Idaho unit 26/27 cuts

[2MANY]

One thing is for sure.
Without all the non resident hunters The Unwed Mothers Foundation will see a marked decrease in donations.

Meanwhile unit 27 will see an increase in deer.

[lord grizzly]

I’ll take the deer... see ya guys up there, oh wait, that’s right ... no I won’t 

[Chumstick]

Ok full disclosure, I’ve been watching these threads for years and not commenting, but I can’t stay quiet anymore.
I was born and raised in WA, I shot my first deer above the Wenatchee River, and my first elk on the Colockum Pass over 30 years ago.  I was there when we got our hounds and bait hunting taken away from us.  I was there for the Dinkelman Ridge Fire that burned most of Unit 250 and the Entiat watershed.  And the hunting season after when WDFW sold unlimited doe tags, with the plan of stopping the hunt when 400 got killed, but by the time it got stopped, there were over 2000 killed, and I was there for the years after when you couldn’t find a deer. I saw the effect it had, when everyone started blabbing in magazines about how great the Colockum was, and the hordes of people that showed up afterwards.

I moved away and since then I’ve lived and hunted in many western states, a few eastern states, and Alaska, before settling in Idaho 15 years ago (for the hunting). I have no idea what it’s like to hunt in WA these days, but from the amount of WA residents I see here during season, it can’t be that great.

Since I have lived here in Idaho, I have warned everyone that will listen, “don’t let Idaho become Washington, don’t let IDFG make the same blunders that WDFW did”. My friends and I, have kept ourselves involved and informed about IDFG rules, we write, call, and visit F&G commissioners consistently about issues and changes we’d like to see, and guess what??  They listen….

So, this leads us to the Middle Fork Units, there is a lot of mis-information in this thread, let me try to clear things up and provide some first-hand information.
First, make no mistake, this reduction in tags was a grass roots movement by Idaho residents who hunt units 26/27, who feel like the NRs disrespect the game, the wilderness, and the residents, not guides and outfitters.  Now before you get offended, I’m not saying this is how all NRs behave, I’m not saying this is how you behave, nor anyone on this site. But enough NRs have, to make a lot of residents feel this way. I have personally seen many of these acts, and have firsthand information of others.

I’ve seen the little buck that I walked feet from, that lived off Twinkies all summer next to the rafter’s camp, get blasted from a few yards when he walked up to a hunter near the runway for a snack. The little buck that got killed walking down the airstrip as soon as the prop stopped spinning and the guy could get his gun uncased, and the high fives that followed. The guys that illegally shoot across the river which is a navigable waterway at deer on the other side. I’ve picked up loads of trash from the trails and hillsides and packed it out. I’ve heard what sounded like a battlefield when the snow pushed the herds down to the river. I know many will respond saying it’s not them, they’re respectful, etc. etc. But at this point it doesn’t matter.  Too many have acted this way.  The Frank is big, but the airstrips are indeed crowded, and IDFG can’t check them all so they become pseudo lawless wild west towns. And everyone sees when the conservation officer lands, so they all behave until he flies off.

It’s true there is a quite a few deer there, it’s true that the biologists say the herd numbers are at objective, the success rate is high, the percentage of 4 points is high, but a 4 point isn’t always a big deer, and the people who have hunted there since the 60’s will tell you, there is definitely a decrease in numbers, size, and age class.
 
  The hopes of shooting a Big deer is why everyone goes there, so don’t try to tell me you travel all the way from another state, pay to have all your gear flown in, and pay for NR tags and end up paying thousands of dollars for a meat buck.
 
It’s true that less money will come into those small towns, that the backcountry pilots will take a hit, that less money will come in from NRs…. for that hunt maybe, but we have many other hunts that they can participate in. 

The bottom line is this, IDFG is required to ‘Manage wildlife for the benefit of Idahoans”. Not for the benefit of NRs, and not for the commerce of towns and businesses. Idahoans may have to kick in some more money, which many of us will happily do, some will complain no doubt.

Spare me the anecdotal evidence you have about how much better the deer hunting is now.  I don’t need your stories telling me about the all the big deer you’ve seen in the past few years. I’m there, I see what flies out. I see the pics on numerous websites and threads. Which leads us to one major problem. All the bragging and boasting on websites, the cute little articles that are wrote for numerous magazines, all to gain a little notoriety and show off, all has helped contribute to this overcrowding. I have been watching this site for years thinking, you better simmer down, you’re going to F*%% it up for everyone. Well it’s happened.

I get it, it sucks for you, you’ve could do this for many years and now it’s getting taken away, or at least reduced.  But IDFG listened to its residents, and did what was right for them. Show me the opportunities like this that any of our neighboring states have provided for us, they don’t exist, we can’t even go in the wilderness without a guide in many places, and you charge us way more for tags and licenses, and good luck drawing a tag. Yes, this is public land, but it’s our game and we don’t get to come over there and hunt the Lake Chelan or the Wanaha just because we feel like it.

So, come over during the early season, put in for the draw, or hunt another over the counter open unit, you’re still welcome to. Or better yet, FIX YOUR OWN STATE, get involved, make a difference, don’t tell me they won’t listen, be persistent, it’ll take a while. It took us many years to make this happen. And if you want to have a say in what happens here in Idaho, you’re going to have to move here…. But please don’t….

[lord grizzly]

Man that was good

[MtnMuley]

Damn, I swore a year ago I'd never post on this forum again, but I have to tip my hat to that statement, Chumstick. You're 100% right on all accounts. Sad but true.

[ipkus]

I don’t have a dog in this fight as I’ve never hunted 26 or 27, but I can tell this without a doubt;

There are slobbish, non-ethical, egotistical non- resident hunters in every state in the country.  There are also slobbish, non-ethical, egotistical resident hunters in every state in the country.  Guess what one of the two state license plates Montana and Wyoming residents associate with slobbish, non-ethical, egotistical non-resident hunters?  Idaho.

Get over yourself.  You keep telling yourself you did this for the deer, you did it for you.  Just make sure you are proudly telling all of your fellow residents biotching  about their license fee increase that you caused it.  I’m pretty sure you won’t be so loud then.

I’m not saying there isn’t a problem there, I’m saying going about trying to solve it this way is doing the anti’s job for them.  Police your own, or we won’t exist. 

[257 Wby Mag]

Yes very good. The www is doing a great job of ruining hunting as we knew it... it’s amazing the info folks give out.

[meatwhack]

I don’t understand why people keep saying tag prices are going to increase because of these small changes that they’ve made. I’d guarantee that nonresident tags will still sell out so there will be no difference in the bottom line for F&G.

[trophyhunt]

Yes very good. The www is doing a great job of ruining hunting as we knew it... it’s amazing the info folks give out.

you must be a brother from another mother, not sure I’ve ever disagreed with you!!

[WA hunter14]

I don't see the whole idaho residents are going to freak out over tag price increase deal. Resident tags are so cheap even if the doubled it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Everyone I know would happily pay more to have less out of state hunters

[lord grizzly]

I don't see the whole idaho residents are going to freak out over tag price increase deal. Resident tags are so cheap even if the doubled it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Everyone I know would happily pay more to have less out of state hunters

I’d pay triple

[grundy53]

I don’t understand why people keep saying tag prices are going to increase because of these small changes that they’ve made. I’d guarantee that nonresident tags will still sell out so there will be no difference in the bottom line for F&G.

If that's true then it will cause over crowding in other units. There are no free lunches. Either they lose hunters (revenue). Or they just shift them to another unit which just moves the problem they are trying to fix. I'm sure their fellow resident hunters in those units will love that.

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[grundy53]

I don't see the whole idaho residents are going to freak out over tag price increase deal. Resident tags are so cheap even if the doubled it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Everyone I know would happily pay more to have less out of state hunters

I’d pay triple

Well then I hope Idaho understands your eagerness to pay your share and tripples the resident prices.

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[lord grizzly]

I don't see the whole idaho residents are going to freak out over tag price increase deal. Resident tags are so cheap even if the doubled it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Everyone I know would happily pay more to have less out of state hunters

I’d pay triple

Well then I hope Idaho understands your eagerness to pay your share and tripples the resident prices.

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If that reduced the NR tags to a third of what they are now I bet I could win a governors race running on that platform

[ipkus]

“If that reduced the NR tags to a third of what they are now I bet I could win a governors race running on that platform”

If only hunters voted maybe.  They don’t.  You wouldn’t.