Free: Contests & Raffles.
Isn't hunting on a natural feed patch baiting?I'm done with Washington... Until they value the money I spend here with better management... seeyaIdaho elk... Alaska deer... already booked
This topic is going to be heard at the March Commission meeting as part of the Game management Plan and Regulations/Seasons topic. 3 choices will be given to the Commisisoners to pick one with the new WDFW Game Manager giving no support or detraction to any of the choices: a complete baiting ban, a baiting ban except youth and disabled allowed to use bait with baiting on private land legal with a 10 gal per site limit, or a 10 gal maximum per site limit on any lands. We in WSB realize that a change in baiting rules will affect many bowhunters, so we wrote a strong position statement to the Commission against any ban in any form. (Believe it or not, a well written position statement is more effective than the 3 minutes at a Commission meeting. But, yes, we plan to be at the meeting, anyway.) The problem is that a very few think the outfitters and hunters who choose to dump large amounts of bait in one site is causing a bad public perception; those against this are very vocal, so the WDFW thinks it is a problem when reality is likely completely different. I expect the 10 gal limit to be adopted because of the vocal minority, but I feel strongly that no change should be made without solid evidence necessitating the change.
WSB stands for keeping baiting legal if one chooses. There are some vocal few that believe they should legislate their morals on everyone. Simply don't bait if you don't believe it's morally right. Perhaps spend the time fighting anti's and others that threaten hunting instead of going down the road of splitting the hunting community.
My interpretation of the three options is that -078 is the most severe. With the exceptions of ranches, food plots, orchards and so forth which are common to all three no baiting is allowed. Period. The second option -079 allows baiting in quantities less than 10 gallons.The third option -088 takes away the 10 gallon limit, but adds exemptions for youths, seniors, and some private lands.
This is just another chipping away at hunting. In a generation, it is amazing what can happen. Dogs, bait, lead bullets, you even have to weigh your arrows.
Quote from: Bob33 on February 10, 2015, 09:19:07 PMMy interpretation of the three options is that -078 is the most severe. With the exceptions of ranches, food plots, orchards and so forth which are common to all three no baiting is allowed. Period. The second option -079 allows baiting in quantities less than 10 gallons.The third option -088 takes away the 10 gallon limit, but adds exemptions for youths, seniors, and some private lands.Yes-078 bans all baiting-079 sets a 10 gal limit on all bait sites-088 bans bait on public land (except for youth, over 65, and disabled) and sets a 10 gal limit on private lands.
Quote from: Stein on February 10, 2015, 03:37:15 PMThis is just another chipping away at hunting. In a generation, it is amazing what can happen. Dogs, bait, lead bullets, you even have to weigh your arrows.That's true, but in my lifetime I've also gained the use of laser rangefinders, GPS units, Google Earth images, bows that shoot much faster and more accurately than ever before, two-way radios, trail cameras, better bullets, better rifles, better clothing, better publicly available landowner information, websites that post all the honey holes , and a myriad of other things that have improved my hunt experience and allowed me to hunt better than ever before.
The 4th option is to leave the baiting issue "as is".It's important for everyone that is in favor of this to go onto the WDFW website and voice their opinion. It's easy to do and only takes about 5 min. Longer if you want to weigh in on the other issues at hand.Like Shawn eluded to, It's ridiculous that other hunters are the driving force to get this "LEGAL" form of hunting changed and taken away!Thanks again to everyone in the WSB for standing up for our rights!
I find it frustrating that the complaints were about semi trucks of apples and we have to do all of this to restrict one little problem. Let's address the complaints and don't try and legislate things that aren't a problem. It's sort of like gun legislation, lots of laws that won't effect or stop the real problem but we pass them to make ourselves feel better?