Free: Contests & Raffles.
If I had my way, I'd make better use of hunters in managing herds. via a voucher system If you want to hunt ungulates, you got to do your part. How it works; (the amounts and such are for illustration purposes and would vary depending on location and herd quality)1 coyote will get you a standard deer voucher, with that voucher you can buy a standard OTC deer tag. 5 coyote = Elk OTC (spike only) voucher 1 bear = Elk voucher + Deer voucher (standard OTC type tags). 1 Cougar = Quality Elk + deer voucher5 Cougar = star voucher (can't sell) for standard tags, but not quality tags (true spikes)1 wolf = Quality any bull any method Elk tag + deer5 wolves = star voucher for life for standard tags (can't sell) but not quality tags (true spikes). This will slow down the number of ungulate hunters and dramatically increase the predator hunting going on = bigger better herds.right now there is zero incentive for people to go wack a yote, bear cat etc. Here's the kicker, you can buy vouchers from other hunters! So you get a very successful coyote hunter he/she could sell those vouchers. It wouldn't be a "bounty" that way nor would it make use of tax payer funds.
Quote from: KFhunter on September 20, 2013, 10:10:11 PMIf I had my way, I'd make better use of hunters in managing herds. via a voucher system If you want to hunt ungulates, you got to do your part. How it works; (the amounts and such are for illustration purposes and would vary depending on location and herd quality)1 coyote will get you a standard deer voucher, with that voucher you can buy a standard OTC deer tag. 5 coyote = Elk OTC (spike only) voucher 1 bear = Elk voucher + Deer voucher (standard OTC type tags). 1 Cougar = Quality Elk + deer voucher5 Cougar = star voucher (can't sell) for standard tags, but not quality tags (true spikes)1 wolf = Quality any bull any method Elk tag + deer5 wolves = star voucher for life for standard tags (can't sell) but not quality tags (true spikes). This will slow down the number of ungulate hunters and dramatically increase the predator hunting going on = bigger better herds.right now there is zero incentive for people to go wack a yote, bear cat etc. Here's the kicker, you can buy vouchers from other hunters! So you get a very successful coyote hunter he/she could sell those vouchers. It wouldn't be a "bounty" that way nor would it make use of tax payer funds.Here's the real kicker. Your idea would never work.According to the best stats I could find, here's a break down of the number of predators in the state.Coyotes -------- 50,000Black bears ---- 30,000Cougars -------- 2,500Wolves --------- 100 - 200The only number that looks out of whack by a long shot to me is coyotes. I'd be willing to bet there are closer to 100,000 of the song dogs in this state. Even if I'm right there is a problem if you're giving out deer and elk tags for predators.In 2012 there were 120,000 deer hunters and 68,000 elk hunters.Together, that's 188,000 tags. Way more than the total # of predators in the state. So even if every predator in the state was killed (which will never happen even if the State said "Go for it!", which it won't) There wouldn't be enough tags to go around by at least 50,000. Add to that figure the 22,000 deer tags purchased that didn't get hunted and the 28,000 elk tags that didn't get hunted, and you've got 100,000 tags that won't be purchased and a bunch of hunting licenses. That's a lot of money the State would have to make up. Most likely by at least doubling the price of licenses and tags to the successful varmint hunters. And you're also going to have a revolt on your hands from the hunters who didn't take a predator so didn't earn a tag. This plan would get rid of more hunters in a year than the most diabolical plan put out by anti-hunters outside of an outright ban on hunting!