Free: Contests & Raffles.
Personally I think that is a good thing. By doing this the swakane will become a trophy unit again.
I think it's bulls---! The rumor is that they are going to open more modern and muzzleloader tags for the area. So why take away from the late archers, to help the plinkers. This is all coming from one moron biologist out of the Chelan area who thinks the archers just slaughter the hillsides during the late season. I'm up there every year talking to everyone I see, trying to get feedback and hunting statistics (success rates)...I have found that the success rates are the same in the Swakane as they are in most areas 9-14%. The moron biologist I talked to is the one who has proposed the restriction. I asked him how he gets his #'s of buck to doe ratios and overall counts. He said by helicopter. I got kind of snitty and said what do you think the factor of error percentage is in your heli counts. He laughed, and said "I don't know, but I know you guys are slaughtering them." That is complete bulls---!As for making the area a trophy area again...get your butt out there and spend some time on those hills. There are great bucks out there if you put your hiking boots on. TROPHY AREA, Ha! WDFW would love to make everything a trophy area...so they could get their hands on a lot more revenue and special permit $.