Washington Mule deer hunting by permit only...???

[jackelope]

Be careful what you wish for! I know for me I didnt invest 20k dollars to MAYBE draw a tag and go hunting!!!

I invested to go every year!


Here is a problem that never gets addressed!  Since when do you have to go out and shoot a 200" inch muley?  You dont but everyone seems to want to change rules just so they can go shoot bigger and bigger and bigger deer!   Its getting to the point where I just dont care to hear a score anymore!  If we keep going the way were headed, hunting will only be a rich mans game. 

What a disgrace.  No way will I ever agree to a draw only hunting.

I personally don't have to kill a 200" mule deer. Ever. I'd love to, but it's not something I look for specifically in a quality experience. I'm looking for the place, the scenery, the adventure, the time with friends and the hope to harvest a mature buck. All the while I don't want to be surrounded by a sea of orange.
I don't have $20k invested, never will and i don't personally think anyone needs to spend that much money on hunting.

[Special T]

It's pretty clear to me you are all wrong 




You fools keep thinking this is about the deer.   



This IS about the money.



Just let multi season tags sink into your heads.  It does the opposite of what you are all talking about.  Adds people, adds pressure, adds harvest.   

Im glad you pointed this out.  There are many good management decisions that could be made that really dont cost much for the wdfw that they dont make.  The state could greatly encourge the hunting of predators but instead prefer to protect them. One such example is doing away with the deer bear cougar combo. They said it was to simplify the system. I call bs  the quota system for cougars with no hounds is bs and a year round season could be applied, there should be a lot more spring bear tags. They tell us mgt requires $ but then they just use it to protect predators and reduce opportunity

First of all I think last year more trophy mulies hit the dirt than I have seen ever. Limit opportunity this sounds anti hunting. Let's focus on non anti hunting proposals that improve hunting like predator management or tribal management.

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[Sumpnneedskillin]

Looks like I'm in the minority here.

The only other state I've hunted is CA when I was stationed down there so my experience is limited.  I've hunted more there than here due to being stationed there for quite a while and getting a late start hunting.  I prefer CA seasons over WA seasons and they do big game hunting by permit.  I saw less people in the woods (granted the good areas were crowded) and there was less pressure to harvest.  If I saw something the first day I could pass on it because I knew I still had 3 months to hunt.

I loved it because I could typically get two deer and hunt from Labor Day to New Years Day if I drew Modern and bought Archery OTC.  Archery season was Labor Day for 44-ish days then it was modern for about 30-ish days (end of Oct to end of Nov) and then late archery season from Mid November to New Years Day. 

They set a quota per zone (GMU) for each season (archery, modern, ML, special permits).  When I was there, for San Diego (A22/D16/M6/G13) it was about 1000 archery permits/3000 modern/80 ML/300 anterless. You submitted your application with 3 choices.  After the draw the left over tags were OTC. 

After I left they started hauling in some huge bucks that had good food areas after the wildfires so A22 went to a premium zone and you couldn't get it as a second choice or OTC.

[Bango skank]

Looks like I'm in the minority here.

The only other state I've hunted is CA when I was stationed down there so my experience is limited.  I've hunted more there than here due to being stationed there for quite a while and getting a late start hunting.  I prefer CA seasons over WA seasons and they do big game hunting by permit.  I saw less people in the woods (granted the good areas were crowded) and there was less pressure to harvest.  If I saw something the first day I could pass on it because I knew I still had 3 months to hunt.

I loved it because I could typically get two deer and hunt from Labor Day to New Years Day if I drew Modern and bought Archery OTC.  Archery season was Labor Day for 44-ish days then it was modern for about 30-ish days (end of Oct to end of Nov) and then late archery season from Mid November to New Years Day. 

They set a quota per zone (GMU) for each season (archery, modern, ML, special permits).  When I was there, for San Diego (A22/D16/M6/G13) it was about 1000 archery permits/3000 modern/80 ML/300 anterless. You submitted your application with 3 choices.  After the draw the left over tags were OTC. 

After I left they started hauling in some huge bucks that had good food areas after the wildfires so A22 went to a premium zone and you couldn't get it as a second choice or OTC.

California outlawed cougar hunting.  Lets not model ourselves after that joke of a state.  Nuff said

[Kittman]

$$OTC = $$Permit, how would the WDFW be able to manage that math then?

