Baiting on the chopping block

[724wd]

From Ren Sarns of the WSAA.  MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!

"The GMAC (game management Advisory Committee) will be meeting Dec 5th in Ellensburg, I am the GMAC rep for the WSAA and Ray C.(alt) will be attending the meeting. I just received the proposed Agenda and a couple of the important items, I'd like to get some feedback on. You can either post here or PM me your ideas/questions etc...

Baiting proposals - There has been a push to change the current law allowing baiting of deer and elk over the past few years, and last year it was set aside as part of the new 3 year season setting package. The Wildlife Commission has once again asked for a proposal to come before them for a vote. The WDFW has a working sub committee of hunters, guides and environmentalists that have been meeting this year. The head biologist (WDFW) assigned to this committee will be briefing the GMAC on their proposal (if any). I as a member of that sub committee can say that its been tough to get much of an agreement at this time. Some of the ideas coming out are:

2. If salt/mineral is allowed for hunting, there should be a stipulation that it cannot be within 200 yds from water bodies

3. 10 gal should be per hunter per season.

4. Restricting baiting to 10 days prior to hunting will do nothing because you could bait from Aug. 21 to Dec. 15. Don’t need timing restriction

5. If baiting is allowed, it should be limited to private lands only with written permission of the owner required

6. Electronic feeders should be illegal (most votes to make illegal)

9. Removed bait within 72 hours of the end of the last hunting season

Those are the major items that we are looking at.

Another agenda item of interest:

Changes to the preference point system. Many ideas regarding this, love to hear what you think we could do to improve it.

Those are the 2 action items that are of interest. We will also get updates on the Colockum Bull study, the current status of the Wolf and population updates, and a report on the effects of the fires on priority habitats."

[boneaddict]

Don't want a preference point system.  They are the devil!

I don't bait so don't have much of an opinion on it, but am tired of seeing damage done by people who don't have a clue what salt does.

[Bigshooter]

I hope you meant bonus point system?

I don't care about baiting.

[Curly]

I don't think any changes should be made to baiting or to the draw system.

[bobcat]

Baiting- I don't want any restrictions but since it looks like that's not an option, I'd be okay with a limit to how much bait a person could put out.

Changes to the point system (not "preference" point, as we don't have that type of system, we have "bonus" points):

I'm strongly against any changes that further complicate the system. I would like to see a waiting period for those who draw a permit.

[huntnphool]

 Thanks for posting this up 724wd.

 I do have a couple questions that maybe you can answer. First, who is in the GMAC and where do the members come from?

 Second, for whom do these GMAC members speak?

[jrebel]

Baiting:

1.  Bring back the ability to bait bear.
2.  Deer and Elk Baiting:  Leave it alone, we don't need more rules / laws.  How does it affect anything???  We are still only allowd to harvest one animal per year.  What is next.....you are not allowed to hunt orchards because the deer are coming to bait, corn fields, alfalfa, wheat, etc. etc. etc.  What is next you can't wear camoflauge because it give the hunter another advantage??  Where does all this insanity end?? 

Preference points:  Not sure what you mean by this?  If you mean the draw system, I would like to see where a person can only draw one "draw" per animal per year.  Keep all the Catagories but if a person draws "quality" they cannot draw "buck" "doe" "second deer", etc.  Start the draw with the quality and go down from there.  This would prevent a person from drawing two tags and only being able to harvest one animal.   

[JimmyHoffa]

Are any of the reasons against baiting scientific; or, as usual, emotional?  Actually scientific....not the long, stretch could be types?

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

#1- Bring back baiting Bears.
#2- Get rid of the point system. Its a money grab joke by the state.
#3- Continue to allow baiting of deers and elks.
#4- Make archery deer's and elks the whole month of September.
#5- Take note on how the state of Idaho runs there Game Dept. and manages for the game not the Dollar$$$$$$$$.

OK I'll stop at those for now....... Thanks for the post!!!!!

[grundy53]

Baiting:

1.  Bring back the ability to bait bear.
2.  Deer and Elk Baiting:  Leave it alone, we don't need more rules / laws.  How does it affect anything???  We are still only allowd to harvest one animal per year.  What is next.....you are not allowed to hunt orchards because the deer are coming to bait, corn fields, alfalfa, wheat, etc. etc. etc.  What is next you can't wear camoflauge because it give the hunter another advantage??  Where does all this insanity end?? 

Preference points:  Not sure what you mean by this?  If you mean the draw system, I would like to see where a person can only draw one "draw" per animal per year.  Keep all the Catagories but if a person draws "quality" they cannot draw "buck" "doe" "second deer", etc.  Start the draw with the quality and go down from there.  This would prevent a person from drawing two tags and only being able to harvest one animal.   

This

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

[X-Force]

Steve Rinella had a pod cast not to long ago on draw systems. Basic point to it was that preference points only improve odds very slightly for the initial applicants and everyone else going forward has less and less opportunity.

As a guy who applies for every eligible permit and a father of two kids under 5 I would support moving to a system like Idaho. With the number of hunters applying to number of permits available it would improve odds across the board. It would also improve Hunter participation on every permit because hunters would be focusing more on particular hunts.

I haven't looked in a while but overall permit participation is typically 30-70% very few hunts actually get 100% participation. In my opinion that is because the threshold to apply to a permit is to low.

Baiting is a touchy subject for some but in urban/suburban areas and areas with small properties its important in animal management. I support no change at this time.

[Curly]

Baiting:

#2 I don't have a problem with.

#3 I  think is a crazy low amount. 10 gallons per hunter per season? Who comes up with these ideas? Might as well not even bait if that's all that is allowed.

#4. Why limit to hunting season. What about baiting as a scouting tool?

#5 I disagree with this too. Is there a problem currently with bait on public land?

#6.. I think they should be allowed on private property.

#9 why? Just let the animals clean it up.


I don't bait but I don't see the need to implement most  of these ideas. Isn't there more important issues to work on like access for hunting?

[bobcat]

Come on guys. Bear baiting isn't even an option. And the point system definitely isn't going away. The WDFW would be very unpopular if they did that. Gotta be realistic.

[PolarBear]

Don't want a preference point system.  They are the devil!

I don't bait so don't have much of an opinion on it, but am tired of seeing damage done by people who don't have a clue what salt does.

[huntnphool]

Preference points:  Not sure what you mean by this?  If you mean the draw system, I would like to see where a person can only draw one "draw" per animal per year.  Keep all the Catagories but if a person draws "quality" they cannot draw "buck" "doe" "second deer", etc.  Start the draw with the quality and go down from there.  This would prevent a person from drawing two tags and only being able to harvest one animal.   

 There is a old, squeaky wheel in the meetings that has been whining that he is going to die before he draws his percieved entitled OIL tags. So he has been pushing to get a certain amount of the tags given only to the top point holders each year.