Spring bear changes on the table!!!

[Bango skank]

should be statewide spring bear season otc. I would not like to see certain GMU's open and others closed packing people in units just open all of them and keep pressure where people want to hunt. There is no reason that every unit in NE corner and the blues dont have a otc spring bear season.

There is a reason.  money.  they want the app fees.  thats why i suggested all ne units being otc, with spring licenses invalid for fall hunting.  Ne would have pressure spread out among all units, people would pay the 24 bucks or whatever for their otc spring license instead of 7 bucks for an app fee, and se and west side would all still require permit app sales.  If you have another idea that will convince them they could go otc without losing money, let em know.  But whatever your proposal, if they think it will result in a loss of revenue, it will be rejected, so keep that in mind when making your case.

[huntnnw]

nothing in this state is done for wildlife its all about the mighty dollar and then they try and tell us how they manage this or that, no it boils down to dollars

[Bango skank]

nothing in this state is done for wildlife its all about the mighty dollar and then they try and tell us how they manage this or that, no it boils down to dollars

Exactly.  And i fully agree with you when you say spring bear should be otc statewide, that would be ideal, but im trying to come up with more realistic ideas that wont be rejected out of hand.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

So many pessimists on here   
  Look at the first couple pages of the fall bear reg thread.  Lot of people saying i was full of crap, zero chance, etc etc.  Now its damn near a done deal.

Yeah, I know I sound like a "Negative Nancy"
But I remember the days of a otc spring bear seasons in certain areas, baiting, hounds, etc..
I have watched the "Fish and Game" department cater to special interest groups and be more concerned with their political agenda and personal financial betterment than actually managing our recreational interests (fishing/hunting)
"Watchable Wildlife" has become a focus, planter trout fishing is more important than Salmon/steelhead.
Wolves get more $$ than any of our huntable species.
Private timber companies have limited access in direct opposition of "increased landowner participation"
(Or is charging access fees participating?)
It just all seems like a sleight of hand trick to keep us spending more for less.
The WDFW should be run by sportsmen and not politicians.
Their jobs should be dependent on results and customer satisfaction.
.
I hope for the better, and the outlook is good, but once the shine wears off I hope we are not wishing it would be like the "good old days" of 2020...

[grade-creek-rd]

Currently we are allowed to harvest two bears per year in Western Washington...yet there is no OTC spring bear season, which makes no sense, especially since it is used a tool to reduce tree damage and a lot of timber harvest occurs in Western Washington. Why not make an OTC spring bear season in Western Washington with a "spring bear tag" and still have the permit season in Eastern Washington...heck, WDFW can make even more money! You need to buy a Spring Bear Tag to apply for the special permits, plus the permit application fees, and also have to buy a fall bear tag if you want to hunt bears in the fall...

Grade

[aaronoto]

Currently we are allowed to harvest two bears per year in Western Washington...yet there is no OTC spring bear season, which makes no sense, especially since it is used a tool to reduce tree damage and a lot of timber harvest occurs in Western Washington. Why not make an OTC spring bear season in Western Washington with a "spring bear tag" and still have the permit season in Eastern Washington...heck, WDFW can make even more money! You need to buy a Spring Bear Tag to apply for the special permits, plus the permit application fees, and also have to buy a fall bear tag if you want to hunt bears in the fall...

Grade

This right here!  I would gladly buy separate spring and fall bear tags for the opportunity to buy a spring bear tag OTC.  Whether you take 2 in the fall or 1 in the spring and 1 in the fall, 2 bears is 2 bears, which has always left me scratching my head as to why there's no OTC spring season in W. WA.

[hunter399]

Honestly spring bear should be otc in every gmu in the state with quota system similar to cougar quotas.The only reason it's not is money from spring permits kinda like doubling down on money.If WDFW managed wildlife as good as there pocket book we could have some great hunting.

Another truth is if we see second bear tags in eastern wa in 2019 my jaw is gonna be dragging on the ground. And will be only ccause of some added revenues.

nothing in this state is done for wildlife its all about the mighty dollar and then they try and tell us how they manage this or that, no it boils down to dollars

Agree with this statement

[Oh Mah]

I'd love an otc spring bear season. I can't get myself worked up to hunt turkeys so being able to get after a bear in spring gets me out in the woods which is good for everyone lol email sent.

This is a great idea and as was said keep some areas in a draw only.

[grundy53]

should be statewide spring bear season otc. I would not like to see certain GMU's open and others closed packing people in units just open all of them and keep pressure where people want to hunt. There is no reason that every unit in NE corner and the blues dont have a otc spring bear season.

Agreed

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[grundy53]

should be statewide spring bear season otc. I would not like to see certain GMU's open and others closed packing people in units just open all of them and keep pressure where people want to hunt. There is no reason that every unit in NE corner and the blues dont have a otc spring bear season.

There is a reason.  money.  they want the app fees.  thats why i suggested all ne units being otc, with spring licenses invalid for fall hunting.  Ne would have pressure spread out among all units, people would pay the 24 bucks or whatever for their otc spring license instead of 7 bucks for an app fee, and se and west side would all still require permit app sales.  If you have another idea that will convince them they could go otc without losing money, let em know.  But whatever your proposal, if they think it will result in a loss of revenue, it will be rejected, so keep that in mind when making your case.

How about state wide OTC spring bear tags. With the opportunity to apply for a "quality" permit that would allow you to hunt the whole month of June. Which would make it a rut hunt like deer and elk quality tags are.

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[dilleytech]

I would love an otc spring bear season or at least special draw in most units. Is bringing back bear baiting totally out of the question at this point? Also all for a wide open cougar season like coyote.

[bowhunterforever]

Needs to be over the counter spring and fall

[Bango skank]

Is bringing back bear baiting totally out of the question at this point?

As far as asking wdfw to bring it back, yes, totally out of the question.  The ban on baiting is state law, not wdfw policy.  Wdfw does not have legal authority to restore baiting or hounds.

[Timberstalker]

Is bringing back bear baiting totally out of the question at this point?

As far as asking wdfw to bring it back, yes, totally out of the question.  The ban on baiting is state law, not wdfw policy.  Wdfw does not have legal authority to restore baiting or hounds.

So then, the Hound Season we had ~10 years ago was brought on by initiative?

[Bango skank]

Is bringing back bear baiting totally out of the question at this point?

As far as asking wdfw to bring it back, yes, totally out of the question.  The ban on baiting is state law, not wdfw policy.  Wdfw does not have legal authority to restore baiting or hounds.

So then, the Hound Season we had ~10 years ago was brought on by initiative?

I dont know how the hell that was possible, but it obviously got squashed.  If you want to waste your breath asking wdfw to bring back hounds, be my guest.