What happened to the Wenas area?

[PlateauNDN]

The area it occurred is a bottle neck and wintering ground. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

[Dan-o]

Just curious as to how so many hunt wa members knew this slaughter was going to happen and were present to watch.  And to have a game warden standing there the whole time?  Was this posted on a flier somewhere inviting people to come watch the festivities?

Fair question.

Here's what I know/saw:

I hunted that exact area for several years before the massacre.   Sometimes we'd run into an elk or two.  Sometimes not.

That particular year, we showed up on que and walked into our usual starting spots, with a plan to rendezvous at 9:00.

When first light came, there was a shot.... then a couple shots... then a couple more... and more and more and more......

I'd say there were 200 MUZZLELOADER shots fired with 1 mile of me in 2 hours.

It was crazy and it was a massacre.

I believe 40something elk were killed within a 1 mile by 1/2 mile area.

As mentioned,. the elk were essentially trapped by the fence and a phalanx of hunters.

I witnessed the game warden standing out there..... while I was hiding in a fold in the hill side.

It was nuts.

I heard later that some locals had been watching a herd in there that summer.

As a west side guy, I was blissfully ignorant.

I was glad they made it into a safety zone after that.
It was a pretty horrible display.

I still don't know how that game warden had the stones to stand out there while I was literally hearing muzzleloader bullets tumbling thru the sky.

[Oh Mah]

No
Offense meant. But can’t believe your a mod on here with your knowyand experience

I guess its fair to say then you would agree with rules on how close to a fence you can hunt.

Yep.  Below newland and 39 is one.  Back behind the fifes camp.    The few I was referencing were ON the road by the hay shed.  Bad bad bad

yep they are close..to the road,maybe they should make the other side a safe zone and maybe make new rules stopping hunters from hunting or harvesting say 300 yards from the fence.

Sometimes i can't believe how some hunters tear down what another hunter is doing or did that was totally within the law.So what a guy had a blind facing a fence.  lots of elk and deer run the fence lines but be careful if they make a new rule elk will get much much harder to get.Hunters were successful and some did not like it and pushed for a safe zone.

You can't believe who is a mod Ribka?

[Oh Mah]

Just curious as to how so many hunt wa members knew this slaughter was going to happen and were present to watch.  And to have a game warden standing there the whole time?  Was this posted on a flier somewhere inviting people to come watch the festivities?

Fair question.

Here's what I know/saw:

I hunted that exact area for several years before the massacre.   Sometimes we'd run into an elk or two.  Sometimes not.

That particular year, we showed up on que and walked into our usual starting spots, with a plan to rendezvous at 9:00.

When first light came, there was a shot.... then a couple shots... then a couple more... and more and more and more......

I'd say there were 200 MUZZLELOADER shots fired with 1 mile of me in 2 hours.

It was crazy and it was a massacre.

I believe 40something elk were killed within a 1 mile by 1/2 mile area.

As mentioned,. the elk were essentially trapped by the fence and a phalanx of hunters.

I witnessed the game warden standing out there..... while I was hiding in a fold in the hill side.

It was nuts.

I heard later that some locals had been watching a herd in there that summer.

As a west side guy, I was blissfully ignorant.

I was glad they made it into a safety zone after that.
It was a pretty horrible display.

I still don't know how that game warden had the stones to stand out there while I was literally hearing muzzleloader bullets tumbling thru the sky.

No offense intended but what your saying is that you were 1 of the hunters that used to use that (fish in a barrel) bottle neck area to hunt.It was ok when you used it but when people were able to fill their tags within a 1.5 to 2.0 mile stretch of hunting land it was to much to stomach?

Ummm since elk are in herds this is not unheard of. 

[Dan-o]

Just curious as to how so many hunt wa members knew this slaughter was going to happen and were present to watch.  And to have a game warden standing there the whole time?  Was this posted on a flier somewhere inviting people to come watch the festivities?

Fair question.

Here's what I know/saw:

I hunted that exact area for several years before the massacre.   Sometimes we'd run into an elk or two.  Sometimes not.

That particular year, we showed up on que and walked into our usual starting spots, with a plan to rendezvous at 9:00.

When first light came, there was a shot.... then a couple shots... then a couple more... and more and more and more......

I'd say there were 200 MUZZLELOADER shots fired with 1 mile of me in 2 hours.

It was crazy and it was a massacre.

I believe 40something elk were killed within a 1 mile by 1/2 mile area.

