Free: Contests & Raffles.
Not sure I agree with everything they do but think if they had an unlimited budget things could be better !!
I think WDFW does a pretty good job managing game, considering close to 7 million people in this little state. There will always be unhappiness about how quality and opportunity are balanced. With more hunters and less game to go around, not a big surprise the hunting is worse than in big states with more game and less hunters.I once figured up that Washington had 15 human residents for every big game animal of all species. Wyoming had 1 human resident for every 3 big game animals; big game animals are 45 times more abundant in Wyoming on a human per-capita basis - not much surprise which one has better hunting. I am not a fan of WDFW in general, the leadership are politically spineless and morally corrupt whores who will climb into any bed for funding. I do think the game division does a pretty good job. I don't think Wyoming Gaame and Fish could do a much better job managing wildlife in Washington.
for one the ridiculous prices for tags. also i don't understand why westside elk benefit more from a 3 pt min. restriction and eastside elk benefit from spike only restrictions. both are supposedly in place to keep the herds healthy one however generates more income in the form of special app fees.
Quote from: hoytem on April 06, 2009, 09:41:34 PMfor one the ridiculous prices for tags. also i don't understand why westside elk benefit more from a 3 pt min. restriction and eastside elk benefit from spike only restrictions. both are supposedly in place to keep the herds healthy one however generates more income in the form of special app fees.The reason they have different antler restrictions is because of the type of terrain. On the West Side the bulls have more escapement because there's alot more private property and the woods are so thick. So having a rifle isn't that big of an advantage over a ML or a bow. The bulls can take one step and their gone. Out east it's fairly wide open. Guys can shoot pretty far with a rifle so the bulls would just get decimated if it was 3pt minimum. No matter how smart a bull is with as many people as there are hunting for them they would not stand a chance. They may escape one guy but get bounced into another guy that's 300yds away. During rifle season you can hear guys empty their rifles at them, reload and then empty their rifles again. n For those that don't believe me look at how it was pre-1994. Before 1994 it was any bull and you never saw any bulls over 3 1/2 year old 5 pts. Because none of them lived long enough to get old. They all got killed during the season. And yes I'm sure that the additional funds from special permits has something to do with it as well.
With 7 million people in the state as someone mentioned before and the acreage to support far fewer hunters than we actually have, I am not sure I know how to help them improve. Could they be better? Yes How? I am not sure. i am definitely not satisfied, but I think the task would be far easier in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming where you get to control harvest by limiting the number of tags sold to non-residents. They have such a significantly smaller human population, which allows for higher carrying capacity on the same amount of acres. And some of these states are far larger in acreage. Our human population in WA creates to much infrastructure that erodes the carrying capacity of the land. roads, cities, and other infrastructure all limit the amount of land available for animals. In WA - anyone can buy a tag over the counter.
I see how other states I hunt in are ran and look at there quality and seasons. I just wonder why we can not be somewhere close to them.Then I rember King county runs the state.
QuoteWith 7 million people in the state as someone mentioned before and the acreage to support far fewer hunters than we actually have, I am not sure I know how to help them improve. Could they be better? Yes How? I am not sure. i am definitely not satisfied, but I think the task would be far easier in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming where you get to control harvest by limiting the number of tags sold to non-residents. They have such a significantly smaller human population, which allows for higher carrying capacity on the same amount of acres. And some of these states are far larger in acreage. Our human population in WA creates to much infrastructure that erodes the carrying capacity of the land. roads, cities, and other infrastructure all limit the amount of land available for animals. In WA - anyone can buy a tag over the counter.C'mon guys, where's all the staunch supporters of increased hunter recruitment? Where's all the folks constantly saying we must have more of us? This would be a good time to defend your position. The math doesn't add up.
Happy?
Let's see, where do I begin; maybe with the incorrect information that you usually get if you contact the Mill Creek office or the license department that couldn't tell me how to get an elk tag that was listed in the regulations, and maybe the fact that today I tried to select a special hunt for deer and it isn't on the list because the vendor screwed up again.