collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?  (Read 41563 times)

Offline Snapshot

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Feb 2007
  • Posts: 721
How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« on: April 06, 2014, 01:38:47 PM »
On another thread the topic of early Elk Season timing is proving to be on the minds of many. I think we need to understand how we got to where we are in order to find our way back.

I believe the reason we lost the Sept 8-21 elk season was that one wealthy hunter caught the ear of the people who influenced the season setting process by, 1) pointing out that there were permit-dollars to be made if they’d offer Modern Firearms tag holders a chance to hunt a rutting bull, and, 2) suggesting that bowhunters were taking an inequitable proportion of Mature bull elk. I believe the second claim was contrived as a means of achieving the goal of rifle hunting during the rut.

It is easy to imagine that any idea promising increased revenues was going to gain traction and make the decision-makers take notice. What isn’t so easy to imagine is why our biologist would go against widely accepted elk biology and skew the data to support the claim of inequity in mature bull harvest. [I believe it was because he was told to do so by his boss or his bosses.]

Please understand that the WDFW’s own Game Management Plan has for at least the past 18 years said, “Mature bulls are defined as being older than four years, which is usually equated to having antlers with at least six tines on one side.” [I write 18 years because I’ve only been referencing the Plan for that long.]

Here was the ruse: Because the bull harvest statistics up to and including 2007 did not show that bowhunters were taking more than their share of mature bulls (which is what the influential wealthy hunter claimed), the numbers were fudged to make it look like bowhunters were taking more than their share. This was done by changing (only for the sake of the Season Setting Process) the definition of a Mature bull to include bulls with at least five tines on at least one side.

That is right…for the purpose of selling the Game Commission on the idea of allowing Modern Firearms permits during the peak of the rut, the Department included the five point bulls in the equations. [Ask an elk biologist how old an elk has to be to have five points on one side and the answer will be “2-1/2 years with good genetics and feed.”] Including the raghorns changed the results and so what the Commission saw was that bowhunters were taking more than their share of Mature bulls. Under the rules of Resource Allocation the Commission was compelled to accept the Department’s recommendation to, 1) create a new Modern Firearms tag permit for hunting bulls with a rifle during the third week of September, and, 2) to make adjustments to the archery season timing.

One longstanding argument against allowing modern firearms hunters in the woods during archery season was bowhunter safety concerns. This argument was held up alongside their data showing bowhunters taking too many mature bulls and the stage was set.

The Department couldn’t sell the dates of Sept 1-14 like it was prior to 1999-2001 because the Commission remembered bowhunters’ reasons for wanting to get away from that time slot: 1) forest overcrowding due to the Labor Day holiday, and, 2) the warmer weather and the fire dangers/meat loss issues that came along with that. And so someone came up with the idea of a floating start with season opening the Tuesday after Labor Day. That was latched onto like a piglet to a teat and to rub salt into the wound they also chopped a day off the season length. All because someone said bowhunters were too good at taking mature bulls.

A goal of mine prior to the 2008-10 season setting process was to gather mature bull harvest data to find out exactly what effect, if any, the changing of the dates had on the harvesting of mature bulls. I saw the 2008 data and no effect was evident there. But then some life changes and distractions kept me from working on that goal. I wonder, has anyone compiled the mature bull harvest data from 2009-2013? If only six point or better bulls, as per the Game Management Plan, were compared I believe we’d be right on track in our mature bull harvest and we could shoot down the argument that got us to where we are now. And maybe in doing so we’d have some justification for getting back to the dates of Sept 8-21.
I'd just like to remind everybody that it's about the hunting, not just the killing. In other words, it's about the total experience, the sport itself and the challenge involved. Bowhunting, done right, is a justifiable and honorable pursuit. Done for the wrong reasons, simply chalking up kills and seeking personal glory, it's taking away rather than giving back to a principled way of life that has to be experienced to be understood. G.StCharles

Offline skidynastar33

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Scout
  • ****
  • Join Date: Nov 2010
  • Posts: 318
  • Location: Wetside
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2014, 02:20:46 PM »
Next year it will be the 8 - 20. Tues after Labor Day opening is what's it has always been since I started. (7years) not sure what it was before.

