Spike Only units?

[ThePascoKid]

I know some guys up on jim crick off the N touchet that shot a 1x6 about 5 years ago, pretty crazy looking, they watched it for a whole day to make sure.

[funkster]

Two season's ago on the last day of the hunt I got onto a 5x1 nothing was broken off it was just the way he grew. It was the funniest looking thing, one long skinny beam about 2.5 ft tall! I belly crawled about 40yrds to close within 60 but as he was feeding he would move 10 yards at a time. This went on for about 30 or so min and I never a got a shot off. I handed the video camera off to my at the time 9 year old son to get the footage, needless to say when we got back to the truck I looked over the footage and all he got was shaky blurry stumps,twigs and ground Good times!

[alanger]

Yeah where i go elk hunting it is spike only and there are about 5,000 hunters with 4 spikes in the gmu, i think it is more of a camping trip with guns. Still fun though.

sounds like the colockum!!

[Scottystyle]

I believe the purpose of the spike only on the east side is to improve genetics of the heard.  Being the generally wide open country that it is i provides a bigger population of mature bulls, SO THE INDIANS CAN GUN THEM DOWN EASILY AND FILL UP THEIR TRUCKS WITH GIANT BULL ELK... after all the treaty agreement reads... no bag limit on 300+ bulls.

[colockumelk]

That's not true they do have limits imposed on them.  They can't hunt cows or does from Dec 31 through July 31.  In any case the reason they only shoot big bulls and bucks is because any elk that scores below 300" is poisenous to them. It's a mystery of nature.   

[Scottystyle]

Now its all making sense...   Is there any way we can get the Washington Game Department to manage mosquitoes???  They will have them extinct in no time

[ThePascoKid]

yeah, I agree mosquitoes, wasps and house fly's

[MIKEXRAY]

Spike only units is what got me into archery hunting about seven years ago. Muzzleloader spike only is camping with a gun, very tough hunting. In seven years of bowhunting my area, I've only seen two spikes in six years and that is a lot of days in the field. I also think its a good rule, my area is an any bull tag area about every three or four years & quality bulls around when you do get to hunt.  Mike

[colockumelk]

In my dream world they would severely restrict road access.  Basically all the main roads into areas are okay but all those spurs and branches would be gated.  The Indians wouldn't be able to hunt like they currently do and would have to follow the same rules and restrictions that we do.  Keep it the same for three years and see how the herds are.  If they are steadily increasing go to 3pt Min or Antlerless for Archery and 3pt Min for ML and Modern.  Do that for three years and see how things go.  If the branch bulls are getting decimated then either go back to how it was or inmy opinion they should go to special permit only.  Where each GMU gives out a precise amount of branch and antlerless tags in each GMU depending on the herd numbers.  And since there isn't a general hunt they'd be able to give out way, way, way more branch tags then they do now. 

In my opinion this would work alot better than putting further restrictions on us.  The restricitons should be onthe roads not our seasons.  It's been spike only for 15 years now and we still don't have the quality of hunting that was promised us.  Spike only obviously does not work. 

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and each time expecting a different outcome.
Sound like a certain department of wildlife to you?

[270Shooter]

I think that there are a lot of people that would still hike in and kill big bulls. I know I would work my butt off if they did that.

Maybe they should move to a 5 point minimum .

[skybusterbo]

yeah, I agree mosquitoes, wasps and house fly's

Don't forget hornets. I hate those damn things. Oh yeah,spike only sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mossback91]

permit only for all hunters!!! those beign some antlerless and then some any bull tags......just limit the amount of hunters......and regulate the damn poachings!!!

[logger]

go out in the south fork of bethel in the spring and tell me all of the bones you see are winter kill, less than a hundred feet from the road. permit only is horse*censored* till they admit to the real problems in that area.after that i am all for restrictions once they admit what the problems are. the bull to cow ratios have not changed since implementing these rulse so oblisvouly it's not working.

[fc2038]

go out in the south fork of bethel in the spring and tell me all of the bones you see are winter kill, less than a hundred feet from the road. permit only is horse*censored* till they admit to the real problems in that area.after that i am all for restrictions once they admit what the problems are. the bull to cow ratios have not changed since implementing these rulse so oblisvouly it's not working.

Really? You think nothing has changed since the implementation of spike only hunting. Have you been to the feeding station in the last 15 years. Doesn't sound like it. I remamber going to the station in the early 90's late 80's you would be hard pressed to see ten branch antler bulls there at any one time. Now there are hundreds of large bulls. It is nice to see. You can't tell me that a spike only hunting has had no effect on that herd. There are ten times as many large bulls than there was in the late 80's early 90's.

[MHWASH]

Keep in mind that even in any bull areas 90% of the harvest is Spike bulls. There are several reasons for this. They stay with the cows, and they have not smartened up yet. I cannot remember where or who did the study, but I remember reading it.