WDFW potentially looking at limiting bear hunting during Deer and Elk seasons.

[X-Force]

If you haven't gone through the WDFW survey on hunting regs you should. Interesting stuff on Goat, Sheep, Moose and if you bear hunt during the fall some dumb ideas being tossed around to limit bear hunting.

The proposal below is interesting because there is also a survey question to make deer tags like elk tags (E or W).

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/seasonsetting/
Issue:

Some people party hunt for deer or elk and do so without possessing a valid deer or elk tag.

Background:

Law Enforcement encounters people that may be party hunting for deer and elk with modern firearms or muzzleloaders. Those people don’t have an unfilled deer or elk tag in their possession and claim to be hunting bear, cougar, or coyote. Requiring possession of an unfilled deer or elk tag during those seasons may reduce party hunting.

 18.  Select and comment on an alternative:

No change

Make it unlawful to hunt bear or cougar with a centerfire rifle or muzzleloading rifle, which are lawful for hunting big game, without possessing a valid, un-notched deer or elk tag that is valid for the time and area being hunted. 

Make it unlawful to hunt bear or cougar with a centerfire rifle or muzzleloading rifle, which are lawful for hunting big game, without possessing a valid, un-notched deer or elk tag that is valid for the time and area being hunted, with the exception of small game and forest grouse. 

Some combination of Options 2 and 3.

Other

[pianoman9701]

This sounds familiar. Restricting the law-abiding public based on the actions of the non-law-abiding public. Super dooper! 

[vandeman17]

I can see both sides but I don't like it. What if I have an un notched rifle deer tag and am out hunting bear in September with my rifle? Is that legal since I couldn't kill a deer anyway?

[cbond3318]

Silly silly, i would say a large percentage of bears are killed during this scenario as compared to a low percentage of shifty party hunters.

I do not want to impact our meager predator management we currently have.

My vote was "no change"



Thanks for posting!

For those that may skim past for bears, there are some significant ideas on the table in that survey....

Attention Yakima and Colockum Bow Hunters! 

[Dhoey07]

No Change:

Is there any evidence that illegal party hunting is effecting deer or elk populations?

[lewy]

Far more pressing issues to take care of regarding deer numbers than this, come on wdfw wtf! Pull ur heads out

[pianoman9701]

Take the surveys. There's also a proposal from the director to restrict duplicate tags because poachers might be using them. It's ridiculous. Ramp up the penalties for poaching instead of targeting law-abiding hunters.

[cbond3318]

Take the surveys. There's also a proposal from the director to restrict duplicate tags because poachers might be using them. It's ridiculous. Ramp up the penalties for poaching instead of targeting law-abiding hunters.

That one was especially disturbing. Why couldn't they come up with tag serial numbers that can be voided when a duplicate is purchased. Then if a slime ball is using a voided tag, the warden could run it and bust-o-!

[emac]

What a crock of poo. When they talk about how the moose are  declining they dont mention the one major reason they are declining

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[greenhead_killer]

What a crock of poo. When they talk about how the moose are  declining they dont mention the one major reason they are declining

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i left a lot of comments concerning this. Let's not talk the real issue, wolves, let's just try and go around it. Idiots

[kselkhunter]

Thanks for sending the link.  I filled out all surveys.  Only takes 15 minutes.   Some interesting questions in there. 

[bobcat]

I'm glad to see them addressing the duplicate tag issue. It's a real problem. I voted for "Some combination of Options 1 through 5."

[pianoman9701]

Take the surveys. There's also a proposal from the director to restrict duplicate tags because poachers might be using them. It's ridiculous. Ramp up the penalties for poaching instead of targeting law-abiding hunters.

That one was especially disturbing. Why couldn't they come up with tag serial numbers that can be voided when a duplicate is purchased. Then if a slime ball is using a voided tag, the warden could run it and bust-o-!

That's a great suggestion. I also suggested they increase poaching penalties

[bracer40]

I didn't realize duplicate tags were "an issue."  I was glad to be able to get duplicates last year when I misplaced mine (might blame it on a move).

But like PMan said, it shouldn't be that difficult to have each tag identified w a unique identifier.

[pianoman9701]

I'm glad to see them addressing the duplicate tag issue. It's a real problem. I voted for "Some combination of Options 1 through 5."

On what do you base this statement?