Free: Contests & Raffles.
" we have found many wounded and dead 2 points, probably more than 20 over the last 10 years alone, some with arrows stuck in them and some with bullet holes, doesn't matter, they were dead deer in the end that should not have been. "Like i said, a "3 up" rule would likely solve the bulk of that crap. You dont think people are shooting forkies thinking, or even just hoping, that theyll have an inch long browtine? 3 pt minimum but browtines dont count i think would be the way to go.
One of the frustrations has been that they haven't seemed to recognize the problem. If you read Fitkins annual fall article, you'd have thought hunting in the Methow Valley was gangbusters and the herd was up to snuff. I didn't catch this years version ..... I figured it was part of the wolf campaign
The last time they had a youth any buck in the Okanagan 80% or more of the deer were shot by the adults not the youth. One game agent told me he and a partner would separate adult and kid and the kid would rat out dad every time. They told me they wrote 43 tickets for adults shooting youth deer just in two areas.. Youth any buck is a joke.If you want that have youth draw only ,separate season, easier to police.
THere doesnt need to be special youth. I'm sure I'll ruffle feathers but......they can learn to hunt like the rest of us did. I'd also pull the senior hunts because the herd needs to be managed.
Mtn Muley pretty much answered that.... not,until,the swamp is drained and that one guy in charge steps down.
There's a lot of factors leading to where we are at these days. They've all been hashed out on here many times. While winters, fires, and predators play huge roles, one of the most important factor often gets overlooked by some. Mismanagement. WDFW has relied on one individual for many of the management strategies in the area and he's done beyond a terrible job. In the earlier years, WDFW was an agency who's main focus was managing the health of our states fish and wildlife. These days it's all about making money, while true fish and wildlife management gets the cold shoulder. I see no light at the end the tunnel until the swamp is completely drained and we bring back common sense management strategies which focus primarily on what's best for OUR fish and wildlife, not the state's pockets.