Any other bowhunters want to throw up?

[Karl Blanchard]

Yakima gmu's had 1800ish cow tags from 2014-2016 as well as early and late otc archery.  Add in a couple worse than normal winters.  In my conversations with a yakima bio last fall he said population had dipped from something like 12k+ to 8500 (don't remember the exact stats).  Gross mismanagement along with Mother Nature is at fault but blaming things in the past don't help the future.  We need to do what is best for elk and deer not what is best for our own personal hunting endeavours.  I've said it a couple different times now that we need to quit *censored*footing around game management. If the ultimate goal is to build her populations back up to where they are at a healthy number let's do that. Cut all cow hunting for the next 3 years and let's attack this thing and get it back to the sustainable number and then keep it there.

[Rainier10]

Everyone needs to submit comments during the comment period.


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This actually works along with a trip to the commission meeting to voice your opinion.  You have to make sure that you argue to have OTC cow hunts in multiple units to keep hunters spread out.  If one unit is open and all the others around it are closed people will migrate to the one unit that is open.

If the move to no archery cow opportunity is herd health then we have to argue to eliminate the extra muzzy and modern cow tags.  I just don't see how the solution is to take opportunity away from one group and give more to the other two groups.

[Rainier10]

It does look like the kittitas boys took it in the shorts though with big permit increases.

Yes no OTC cow hunting in early season archery.  100 permits for early archery cow.

Muzzy cow increased from 50 to 100, doubled.

Modern cow increased from 100 to 250, more than doubled.

Archery still has late OTC cow opportunity.

It just doesn't look like a herd health thing in 328&329, it looks like moving opportunity from one group to another.

[trophyhunt]

Ill say it, you have a certain group that have ZERO limits on deer and elk, and that group doesn’t provide real accurate harvest data. So, how in the hell can you manage herds under those conditions? Just asking, all facts with no bashing.

[dreamingbig]

Whether we want to admit it or not overall population of the Yakima pmu is down significantly over the last couple years. We are still allowed late season so I don't see anything wrong with the 3-year cycle of letting the herb build back up. I also believe that should be Universal across the board and not just early archery as I think that's a pretty small Band-Aid for pretty big wound. This is coming from a guy who loves early archery season and despises having to hunt late archery. Backpacking in the sunshine and calling in Elk is the best thing ever and I'll still be doing it but I'll be looking for spikes.

So, you're for the substantial increase in cow tags for the muzzleloader and rifle guys? Your opinion is those new tags will tag out less cows than the OTC archery cow tag and build the herd back up?

Please don't take those as negatives just genuine guestions for me to gain more knowledge.

  I haven't looked over all of the proposed permits yet so I couldn't speak to that yet.  I'm speaking to the Yakima pmu not klickitat.   Had a good convo with a bio friend last fall and the Yakima herd is down thousands of animals over the last three years.  End goal should be healthy robust herds.  If that comes with the loss of some opportunity for a 3 year cycle I'm ok with that within reason.  Did they add a significant amount of cow tags for muzzy and rifle in the Yakima gmu's?

I'm still extremely angry that the state fails to do anything to help our mule deer herds in this state.

Karl,

I respect your opinion but disagree.  Here is part of the reason.  Anterless opportunity in the bumping is zero for archery (closed in late season) while still 50 tags between MF and MZ.  Why don’t the archers get a chance?


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[dreamingbig]

Yakima gmu's had 1800ish cow tags from 2014-2016 as well as early and late otc archery.  Add in a couple worse than normal winters.  In my conversations with a yakima bio last fall he said population had dipped from something like 12k+ to 8500 (don't remember the exact stats).  Gross mismanagement along with Mother Nature is at fault but blaming things in the past don't help the future.  We need to do what is best for elk and deer not what is best for our own personal hunting endeavours.  I've said it a couple different times now that we need to quit *censored*footing around game management. If the ultimate goal is to build her populations back up to where they are at a healthy number let's do that. Cut all cow hunting for the next 3 years and let's attack this thing and get it back to the sustainable number and then keep it there.

The Yakima herd was over objective and they were complaining.  Now it is supposedly below and they f the archers to bring it back?

They made the same switch in 2010 and had no herd health issues at that time.  I don’t believe this is based on science.

The only reason we got it back is because we got active and vocal.  This commission will run over the archery user group every chance they get.



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[Karl Blanchard]

Whether we want to admit it or not overall population of the Yakima pmu is down significantly over the last couple years. We are still allowed late season so I don't see anything wrong with the 3-year cycle of letting the herb build back up. I also believe that should be Universal across the board and not just early archery as I think that's a pretty small Band-Aid for pretty big wound. This is coming from a guy who loves early archery season and despises having to hunt late archery. Backpacking in the sunshine and calling in Elk is the best thing ever and I'll still be doing it but I'll be looking for spikes.

