UNDIVIDE WASHINGTON STATE

[jackelope]

I don't see how hunting on one side for the opening then hunting close to home if you don't tag out is harmful....opening day is a zoo every year in any state.
This, in and of itself, is harmless. It's all the other stuff that would happen as a result of the change like everyone in Washington applying for eastern WA quality bull permits and lots of people from the eastside coming to the westside to hunt branch antlered bulls when they don't draw a permit and don't want to hunt spikes.



Kids, family requirements, work and the cost keep more people close to home to hunt weekends then people taking the season off to camp the other side of the state.
Agree



Also Not drawing a tag doesn't stop anyone from hunting spikes, so if those same spike hunters make a trip to hunt the west side reduces pressure on eastern herds. Then with more spikes making it through hunting season we get more quality tags....and then the odds would be on par for more people putting in for quality east  tags....
Who wants to hunt spikes when you can drive a couple hours west and hunt big bulls?

[Maverick]

Keep the state divided for elk. Personally would like to see a lot of the west side units go spike only and 3 point min for the blacktail. Having more draw units on the west side would get people using points over there more, and really think the west side could grow a lot of monster blacktail with a 3 point minumum. Seems a lot of the pictures I see of harvested bucks over there are tiny forked horns and spikes. Giving them time to grow would help with some dandy bucks. More hunters would spend more time trying to harvest one of those monster blacktails.  Imagine how many more even bigger bulls you'd see on the west side with a spike rule. It'd take a lot of the pressure off some of the eastside units when trying to draw a tag.

[Wetwoodshunter]

Rehjwa, those are all good points too. With the system that we have in place now everyone can get an elk tag every year for whatever they want. If they want to hunt a quality bull every year they have the option to hunt westside, for spikes eastside. If the state makes it so elk hunters can go everywhere there will be a lot more pressure in the westside 3pt min areas. This added pressure could easily make it so that westside units need to go to a draw or change the regulations to a different amount of antler points. Ultimately this is what I would like to avoid, I would rather have an opportunity to hunt every year for a bull than have to draw a tag to hunt at all.

The risk in changing the elk management is simply to high. Although realistically if we actually wanted to do the elk or deer a favor we could allow the use of dogs for hunting bear and cougar as well as baiting bears. Last season I saw more bear than blacktail in one of the units I spent 7 days in.

 

[KopperBuck]

Who wants to hunt spikes when you can drive a couple hours west and hunt big bulls?

I don't think that's as big an issue as you think. Like I said before, that opportunity is available down here, and I know very few people that use it. Very few.

What would be the biggest issue and why I'd never agree to it is the draw problem. It would be like letting folks buy an OTC archery after missing out on the rifle draw...

[jackelope]

Who wants to hunt spikes when you can drive a couple hours west and hunt big bulls?

I don't think that's as big an issue as you think. Like I said before, that opportunity is available down here, and I know very few people that use it. Very few.

What would be the biggest issue and why I'd never agree to it is the draw problem. It would be like letting folks buy an OTC archery after missing out on the rifle draw...

I agree, but with the OP promoting increased access, I can't figure out the logic in the very real potential for more overcrowding of already crowded public lands all in the name of increased access.

[KopperBuck]

Agreed.

[hoof rot]

i'll bet in the future west side will go to permit bull because of hoof rot anyways, get em while u can 

[buglebrush]

I've said this many many times, but here goes again.   

If we are only talking about hunting pressure the single best way to reduce that is to lengthen seasons.  Period.  Just across the border in Idaho for deer you have September to bowhunt October 10- November 30 with a rifle and then a December bow season.  This spreads the pressure and crowding out like crazy.  It doesn't greatly impact the harvest statistics, but gives everyone a much much better experience.  When you cram all the hunters into two weekends you will always feel like it is a zoo.  Basically people have only a certain amount of time off work, etc... to hunt and when you have 10-13 weekends to pick from it sure lowers the odds that someone else picked the same time and spot to hunt.  What we need is longer seasons, and make people commit to A zone like Idaho does. 

[KopperBuck]

Here's some numbers to compare, albeit 2011. But gives great perspective.

Washington Hunter/Angler #s
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/fhw11-wa.pdf

Idaho Hunter/Angler #s
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/fhw11-id.pdf

[runamuk]

Here's some numbers to compare, albeit 2011. But gives great perspective.

Washington Hunter/Angler #s
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/fhw11-wa.pdf

Idaho Hunter/Angler #s
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/fhw11-id.pdf

Interesting Idaho has a fair bit more hunting pressure than Washington.  There are a bunch of options in WA that would benefit hunting and wildlife but if it doesnt fill the state coffers its not going to be taken seriously this state only wants our money.

[buglebrush]

Here's some numbers to compare, albeit 2011. But gives great perspective.

Washington Hunter/Angler #s
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/fhw11-wa.pdf

Idaho Hunter/Angler #s
https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/fhw11-id.pdf

Thanks for posting this!  IMO it completely makes my point.  More people hunt idaho every year, and even with the much longer seasons they only average 1 extra day per year in the field.  Longer Seasons lower pressure.  Guaranteed. 

[KopperBuck]

The other crucial variable is obviously available ground to hunt. One has to also consider how much of the public ground is "huntable".

[bbarnes]

This has been great to hear everyone's imput,thanks to all that have commented.

[REHJWA]

After a couple of soaking wet years without seeing anything but devils club, vine maple, hazel nut, and black berries and the flash and crash of a critter if anything spikes on the east side look a whole lot better....

[KFhunter]

After a couple of soaking wet years without seeing anything but devils club, vine maple, hazel nut, and black berries and the flash and crash of a critter if anything spikes on the east side look a whole lot better....

After a couple years of choking on smoke and dust, sweating my boys off and not seeing anything but wolf scat, dry dead poplar, dry cedar undergrowth and not even the flash and crash of a critter if anything big bulls in the damp undergrowth of western WA looks a whole lot better.....