Are we losing elk and deer permits to big timber companies in SE Washington??

[BLUEBULLS]

My thoughts on this: 

I could see a couple cow or doe tags like other area landowners get but the trophy tags are a bunch of crap. What happens when the others want their bull tags? The ones who actually have property damage. The good thing is that most of those guys are level headed. I could see one or two money hungry landowners looking for their tags though.

My vote would be to shut the land back down and get our tags back.

[Tikka 15]

Money hungry landowners ?  Maybe they are landowners sustaining damages to their crops and finding a way to make up for financial loss.  Not to mention the time taken out of their daily lives to answer phone call after phone call of people asking permission.  I hear it gets overwhelming.  Why do private land elk need to be managed to the point of trying to produce 350+ class Bulls.  Seems wdfw and the big hunting clubs, timber companies only ones making a return.  I would just as soon see all the elk stay on public land and keep it fair for everyone.

[SemperFidelis97]

Money hungry landowners ?  Maybe they are landowners sustaining damages to their crops and finding a way to make up for financial loss.  Not to mention the time taken out of their daily lives to answer phone call after phone call of people asking permission.  I hear it gets overwhelming.  Why do private land elk need to be managed to the point of trying to produce 350+ class Bulls.  Seems wdfw and the big hunting clubs, timber companies only ones making a return.  I would just as soon see all the elk stay on public land and keep it fair for everyone.

Welcome to the forum Tikka15.  I think that you are completely correct, there is a huge cost of both time, and money to anyone that enrolls in the program, and not any real return for most of them.  I know personally that many are enrolled because they do care about our outdoor heritage, and do everything they can to help people to have a positive experience in the outdoors.  People do not see how much it costs them to repair fences, the loss of crops from people driving across seeded fields, the trash left behind, the poaching, the time spent on phones dealing with people who want access.  Most of my friends who have land in the program don't get any real time to hunt themselves, meanwhile the WDFW hands very sought after permits to a chosen few.  It isn't fair, and it needs to be fixed.  I would be in favor of giving landowners who participate incentive points towards the draws if they are enrolled in the access program, but with how things are being handled at the moment I don't fault anyone for locking up their land.

[SemperFidelis97]

Just to muddy the waters...

Hancock get something like 8 elk tags to hunt their property which the executives get.

That is a general season 3 point or better unit. Why would they need a permit from the state?

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He is talking about the Kapowsin tree farm, and it has not been open to general elk for a very long time.  Permit holders are put into a lotto, and a few are chosen every year to hunt elk in there.

[grundy53]

Just to muddy the waters...

Hancock get something like 8 elk tags to hunt their property which the executives get.

That is a general season 3 point or better unit. Why would they need a permit from the state?

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He is talking about the Kapowsin tree farm, and it has not been open to general elk for a very long time.  Permit holders are put into a lotto, and a few are chosen every year to hunt elk in there.

I know what he is talking about. But he is confused. It is a general hunt. You don't need a permit. Kapowsin doesn't give anyone an elk permit. All they do is allow a small amount of people to access their land during elk season and it's not just their executives.  The state doesn't give Hancock elk permits.

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[SemperFidelis97]

You are correct Grundy.

[grundy53]

You are correct Grundy.

I just reread my post. It came off rude. I hope you didn't take it that way I wasn't trying to be snarky.

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[huntnphool]

 I just saw a sign that's going to be posted in The Blues........

[Woodchuck]

I saw it as well. Kinda sad really, but to me it sure seemed like a one sided deal.

[HntnFsh]

I just saw a sign that's going to be posted in The Blues........

Care to share?

[Whitpirate]

I don't fault the landowners at all for taking advantage of this opportunity and negotiating the best deal for themselves that they can.  I do have a real problem with an already limited availability of permits for the average hunter.  It literally took me 20 years to draw a muzzle-loader bull permit in the Blues, but if I'd had the money, I could have purchased "access" to one of the limited landowner permits available to the 4-0 Cattle Company or now Bennett Lumber.  These are certainly NOT available to the average hunter.
I also have a huge problem with the arbitrary way these LHP's are selected and administered.  Other landowners in the same areas that have always been open to public access are given NO consideration by WDFW when allotting these programs.  Their only thanks for being open to the general public is a sound slap in the face when they see their neighbors being handed these lucrative permits in order to open their own properties to limited access. 
If these programs are to exist, they need to be handled equitably to all and not just a few select individuals who make the most noise or happen to have a nice piece of ground that WDFW is interested in purchasing down the road.  I would prefer instead that the whole program be scrapped with a return to the days of actually fostering good landowner relations without feeling the need to bribe them with quality permits for sale......oh excuse me, access to the land for sale.  Just my 2 cents worth from a guy that knows a lot of the history of these programs. 
If I were an adjacent landowner in this area, my land would be locked up tight and posted to demonstrate the down-side to selling the State's resources to the highest bidder.  Why would I keep my land open for free if I can get my own "piece of the pie" like the others.

Some of the other landowners have responded.  Looking pretty bleak down there.  Pay to play is here to stay in WA.

[Fl0und3rz]

I don't fault the landowners at all for taking advantage of this opportunity and negotiating the best deal for themselves that they can.  I do have a real problem with an already limited availability of permits for the average hunter.  It literally took me 20 years to draw a muzzle-loader bull permit in the Blues, but if I'd had the money, I could have purchased "access" to one of the limited landowner permits available to the 4-0 Cattle Company or now Bennett Lumber.  These are certainly NOT available to the average hunter.
I also have a huge problem with the arbitrary way these LHP's are selected and administered.  Other landowners in the same areas that have always been open to public access are given NO consideration by WDFW when allotting these programs.  Their only thanks for being open to the general public is a sound slap in the face when they see their neighbors being handed these lucrative permits in order to open their own properties to limited access. 
If these programs are to exist, they need to be handled equitably to all and not just a few select individuals who make the most noise or happen to have a nice piece of ground that WDFW is interested in purchasing down the road.  I would prefer instead that the whole program be scrapped with a return to the days of actually fostering good landowner relations without feeling the need to bribe them with quality permits for sale......oh excuse me, access to the land for sale.  Just my 2 cents worth from a guy that knows a lot of the history of these programs. 
If I were an adjacent landowner in this area, my land would be locked up tight and posted to demonstrate the down-side to selling the State's resources to the highest bidder.  Why would I keep my land open for free if I can get my own "piece of the pie" like the others.

Some of the other landowners have responded.  Looking pretty bleak down there.  Pay to play is here to stay in WA.

[huntnphool]

I just saw a sign that's going to be posted in The Blues........

Care to share?

 Sorry HntFsh, I just got back on but WP got it up.

[huntnphool]

This could have major implications for those that still have tags in that area this year.

[Daytonite]

Where are these signs going up?  I can't blame the landowners though