Free: Contests & Raffles.
You know what else isn't discussed......The state does not report the hundreds of elk and deer that are harvested through the damage hunt program. Or there were 124,000 state hunters for deer last year of which at best 70% reported their harvest. So the harvest report does not receive any information for roughly 37,200 state hunters. Average success is 27% so could you say 10,044 deer were not reported or accounted for last year by state hunters?
Quote from: Practical Approach on September 24, 2014, 10:35:04 AMYou know what else isn't discussed......The state does not report the hundreds of elk and deer that are harvested through the damage hunt program. Or there were 124,000 state hunters for deer last year of which at best 70% reported their harvest. So the harvest report does not receive any information for roughly 37,200 state hunters. Average success is 27% so could you say 10,044 deer were not reported or accounted for last year by state hunters?I believe those numbers are included in the overall harvest statistics for that GMU.
Quote from: pianoman9701 on September 24, 2014, 10:39:56 AMQuote from: Practical Approach on September 24, 2014, 10:35:04 AMYou know what else isn't discussed......The state does not report the hundreds of elk and deer that are harvested through the damage hunt program. Or there were 124,000 state hunters for deer last year of which at best 70% reported their harvest. So the harvest report does not receive any information for roughly 37,200 state hunters. Average success is 27% so could you say 10,044 deer were not reported or accounted for last year by state hunters?I believe those numbers are included in the overall harvest statistics for that GMU.Which numbers? I know the damage harvest animals are not.
Quote from: Practical Approach on September 24, 2014, 10:41:27 AMQuote from: pianoman9701 on September 24, 2014, 10:39:56 AMQuote from: Practical Approach on September 24, 2014, 10:35:04 AMYou know what else isn't discussed......The state does not report the hundreds of elk and deer that are harvested through the damage hunt program. Or there were 124,000 state hunters for deer last year of which at best 70% reported their harvest. So the harvest report does not receive any information for roughly 37,200 state hunters. Average success is 27% so could you say 10,044 deer were not reported or accounted for last year by state hunters?I believe those numbers are included in the overall harvest statistics for that GMU.Which numbers? I know the damage harvest animals are not. I believe from talking with the game managers that you're incorrect about that. Damage harvest animals are included in total GMU harvest figures. You could write to Nate or Jerry Nelson to confirm if you wanted.
I also disagree with the notion that nothing can be done. It think there are at least 3 potential avenues:1. Provide evidence of wastage to tribal councils to seek resolution. Give them license plates, photos, video etc.2. Publicize as best you can any wastage or unethical behavior. If something aggregious occurs and it can get air time it will put pressure on tribes to make more serious efforts to reduce or eliminate this behavior. Tribes are sovereign...but nobody is immune from bad press.3. The option I mentioned earlier, and where the state does have some control, take some of these units that the state attempts to manage for quality and trophy potential and turn them into general season units where the quality and trophy aspects are eliminated. If we eliminate the easy pickings I believe the interest in the small group of tribal members who engage in these wasteful practices will be greatly deterred. Do this for a couple traditional units important to tribes and I bet they will have great interest in working with the state on co-managing.
You just contradicted yourself. If landowners are now required to purchase a tag and report kills, as are hunters who are issued damage permit tags, then it's being reported. We of course can't account for people who break the law and don't report, much as we can't account for the number of wounded animals that go off to die. And, I wouldn't believe that the reported animals aren't being entered into statistics.
I believe that's also not completely correct. The MH damage tags are all reported and added into the numbers, as well. To which other damage tags are you referring that are not reported, other than owner permits and MH permits?