Free: Contests & Raffles.
I would much rather see a ban on baiting blacktail than to see the 4 day modern hunt end. I think more mature breeder bucks are killed during the late archery when post rut bucks are the most vulnerable searching for food to strengthen back their body for the winter. I know in my area most everyone baits during early archery,modern,muzzle and late too.Most of the big bucks have been killed over a bait pile the last few years which has had a noticeable negative impact on my local deer herd .
Are there many brush pickers near skookumchuk? During deer season a guy said he quit hunting certain parts of the OP because the biologists told him they were attributing the decline of deer in those areas to poaching by brushpickers. Said when FS or Border Patrol stop their vehicles they have been finding deer hidden under the brush. Said the deer were snared then clubbed.
Year Antlerless Antlered Total (All methods) Number of M/F hunters Percent of M/F hunter sucess2007 0 193 193 1498 12.9%2008 0 213 227 N/A N/A2009 0 194 204 1334 14.5%2010 0 245 261 1185 20.7%2011 0 175 182 953 18.4% One thing that is constant is the declinng numbers of hunters in that area each year.In short, I don't see giving up any part of our season(s) being the answer, at least based on the data I can find at this point. I believe the other issues mentioned such as poaching, predators and habitat being the main influences.
Quote from: Blacktail Sniper on November 19, 2012, 02:12:26 PMYear Antlerless Antlered Total (All methods) Number of M/F hunters Percent of M/F hunter sucess2007 0 193 193 1498 12.9%2008 0 213 227 N/A N/A2009 0 194 204 1334 14.5%2010 0 245 261 1185 20.7%2011 0 175 182 953 18.4% One thing that is constant is the declinng numbers of hunters in that area each year.In short, I don't see giving up any part of our season(s) being the answer, at least based on the data I can find at this point. I believe the other issues mentioned such as poaching, predators and habitat being the main influences. It's interesting your data coincides with a report I read in the Columbian a couple years back. They were saying the number of deer hunters in WA has declined steadily each year since 2000. What I am willing to bet is that as the number of licensed deer hunters has went down, the percentage of poaching has climbed at the same rate. Especially with the bad economy, rising cost of fuel, tags, and people wanting meat on the table, etc. I would source that as a very real problem, just as bad if not worse than the poor predator management this state has. As I mentioned in a previous post, the evidence of poaching in the areas I hunt is astounding. And that's just during modern hunting season! One can only imagine how many animals fall victim to it each year. Curiously, in the light of the data of declining deer hunters, I am thinking the numbers of elk hunters has increased. Just a guess and a bit off topic I know. But it sure seems like it anyway!
