Idea to fix WA elk hunting.

[dhorn]

How can you take away the farmground? Maybe enhancing what little bit of winter range we have left will help! But as far as attacking farmground in washington state..won't work! Maybe as far as hunters go we can be happy we still have a opportunity to hunt every year!

[buglebrush]

Aggressively manage predators!  That is an easy solution that would show immediate improvement.  Think of the difference just in calf survival!
Make people pick a zone to hunt like Idaho does, and you could only draw for something in your tags zone.  That would immensely help the draw odds on super tags while relieving pressure on OTC areas.  Finally limit draws to a single choice, and odds would be much better!

[brutus1]

Hunt by zip code. ...or pay non residents fee out of your zip code or county that you live in...

[Mudman]

Aggressively manage predators!  That is an easy solution that would show immediate improvement.  Think of the difference just in calf survival!
Make people pick a zone to hunt like Idaho does, and you could only draw for something in your tags zone.  That would immensely help the draw odds on super tags while relieving pressure on OTC areas.  Finally limit draws to a single choice, and odds would be much better!

Hands down the best solution!  100% agree, this would work very well.

[Miles]

Hunt by zip code. ...or pay non residents fee out of your zip code or county that you live in...

Lol.  Best idea so far.

[bobcat]

Hunt by zip code. ...or pay non residents fee out of your zip code or county that you live in...

Lol.  Best idea so far.

No it's not. Living close to where you hunt doesn't give a person any more rights to the animals than anyone else.

[JimmyHoffa]

Hunt by zip code. ...or pay non residents fee out of your zip code or county that you live in...

Could go by region.  If you live in Region 5 for example, then you get the 500 series GMUs.

[Jpmiller]

Would my tax dollars only go to my region as well?

[JimmyHoffa]

Sounds good.  In the past hunting/wildlife management were down at the county level, not stuck in the governor's appointed mudflat in Olympia.  Game was also separate from Fish, too--so more focused expertise there.

[Miles]

Would my tax dollars only go to my region as well?

Do your tax dollars go towards elk hunting right now?   If you can account for all tax dollars that currently go towards elk hunting, then you can keep that amount for your elk hunting region.  Sounds fair enough, right?

[fireweed]

The solution is more elk: 
Private timberlands return to slash burning (ban site-prep helicopter spraying)
USFS more logging with real openings in timber for elk.  The USFS has too many trees that are hogging all the sunlight and shading out everything edible.  I'm not talking log old growth, but focus on past logging areas.
Figure out hoof rot for real.
Predator management.

After Mt St Helens erupted the area was crawling with elk after 5 years no hunting, and tons and tons of feed.  Now in the same areas, everything is grown up, and you would be lucky to find an elk.

[Jpmiller]

Would my tax dollars only go to my region as well?

Do your tax dollars go towards elk hunting right now?   If you can account for all tax dollars that currently go towards elk hunting, then you can keep that amount for your elk hunting region.  Sounds fair enough, right?

Does Wdfw not get state and federal tax dollars?

[Miles]

Would my tax dollars only go to my region as well?

Do your tax dollars go towards elk hunting right now?   If you can account for all tax dollars that currently go towards elk hunting, then you can keep that amount for your elk hunting region.  Sounds fair enough, right?

Does Wdfw not get state and federal tax dollars?

You do the research and find out what specific amount of your individual taxes go towards elk hunting.  Let us know what you find out and if this CRAZY idea ever passed, I will let you keep those taxes in your region.  LOL

[Jpmiller]

Would my tax dollars only go to my region as well?

Do your tax dollars go towards elk hunting right now?   If you can account for all tax dollars that currently go towards elk hunting, then you can keep that amount for your elk hunting region.  Sounds fair enough, right?

Does Wdfw not get state and federal tax dollars?

You do the research and find out what specific amount of your individual taxes go towards elk hunting.  Let us know what you find out and if this CRAZY idea ever passed, I will let you keep those taxes in your region.  LOL

I'm not speaking of my individual contribution I'm speaking of everyone in each regions contribution. I was always under the impression that I got to pay resident fees was because I paid my taxes and they went towards supporting wildlife all across the state not just in my Wdfw region.

I wouldn't be real thrilled if I had to pay non resident fees inside my own state. Although I would like the opportunity to hunt a few of the draw only units I can throw a stone at from my house.

[ScottE]

Human population of wa. 7 million, id. 1.5 million, new mexico 2 million. Elk population of wa. 55-60k, id. 120k, new Mexico 70k. The only other western state with a human population close to ours is Colorado  and they have 250k elk and way more elk habitat. Theres just to much demand for washingtons limited game animals.