CURRENTLY WDFW FEDERAL AGENTS SHOOTING 15 bulls in Skagit River Unit!!!!

[BOWHUNTER45]

Some interesting historical reading on the Northern Cascade herd from 2002:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00772/

"The North Cascade elk herd is the smallest of ten herds residing in the state. It is a small herd and the northern most herd in western Washington. Nevertheless, it is an important resource that provides significant recreational, aesthetic, and economic benefit to Washington citizens and a valued cultural, subsistence, and ceremonial resource to the Native American people of the area.

This is a reintroduced herd resulting from successful augmentations in 1946 and 1948 of eastern and western Washington elk. The estimated peak population of 1,700 elk occurred in 1984. Since then, the population has sharply declined to a current estimate of about 300 elk."

That 300 is now about 1900  hOW ABOUT OUR CEREMONIAL RESOURCE 

[pianoman9701]

Not counting the fact they are in an area I chose to live So as a hunter I should be putting one in my freezer ..we will see what kinds crap they come up with for the next draft !

I absolutely agree.

[jdw12885]

Update: my buddy was up deer hunting tonight and had 2 federal and 1 state truck pull into the field he was hunting to continue there elk hunt tonight about 530.....

[ELK SHOT]

  

[SniperDanWA]

Is this the same herd that has been walking on Hwy 2?  I heard from a friend in Monroe that WDFD was putting a call out to hunters to reduce car/elk accidents.  Just curious.

Oh, I think it should be any hunter qualified to hunt.  Not all MHs are better (or worse) than the average hunter at shooting lanes.

[KFhunter]

Is this the same herd that has been walking on Hwy 2?  I heard from a friend in Monroe that WDFD was putting a call out to hunters to reduce car/elk accidents.  Just curious.

Oh, I think it should be any hunter qualified to hunt.  Not all MHs are better (or worse) than the average hunter at shooting lanes.

The odds of getting a jack-wad are greatly reduced by making it a master hunter controlled hunt.   
"Master Hunter" does not mean they are a better hunter, only that they took the initiative to prove their marksmanship skills, conservation efforts, volunteer work and some other stuff escaping me at the moment.

regardless, if I had a sensitive hunt outside of the regular seasons where public exposure was for certain - heck yes I'd choose a Master Hunter and I'd make sure the media knew all the steps required...I'd push the master hunter program for sure.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Is this the same herd that has been walking on Hwy 2?  I heard from a friend in Monroe that WDFD was putting a call out to hunters to reduce car/elk accidents.  Just curious.

Oh, I think it should be any hunter qualified to hunt.  Not all MHs are better (or worse) than the average hunter at shooting lanes.

The odds of getting a jack-wad are greatly reduced by making it a master hunter controlled hunt.   
"Master Hunter" does not mean they are a better hunter, only that they took the initiative to prove their marksmanship skills, conservation efforts, volunteer work and some other stuff escaping me at the moment.

regardless, if I had a sensitive hunt outside of the regular seasons where public exposure was for certain - heck yes I'd choose a Master Hunter and I'd make sure the media knew all the steps required...I'd push the master hunter program for sure.

Let me guess, you are one!

[BOWHUNTER45]

Is this the same herd that has been walking on Hwy 2?  I heard from a friend in Monroe that WDFD was putting a call out to hunters to reduce car/elk accidents.  Just curious.

Oh, I think it should be any hunter qualified to hunt.  Not all MHs are better (or worse) than the average hunter at shooting lanes.

Well ...I wonder how many MH never get the call they dream of ?? I heard a few complaining about that 



The odds of getting a jack-wad are greatly reduced by making it a master hunter controlled hunt.   
"Master Hunter" does not mean they are a better hunter, only that they took the initiative to prove their marksmanship skills, conservation efforts, volunteer work and some other stuff escaping me at the moment.

regardless, if I had a sensitive hunt outside of the regular seasons where public exposure was for certain - heck yes I'd choose a Master Hunter and I'd make sure the media knew all the steps required...I'd push the master hunter program for sure.

[KFhunter]

Is this the same herd that has been walking on Hwy 2?  I heard from a friend in Monroe that WDFD was putting a call out to hunters to reduce car/elk accidents.  Just curious.

Oh, I think it should be any hunter qualified to hunt.  Not all MHs are better (or worse) than the average hunter at shooting lanes.

