Turnbull

[CP]

This sucks:

Turnbull Refuge elk permit hunt
proposal off the table this year

SPOKANE -- The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has removed a proposal for special permit hunting of elk on Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge from its 2009 hunting season recommendations because of a delay in the federal approval process.

Kevin Robinette, a WDFW regional wildlife manager, said a proposal to include 63 special elk-hunting permits for the refuge in southwest Spokane County has been withdrawn from the list of statewide hunting seasons scheduled for adoption by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission at its April 3-4 meeting in Olympia. 

The controlled permit hunts were proposed to help address the increasing destruction of aspen and other native vegetation by a growing number of elk on the refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which manages the refuge, has documented the loss of vegetation for several years.  Using aerial surveys, state and federal wildlife biologists have also documented growth in the elk herd during the same period.

The proposal to allow limited elk hunting on the refuge to reduce elk numbers went through an extensive federal public review process, as required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  The proposal gained local support from refuge users, both hunters and non-hunters, Robinette said.

But the proposal is not yet final because of delays in the federal rule-making process for hunting regulations, explained Lisa Langelier, Project Leader of the USFWS Inland Northwest National Wildlife Refuge Complex, including Turnbull.

Langelier is optimistic that the proposal will be finalized this year, but possibly not until this summer.

Although the hunts were not scheduled to begin until fall, WDFW’s special hunting permit application deadline is May 20, 2009.  If WDFW had left the Turnbull hunts in the special-permit choices and the final federal approval did not occur, those applicants drawn for a Turnbull hunt would not be eligible for other elk hunting permits, Robinette explained. 

"This is an unfortunate delay, but we don’t want disappointed elk hunters this fall," he said. "We are confident we will be able to offer this opportunity next year."

The proposed 63 permits, one for a bull elk and all others for antlerless elk, were divided among modern firearm, muzzleloader, archery, disabled, and master hunters in separate hunts from September through December.

[Gutpile]

Someone posted this yeatsrday. I really wanted to apply for that tag. Oh'Well. Thats life.

[jjhunter]

Gutpile, get a land ownership map, grab your bow and find some school ground close to Turnbull.  I know of a place that holds elk every year up until modern deer.  You can get into that herd before we get a permit hunt.  I also saw a spike on BLM while archery deer hunting last year!

[Gutpile]

I don't own a bow. I'm purely a gun guy for now.

[jjhunter]

Just one more reason to buy one!    If you ever want to learn the ropes, let me know.   Much better deer and elk hunting in that country during archery.  You would be suprised the difference in # and quality of animals found on public.  I don't even hunt our ranch for deer - public is better during September!  They like the rocks in 100 degree heat.

[yelp]

maybe next year...

[Gutpile]

Just one more reason to buy one!    If you ever want to learn the ropes, let me know.   Much better deer and elk hunting in that country during archery.  You would be suprised the difference in # and quality of animals found on public.  I don't even hunt our ranch for deer - public is better during September!  They like the rocks in 100 degree heat.

I have considered it but Sept is just to busy for me. Oct - Dec I'm wide open though and can hunt as much as I want.

[C-Money]

I too wanted to apply for this tag. RATS!

[Archery King]

I dont understand why they dont give out this tag!!!  I went by raft way back into turnbull last june lots of elk there for such a small area. SHAME I TELL YOU!!! 

[SHANE(WA)]

it was 1 bull tag and 62 cow tags lol, oh well

[robb92]

I would talk to landowners in the area surrounding turnbull, they come off the area all the time.

[TheHunt]

It sounded like the single tag was being fought over by modern, muzzle stuffers and archery people.  Could not come up with a solution in time so they smoked the entire hunt.  Too bad...