As mentioned,. the elk were essentially trapped by the fence and a phalanx of hunters.

I witnessed the game warden standing out there..... while I was hiding in a fold in the hill side.

It was nuts.

I heard later that some locals had been watching a herd in there that summer.

As a west side guy, I was blissfully ignorant.

I was glad they made it into a safety zone after that.
It was a pretty horrible display.

I still don't know how that game warden had the stones to stand out there while I was literally hearing muzzleloader bullets tumbling thru the sky.

No offense intended but what your saying is that you were 1 of the hunters that used to use that (fish in a barrel) bottle neck area to hunt.It was ok when you used it but when people were able to fill their tags within a 1.5 to 2.0 mile stretch of hunting land it was to much to stomach?

Ummm since elk are in herds this is not unheard of. 

Like I said, I hunted that area for several years before the massacre.     Often, there were no elk down there at the ML opener, which was way earlier way back then.

Yes, my partner and I both shot elk in the massacre.

Previous years had no such massacres, because there weren't a bunch of elk down there.    Sometimes a couple.   Sometimes none.   Never like the year of the massacre.

I had no idea there were a bunch of elk down there that year, nor that a bunch of folks knew that and were all gong to show up.

And yes, I'm glad that after that one crazy incident that they made it a safety zone.    It was unsafe and unsporting.


P.S.   As far as I know, nobody set out to do something unsporting or unsafe.   I didn't know 60 other people would be there that year.   I bet none of the others anticipated such a crazy convergence, either.     But I am glad that the authorities dealt with it ASAP.

[jackelope]

Seems like that pretty much covers any questions.

[Oh Mah]

What exactly is your intention in these last couple of posts jackelope?

[Nwgunner]

Thanks for your reply DanO.  To have that many muzzleloader hunters concentrated in such a small area while the heard is there is unreal.  Someone must have called in the Calvary.

[jackelope]

What exactly is your intention in these last couple of posts jackelope?

My last couple of posts?

1st one was to clarify to Ribka that you were not a mod here. Seemed to me like he thought you were.

2nd one was to acknowledge  that I saw Dan answer all your questions.

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

What’s your point in questioning the intention of my posts?

[Dan-o]

What exactly is your intention in these last couple of posts jackelope?

My last couple of posts?

1st one was to clarify to Ribka that you were not a mod here. Seemed to me like he thought you were.

2nd one was to acknowledge  that I saw Dan answer all your questions.

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

What’s your point in questioning the intention of my posts?

first was Ribka did not clarify who he thought was a mod yet but you assumed he meant me,second you are a mod but i was not aware that when all of your answers were answered on a subject that that was the end.

I personally can't believe you are a mod on this forum with your constant personal attacks on some members.   

You said yourself you don't even hunt this area(drove through it once) you said.I have lived the Wenas specific for 35 years.

When hunters are glad that an area is shut down to hunting because it is their opinion that something unsporting was done but totally legal is beyond me.

Elk run in herds so basically saying that it is wrong for this so called slaughter to happen is anti productive and caters to the anti crowd.of course this is all just my opinion and i realize that you and i are not buddies therefore i am wrong and your buddies are right.   

So what you're saying is that it's a good idea for 60 hunters to corner a herd of elk with the aid of two converging elk fences, so that they have no avenue of escape.   And that it's ok if it's so crowded that guys are literally running to try to outflank each other because of this manmade corner where two elk fences meet.

And having a man made set of fences concentrate that many muzzleloader rifle hunters, with people taking shots in all directions, is a good thing.

Got it.

P.S.   Nobody is taking away hunting opportunity.    This area is like 1 mile by 1/2 mile.      It does nothing to threaten hunting in the Wenas.    It just take into account that two elk fences converge and leaves elk no avenue to escape if there are very many hunters.

[Oh Mah]

let me use your logic

your saying that the state should limit the number of hunters in a gmu and make new rules about hunting near a fence? is that about where your at?

[Rainier10]

Thread locked.  Cleaned up and unlocked. Let's try to keep it on topic of either the turkey hunting that it started out with or the reason behind the safe zone.

No calling specific members out.  Short leash lots of eyes watching now.

[KFhunter]

TAG

[Cougartail]

The "safe zone" is also a predator safe zone.

[jackelope]

Thread locked.  Cleaned up and unlocked. Let's try to keep it on topic of either the turkey hunting that it started out with or the reason behind the safe zone.

No calling specific members out.  Short leash lots of eyes watching now.