Hancock 2019-2020 NEW rules

[grade-creek-rd]

Just got an email with the new rules for the Hancock lands...White River, Kapowsin, & Eatonville...ALL ADULTS NEED THEIR OWN PERMIT. Yup, no more "family" permits. If your spouse goes with you they need their OWN permit, same with if your kid is 18 years old (I am wondering how it will work if my son, who's birthday is in October turns 18 mid-deer season, guessing he will need his own permit after his birthday but they might be sold out...doubt it). and NO ARCHERY DOE HUNTS...but they will allow WDFW Youth, Disabled and 65+ antlerless permit hunts (which is how it should have been all along...my son's drew the youth doe permits last year, but couldn't use them...they didn't need to after getting their bucks with muzzleloaders in E.WA but still...I felt bad for the other youth permit holders since they allowed Archery to kill does).

Just FYI...check their website for the new rules.

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[highside74]

 

[JBar]

$600 for my wife and I  My guess is Eastern WA might be a little more crowded this year!

[dvolmer]

$600 for my wife and I  My guess is Eastern WA might be a little more crowded this year!

Any decent hunting in Eastern Washington will cost you more than that for a 3x3.  Everything over here has went into hunting clubs and trespass fees.  Expect to spend $1000-$1500.  Any state/federal land is over ran with big fat Orange Pumpkins!!!!  Last 10 years the east side has went in the toilet!!  You better have a real good friend with lots of land or plan on spending some money for any quality hunting experience over here now days!

[JBar]

I have access to a few acres over east but I wasn't talking about me. Thanks for the heads up though!!

[BeerBugler]

Just got the email, makes no sense. I spend a lot of time in Hancock with just my dog but we do a fair share of berry picking, mushroom picking, fishing, hiking and sledding as a family. Now it’s just a place to take the dog for a hike or predator hunt....I’ll still buy my permit but really disappointed.

[buckfvr]

$600 for my wife and I  My guess is Eastern WA might be a little more crowded this year!

Any decent hunting in Eastern Washington will cost you more than that for a 3x3.  Everything over here has went into hunting clubs and trespass fees.  Expect to spend $1000-$1500.  Any state/federal land is over ran with big fat Orange Pumpkins!!!!  Last 10 years the east side has went in the toilet!!  You better have a real good friend with lots of land or plan on spending some money for any quality hunting experience over here now days!

That might be the case in s.e. wa., but that doesnt hold true in n. e. wa.   What does exist here is predators.  With such large options as Colville NF, still plenty of room to call your own, but such a diminished ungulate population that you may not even see a deer........and Hancock has locked up some areas to walk in only, but the problem is, (many of us believe so), that Hancock is in cooperation with F&G in order to keep areas roadless for the wolves, and sure enough, the walk in spots have dens and you cant find deer where they once not long ago , were many.  Id not be surprised to see Hancock try to make there western holdings less attractive to the public in order to provide a sanctuary for wolves that would reduce ungulates that raise hell with young trees.......It couldnt be clearer to me, seeing it first hand over here.

[grade-creek-rd]

buckfvr...the only problem is there are no wolves in the White River...oh, wait, there was a confirmed wolf sighting in there this past fall...nevermind (Sarcasm intended!) I agree with ya, and it seems that since it worked in NE then it would work with the Hancock lands that this permit is required for, since all 3 abut with Mt. Rainier National Park. The Feds and WDFW could easily put wolves in there without anyone knowing and the elk population is crazy high in those tree farms...I see more elk than deer in them, which is weird. So it makes total sense that Hancock would limit the users to allow for the wolves to populate and control the deer and elk populations on their own (which a kickback from the Feds I am sure...like a "tax break" or grant monies).

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[pianoman9701]

With the end of public access came unlimited power for the timber companies to tie up their land for those who'll pay the price, an ever-increasing price, it seems. And for those who've hunted those woods for years and can no longer afford it, tough luck. Timber companies control a large % of the private land in our state. It's time to dial back the tax benefits they receive of lowered tax rates on their land, deferred until timber weighing. I have little doubt that in some cases with the new rules, the income generated per acre from access fees will outpace the value of the timber on that land over the same period of time that it takes to grow. That makes it a different business and the land should be taxed accordingly. We must give the timber companies an incentive to work with the people of the state to open up their lands or assess a fair real estate tax from those who charge exorbitant fees for that access.

[JBar]

I don't necessarily disagree with the wolf theory but Hancock doesn't own all the property within the farms. White river is owned by the Muckleshoot tribe, do you think they want wolves eating their elk herd? I sure wouldn't!! I believe Eatonville is owned by several timber companies. I don't know the details but I would think the land owners would have some say.

[smithkl42]

With the end of public access came unlimited power for the timber companies to tie up their land for those who'll pay the price, an ever-increasing price, it seems. And for those who've hunted those woods for years and can no longer afford it, tough luck. Timber companies control a large % of the private land in our state. It's time to dial back the tax benefits they receive of lowered tax rates on their land, deferred until timber weighing. I have little doubt that in some cases with the new rules, the income generated per acre from access fees will outpace the value of the timber on that land over the same period of time that it takes to grow. That makes it a different business and the land should be taxed accordingly. We must give the timber companies an incentive to work with the people of the state to open up their lands or assess a fair real estate tax from those who charge exorbitant fees for that access.

This makes a ton of sense to me, though I have no particular way of knowing what the relative sizes are of the two revenue streams. But if it's as you say, then yeah, it seems like their taxes should be calculated quite differently.

[N7XW]

With the end of public access came unlimited power for the timber companies to tie up their land for those who'll pay the price, an ever-increasing price, it seems. And for those who've hunted those woods for years and can no longer afford it, tough luck. Timber companies control a large % of the private land in our state. It's time to dial back the tax benefits they receive of lowered tax rates on their land, deferred until timber weighing. I have little doubt that in some cases with the new rules, the income generated per acre from access fees will outpace the value of the timber on that land over the same period of time that it takes to grow. That makes it a different business and the land should be taxed accordingly. We must give the timber companies an incentive to work with the people of the state to open up their lands or assess a fair real estate tax from those who charge exorbitant fees for that access.

Grays Harbor County tried to pass a resolution increasing taxes.  Weyco sued them and the county backed down. 

[buckfvr]

I don't necessarily disagree with the wolf theory but Hancock doesn't own all the property within the farms. White river is owned by the Muckleshoot tribe, do you think they want wolves eating their elk herd? I sure wouldn't!! I believe Eatonville is owned by several timber companies. I don't know the details but I would think the land owners would have some say.

The muckleshoots will kill the wolves in their holdings.....they will spread fast.....a strong interest was shown by all at the Spokane meeting last week to trans locate wolves west of the summit right now, no waiting bs.  As soon as you guys can say theres no wolves, there will be.....its coming.  Logic and rational thinking are in short supply when it comes to Big Timber Companies, the governor, and wolves......This scenario is front and center on their minds while no one is paying attention.

[ASienkiewich]

Nice of them to send this out AFTER the spring bear deadline. No spring bear limited access pass... Hancock is a mismanaged corrupt joke, they need to go so we can actually have a decent opportunity to hunt IMO

[grade-creek-rd]

the muckleshoots only own part of the White River Tree Farm, mostly the lower holdings and the holdings on the north side of Hwy 410...the lands that are near the Park Boundary (with a small buffer of Nat. Forest) are still owned by Hancock Timber Corp.  And it didn't occur to me until it was pointed out the correlation with the releasing of this info just after the Spring Bear deadline...WDFW shouldn't give any spring bear permits in there because of no public access...after all the spring permits are to reduce bear damage to the tree farm trees!

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