Bow season vs other seasons

[h20hunter]

Tag

[vandeman17]

    User group against user group is always a fail!

Vast majority of people upset about this are not mad at the hunters of other weapon choices but the decision made by wdfw so let's not get those lines blurred. 

[elkcamp64]

In response to W_Ellisonremark and the remark, "Dude can't find elk and thus blames the archery hunters for shooting legal animals... that's what I'm getting from this post..."
vidimus vicimus.  And now your turn.  Look up my old blogs for the history of this awesome opportunity. Now where's the fruit of your efforts outside of being a typist who’s greatest hunting feat is to denigrate hunters you have no history of.
To show this is not to brag but rather inform you of your  ignorance relative to anything having to do with me, and my greatest passion outside of family.

[W_Ellison2011]

In response to W_Ellisonremark and the remark, "Dude can't find elk and thus blames the archery hunters for shooting legal animals... that's what I'm getting from this post..."
vidimus vicimus.  And now your turn.  Look up my old blogs for the history of this awesome opportunity. Now where's the fruit of your efforts outside of being a typist who’s greatest hunting feat is to denigrate hunters you have no history of.
To show this is not to brag but rather inform you of your  ignorance relative to anything having to do with me, and my greatest passion outside of family.

So yes... that is you bragging btw. It also is you showing that your statements are false... "By the end of archery, the elk have made a mass exodus to the reserve and stay there through the remaining seasons." IF that is actually your bull, which I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say that it is, then congrats. I will also say bravo on showing that the elk in that area do NOT in fact make a mass exodus to the reserve. Matter of fact... your reply to me shows that the elk are very much still in the area. My point is this. We shouldn't be squabbling over taking "privileges" from one group and making off the wall claims. You don't want the *censored*s to win... well by making all these posts you are almost forcing a line to be drawn between the archery hunters and the rest. They aren't just taking the ability to shoot cows with an OTC tag away from archery, they aren't even giving them an option for a draw tag at this point! How is that fair? It's not. Is it fair that archery alone has OTC cow tags? NO! I agree with you there. We should be pushing for a draw tag for cow elk in those units for the archery hunters. Otherwise as stated in another post... the displaced hunters from those units will go to other units with antlerless hunting and then it will start there too!

[dreamingbig]

As a precursor to my comments, and any reflections that may arise from fellow members, may we remember that regardless of the hunting cloth we’re each cut from, we are of the same blood line. We are hunters and like any family, we will argue, disagree and at times, not even like each other.
The ultimate goal, like a family, is to not let our differences separate us and give the ultra-liberals the victory they so badly want.
This said, I agree with the limiting of cow elk harvesting in the 300 series GMU’s.  My rationale has everything to with fair opportunity for each of the three hunting groups (bow, modern, muzzy). To cut straight to the chase, I have over 25 years of hunting the 328 and 329. As an elk camp with members with over 40 years at our site, few on this forum have more firsthand experience of the ‘Colockum’ changes than us. My point in saying this is not to brag, but perhaps give credibility to my premise. Collectively, we have several hundred years of 328, 329 history. We’ve seen it all up there, and no single change has been more significant to the muzzy and modern hunters than the implementation of open cow to bow hunters. The impact on the heard, post the archery season, is undisputable. By the end of archery, the elk have made a mass exodus to the reserve and stay there through the remaining seasons. Does this resultant equate to parity and fairness to the remaining groups? NO.
This change is four years over due.
We can all have our own opinions, but not our own facts.  And to the elimination of all cow harvesting for a period of time:  I’d support that type of move with the exception of those over an agreed upon elderly age and the disabled.
To close, those who claim they will stop hunting as a result of this potential change, I’d suggest you reflect how important this privilege is to you. We were once a camp that solely hunted modern. It killed us as at first to change our hunting identity but the Colockum devolved so we had to evolve.  I hope you can do the same, we are all an important part of maintaining this areas carrying heard health.
I wish all health and hunting success.

Question: what weapon have you used the past 5 years?

As to stopping hunting.... I will be stopping archery elk hunting in this state because it won’t be worth the effort.  However I will be out of state with archery elk tag in hand this fall.

Chasing unicorns is a tough go... on a good nutrition year good luck finding one.  They end up growing a 2x3 rack!


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[Oh Mah]

    User group against user group is always a fail!

Vast majority of people upset about this are not mad at the hunters of other weapon choices but the decision made by wdfw so let's not get those lines blurred. 

I agree,Not aiming at anyone specific but the lines are not blurred but with me,I see clearly the people not just on here but everywhere the ones that are screaming the loudest and pointing fingers at the user groups that get this or get that are not any different than the other groups in this country that cry not fair being treated unfair and all that.
I see that there is a lot of hunters like myself that like to do all 3,switch it up.Hit up other areas.

If you want to say your gonna hunt another state like its gonna bother other hunters or something you are wrong.There was a time that archery was tougher than it is now were you complainers archery hunting back when it was re-curve bows.I can honestly say that my presence in the woods early elk archery has made it harder for all user groups for the rest of the season as far as the local elk go. IF YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HUNT MODERN OR MUZZY AND YOU DONT LIKE THE CHANGE FOR WHATEVER REASON SWITCH UP A LITTLE. 

[REHJWA]

No skin in the game:
Will chasing spikes/bulls during the archery season still push the elk off their summer range and into the refuge? Are there going to be a large enough reduction that archery has less impact?

What are the archery cow harvest numbers? Do they warrant no harvest. Are they going to propose tags based on herd health or dollars form tag draws?

What else has contributed to the decline?

Hope it goes well for all...

[Skyvalhunter]

yes, yes, too many, yes, too many hunters

[Matth]

I hunt modern west side, and archery out of state. I stopped hunting with archery gear in washington when it became draw for cows for the muzzy guys, and they opened up my area for early muzzy bulls. The woods all of a sudden had a ton of people in them with former muzzy hunters that converted to archery for the opportunity to still harvest cows, and the early muzzy guys fill the country side scouting for there up coming season during open archery season. I believe the only way to curb this is to stop general cow harvests all together regardless of weapon. Make them draw only state wide.

[D-Rock425]

This shouldn't be bow hunters vs other hunters it should be hunters as a unified group vs wdfw. To find a solution to the problem. 

[Matth]

 

This shouldn't be bow hunters vs other hunters it should be hunters as a unified group vs wdfw. To find a solution to the problem.

Agreed

[White Pass Outfitters]

If we dont stick together our voice will never be heard. We are much stronger as a group .

[Mudman]

I reject this premise of "VS"!  As a hunter we can hunt weapon of choice based on regulations.  To separate/divide for the benefit of one class is wrong.  I support whats best for animal management and fairness to all.  Also the only cause of declining elk is not Archery hunters.

[gasman]

Two points.
1, Where is the evidence of declining elk herd?
The WDFW them self admits that they don't know and arw guessing at hers size,  and use the word "likely" decline. They have not done a herd size study since 2016 I believe. I have trail cams up all summer as well as others in our hunting group and we generally have seen an increase in elk numbers on our cams over the last few years.

2, While archery hunters are getting the blame, the stats from the WDFW show that Muzzy hunters harvest more cows then archerwrs. They as a group are above harvest stats while archery and modern hunters are below harvest goals.

[dreamingbig]

This shouldn't be bow hunters vs other hunters it should be hunters as a unified group vs wdfw. To find a solution to the problem.

I would love to agree with this but the tail wags the dog.  They listen to the money.

Archery hunters had to fight for every season and there are many that could care less if they disappear therefore we are forced to be vocal and active.  Why is a MF hunter going to care if other user groups lose opportunity.  They don’t... no skin in the game.


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