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[Bob33]

I keep coming back in my head to the fact that you can't retroactively manage wildlife.  Look at the other populations in the state.  Why isn't salmon fishing managed in the same way as big game hunting?  We could count how many people caught fish and how many were caught last year and adjust next years fishing limits and seasons accordingly.  But that is not how we do it.  We limit the number of fish and even the type of a species you can catch and possess, today in real time.  I think the notion of managing by estimating success rates is pure folly.  All it will take is one anomaly in a given year and a herd is decimated, or a GMU is shot out, or even worse a population is damaged to a point that continued hunting is too risky.  That is not good game management.

"We could count how many people caught fish and how many were caught last year and adjust next years fishing limits and seasons accordingly."

"All it will take is one anomaly in a given year and...."

An anomaly in next year's fishery could do the same harm.

[bearpaw]

I think WDFW does a fair job of managing our wildlife and seasons. They can't count everything, modeling is needed. I think you are somehow misguided thinking everyone will hunt the same unit, that will never happen, hunters try to go where others don't. I also think WDFW does a fair job of estimating fish runs and setting seasons accordingly as run numbers change from the estimates.

One big thing, WDFW can't satisfy everyone and some people will always complain. The biggest problem I see is lack of trying to maximize fish and herd numbers, too many predators in the water and on land, loss of winter range and spawning area, failure to utilize the full potential of existing WDFW and other public lands and waters.

We are the smallest western state with nearly the largest population, we must maximize our resources.

[bowhunterty]

Check out the game management tab on left on WDFW Hunting page. harvest stats and Game Status on trend report is on there among other things

[Bob33]

WDFW can also issue an emergency closure if harvest vs. available surplus animal estimates are significantly wrong. They can issue additional permits, also.

[csaaphill]

There tend to be enough 2 pts leftover (making 3 or 4 the following year) that the herd can carry on.  When they allowed any bull, some of the westside units got hit so hard that virtually nothing was left to breed the cows and the herds crashed.  Those went special permit for a number of years (i.e. dickey).

I get the application of how it is working but it doesn't seem like a system that is designed to work as much as one that is working by chance.  Reminds me of an old saying, "Hope isn't a plan".

With a management program like this in place, have you ever questioned why it is that a multi season permit is required.  if a hunter can only take one of the species what difference could it possibly make if he did it with bow, ml, or rifle?
[/quote]
because people want or wanted to be able to that is why. On the Multi season question that is. They stopped allowing that years ago, and people griped about it, me and others being part of that. I/we want to if we didn't score in archery be able to still go in some other season. The way it was years ago I think was pretty much open and you could get a archery tag, not get anything, buy a Muzzy tag not get anything, and then do the modern tag, and maybe get something then, or not. It mainly allows people more time in the field not allowing them more deer, elk, what have ya. Now it's done by draw so it does actually control the numbers and who get them.

[csaaphill]

I think WDFW does a fair job of managing our wildlife and seasons. They can't count everything, modeling is needed. I think you are somehow misguided thinking everyone will hunt the same unit, that will never happen, hunters try to go where others don't. I also think WDFW does a fair job of estimating fish runs and setting seasons accordingly as run numbers change from the estimates.

One big thing, WDFW can't satisfy everyone and some people will always complain. The biggest problem I see is lack of trying to maximize fish and herd numbers, too many predators in the water and on land, loss of winter range and spawning area, failure to utilize the full potential of existing WDFW and other public lands and waters.

We are the smallest western state with nearly the largest population, we must maximize our resources.

Leave over the counter alone.