Free: Contests & Raffles.
Ghosthunter,Like others have pointed out the WDFW allowed too high of a harvest through special permits.2015 for example saw a harvest of antlerless elk in the quilomene 163, naneum 171, manastash 145, umtanum 166, little naches 123, and cowiche 128. These were all special permit and a large amount of cows were taken by modern and muzzy in the Yakima and ellensburg areas. Archery harvest has been consistent until the years where too many special permits were issued. The herd is below objective now because of the WDFW, not because archery hunters. Archery hunters have lost days in the field, they have lost special permits opportunities and they have lost opportunities now to harvest elk. Archery hunters take of cows have been cut in half since the over harvest by special permit. So why should archery take it in the shorts again because WDFW did a poor job of managing the resource?[/quote
Quote from: hughjorgan on February 01, 2020, 04:55:29 PMGhosthunter,Like others have pointed out the WDFW allowed too high of a harvest through special permits.2015 for example saw a harvest of antlerless elk in the quilomene 163, naneum 171, manastash 145, umtanum 166, little naches 123, and cowiche 128. These were all special permit and a large amount of cows were taken by modern and muzzy in the Yakima and ellensburg areas. Archery harvest has been consistent until the years where too many special permits were issued. The herd is below objective now because of the WDFW, not because archery hunters. Archery hunters have lost days in the field, they have lost special permits opportunities and they have lost opportunities now to harvest elk. Archery hunters take of cows have been cut in half since the over harvest by special permit. So why should archery take it in the shorts again because WDFW did a poor job of managing the resource?[/quotedon’t disagree with you.So how do we fix it? No cow tags for awhile will help.We are hung up on our little area of interest. Because everyone thinks they have the short straw.Regardless of how we got here I don’t believe it will get better until cow tags are eliminated for a period of time. If the WDFW offers the tags every user group will use them. I would too. If those are the cards we are dealt , so be it. But sooner or later the bullet has to be bitten.
Quote from: ghosthunter on February 01, 2020, 06:29:25 PMQuote from: hughjorgan on February 01, 2020, 04:55:29 PMGhosthunter,Like others have pointed out the WDFW allowed too high of a harvest through special permits.2015 for example saw a harvest of antlerless elk in the quilomene 163, naneum 171, manastash 145, umtanum 166, little naches 123, and cowiche 128. These were all special permit and a large amount of cows were taken by modern and muzzy in the Yakima and ellensburg areas. Archery harvest has been consistent until the years where too many special permits were issued. The herd is below objective now because of the WDFW, not because archery hunters. Archery hunters have lost days in the field, they have lost special permits opportunities and they have lost opportunities now to harvest elk. Archery hunters take of cows have been cut in half since the over harvest by special permit. So why should archery take it in the shorts again because WDFW did a poor job of managing the resource?[/quotedon’t disagree with you.So how do we fix it? No cow tags for awhile will help.We are hung up on our little area of interest. Because everyone thinks they have the short straw.Regardless of how we got here I don’t believe it will get better until cow tags are eliminated for a period of time. If the WDFW offers the tags every user group will use them. I would too. If those are the cards we are dealt , so be it. But sooner or later the bullet has to be bitten.I don’t think the WDFW will do what it needs too. All you have to do is look at how they have sat on their hands with the deer herds in Yakima. Hunting is abysmal for deer and now the elk herds aren’t doing much better.I guess that is why I am spending September out of state hunting like a lot of other guys are doing as well.
The WDFW/ Washington "Kill em all, or Save them All mentality does not work. set low conservative number of cow tags for every group and let it ride for 5 years.
I have said it multiple times....If you want to help the herds, you need to control the predators (humans)NO MORE MULTI PERMITS.The elk get hunted hard for 2 weeks by "George" during archery. He covers lots of ground, busts out many elk before he gets a shot, but never connects.Then George spends an additional week in the field chasing elk with his muzzy. George has the same results as he did with his bow.Finally George, running low on meat, and seasons, hunts even harder through the entire rifle season, pushing more elk around. Maybe he gets one, maybe he doesn't.George has now spent the better part of 3 months in elk country, which has a huge impact on their breeding and habits. Lions, wolves, yotes, bears, tribal, state hunters, are all doing their thing too.Now take George's scenario and multiply it by X number of multi permit hunters....its quite easy to see the effect this is having on our critters.We are pressuring them wayyyyyy to much.No More Multi Permits !!!!!!
A few people I know that got MS tags, ended up hunting less overall. They would just do a little in archery or blow it off because they could make it up in the next four seasons. Then only do a little in muzzy because they could fall back on rifle season. Rifle season rolls around and they leave a little early because they still have late season options. Late season comes and they are getting nagged by the wife for being gone so much and barely hunt it.
