Got opinions on WA deer management?

[Cervus]

FYI: WDFW is hosting a series of meetings this week & month to introduce the new Director. Here is a great opportunity to make your voice heard re: deer management (elk management, etc.). Want permit only draws for mule deer? Want to change the 3 pt minimum? Want more habitat protection? More Predator reduction? Show up and share your opinions w WDFW directly. Meeting details here:
https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/nov0118a/

[pmm]

I would love to go to one of those meeting but the Wdfd always puts these meetings in Olympia or other places that are 100 miles away from the Seattle area.Heres a topic that needs to be talk about . Reopening Units 460,448,418,437 & 450 for late buck. I’m getting tired of hearing the same old story about deer hair lose that’s lasted over 15 years . You want more money tag and Licenses give us That live in those area our own late buck season instead of shoveling us all in to certain areas.

[Skyvalhunter]

Some of those areas are opened for late buck. It is a special permit now however which is fine with me.

[JakeLand]

Trust me I would love a late hunt here every year BUT the deer population couldn’t handle it. Late quality tag is fine with me especially if I eventually draw one with that being said and guys  will be mad but what would be better is like a elk tag pick east or west and that will help the populations especially blacktail with it having a longer general season !
Oh ya and bring back hound hunting, foothold and snare trapping and baiting to actually have a tool to control predators ( especially coyotes)

[Skyvalhunter]

The Good ol days of late Blacktail were good when the hunting community wasn't near what it is now. A high portion of the bucks taken were during that time frame and like Jake says the population couldn't with stand the harvest. Predator control is taking its toll in some areas. While its good to have trapping occurring it doesn't alleviate the need for bear, cougar, and coyote management.

[Mr Mykiss]

Half these meetings are already over?

[skagitsteel]

Trust me I would love a late hunt here every year BUT the deer population couldn’t handle it. Late quality tag is fine with me especially if I eventually draw one with that being said and guys  will be mad but what would be better is like a elk tag pick east or west and that will help the populations especially blacktail with it having a longer general season !
Oh ya and bring back hound hunting, foothold and snare trapping and baiting to actually have a tool to control predators ( especially coyotes)

100 % agreed.  As much as I would enjoy a late rifle the units i hunt would not Support it.  We do really need the hounds especially for the cats, they are out of control in a couple of these units. Trail cams can be very eye opening.  Wonder if we could atleast get a special draw implemented for hounds.  Bear baiting would be nice but we should atleast have a statewide general spring season in addition to fall.  It’s amazing the coincidence on cam with lack of fawns in certain areas that have lots of bears.

[sagerat]

Trust me I would love a late hunt here every year BUT the deer population couldn’t handle it. Late quality tag is fine with me especially if I eventually draw one with that being said and guys  will be mad but what would be better is like a elk tag pick east or west and that will help the populations especially blacktail with it having a longer general season !
Oh ya and bring back hound hunting, foothold and snare trapping and baiting to actually have a tool to control predators ( especially coyotes)

100 % agreed.  As much as I would enjoy a late rifle the units i hunt would not Support it.  We do really need the hounds especially for the cats, they are out of control in a couple of these units. Trail cams can be very eye opening.  Wonder if we could atleast get a special draw implemented for hounds.  Bear baiting would be nice but we should atleast have a statewide general spring season in addition to fall.  It’s amazing the coincidence on cam with lack of fawns in certain areas that have lots of bears.

I agree with everything here. I’d also like to see timber harvest come back to the NF, I know that’s unlikely. At least we get to hunt until Halloween, for now...

[Tradhunter]

I agree with what has been said as well. i just think the whole game department needs to be restructured on how they manage or see whats actually important. It should flat out be that critters come first, then the people, then politics. Seems pretty well backwards in my opinion of how things are ran and have been ran for years now. Though I may be wrong as I actually try to stay out of the whole politics game because it just makes me have a bad day haha. You know its kind of funny (well not really) and I know its dependent on the Bio but I have talked with quite a few of them about animals and it just amazes me how their eyes can light up and they get all excited about some little critter such as a wolverine or fisher that I've seen but when you talk about any game animal such as elk or deer...they just are mono-tone and don't seem to care much. What is that?

[Mr Mykiss]

Again I say...half the meetings are over??

[Boss .300 winmag]

I agree with what has been said as well. i just think the whole game department needs to be restructured on how they manage or see whats actually important. It should flat out be that critters come first, then the people, then politics. Seems pretty well backwards in my opinion of how things are ran and have been ran for years now. Though I may be wrong as I actually try to stay out of the whole politics game because it just makes me have a bad day haha. You know its kind of funny (well not really) and I know its dependent on the Bio but I have talked with quite a few of them about animals and it just amazes me how their eyes can light up and they get all excited about some little critter such as a wolverine or fisher that I've seen but when you talk about any game animal such as elk or deer...they just are mono-tone and don't seem to care much. What is that?

Because deer, and elk are so plentiful.

[fishnfur]

Trust me I would love a late hunt here every year BUT the deer population couldn’t handle it. Late quality tag is fine with me especially if I eventually draw one with that being said and guys  will be mad but what would be better is like a elk tag pick east or west and that will help the populations especially blacktail with it having a longer general season !
Oh ya and bring back hound hunting, foothold and snare trapping and baiting to actually have a tool to control predators ( especially coyotes)

100 % agreed.  As much as I would enjoy a late rifle the units i hunt would not Support it.  We do really need the hounds especially for the cats, they are out of control in a couple of these units. Trail cams can be very eye opening.  Wonder if we could atleast get a special draw implemented for hounds.  Bear baiting would be nice but we should atleast have a statewide general spring season in addition to fall.  It’s amazing the coincidence on cam with lack of fawns in certain areas that have lots of bears.

I agree with everything here. I’d also like to see timber harvest come back to the NF, I know that’s unlikely. At least we get to hunt until Halloween, for now...

I don't think any of this would get much argument from hunters here or anywhere.  Unfortunately, WDFW is an instrument of the State, and the people of the state.  They voted against many of these issues, which is why we can't bait bears or hunt cats with hounds.  I believe it would require a state-wide referendum vote to repeal these laws.

[Mr Mykiss]

Whatever. It’s a joke. I’ll keep giving WA my yearly hour of deer hunting and take the majority of my money elsewhere.

[JakeLand]

Whatever. It’s a joke. I’ll keep giving WA my yearly hour of deer hunting and take the majority of my money elsewhere.

come to the one in Issaqua! I’m going

[Cervus]

Mr Mykiss, I was also disappointed to find out about these meetings at the last minute. I'm not affiliated with WDFW, I just like to show up to these meetings and make my voice heard, and the advertising for these events was pretty poor. On the upside,  there is a webinar meeting on Nov 28th that anyone can participate in online if you missed the local meeting that was closest to you. (https://wdfw.wa.gov/)

At the WDFW 2018/2020 Public Season Setting meeting I attended in Wenatchee there were 20 WDFW staff and bios, but only 3 members of the public showed up. That meeting was well advertised, and yet pretty much no one bothered to attend.

At that meeting I asked why WDFW was managing NCW mule deer for "Opportunity" not "Quality" hunting, especially given the recent challenges face by NCW mule deer herds. Their answer was that WDFW works for the public, and that what they hear from the public is that we value the opportunity to hunt mule deer every year, more than the chance to hunt less frequently but be more successful. Personally, I disagree with this strategy, but I bring it up as an example of the kind of issue that WDFW needs our feedback on.

Whatever our opinions are on deer management, WDFW needs to hear them. And the public meetings are one way to do that. Hopefully this post enables some folks attend their local meetings, and we can all keep each other informed of future comment opportunities.