Inslee Sides with HSUS on Stopping Increased Cougar Hunts in Wolf Areas

[pianoman9701]

What a shocker. Not!

http://q13fox.com/2015/10/20/inslee-reverses-panels-decision-to-increase-cougar-hunts/

[pianoman9701]

I've said from the beginning that appointing the HSUS, Sierra Club, and DOW to the WAG was a deal with the devil. Now, the whole state is going to pay for game management by politics. This is ridiculous.

[Special T]

Ive made my move. All I bought was a cougar tag to go with my duck hunting. Im gona focus on some late season predator hunting!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Tapatalk

[denali]

and many continue to believe that wolf hunting be implemented after recovery objectives have been met.   

[mkcj]

and many continue to believe that wolf hunting be implemented after recovery objectives have been met.   

 

[huntnphool]

and many continue to believe that wolf hunting be implemented after recovery objectives have been met.   

 No *censored*, "let's hurry up and increase the BP numbers so we can list them".

[Stein]

Lawyer up, the only solution is to support the organizations that pump money and attorneys into fighting back.

[bigtex]

I'm certainly no expert in WA's procedural rules and I'm willing to bet that 99 percent of the people on here aren't as well. But maybe, just maybe the WDFW Commission did in fact violate WA regulations when they made their decision.

Inslee isn't saying he disagrees with the outcome/decision, he's saying that the WDFW Commission violated state law while getting to that outcome.

So now WDFW has to take up the issue again, follow the applicable laws then make a decision

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[KFhunter]

The article also doesn't say that Jay Inslee recognizes the panels decision and will be working with the panel in implementing it's decision without violating the state's law.

[ipkus]

Inslee isn't saying he disagrees with the outcome/decision, he's saying that the WDFW Commission violated state law while getting to that outcome.

Inslee played this exactly the way he did because it allowed him to side with HSUS while not alienating very many voters because he didn't 'actually' side with HSUS...even though he did.  Ya know, because governor's always get involved with procedural issues within departments on highly emotional topics.  Happens all the time.

Bottom line is without being in the room we are all left to speculate.  Which means I take what I see, factor in some past history and behavior on his part, and think that my version is much more probable than yours.

[CAMPMEAT]

Inslee cannot make laws, right. I believe only congress can, right ?

[huntnphool]

Inslee cannot make laws, right. I believe only congress can, right ?

 Yeah, neither can Obama right?

[CAMPMEAT]

Inslee cannot make laws, right. I believe only congress can, right ?

 Yeah, neither can Obama right?

Right, except people are afraid of the prez, because of being called a racist and the other one, people don't know he can't do it. He's also a worthless elected democrap.

[Bob33]

Rob McCoy is the tribal biologist of the Makah Nation and wrote the legislature the letter copied below regarding this issue. He is an intelligent and knowledgeable person about predator-prey issues. 


"I'm writing to voice my extreme displeasure with the recent decision of the governor to uphold the HSUS petition challenging the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissions decision to uphold the increased cougar quota in select Game Management Units.  I'm a wildlife biologist for the Makah Tribe and I also chair the Washington Game Advisory Council (GAC) that provides input to WDFW regarding game management decisions.  I have been actively involved in this issue for many years.  When the petition was filed I requested the cougar harvest data from WDFW over the last two years since the quota system was implemented.  I analyzed the data for the 12 GMU's that would see increases and found that any concern from increased quota was overblown.  The harvest was largely dominated by sub-adult or non-territorial cougars (59%) (2 years old and under).  Using a conservative estimate of potential territorial cougars (3 years of age and older) I found that the average number of harvested per year in the 12 GMU's that would count towards the quota was 29.5.  Under the quota system in these years the maximum threshold was 71 per year.  The new threshold would have increased it to 91.  Regardless of the quota, the only legal mechanism to harvest cougars is boot hunting (exclusion of hounds), which yields low success rates due to the solitary nature of the species.  The data strongly infers that we can set the quota to 200 and the harvest is unlikely to change in any meaningful manner.  I provided this data as testimony to the Commission when the petition from HSUS was under consideration and was pleased that the Commission decided to reject the HSUS petition as it was frivolous and without merit.

