Washington State Mule Deer Hunting Future (poll)

[Ironhead]

Is it time to push for a new system, draw, alternating year, etc?
If your answer to this is no your part of the problem not the answer!

[Boss .300 winmag]

Is it time to push for a new system, draw, alternating year, etc?
If your answer to this is no your part of the problem not the answer!

Much more can be done before shutting down the general season.

[Oh Mah]

Is it time to push for a new system, draw, alternating year, etc?
If your answer to this is no your part of the problem not the answer!

Show stats as to why they are in such peril or get off your soap box.
how many winter kill?

how many killed by vehicles?

how many killed by cougars?

bobcats?

how many killed by coyotes?

how many killed by bears?

blue tongue?

how many die from defects?

then how many taken by archery?

how many taken by m/l

how many by m/f?

how many in each group are does?

how many are bucks?

east side?

west side?

without these to start you have no argument at all.

[NOCK NOCK]

Is it time to push for a new system, draw, alternating year, etc?
If your answer to this is no your part of the problem not the answer!

Did you kill a mule deer this year?

[bigmacc]

Is it time to push for a new system, draw, alternating year, etc?
If your answer to this is no your part of the problem not the answer!

Show stats as to why they are in such peril or get off your soap box.
how many winter kill?

how many killed by vehicles?

how many killed by cougars?

bobcats?

how many killed by coyotes?

how many killed by bears?

blue tongue?

how many die from defects?

then how many taken by archery?

how many taken by m/l

how many by m/f?

how many in each group are does?

how many are bucks?

east side?

west side?

without these to start you have no argument at all.

The Methow herd has been cut in half over the years by just about everything you mentioned(from 30k to 40k head to 15k-19k ), killed by more and more vehicles in the valley since the opening of the North cascades Hwy, killed by the influx of more hunting pressure since the opening of the pass, killed by the predator boom(more cougars,yotes, bears and wolves). Bottom line the mule deer head count in that valley has been on a steady decline and is still in a tailspin. All it takes is to spend a few days walking the woods over there and comparing that to the same "stroll" you would have taken 10 or 15 years ago(let alone 40 or 50 years ago like some of us) and thats all it would take to see how far in the crapper that herd is in. All the "stats" add up to one thing, half of the herd has disappeared and they are still leaving us.

[csaaphill]

I voted no not because I don't care and resent any statement that makes sound as so. I before reading it, voted yes because a change is needed, but not necessarily that option, and for that reason changed it.
Changes need to be done that's for sure, 3pt minimums needs changed not for good, but for a short time to make 2pt's and smaller wary again like they should be. With what I've heard on the Methow Unit a 4pt minimum would go a long way to help the herds there. Or some other type of compromise to still allow yearly hunting.
If you're thinking on something like Oregon does they do a Controlled hunt draw in all units, but do have some units that have 100% draw odds and you can use that as your second choice so when drawn you get a point, but not convinced that would work in Washington. Hunting each year is the only thing that keeps what numbers we have now and political pull, change that well lose, for peeps will just quit going as they have when regs went form 7-8 pages to more than 50-60 pages we have now.
Most may say yay less people but forget we only have political pull with numbers and $. do away with that and the $ go and antis win.

[Oh Mah]

Is it time to push for a new system, draw, alternating year, etc?
If your answer to this is no your part of the problem not the answer!

Show stats as to why they are in such peril or get off your soap box.
how many winter kill?

how many killed by vehicles?

how many killed by cougars?

bobcats?

how many killed by coyotes?

how many killed by bears?

blue tongue?

how many die from defects?

then how many taken by archery?

how many taken by m/l

how many by m/f?

how many in each group are does?

how many are bucks?

east side?

west side?

without these to start you have no argument at all.