So, you're for the substantial increase in cow tags for the muzzleloader and rifle guys? Your opinion is those new tags will tag out less cows than the OTC archery cow tag and build the herd back up?

Please don't take those as negatives just genuine guestions for me to gain more knowledge.

  I haven't looked over all of the proposed permits yet so I couldn't speak to that yet.  I'm speaking to the Yakima pmu not klickitat.   Had a good convo with a bio friend last fall and the Yakima herd is down thousands of animals over the last three years.  End goal should be healthy robust herds.  If that comes with the loss of some opportunity for a 3 year cycle I'm ok with that within reason.  Did they add a significant amount of cow tags for muzzy and rifle in the Yakima gmu's?

I'm still extremely angry that the state fails to do anything to help our mule deer herds in this state.

Karl,

I respect your opinion but disagree.  Here is part of the reason.  Anterless opportunity in the bumping is zero for archery (closed in late season) while still 50 tags between MF and MZ.  Why don’t the archers get a chance?


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you are correct and I don't necessarily disagree though unit 4 unit they may not be equivalent we do still have those late opportunities and other GM use they're probably better that time of year than bumping.  I've written to Fur and Feathers on multiple occasions about that very thing. Bumping as well as Bethel both need to be open for late archery.

[buglebrush]

Whether we want to admit it or not overall population of the Yakima pmu is down significantly over the last couple years. We are still allowed late season so I don't see anything wrong with the 3-year cycle of letting the herb build back up. I also believe that should be Universal across the board and not just early archery as I think that's a pretty small Band-Aid for pretty big wound. This is coming from a guy who loves early archery season and despises having to hunt late archery. Backpacking in the sunshine and calling in Elk is the best thing ever and I'll still be doing it but I'll be looking for spikes.

But the sad thing is that our opportunity is being reduced because of WDFW'S refusal to manage predators.  Herds can only support so much loss, and in WDFW'S view it's better to have excess predators and less hunters.

[Karl Blanchard]

Whether we want to admit it or not overall population of the Yakima pmu is down significantly over the last couple years. We are still allowed late season so I don't see anything wrong with the 3-year cycle of letting the herb build back up. I also believe that should be Universal across the board and not just early archery as I think that's a pretty small Band-Aid for pretty big wound. This is coming from a guy who loves early archery season and despises having to hunt late archery. Backpacking in the sunshine and calling in Elk is the best thing ever and I'll still be doing it but I'll be looking for spikes.

But the sad thing is that our opportunity is being reduced because of WDFW'S refusal to manage predators.  Herds can only support so much loss, and in WDFW'S view it's better to have excess predators and less hunters.

  oh we are a predator state for sure! But Hunters like to pretend that we are not part of that equation there are far more human predators in the woods then there are four legged predators in the woods. That's the thing about pointing her finger at something,  there's 3 pointing back at us. 

[tgomez]

The majority of hunters in this state are modern firearm hunters bringing in the most coin for WDFW. I was planning on going to the Nile to hunt spikes/cows this September, but this just ruined my plans. I always wanted to get a black bear with my Hoyt spot and stalk, so I might just go for that goal while chasing whitetail as well. As they say, "It is what it is."

[Kylew]

I would have to agree that there needs to be more predator control with the use of hounds in this state. It really makes me sick. I just really wonder what our fish and game is really thinking and doing. It feels they run off of emotions rather than science or what works. I do remember before 96’ our numbers of blacktail and elk where far better when you where lucky to see a bear and hardly even heard of a lion being spotted. What can a guy do ? Leaving comments isn’t working. The elk and deer need help now. We need a Randy newberg or adopt Idaho’s fish and game lol.

[hughjorgan]

Early season will be a ghost town like it was in the Nile and bumping the last time they made it spike only.

[follow maggie]

I would have to agree that there needs to be more predator control with the use of hounds in this state. It really makes me sick. I just really wonder what our fish and game is really thinking and doing. It feels they run off of emotions rather than science or what works. I do remember before 96’ our numbers of blacktail and elk where far better when you where lucky to see a bear and hardly even heard of a lion being spotted. What can a guy do ? Leaving comments isn’t working. The elk and deer need help now. We need a Randy newberg or adopt Idaho’s fish and game lol.

It is run off of emotion. Last year fish & wildlife recommended increasing the cougar quota but Inslee nixed it because his anti hunting base wanted him to. As far as what can a guy do, this guy is spending his time and money in Idaho, Montana & North Dakota. And I'll be writing a letter to all of my representatives detailing the thousands of dollars I spend doing so, that otherwise would have been spent in Washington.

[dreamingbig]

 I like that.  I am going to tell them how much I will spend out of state  too!


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[winshooter88]

Bow hunters have some of the most vocal lobbying groups in this state, if they aren't complaining about these changes then there must be a good reason, from what I have seen they push for everything they think they can get all the time.