As a biologist for the Makah Tribe I have been actively involved with research on deer and elk for many years as these species are particularly important to Tribal subsistence hunting.  Recently, I and my colleagues published a study on fawn survival in the Journal of Wildlife Management.  This study was prompted by the observation that deer numbers had declined over the past 15 years and didn't seem to be improving in an environment of significant logging creating abundant foraging habitat.  We found that fawn survival was the critical issue.  Predation was the leading cause of death and hair loss syndrome in deer only exacerbated predation rates during the winter.  Cougars were the primary predator.  The study estimated our local deer population’s rate of increase and the data indicated that the population was not increasing but rather was maintained at its current level.  Without significant improvements in fawn survival the population is not expected to grow.  I recognize that cougars are not causing significant population declines, but they are limiting population growth and unless their population is lowered Tribal subsistence hunters as well as State hunters are not going to see any increases in harvest opportunities in the future.  We conducted the same research with calf elk and found similar results, cougars were the only predator and responsible for over 75% of the mortality observed.  Elk populations did have a positive population growth rate but it is very low (~2%) per year as long as cow harvest by the Tribe is non-existent or at very conservative levels.  The Tribe wants to provide growing populations of deer and elk and facilitate improved hunting opportunities for all hunters, but with the moratorium on hound hunting by the State we see no meaningful changes in ungulate populations possible.   
 
The GMAC was heavily involved in the recent Game Management Plan adopted by the Commission.  We pushed hard for predator:prey guidelines (and the Makah Tribe strongly backed this effort) that provided a mechanism for addressing ungulate populations that were struggling from predation.  This Game Management Plan provided the first authority for WDFW to act upon cougars or other predators that were minimizing ungulate population growth and hunting opportunity and would provide the authority for hunts using hounds when needed.  Prior to the Game Management Plan cougars could only be killed using hounds if livestock were killed or human risk existed.  The quota system for cougars is particularly meaningless in western Washington where dense vegetation severely limits harvest of cougars by boot hunters.  The quota in the Makah Tribe's hunting area has never been met and will likely never be met.  This is why the Game Management Plan is so important.  However, I fear that the special interests groups will never allow a hunt to occur to benefit ungulate populations as they are adamantly opposed to any plan to manipulate cougar harvest at a more significant rate.  I particularly fear that they have found a mechanism using the governor and their political power to override public processes that don't result in the decision they support.  I recognize that that the governor used statutory powers that are legal (WAC 82-05-050).  However, I believe the legislature has the authority to make changes that would preclude this tool being used in such a unilateral manner.  I did not see any effort by the governor to hear all sides of the issue and that in my opinion is wrong and provides him the ability to override public comment and participation by others who don't share his views."


If you don't know your legislator, please use the link below to do so and write him or her a letter.

http://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/

You may wish to incorporate these points:

1) You are upset over the governor's actions.
2) Tne governor erred in stating this is a "substantial amendment" when WDFW said that the higher cougar quota would only amount to 25 more cougars being killed.
3) The quotas were set by the Commission during the process of setting hunting seasons where there was ample opportunity for input.
4) The legislature has the authority to make changes that would preclude this tool being used in such a unilateral manner. 
5) There was no apparent effort made by the Governor to hear all sides of the issue and that is wrong, and provides him the ability to override public comment and participation by others who don't share his views.

[grundy53]

Very well said!

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

[bobcat]

Very well said!

 

[Rainier10]

I am sure most got this in their email but for those that didn't here is the game department's response.

November 4, 2015
Contact: Wildlife Program, 360-902-2515

WDFW reduces cougar harvest level
in response to Governor Inslee decision

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) today enacted an emergency rule to restore cougar harvest rates to 12-16 percent throughout the state for the remainder of the 2015-16 hunting season.

WDFW took the action in response to direction from Gov. Jay Inslee. Last month the governor said the state Fish and Wildlife Commission erred in April when it amended the proposed state hunting rules by increasing the harvest rate to 17-21 percent of the estimated cougar population within portions of eastern Washington where wolves are present.

Responding to a petition from animal rights and environmental groups, Inslee said the commission, which sets policy for WDFW, improperly applied the state Administrative Procedure Act in amending the harvest rate. He directed the commission to restore the lower rate and to conduct a full public rulemaking process to consider changes for future hunting seasons.

Nate Pamplin, head of the WDFW Wildlife Program, said the emergency rule will take effect Jan. 1, 2016, and will remain in place until April 30, which marks the end of the 2015-16 cougar season.

While the emergency rule is in place, Pamplin said WDFW will initiate a full public rulemaking process to set cougar harvest rates for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. That process will include a review of cougar biology and statewide population trends, and analysis of research into cougar populations in areas of eastern and western Washington, he said.

Pamplin said the public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed rule at the commission’s March 2016 meeting in Moses Lake. Adoption of the rule is tentatively scheduled for April, Pamplin said.

In its 2014 Game Management Plan, WDFW estimated the total statewide cougar population at about 3,600.

Cougar hunting is open statewide during an early general season from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. Hunting remains open during a late season from Jan 1 through April 30, although WDFW closes cougar hunting in individual units if the harvest limit is reached before then.

Pamplin said hunters must check the WDFW website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/cougar/) or call the toll-free cougar hotline (866-364-4868) to determine whether specific areas remain open. Licenses for the 2015 season expire March 31, 2016, so hunters will need a valid 2016 cougar license to hunt in April.