Offline washelkhunter

  • Region 5 State Delegate #3
  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 3549
  • Location: Vancouver
  • Site sponsorhttp
  • Groups: TPE, NRA, RMEF, AST
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2014, 02:24:12 PM »
For 2015 why not push for the 2nd sat of Sept to Oct 1st. and combine AR w ML into a PW season? No compounds and no inlines. True Primitive Weapons. Long bows and recurves only and sidelock muzzies limited to round ball only. Relegate the modern compounds and inlines to the MF slot.   :tup:

Offline Jonathan_S

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2012
  • Posts: 8964
  • Location: Medical Lake
  • Volleyfire Brigade, Cryder apologist
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2014, 02:41:57 PM »
For 2015 why not push for the 2nd sat of Sept to Oct 1st. and combine AR w ML into a PW season? No compounds and no inlines. True Primitive Weapons. Long bows and recurves only and sidelock muzzies limited to round ball only. Relegate the modern compounds and inlines to the MF slot.   :tup:

I really cannot feature this happening.  Nice thought though.
Kindly do not attempt to cloud the issue with too many facts.

Online bobcat

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (+14)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 38900
  • Location: Rochester
    • robert68
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2014, 03:33:45 PM »
For 2015 why not push for the 2nd sat of Sept to Oct 1st. and combine AR w ML into a PW season? No compounds and no inlines. True Primitive Weapons. Long bows and recurves only and sidelock muzzies limited to round ball only. Relegate the modern compounds and inlines to the MF slot.   :tup:

I really cannot feature this happening.  Nice thought though.

Yeah, too many people with money invested in compound bows and inline muzzleloaders. They would never do away with those seasons. I could see doing away with the general seasons though, and make all elk huning by permit only.

Offline kentrek

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 3379
  • Location: west coast
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #5 on: April 06, 2014, 04:08:28 PM »
For 2015 why not push for the 2nd sat of Sept to Oct 1st. and combine AR w ML into a PW season? No compounds and no inlines. True Primitive Weapons. Long bows and recurves only and sidelock muzzies limited to round ball only. Relegate the modern compounds and inlines to the MF slot.   :tup:

I really cannot feature this happening.  Nice thought though.

Yeah, too many people with money invested in compound bows and inline muzzleloaders. They would never do away with those seasons. I could see doing away with the general seasons though, and make all elk huning by permit only.

Dont kill what opportunity we have left...

Offline washelkhunter

  • Region 5 State Delegate #3
  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 3549
  • Location: Vancouver
  • Site sponsorhttp
  • Groups: TPE, NRA, RMEF, AST
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #6 on: April 06, 2014, 08:21:42 PM »
What? You would'nt give up your compound for the op'ty to hunt in the middle of the rut and have a season that runs for 19 days at the best time of the year? And its deer season too!

Offline Jonathan_S

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2012
  • Posts: 8964
  • Location: Medical Lake
  • Volleyfire Brigade, Cryder apologist
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #7 on: April 06, 2014, 09:28:17 PM »
What? You would'nt give up your compound for the op'ty to hunt in the middle of the rut and have a season that runs for 19 days at the best time of the year? And its deer season too!

I'm not saying I wouldn't rather hunt that time frame with a flintlock than my compound with the current seasons but I'm trying to look at what would realistically happen and that doesn't fit the bill in my opinion.
Kindly do not attempt to cloud the issue with too many facts.