[RadSav]

Hasn't deer hunting participation dropped 27% in this state since 2007.  Making hunting in this state more difficult will likely reduce that participation even further.  I see no benefit to our hunting heritage by going permit only.  Look at the states that have done this already. Sure the buck quality increases, but we lose our youth hunters, we lose participation and in large part we lose our voting strength.  I haven't seen any case where it has been beneficial to the states or the future of hunting in those states.  But heck, I might shoot a bigger buck, so who cares if your kids are the last generation of American hunters!  It's all about the me and now, right?

[Gringo31]

Hasn't deer hunting participation dropped 27% in this state since 2007.

Year     Hunters     Harvest

1997    134,199   28,062

2000    149,971   37,411

2007    139,241   32,999
2008    144,514   35,118   
2009    136,859   33,778
2010    131,133   33,391
2011    125,537   29,154
2012    120,082   33,917
2013    123,928   33,657
2014    120,488   35,216

[Rainier10]

Hasn't deer hunting participation dropped 27% in this state since 2007.

Year     Hunters     Harvest

2007    139,241   32,999
2008    144,514   35,118   
2009    136,859   33,778
2010    131,133   33,391
2011    125,537   29,154
2012    120,082   33,917
2013    123,928   33,657
2014    120,488   35,216

Looks like since 2008 hunter #'s have decreased by 17% and harvest #'s have remained the same.

Interesting numbers, thanks for posting.

[RadSav]

Oops, I must have pulled the "Tags Purchased" number from 2007.  I apologies.  Still shows a decrees in participation.  Increasing that rate of decline is dangerous, IMO.

[kentrek]

Hasn't deer hunting participation dropped 27% in this state since 2007.  Making hunting in this state more difficult will likely reduce that participation even further.  I see no benefit to our hunting heritage by going permit only.  Look at the states that have done this already. Sure the buck quality increases, but we lose our youth hunters, we lose participation and in large part we lose our voting strength.  I haven't seen any case where it has been beneficial to the states or the future of hunting in those states.  But heck, I might shoot a bigger buck, so who cares if your kids are the last generation of American hunters!  It's all about the me and now, right?

 

[emac]

Predator management would be a good start. Maybe some restrictions on other user groups. Maybe cut down deer multi-season tags to the same quota as elk multi-season tags

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[Rainier10]

Oops, I must have pulled the "Tags Purchased" number from 2007.  I apologies.  Still shows a decrees in participation.  Increasing that rate of decline is dangerous, IMO.

For sure it is still a significant decrease in hunters with just as many animals being taken. The decrease in hunters even if 17% rather than 27% is still very alarming. The amount of animals taken is easily adjusted by number of permits given out and length and timing of general seasons.

Retaining existing hunters and recruiting new ones to fill in for hunters that have lost interest is what they should be concerned about.  Especially if it is all about the benjamins.  Not just for the state either, think of all the revenue lost by companies that supply hunting equipment. (not sure if you have thought about that Rad, less hunters less people buying your stuff.  ) I am sure you have thought of it and that is one of the reasons it is so important to you to not limit opportunity especially if there is no backing to say that herd health is in jeopardy.

One of the number one complaints hunters have is lack of land to hunt.  As more and more land becomes privatized or that was FFTH and is now closed the more crowded it is going to get on the areas that are still open to free access.

[jackelope]

So...it seems like every day I read on here how someone is going to quit hunting in Washington. I read about people who live in Washington "pledging" to recommit to hunting here, where they live. It makes no sense to me that you wouldn't hunt where you live. Anyway, my point is what needs to be done to get those people back and happy about hunting here in Washington. So, what's it going to take??

[Special T]

So...it seems like every day I read on here how someone is going to quit hunting in Washington. I read about people who live in Washington "pledging" to recommit to hunting here, where they live. It makes no sense to me that you wouldn't hunt where you live. Anyway, my point is what needs to be done to get those people back and happy about hunting here in Washington. So, what's it going to take??

A department that does more than lip service for its lic holders. I didnt buy a deer tag this year and dont fell bad about it. I usually hunt local bt. I did get a cougar tag mostly because of the long season and it was only $20 more than my bird hunting.

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[Gringo31]

Year     Hunters     Harvest

1997    134,199   28,062

2000    149,971   37,411

2007    139,241   32,999
2008    144,514   35,118   
2009    136,859   33,778
2010    131,133   33,391
2011    125,537   29,154
2012    120,082   33,917
2013    123,928   33,657
2014    120,488   35,216