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

[bobcat]

If mule deer was permit only I think all deer hunting would have to be permit only, otherwise blacktails and whitetails would get too much hunting pressure.

[BGLEMIN]

Though I haven't researched in depth the effects of co-habitation between mule deer and whitetail in Washington state, I have knowledge of other states that have placed a higher cull on whitetail deer that are encroaching upon mule deer habitat. Perhaps a little more pressure on the whitetail numbers wouldn't be too bad, where mule deer are already struggling with habitat constraints?

[BGLEMIN]

I'm also not sure how much free-range livestock grazing occurs in Washington, but cattle can destroy areas of shrub browse. Rarely will cattle browse, but they will trample said shrubs and therefore reduce available biomass for browse dependent species.

[fishnfur]

Here's a link to the WDFW Mule Deer Management Plan.  I read it about three days ago when this thread got started.  It offers a good foundation of information on Muleys in WA, for those who haven't read it already. (I don't think anybody posted this yet.  If so, please excuse the duplication.)

http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/mule_deer/

[BGLEMIN]

Thanks for the link!

[The Gobble-stopper]

I am not sure where the problem is. I have been deer hunting in Wa for 44 years. Havnt had trouble finding places to hunt with no one around. Nor finding deer. Maybe I just do the right homework and get lucky? 

[jackelope]

I am not sure where the problem is. I have been deer hunting in Wa for 44 years. Havnt had trouble finding places to hunt with no one around. Nor finding deer. Maybe I just do the right homework and get lucky? 

I'm pretty sure most of the guys posting in this thread don't have any issues finding and killing deer. I think they're looking more for something different.

[Karl Blanchard]

I am not sure where the problem is. I have been deer hunting in Wa for 44 years. Havnt had trouble finding places to hunt with no one around. Nor finding deer. Maybe I just do the right homework and get lucky? 

I'm pretty sure most of the guys posting in this thread don't have any issues finding and killing deer. I think they're looking more for something different.

  I'm gonna get one, one of these seasons

But seriously, Josh is right.  Most are wanting a more viable, healthy, and stable mule deer population so in 50 years, we still have mule deer to hunt.  More importantly our children and grandchildren have mule deer to hunt.

[Wacenturion]

Read these objectives below from the mule deer management plan slowly and then after reading each one, ask yourself what will this actually do to improve the existing mule deer herd.  Pretty simple exercise.  Trouble with plans is that they are unrealistic to begin with and the plan itself will rarely meet objectives unless it's some PR type thing or additional planning.  Most of what is listed here is meaningless for mule deer.  But that's what plans generally are.  Those statements highlighted in blue are nothing more than planning within a plan.  Those in red simply are pipe dreams.  I've enlarged the font size on key words in the blue statements to help.

The only reference to habitat enhancement is....

"By 2027, within each MDMZ maintain or improve the quality of at least 10% of the important seasonal habitats".  Eleven years from now?  How are they going to do that, as WDFGW doesn't put efforts on the ground that are actually necessary to actually impact wildlife in a positive way.  They have no equipment nor manpower dedicated to such a task.  On wildlife areas, manpower and equipment, what there is of it, is for custodial purposes at best..  Habitat restoration is a big job, and doesn't get done by simply stating it in a plan.  When 2017 gets here, you'll read something to the effect....was not able to complete this objective as inflation, urban encroachment, predation, unseasonably cold winters, whatever excuse is handy will be used to tell the public why it didn't happen.

Finally...the spending priorities.  Most of that funding will get eaten by administation fees, some of which will be new additional reseach to come up with a rewrite of the above. 
 
Statewide Mule Deer Management Objectives

    By 2021, develop new or refine existing survey designs for each of the seven MDMZs to estimate population levels or trends, pre- and/or post-hunt age and sex ratios, and/or spring fawn to adult ratios
    Within each MDMZ, manage mule deer to ensure stable or increasing populations, as indicated by demographic indicators
    Adaptively manage (Stankey et al. 2005) to attempt to maintain the current level of mule deer hunting opportunity throughout the seven management zones
    By 2027, within each MDMZ maintain or improve the quality of at least 10% of the important seasonal habitats that support mule deer populations
    Maintain or reduce the number of damage prevention permits or kill permits issued to minimize commercial crop damage caused by deer in MDMZs over the period 2016 – 2021
    By 2020, have long-term solutions or plans in place for at least three local communities dealing with urban mule deer populations causing nuisance or damage issues
    By 2018, increase the number of times mule deer are profiled in public outreach and engagement efforts to at least four per year
    Establish and promote public use of at least two mule deer viewing opportunity sites with informational kiosks by 2021
    Raise public awareness about deer-vehicle collisions by hosting a town hall type meeting in each MDMZ by 2023, discussing the selected problem areas described above
    Achieve 90% compliance of regulations during mule deer hunting season by 2018
Prevent illegal take of mule deer outside of the hunting season and illegal commercialization of mule deer parts from increasing above the current level
    Increase funding for mule deer management and research by 10% by 2022
    Integrate mule deer into the planned, multi-species predator-prey study by 2017

Spending Priorities

Achieving spending levels will be contingent upon availability of funds and creation of partnerships. Department spending priorities for managing mule deer should focus on the following:
Activity    Priority    Future Costs
Population Monitoring    High    $175,000
Habitat Management    High    $720,000
Public Education/Outreach    Medium    $10,000

[DaveMonti]

WACenturian, I read the plan after fishnfur posted it and found it to be typical bureaucratic BS with no accountability, no real content or substance.  Unfortunately, this is what I've come to expect from state and federal government.  As much as we talk about the benefits of changing the seasons and permitting systems, we still have to rely on a state organization with several competing stakeholders to get anything done.

[BGLEMIN]

Rangeland management requires much more than one agency, landowner involvement, and volunteer support to achieve the objectives of a plan aimed at habitat enhancement. What's written in the executive summary is a synopsis of goals, prioritized based off of current scientific data and public input. Attainable, probably not.