Advance Hunter Program Axed???

[high country]

instead of complaining about the MH program, get out there and participate. the only folks who can't reap the rewards are convicted offenders. if doing a bit conserve work and showing that you are reasonably smart is too much too much to ask, how cn the dept count on you to hunt in a suburban setting? there is no "eliteist club" in wa, there are those that stepped up and those that haven't......those that haven't either don't want to or can't.......neither of which should be complaining for their situation is by choice.

I am obviously a supporter of the program. I know we are goin to have 10 day elk seasons for ever, and i know that I can't always get those 10 days off, the program makes hunting waaaay less stressful for me. I also know of the 10 or so guys that I know who were MH's half or more got booted in the last cut for offenses, and rightly so. they ade those choices on their own.

if you were the dept. would you rather cut checks from your already slim budget or have voulenteers out hazing the elk? now would you want those voulenteers to be reasonably stand up guys or guys busted for poaching already?

[Lowedog]

instead of complaining about the MH program, get out there and participate. the only folks who can't reap the rewards are convicted offenders. if doing a bit conserve work and showing that you are reasonably smart is too much too much to ask, how cn the dept count on you to hunt in a suburban setting? there is no "eliteist club" in wa, there are those that stepped up and those that haven't......those that haven't either don't want to or can't.......neither of which should be complaining for their situation is by choice.

I am obviously a supporter of the program. I know we are goin to have 10 day elk seasons for ever, and i know that I can't always get those 10 days off, the program makes hunting waaaay less stressful for me. I also know of the 10 or so guys that I know who were MH's half or more got booted in the last cut for offenses, and rightly so. they ade those choices on their own.

if you were the dept. would you rather cut checks from your already slim budget or have voulenteers out hazing the elk? now would you want those voulenteers to be reasonably stand up guys or guys busted for poaching already?

Not everybody wants to be in the program for whatever reason we may have.  The units I brought up are not in an suburban setting and are not 3911.  The elk herd that is in these units are 90% of the time on public land.  The dept used to manage the damage by letting the orchardist haze the elk and then issue kill tags to them when necessary.  Going on 20 years ago now the dept formed these elk units and started managing the elk through permit hunts.  Hunts that start early when the elk are nowhere near the orchards.   

I have no problem at all with the MH program being used for suburban settings.  If the elk are hammering an orchard with houses around then by all means bring in a MH or 2 and let them shoot a cow if that's what it takes. 

I just don't agree with taking opportunities away from the rest of us to reward you for your time.  Especially when it's for a second elk.  When you look at the numbers of MH's applying for the tags that I stated in my first post it's obvious that most of these guys are in the program only to increase their chance at killing a big bull as a second elk.  A big bull that's laying in some guys orchard in the middle of winter at that!

The dept has plenty of recourses available for voulanteers such as the RMEF and MDF not to mention the land owners themselves who ultimatly have the say about who they will allow on their land.   


-Lowedog

[high country]

my expierience on landowner kill tags is that the owner and his family and buddies will do the hunting......or the highest bidder. not that I am against the landowner making some $$ to cover his loses, but the current system allows any legal hunter that has completed the course the opportunity to help out.

as for shooting big bull lying under a tree in an orchard. I put in for those hunts every year as my last choice. the reason is I do have the opportunity to hunt at a time of year that fits my schedule. in my business getting time off up untill late oct/nov is very tough.....most guy talk about how they used to hunt. I use the program to open my season a whole bunch. and FWIW I have been batting at least 100% since I entered the program in 1997 or so. I killed exactly two elk previous to entering the program one was in the war zone on bethel ridge and the other was close to home. I could never go back. if this state only offered a 10 day season and no way to get around that legally I wold move across the street into idaho.

interestingly enough of the 5 people I know that began enrolement last year...none did anything with it.....and ironicly all are applying again.

If I had my way this goofy state would not have  the program, it would allow hunting of one game animal and allow hunting that animal via archery, mod and front stuffer.....just like most other states........but alas they are never gonna do that, so I do the next best thing to allow myself opportunity.

[Lowedog]

I don't blame you one bit for using the program to increase your hunting opportunities.  I have considered it myself but I honestly don't agree with the program taking opportunities away from those who are not in the program.  Using the MH's to take care of those problems where you want someone who has been subjected to training and all to take a cow if necessary is one thing but letting them kill big bulls in the dead of winter on a second elk tag as a reward is just as wrong as indians killing them when ever they want.

These permit hunts when open to all hunters to apply for took place periodically starting in Aug. and Sept.  Those are times when the elk are not doing any damage so why take those hunts away from everyone?  Those early hunts are/were there to keep the number of elk down in those areas before winter hits and they move closer to the orchards. 

My mention of the landowner kill tags refered to the way the dept. managed the area before creating these elk units and managing the herd with permit hunts back in the early 90's.

-Lowedog

[high country]

I view it as this: I want to hunt big bulls in the blues, but those days are gone. the only way to hunt bulls in the blues now is to apply by the depts deadline, pay their fee, add you points and hope for the best. the only way to hunt elk for a long time is to send off for the package, ace the test and apply.....there is a catch for everything in this state.

I do wish they would just try for one year to addopt idaho or montana's strategy......but that still is not going to give them a pool of guys that have proven their efforts for the urban hunts.