Well ...I wonder how many MH never get the call they dream of ?? I heard a few complaining about that 



The odds of getting a jack-wad are greatly reduced by making it a master hunter controlled hunt.   
"Master Hunter" does not mean they are a better hunter, only that they took the initiative to prove their marksmanship skills, conservation efforts, volunteer work and some other stuff escaping me at the moment.

regardless, if I had a sensitive hunt outside of the regular seasons where public exposure was for certain - heck yes I'd choose a Master Hunter and I'd make sure the media knew all the steps required...I'd push the master hunter program for sure.

exactly why I did not complete the MH program.  It's a farce.

[BOWHUNTER45]

OFF TOPIC ... But they also want to start charging a fee to take hunters ed .... which may not be surprising ....a lot of classes get booked but a lot of no shows ...they claim this will help keep people committed ....no problem here ...and they want to make the age limit to 8yrs old to take hunters ed ...again no complaint here ...just a couple other subjects on their minds ....

[BOWHUNTER45]

Is this the same herd that has been walking on Hwy 2?  I heard from a friend in Monroe that WDFD was putting a call out to hunters to reduce car/elk accidents.  Just curious.

Oh, I think it should be any hunter qualified to hunt.  Not all MHs are better (or worse) than the average hunter at shooting lanes.

The odds of getting a jack-wad are greatly reduced by making it a master hunter controlled hunt.   
"Master Hunter" does not mean they are a better hunter, only that they took the initiative to prove their marksmanship skills, conservation efforts, volunteer work and some other stuff escaping me at the moment.

regardless, if I had a sensitive hunt outside of the regular seasons where public exposure was for certain - heck yes I'd choose a Master Hunter and I'd make sure the media knew all the steps required...I'd push the master hunter program for sure.

Let me guess, you are one!

[KFhunter]

Is this the same herd that has been walking on Hwy 2?  I heard from a friend in Monroe that WDFD was putting a call out to hunters to reduce car/elk accidents.  Just curious.

Oh, I think it should be any hunter qualified to hunt.  Not all MHs are better (or worse) than the average hunter at shooting lanes.

The odds of getting a jack-wad are greatly reduced by making it a master hunter controlled hunt.   
"Master Hunter" does not mean they are a better hunter, only that they took the initiative to prove their marksmanship skills, conservation efforts, volunteer work and some other stuff escaping me at the moment.

regardless, if I had a sensitive hunt outside of the regular seasons where public exposure was for certain - heck yes I'd choose a Master Hunter and I'd make sure the media knew all the steps required...I'd push the master hunter program for sure.

Let me guess, you are one!

No, but I recognize the potential - and need.

[Bob33]

"The odds of getting a jack-wad are greatly reduced by making it a master hunter controlled hunt.   
"Master Hunter" does not mean they are a better hunter, only that they took the initiative to prove their marksmanship skills, conservation efforts, volunteer work and some other stuff escaping me at the moment."

I think the odds are reduced. 

Master Hunters are subject to a zero tolerance policy: one game (of fish) violation and you're banned from the program for life. That's a pretty hefty incentive to be careful.

It's a bit like a college degree: many employers wants college graduates not necessarily for what they know, but because they believe the individual had the drive and discipline to complete something.  Do college graduates no more than the "average" person who didn't graduate? Maybe, maybe not but employers often use a degree as a gauge of the person.

If a landowner has a choice of giving hunting permission to someone he knows nothing about, or allowing someone who has gone through a special program that requires a fair amount of discipline and work and is expected to behave in a very ethical manner, the perception is often that he is better with the second option. Sure - there are lots of very ethical non master hunters, and certainly a few master hunters who aren't. Once they're busted they're gone, however.

[bigtex]

Master Hunters are subject to a zero tolerance policy: one game (of fish) violation and you're banned from the program for life. That's a pretty hefty incentive to be careful.

Yet you can become a MH if you've had violations in the past. As long as they were 10 years prior.....

[Tbar]

I respectfully disagree bob. I will take experience and intimate local knowledge over master hunters. I would still require all hunters to be briefed on the given situation.  I have witnessed many of the failures in the mh program in this very area. Yes their mh privileges were revoked and several, yes several citations issued. I know it's a mix but I have seen more that  "can't " so to speak than those that are driven. The most driven hunters I know are not necessarily the"master" hunter mold (but I would consider them master hunters).