Offline huntnphool

  • Chance favors the prepared mind!
  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+15)
  • Legend
  • ******
  • Join Date: Apr 2007
  • Posts: 32690
  • Location: Pacific NorthWest
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #8 on: April 06, 2014, 09:45:54 PM »
Unless WDFW change their story, the season should start the 8th again in 2015
The things that come to those who wait, may be the things left by those who got there first!

Offline washelkhunter

  • Region 5 State Delegate #3
  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 3549
  • Location: Vancouver
  • Site sponsorhttp
  • Groups: TPE, NRA, RMEF, AST
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #9 on: April 06, 2014, 10:07:40 PM »
What? You would'nt give up your compound for the op'ty to hunt in the middle of the rut and have a season that runs for 19 days at the best time of the year? And its deer season too!
[/quote

I'm not saying I wouldn't rather hunt that time frame with a flintlock than my compound with the current seasons but I'm trying to look at what would realistically happen and that doesn't fit the bill in my opinion.


I think its sellable, and sidelock includes no: 11 percussion caps.

Offline elk247

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Feb 2013
  • Posts: 1684
  • Location: Skagit co.
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #10 on: April 06, 2014, 10:21:32 PM »
For 2015 why not push for the 2nd sat of Sept to Oct 1st. and combine AR w ML into a PW season? No compounds and no inlines. True Primitive Weapons. Long bows and recurves only and sidelock muzzies limited to round ball only. Relegate the modern compounds and inlines to the MF slot.   :tup:
I was with you until you gave the inline and compound guys the shaft. An exclusive traditional peak rut hunt would be great.

Offline washelkhunter

  • Region 5 State Delegate #3
  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 3549
  • Location: Vancouver
  • Site sponsorhttp
  • Groups: TPE, NRA, RMEF, AST
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #11 on: April 06, 2014, 11:19:18 PM »
I didnt give them the shaft. Mod compounds and muzzies today have no compare with what the original intent of the primitive season was all about. These weapons have outpaced their perceived category.
« Last Edit: April 07, 2014, 09:48:54 AM by washelkhunter »

Offline huntnphool

  • Chance favors the prepared mind!
  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+15)
  • Legend
  • ******
  • Join Date: Apr 2007
  • Posts: 32690
  • Location: Pacific NorthWest
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #12 on: April 07, 2014, 11:29:17 AM »
Mod compounds and muzzies today have no compare with what the original intent of the primitive season was all about. These weapons have outpaced their perceived category.
What year did the "primitive weapon" categories begin and what was "perceived" by WF&G?
The things that come to those who wait, may be the things left by those who got there first!

Offline Jonathan_S

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2012
  • Posts: 8964
  • Location: Medical Lake
  • Volleyfire Brigade, Cryder apologist
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #13 on: April 07, 2014, 11:41:36 AM »
 :yeah:  slippery slope there Sir
Kindly do not attempt to cloud the issue with too many facts.

Offline Broken Arrow

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2007
  • Posts: 903
  • Location: Richland
Re: How do we get back Sept 8-21 season?
« Reply #14 on: April 07, 2014, 11:55:42 AM »
what about us atlatl and spear hunters, why not give us the whole month... :bash:

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Springer 2024 Columbia River by dilleytech
[Today at 08:16:45 AM]


Average by lhrbull
[Today at 07:31:56 AM]


Let’s see your best Washington buck by Pathfinder101
[Today at 07:22:11 AM]


Walked a cougar down by Loup Loup
[Today at 07:16:30 AM]


CVA optima V2 LR tapped hole for front sight by Remdawg
[Today at 07:09:22 AM]


Bearpaw Season - Spring 2024 by duckmen1
[Today at 06:52:09 AM]


Which 12” boat trailer tires? by timberhunter
[Yesterday at 08:22:18 PM]


Lowest power 22 round? by JakeLand
[Yesterday at 08:06:13 PM]


1x scopes vs open sights by JakeLand
[Yesterday at 07:29:35 PM]


Long Beach Clamming Tides by Encore 280
[Yesterday at 05:16:00 PM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal