When should you consider “all hope is lost?”

[CarbonHunter]

So when should you decide to stop holding out hope that we are just in a down cycle and the game populations will return and so will the opportunity to draw a tag and hunt them?

With the rags hitting the internet today and we now see there will be 45% less bull tags for the Yakima herd along with the cuts to the cow tags last year, is it time to admit that the opportunities are gone for good?  I know a lot of you already gave up and I’m sure we’ll see a lot of “I told you so’s” but is this the point when we realize after 20 years of declining herds and opportunities that it will never get better?

[bobcat]

I'm not sure where you're seeing a 45% drop in bull tags in for the Yakima region. I see the same number of permits in most all units. Definitely not a 45% drop. Unless you're comparing this year to some other year than 2017?

[CarbonHunter]

Peaches ridge all weapons, goose prairie? 104 in 2017 compared to 58 this year for archery. Look at the quality and bull tags.

[bobcat]

You're right. I see that now. That's odd because in the proposal the numbers are the same as last year. And I thought that was all kept the same as what we saw in the proposals.  Weird. I wonder why it changed.   

Here's the proposal for elk permits:

https://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/seasonsetting/2018-2020/wac/220-415-060.pdf

[CarbonHunter]

Same thing they did last year with the cow tags. They proposed 350 and at the last minute they rolled with 35. I guess they got away with it last year so why not do it again?

Where’s the emoji that shows the hunter bent over taking in the rear from the state?

[bobcat]

Maybe they got some last minute data that showed bull numbers down even more than they expected? After all, the proposals were done in January, well before winter was over. Good question for a biologist I guess.

[trophyhunt]

All hope is not lost, numbers will go up and down overtime.  But I don’t believe it will be as good as it has been, too many predators. Laws like no baiting and no hounds for bear and cougar has make a big impact.  Now we add wolves and possibly grizzlys in the future.  Our numbers will probably continue to drop, lets hope for not too much longer but the wolf numbers have to increase before the anti’s are happy.

[CarbonHunter]

I believe I read on here where people went to the feeding stations in February and March and they were already empty. Hard to believe there was a late winter kill.

Was this the trade off for the archery hunters fighting to keep an early cow hunt? 

[CarbonHunter]

Or... is this the sign that a wolf pack found the soup kitchen known as a winter feeding station?  Something big has caused the change of cow tags being cut to 10% of what they were, bull tags getting cut by 45% and the sudden need to try and eliminate the early cow season for archery. This all happened in 2 years.

[trophyhunt]

Or... is this the sign that a wolf pack found the soup kitchen known as a winter feeding station?  Something big has caused the change of cow tags being cut to 10% of what they were, bull tags getting cut by 45% and the sudden need to try and eliminate the early cow season for archery. This all happened in 2 years.

Yup, wolves play a big part!

[SkookumHntr]

Freakin crazy! Pretty hard to believe the opportunitys we lost this year!

[rtspring]

Damn near 500 cow tags reduced to 35 in just 2 years??? Unit 346, it damn sure isn't because elk numbers are down.  I would challenge anyone including a unit bio on that subject. Pathetic for the hunting community. 

[Mudman]

Can anybody name a unit with increasing elk #'s over last 5-10 years?  To me it started years ago with the elk around Pe ell area and then to Winston St helens and on and on.  Only places I see increase was around the private and town areas.  Honestly it seems to me the only place with a fighting chance is the Olympic herds but we all know how they can die off in a quickness.  I am kinda giving up on wdfw and state managements.

[bobcat]

I hear there's lots of elk jerky being sold in Yakima, I suppose that could have an effect. 

[KFhunter]

It's a perfect storm for the Elk, expect huge losses this is just the beginning.