How to keep Pope lands open to hunting

[dreamunelk]

For lands open to hunting it will be walk-in only.  They will have a disabled access program for motorized access.  Not much of a change since they did not have many roads open.  There are certain area where no hunting is allowed for safety reasons.  As for target shooting.  Get use to it!  To much trash left behind and to many idiots with guns.  It will not be long before all lands are closed to target shooting. 

Don't kid yourself.......Many of the posters on this site are part of the problem!

[winslow]

For lands open to hunting it will be walk-in only.  They will have a disabled access program for motorized access.  Not much of a change since they did not have many roads open.  There are certain area where no hunting is allowed for safety reasons.  As for target shooting.  Get use to it!  To much trash left behind and to many idiots with guns.  It will not be long before all lands are closed to target shooting. 

Don't kid yourself.......Many of the posters on this site are part of the problem!

That is what I thought, too. I hope you are right. What I was told on the phone was a different story - no access at all for hunting purposes, walking or driving, and no shooting AT ALL of any kind. I am going to call back tomorrow, see if I can record the call.

Yes, there was a fair amount of trash on the site I visited (Sandy Shore Lake and vicinity) as well as a significant amount of vandalism including of the sign warning that, "if the vandalism continues, the lake will be closed to all access."

I inquired specifically about the land south of the 104 near Sandy Shore Lake and generally about Pope resources land, and was told there would be no hunting allowed except for disabled access by special permit. Again, I hope I am wrong about this.

As I was leaving, there were dozens of shots being fired, clearly not someone hunting coyotes, bobcat, or cottontails. Flying in the face of requests to alter behavior is not how we are going to maintain access to these private parcels.

SMH...

[pianoman9701]

Another failure of hunters, other recreational users, and the WDFW to retain access to private timberlands. I'm sure the WDFW was as surprised by this as they were with the closure of lands around the Mt. St. Helens area, and north and west. Damage tags for the landowner should be distributed as lottery only for open hunting access to licensed hunters in the state and not to the landowner directly. I suspect that the recreational users of the land have given the landowner reasons to close off the parcels - vandalism, litter, unauthorized camping and fires, etc.

We've lost a ton of good hunting land in the state over the last few years to permit-only access and closures. I feel strongly that this is a failure of the WDFW to maintain relationships that benefit hunters and landowners alike. In addition, we, as hunters, need to do a better job of cleaning up after ourselves and policing our ranks, reporting abuses of the resource to authorities and to the landowners.

[Encore 280]

One of the things that ticks me off about the closures is that the employees and loggers still get to hunt it! WTH?!! Should be closed to everyone but I guess that's one of the benefits being an employee.

[winslow]

Getting some more clarity after spending an hour on the phone with two Pope Resources offices. I was able to turn around the dynamic with the woman I spoke with yesterday, and she backed down from "all lands will be closed" to "lands around tarboo lake and sandy shore lake are closed to all shooting activity including hunting."

According to her (but she's only worked in her current position for one month, previously she was in the corporate office), complaints to the WDFW about target shooting, vandalism, and trash/littering led to the WDFW making a request for Pope to close the areas. "When WDFW makes a request like that, we listen."

The new hunting maps will be out in August and show the updated info, along with other closures. I inquired about other hunting besides the fall season such as cottontail and bobcat (my original inquiry, actually) and she admitted that she had no idea about the rest of the year.

I have emails and phones calls coming back from two different offices when the field people get back to the office and when the boss is in. More information will follow.

Sorry for reporting what I found before I had re-investigated. Apparently the woman I talked to has a reputation for getting snippy with people and ending conversations like she did yesterday by going hugely negative instead of saying she doesn't know something. Like all bureaucracies, repercussions for bad behavior are too rare.

I will continue to investigate this and report what I can confirm. I think what we all need to take from this is that access is ours to lose. When you see/hear people endangering our access with bad or illegal behavior, do something about it, and more than that, if you've been guilty in the past, STOP IT ALREADY.

Winslow

[Bob33]

According to her (but she's only worked in her current position for one month, previously she was in the corporate office), complaints to the WDFW about target shooting, vandalism, and trash/littering led to the WDFW making a request for Pope to close the areas. "When WDFW makes a request like that, we listen."

I find that suspicious.

[pianoman9701]

  If WDFW has requested they close hunting access, that would be in direct conflict with their job as a state agency.

