 90,000 resident hunters and the rest being non-resident hunters. Hunters spend about 1 million hunter days pursuing elk and about $187,000,000 for elk hunting. Elk hunting is big business in Montana.