The Methow herd has been cut in half over the years by just about everything you mentioned(from 30k to 40k head to 15k-19k ), killed by more and more vehicles in the valley since the opening of the North cascades Hwy, killed by the influx of more hunting pressure since the opening of the pass, killed by the predator boom(more cougars,yotes, bears and wolves). Bottom line the mule deer head count in that valley has been on a steady decline and is still in a tailspin. All it takes is to spend a few days walking the woods over there and comparing that to the same "stroll" you would have taken 10 or 15 years ago(let alone 40 or 50 years ago like some of us) and thats all it would take to see how far in the crapper that herd is in. All the "stats" add up to one thing, half of the herd has disappeared and they are still leaving us.

so as others have said cause and effect,we cut back hunting more killed by vehicles causting state and others more money.more food for preditors. etc etc etc.saying 50% is gone dont mean anything.we prob. have 50% less range now than 50 years ago.way more vehicles,more cougars now than we had in the past 20 years. more probs. with things like hoof rot with elk blue tongue with deer pneumonia with sheep etc etc etc. simply said there is no quick off the hip fix.least of all cutting oppurtunity to stop wasting on the hi way,burning in fires dying in the winter bla bla bla.so dont poke fun and ridicule on presumptions of a fix. not pointed at any one member. 

[Skyvalhunter]

To say "no" isn't right even if it is stricter predator control then it would be "yes"

[mdbuck5x5]

I don't think anyone that is saying "no" doesn't believe that something needs to be done. But for the "yes" guys throwing stuff around and hoping something sticks that isn't gonna work imo. What I don't care for is guys that are willing to push their agendas onto others thinking their ideas are somewhat superior!

[Oh Mah]

  a lot needs to be done,we all should do what we can without restrictions first.we all know that when restrictions come they don't easily come back............... hounds,baiting .

[JimmyHoffa]

Are the guys that want a season every other year currently only getting a license every other year?  Or are they shooting muley bucks each season?

[bigmacc]

For those that voted NO...
What is it going to take for you to realize that the Mule Deer in Washington State are in serious trouble and that we need to change from the status quo.
I am embarrassed by this mentality in our state. Go hunt any other Western State(except CA) and see what descent Deer hunting is like. It is night and day from Washington.
The 139 people that said no change, should be ashamed, that their opportunity to Mule Deer hunt in Washington every year is more important than the over all health of the Herd.
I thought hunters were conservationists, not these 139 people.

I think more restrictions couldn’t be put in place before a lottery, or every other year senerio system. No doe tags period, archery 3 point min, modern and muzzle loader 4 point minimum etc....

Heck freeze quality tags across the board for 5-7 years.

I like the idea of no doe tags for 4 to 6 years and only when needed after that, no more quality tags, absolutely . As far as point restrictions go, stick with the 3 point rule, IMO going to 4 point min. just means we will have 3 points and probably still some 2 points left out to rot . Heck, having a 2 week season brought back , 3 point min but doing the odd/even(every other year) idea might even work, no doe tags, no late hunts. have the season end on October 31st every year(no later) the amount of hunters would be cut in half because of the every other method and the hunters that are hunting that year will be spread out over 2 weeks, would eliminate the "pumpkin patches", help with escapement and should help the overall herd by not being under pressure for months. The archery guys would be the same, every other year, 2 week season September 1st to the 15th. Yes the predator issues still need to be handled, encroachment and habitat issues also, like I said, its a multi headed snake....

[dmoua]

Is it time to push for a new system, draw, alternating year, etc?
If your answer to this is no your part of the problem not the answer!

Did you kill a mule deer this year?

 

[bigmacc]

Are the guys that want a season every other year currently only getting a license every other year?  Or are they shooting muley bucks each season?

I,m one of those guys, and yes I buy a hunting license every year because I hunt other animals besides mule deer, I killed a mule deer every year I,ve hunted going back to the 1960,s up until about 10 or 12 years ago, the herds were in good shape, numbers were good and with the exception of a bad winter here or there the herds held there own, about 10 or 12 years ago I started passing, I,ve passed on many legal bucks since but I will always purchase my license and tag because I like to think at least some of my money goes into helping the mule deer I enjoy hunting.

[jstone]

How about starting dec1st close roads off in winter range to April or may? So the animals get less winter time stress? I am also not apposed to go to draw for all late hunts, even archery. If they closed off the northern hunting then the swakane would get destroyed to? And others