Methow Herd Reduction is Official

[turbo]

Tyring to wrap my head around 13 years ago.   96 was the horrible winter right?  I have never been very pro doe hunting except whitetail.  I have never killed a doe myself.  I was a kid once too. I  Never judged anyone who legally took one, I was just personally against it.   Its been awhile since the herd was at its max in the Methow.   There has been a steady decline for sometime, so no I probably didn't support it then either.  Back in the old days when folks took doe for the table, they were woodsy enough to take the old baron ones, and let the young ones perpetuate the herd.   

You'll see a different mindset today....

 "Blast the first thing you see, its owed to us, afterall how much have we paid the WDFW this year for a tag....."

I agree 100 percent!

Both of you must be arm chair bio's, if the herd wasn't strong and in great shape then they certainly would not have increased the late permits in that area by 50%. Maybe you two better get your facts strait before suggesting that the herd has been in decline for the last 20 years...........sheesh!

You're joking right? Hope so..

[matt345]

I was drawn and will likely not buy the tag. Will it just go to the next guy until they sell 200

[boneaddict]

I don't think so this time.  There would have to be a deadline to purchase and more notifications sent out.

[X-Force]

I was drawn and will likely not buy the tag. Will it just go to the next guy until they sell 200

Last week someone from WDFW was interviewed by the outdoor line 710am and the state guy said around 1000 extra permits were handed out

[Skyvalhunter]

Both of you must be arm chair bio's, if the herd wasn't strong and in great shape then they certainly would not have increased the late permits in that area by 50%. Maybe you two better get your facts strait before suggesting that the herd has been in decline for the last 20 years...........sheesh!
[/quote]
Obviously that was a cynical statement made on your part, if not you don't have any past history with reguards to the herd. 

[Larry S.]

I've been drawn for the herd reduction tags (Second deer and Over 65) in GMU 224 (Pearygin) and I will be using every skill I have to fill them if possible.

Some background on that statement:

I've been a hunter for 36 years and have lived in and hunted in Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and (for the past 30 years) Washington. In the early 1980's, I had the opportunity to work in and around the Florida Everglades and the Ten Thousand Islands area near Naples, Florida. During the early summer months of 1982, there was a situation that developed in the Everglades wherein there was a tremendous amount of rainfall. What this did was to inundate the Everglades and cause a large rise in the water level. The Everglades - being basically flat - could not shed the water quickly enough and much of the land area (and food) became submerged except for the few high spots which remained above water.

What then began to happen was that the deer population was forced onto these high spots and quickly began to overgraze them. Florida Wildlife officials and many hunters saw this and a proposal for herd reduction hunts was put forth to prevent the suffering and death of many deer from starvation. Almost as day follows night, the howling began from the "environmental" side and opposition quickly formed with the predictable result that the hunts were either less than effective or not allowed at all.

In one of the proposed hunts, fewer deer than anticipated (and needed) were taken because the adverse publicity kept many hunters at home while a second hunt was never allowed.

As a sidebar, the environmental crowd and others came forward with an idea (I'm being generous here as "ideas" usually require logic and thought) that was adopted and actually tried. In the place of herd reduction hunts, a large scale "deer capture" and removal to other areas would be conducted to prevent the predicted die off. It failed miserably. It was a "cluster****" from the moment it began and went downhill from there. Very few deer (I believe the number was 19 - including one fawn) were actually captured and most of them later died.

This is just a quick encapsulation of that event. If you'd like to read a more complete description that's available in a report that was filed, you can Google the "Everglades Emergency Deer Hunt Controversy" that was written in 1983 by the State of Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission.

Do I like the idea of having to reduce a herd's numbers? No, the sportsman in me is discomfited by the thought. That said, having witnessed a die-off first hand (and having seen the foolishness proposed and adopted that resulted in a die off that didn't need to happen), the realist in me knows that, sometimes, there are distasteful things that need to be done to prevent an even worse situation from occurring.

Larry S.

[boneaddict]

Thoughtful post Larry, and I am glad you are exercising what you believe in.  Goodluck to you.


1000 now, isn't that peachy.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Thoughtful post Larry, and I am glad you are exercising what you believe in.  Goodluck to you.


1000 now, isn't that peachy.

1000? what are you talking about?

[JimmyHoffa]

permits

[Boss .300 winmag]

permits

Where's that coming from?

[JimmyHoffa]

permits

Where's that coming from?

reply #123

[huntnphool]

Tyring to wrap my head around 13 years ago.   96 was the horrible winter right?  I have never been very pro doe hunting except whitetail.  I have never killed a doe myself.  I was a kid once too. I  Never judged anyone who legally took one, I was just personally against it.   Its been awhile since the herd was at its max in the Methow.   There has been a steady decline for sometime, so no I probably didn't support it then either.  Back in the old days when folks took doe for the table, they were woodsy enough to take the old baron ones, and let the young ones perpetuate the herd.   

You'll see a different mindset today....

 "Blast the first thing you see, its owed to us, afterall how much have we paid the WDFW this year for a tag....."

I agree 100 percent!

Both of you must be arm chair bio's, if the herd wasn't strong and in great shape then they certainly would not have increased the late permits in that area by 50%. Maybe you two better get your facts strait before suggesting that the herd has been in decline for the last 20 years...........sheesh!

You're joking right? Hope so..

 Actually I'm not. The late permits in most of those units, Alta, Chili, Pearrygin, Gardner, Chewuch etc. were increased last season.

 What other justification can WDFW possibly have, other than the herd is in great shape and can handle the additional harvest? 

[huntnphool]

Both of you must be arm chair bio's, if the herd wasn't strong and in great shape then they certainly would not have increased the late permits in that area by 50%. Maybe you two better get your facts strait before suggesting that the herd has been in decline for the last 20 years...........sheesh!

Obviously that was a cynical statement made on your part, if not you don't have any past history with reguards to the herd. 
[/quote]

 Cynical, ya think?

[X-Force]

Methow Herd estimate is 14,000 animals they also said early on they wanted a 7% herd reduction roughly 980 animals the state wants harvested

[bullcanyon]

Anyone know for sure how many permits were issued?