WDFW Commission meeting - March 17 in Olympia

[bobcat]

Looks like an interesting meeting to attend. I'll try to be there on Friday, March 17th, from about 10:00 to 2:45.





http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings/2017/03/agenda_mar1717.html

[bobcat]

Anybody going to make it to this?

[HntnFsh]

Wish I could. But won't be able to.
Wonder if Unsworth will come off looking like a dunce again!

[Whitpirate]

I hate the moose seasons and think numbers are declining fast. 

I also despise the LHP permits specific to the Ranches and Bennett and see that as a "pay to hunt" opportunity.  I'm curious why only those ranches are available and not any of the other large landowners.  Going to make access near impossible to get in the SE due to "I'm not doing it until they let me make the $$$ that <insert the favored few here>.

I also am sad to see so little youth opportunity and no expansion at all.  Selfishly I have youth hunters now but I also know that if we don't recruit new blood to the hunting tradition it will fade away faster than it is now. 

Public comment meetings in Olympia buried on a Friday signal just how these folks want input to go.

[JLS]

I hate the moose seasons and think numbers are declining fast. 

I also despise the LHP permits specific to the Ranches and Bennett and see that as a "pay to hunt" opportunity.  I'm curious why only those ranches are available and not any of the other large landowners.  Going to make access near impossible to get in the SE due to "I'm not doing it until they let me make the $$$ that <insert the favored few here>.

I also am sad to see so little youth opportunity and no expansion at all.  Selfishly I have youth hunters now but I also know that if we don't recruit new blood to the hunting tradition it will fade away faster than it is now. 

Public comment meetings in Olympia buried on a Friday signal just how these folks want input to go.

I agree, I hate LHPs.  The reason there aren't more is because there is a cap on how many can exist at any given time.

[bearpaw]

I absolutely guarantee moose numbers have suffered significantly in NE WA, maybe down to 25% in some areas. I would love to go there and testify regarding exactly what we see while spending nearly every day of hunting seasons in the woods, seeing more and more wolf tracks and fewer moose tracks and almost no moose being spotted in many areas where they were numerous only 5 years ago, it was normal to see 5 to 20 moose per day 5 years ago, but I know it would just be a waste of time, WDFW can't admit wolves are damaging moose numbers or it would justify action to manage wolves and prove their original claims regarding minimal wolf impacts were false. 

[bearpaw]

I should mention, I have attended many commission meetings in the past, I'm not someone who bitches but never does my part!

[Bob33]

I absolutely guarantee moose numbers have suffered significantly in NE WA, maybe down to 25% in some areas. I would love to go there and testify regarding exactly what we see while spending nearly every day of hunting seasons in the woods, seeing more and more wolf tracks and fewer moose tracks and almost no moose being spotted in many areas where they were numerous only 5 years ago, it was normal to see 5 to 20 moose per day 5 years ago, but I know it would just be a waste of time, WDFW can't admit wolves are damaging moose numbers or it would justify action to manage wolves and prove their original claims regarding minimal wolf impacts were false. 

It's unfortunate there weren't more comments about this.

"Two comments were concerned about moose declines generally; and 3 comments asserted that declines have been caused by wolves. Those who commented generally remain concerned about the opportunity to draw a moose tag, which remains a low probability-draw in Washington. Although some view Department permit numbers as too conservative given the number of moose, more are concerned about what they perceive as declining moose numbers."

[bearpaw]

It's unfortunate the situation WA big game and hunters are in verses how it could be better, I don't know what can be done to actually change this situation?

[Bob33]

It's unfortunate the situation WA big game and hunters are in verses how it could be better, I don't know what can be done to actually change this situation?

It's definitely an uphill battle.

I think one thing that has heightened the problems we face today is the significant loss of small game and upland bird hunting. When I was younger we hunted ducks, pheasants, rabbits and other small game. They were abundant in many parts of the state. If you got a deer or elk, that was a real bonus. Especially for new and young hunters starting out, it's tough to go four to five years and never fire a shot which is the average for a typical deer hunter.

Upland birds that were plentiful in the Kittitas valley and many parts of Eastern Washington are now found primarily only on private land with access fees. I used to take a rubber raft out into Port Susan bay and shoot snow geese as a teenager; that's pretty tough to do now. On multiple occasions I went to San Juan Island and shot rabbits with a .22: so many it filled buckets. 

Those lost opportunities put more pressure on big game hunting. Many of the areas we could hunt big game in even 10 years ago require an access fee now, and that puts even more pressure on the public areas. Habitat loss and increased predation certainly don't help.

It's not much but what I can do is act as a hunter education instructor to pass on my knowledge and passion to students, try to mentor a few new hunters every year, and support the organizations that support hunting.

[HntnFsh]

It's unfortunate the situation WA big game and hunters are in verses how it could be better, I don't know what can be done to actually change this situation?

It's definitely an uphill battle.

I think one thing that has heightened the problems we face today is the significant loss of small game and upland bird hunting. When I was younger we hunted ducks, pheasants, rabbits and other small game. They were abundant in many parts of the state. If you got a deer or elk, that was a real bonus. Especially for new and young hunters starting out, it's tough to go four to five years and never fire a shot which is the average for a typical deer hunter.

Upland birds that were plentiful in the Kittitas valley and many parts of Eastern Washington are now found primarily only on private land with access fees. I used to take a rubber raft out into Port Susan bay and shoot snow geese as a teenager; that's pretty tough to do now. On multiple occasions I went to San Juan Island and shot rabbits with a .22: so many it filled buckets. 

Those lost opportunities put more pressure on big game hunting. Many of the areas we could hunt big game in even 10 years ago require an access fee now, and that puts even more pressure on the public areas. Habitat loss and increased predation certainly don't help.

It's not much but what I can do is act as a hunter education instructor to pass on my knowledge and passion to students, try to mentor a few new hunters every year, and support the organizations that support hunting.

  Wow Bob! Hunting rabbits in the San Juans brings back a lot of memories from when I was 12-15 years old. Used to go up there with my Dad! Couldn't tell you how many boxes of shells I put through my old J.C. Higgins single shot .410 Then 1 year a friend of ours let me borrow his old pump 12 gauge. I bet I put 3 or 4 boxes through that thing one weekend. My arm was black and blue from the base of my neck to my elbow. The last box of shells I had were Super X magnums. I would muster up all I had to pull that shotgun up. Shoot a rabbit! Then just let my arm drop and dangle it hurt so bad. But whooeee I had fun. Enjoyed every single minute of it! Even bought a couple ferrets with a plan to bring them up there to chase rabbits out of the hole. That never happened. Don't know why I thought I ever needed them anyhow. From what Ive heard ferrets were kind of the beginning of the end up there. Don't know if it was true or not. Just something I heard. Thank you for the reminder of days gone by!