E-mail from WDFW Regarding Weyco Access

[Antlershed]

Just got this in my email

WDFW WILDLIFE PROGRAM
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Dear Permit Applicant,

Some timber companies in western Washington have recently announced plans to begin requiring permits and charging fees to hunt on private forestlands where these access restrictions were not previously in place. We are notifying you to make sure you are aware of these changes, which may be a consideration in applying for special hunting permits this year.

The five game management units currently affected by new access requirements are GMUs 501, 506, 530, 672 and 667. Your special permit application history shows that you have previously applied for a special hunting permit in one or more of these areas.

If you plan to submit hunt choices for deer or elk in any of these areas this year, we advise that you check timber company websites or hotlines for more information on the new requirements before you submit your special permit application. The deadline for submitting a special permit application this year is May 22.

In recent years, WDFW has made a concerted effort to work with private timber companies throughout the state to expand hunter access to commercial timberlands. However, while we've been successful in a number of areas, WDFW does not have the legal authority to regulate private landowners' decisions about restricting access or charging fees to hunt on their land.

Sincerely,


WDFW
Wildlife Program

You have received this e-mail as you are a customer of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

[spotter26]

soooo dumb i hate weyco!

[spotter26]

here is the message from weycos website.

Thanks for calling the Recreational Access Hotline for Weyerhaeuser’s Pe Ell area operations.
Please listen carefully as our message has changed. This message is being recorded on April
18, 2013. You can view the same message at www.WY.com/AccessWA
Currently, the Pe Ell operating area uses a colored dot system to indicate the level of access
allowed. Each gate has a sign posted with a colored dot and an explanation of the access
level indicated by the dot color.
A green dot indicates that the area is:
 Open to the public for motorized and non-m0torized access during daylight hours
only.
A red dot indicates that the area is:
 Closed to motorized access.
 However, non-motorized uses such as hiking, horseback riding, and bicycling are
allowed.
A yellow dot is much like the green dot but allows motorized access only on weekends
during daylight hours.
Regardless of the dot color, we do have a few other rules that you need to follow:
o NO littering or trash dumping.
o All vehicles must remain on improved roads.
o No firewood or other forest products removal with the exception of berries and
mushrooms for personal consumption.
o Obey all signs and don’t block the gates.
We do not sell or give firewood permits.
Here’s the new part of the message:
Starting August 1
st, there will be a new access policy at our Pe Ell Operations. Access to most
lands in the Pe Ell area will require a recreation permit from August 1st to December 31st
.
Permits will be sold on-line only starting June 1st. The web page is a work-in-progress at this
time and is not operational. The web site is www.WYRecreationNW.com and should be
operational on June 1st
.
A maximum of 650 permits will be sold at Pe Ell. Permits cost $200. One permit covers
legally married spouses and children & grandchildren age 18 and under. Permit holders will
have access (including motorized access) 7 days per week from August to December to
~118,000 acres near Pe Ell – including the Stillman/Willapa Hills area south of hwy. 6, the Harp
Road block, and both the Lincoln Creek & Bunker Creek blocks. Entry starts 1-1/2 half hours
before sunrise and ends 1-1/2 hours after sunset. Camping, with restrictions and rules, will be allowed for permit purchasers. WY still reserves the right to close the tree farm in times of
high fire danger.
For those that don’t want to purchase a permit, ~56,375 acres around Doty/Coyote Crest will
remain open with no permit required for access. We will continue to allow camping in this
area starting the Friday before modern rifle deer season – subject to closure for extended
fire season.
~5,300 acres in 3 separate tracts (the Blockhouse, Elk Creek, and Ingalls Road) will be
available for lease by bidding at the new web site. Leases allow for exclusive use of a
particular tract. Purchase of leases is by a bidding process on the new web page.
This message is intended to answer MANY questions regarding RECREATION access. Due to
the volume and variety of questions about specific areas, we will NOT respond to individual
access questions. More information will be available in the next few weeks, so keep calling
the hotline or checking the web page.
To return to the previous menu press *. You can then press 3 for a list of stores that sell
PeEll area maps.

[Wacenturion]

Don't blame Weyco completely.  WDFW's lack of interest in working with and assisting timber companies like they did in the 90's eventually led to this....period.  Sign of things to come.  WDFW is choosing to be in the background on hunter access rather than out front.

[bobcat]

Under the previous system, all applications for special deer permits were randomly drawn from the same pool, each weighted according to the number of points the applicant had accumulated from past drawings.  The computer calculated these points and registered the hunter's preferences and then drew successful applications for all special deer hunts from the same pool. The same was true, under the previous system, for other permits.
WDFW now allows separate applications for specific categories of deer, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, and cougar permits. Specifically, hunters may purchase and submit separate applications for a variety of categories, to include:

Buck or bull permits
Antlerless permits
Second tag permits
Quality hunt permits
Youth hunt permits
Senior hunt permits
Disabled hunter permits
Master Hunter permits
WDFW then conducts a separate drawing for permits in each category.

This approach has several advantages over the previous system.  First, it reduces the number of applicants in each drawing, thereby potentially improving hunters' odds of being selected.  Also, those who are interested in more than one kind of hunt have a chance of being drawn for each of them.

Department managers are hopeful that these improvements will result in greater customer satisfaction and increase applications for special hunting permits.  The additional revenue is intended for use in increasing hunter access to private property.

This plan was developed with broad public input and the strong support of the Department’s Game Management Advisory Council.

Remember the above quote from 3 years ago? (Especially the part that I put in bold towards the bottom)

Where's all the extra money going?

[Alan K]

Under the previous system, all applications for special deer permits were randomly drawn from the same pool, each weighted according to the number of points the applicant had accumulated from past drawings.  The computer calculated these points and registered the hunter's preferences and then drew successful applications for all special deer hunts from the same pool. The same was true, under the previous system, for other permits.
WDFW now allows separate applications for specific categories of deer, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, and cougar permits. Specifically, hunters may purchase and submit separate applications for a variety of categories, to include:

Buck or bull permits
Antlerless permits
Second tag permits
Quality hunt permits
Youth hunt permits
Senior hunt permits
Disabled hunter permits
Master Hunter permits
WDFW then conducts a separate drawing for permits in each category.

This approach has several advantages over the previous system.  First, it reduces the number of applicants in each drawing, thereby potentially improving hunters' odds of being selected.  Also, those who are interested in more than one kind of hunt have a chance of being drawn for each of them.

Department managers are hopeful that these improvements will result in greater customer satisfaction and increase applications for special hunting permits.  The additional revenue is intended for use in increasing hunter access to private property.

This plan was developed with broad public input and the strong support of the Department’s Game Management Advisory Council.

Remember the above quote from 3 years ago? (Especially the part that I put in bold towards the bottom)

Where's all the extra money going?

My guess is here:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/hunting_access/private_lands/

Which is a waste of funds as far as I'm concerned, compared to what that money could be doing towards industrial timber lands.  But really, how often does the government and it's agencies allocate funds so that the maximum benefit is gained?