[fireweed]

Getting some more clarity after spending an hour on the phone with two Pope Resources offices. I was able to turn around the dynamic with the woman I spoke with yesterday, and she backed down from "all lands will be closed" to "lands around tarboo lake and sandy shore lake are closed to all shooting activity including hunting."

According to her (but she's only worked in her current position for one month, previously she was in the corporate office), complaints to the WDFW about target shooting, vandalism, and trash/littering led to the WDFW making a request for Pope to close the areas. "When WDFW makes a request like that, we listen."

The new hunting maps will be out in August and show the updated info, along with other closures. I inquired about other hunting besides the fall season such as cottontail and bobcat (my original inquiry, actually) and she admitted that she had no idea about the rest of the year.

I have emails and phones calls coming back from two different offices when the field people get back to the office and when the boss is in. More information will follow.

Sorry for reporting what I found before I had re-investigated. Apparently the woman I talked to has a reputation for getting snippy with people and ending conversations like she did yesterday by going hugely negative instead of saying she doesn't know something. Like all bureaucracies, repercussions for bad behavior are too rare.

I will continue to investigate this and report what I can confirm. I think what we all need to take from this is that access is ours to lose. When you see/hear people endangering our access with bad or illegal behavior, do something about it, and more than that, if you've been guilty in the past, STOP IT ALREADY.

Winslow

One thing I've learned working with these agencies and companies is to never trust anything anyone says--get it in writing or dig up the law or policy yourself  and see it on paper.  Oh, and the companies avoid things in writing.

[winslow]

Just got this email -

Dear Mr. Jenkins –
 
I have confirmed that no hunting is allowed on any Pope Resources/Olympic Resource Management timberland until the fall of 2015, at which time we will post 2015 hunting maps designating specified areas. The 2014 maps are being taken off the site.
 
We appreciate your checking with us on our policy.
 
Best regards,
Seanann
 
Seanann Card
Office Administrator,  Hood Canal Tree Farm
Olympic Resource Management
a Pope Resources Company
5823 NE Minder Road
Poulsbo WA 98370
Phone: (360) 297-0570  x221
Fax:     (360) 297-0580
 
From: wj [mailto:winslow.jenkins@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2015 9:21 AM
To: Lynne Alexander
Subject: 2015 Hunting access maps/rules

[JimmyHoffa]

I just got the same email. 

Correct me if needed, but the big mess around Tarboo Lake is because of the WDFW area at the end of the road.  Sheriff caught some people living at the boat ramp making a huge mess, and it turned out they were wanted for about half the burglaries in E Jefferson.

[winslow]

I just got the same email. 

Correct me if needed, but the big mess around Tarboo Lake is because of the WDFW area at the end of the road.  Sheriff caught some people living at the boat ramp making a huge mess, and it turned out they were wanted for about half the burglaries in E Jefferson.

Damn! I hadn't heard about that. I had to evict a meth head from some city property near my house. They don't fight too hard when confronted...we might have to take direct action if these a******s are going to ruin it for us.

[pianoman9701]

If this is the case (with the tweeker), why would they penalize all WA hunters by closing off the area? There has to be more to it than that. 

[JimmyHoffa]

If this is the case (with the tweeker), why would they penalize all WA hunters by closing off the area? There has to be more to it than that. 

I'm sure it gets plenty of other issues, but it has looked like people have generally been pretty good with this area.  (Down right nice compared to the trashing Rayonier gets out near Forks.)  It could be complaints from one of the neighbors.  One horse woman down there is a major rabble rouser concerning hunting.

[JimmyHoffa]

I just got the same email. 

Correct me if needed, but the big mess around Tarboo Lake is because of the WDFW area at the end of the road.  Sheriff caught some people living at the boat ramp making a huge mess, and it turned out they were wanted for about half the burglaries in E Jefferson.

Damn! I hadn't heard about that. I had to evict a meth head from some city property near my house. They don't fight too hard when confronted...we might have to take direct action if these a******s are going to ruin it for us.

This was one of the cases.
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20141002/NEWS/310029981
I couldn't find anything in the news about the boat ramp ones.

[MADMAX]

That s*cks been hunting those lands since 81
lots of changes , more and more gates,
But trust me they werent the ones that left all the trash and shot up TVs and clay pigeons and a 1000 empty shotgun shells over there.
Sad some shooters cant clean up there own mess
they just gated the state land near Dabob for trash shooters and dumpers