Olympic National Park Goat Hunt Group Anyone?

[Vek]

The NPS is saying "put up or shut up" to hordes of average-joe hunters who were and remain indignant that prior culls such as these were not offered as opportunities.  This opportunity is part of an eradication plan; development of the plan is water under the bridge and is no longer subject to input apart from NPS and the courts.  Make the best of it, be humane, and if a cull turns your stomach, don't participate.  Don't project your disdain on participants as some sort of virtue signal.     

[fishngamereaper]

I don't see any harm in some banter back and forth between, kind-of like minded people about a subject that is not so cut and dry from many a perspective.

I mean it is the internet, and this is a hunting website, so if we didnt disagree with each other from time to time where's the fun in that. Unless some people don't like being disagreed with. 

[Onewhohikes]

I am disagreeing with what you just said

[birddogdad]

The objective is to remove goats . qualified hunters with a strategy will get it done . I believe if a group goes through the effort to prepare and spend over a week in the mountains basicly working for free that they should be able to retain a skull. the incentive is fine imo. but if your group is sent into a area that only holds 5 goats then you should also be able to retain a skull as long as the rest are removed .   

you are not allowed to retain headgear bios want some specific sample items.. there is a very lengthy package on site discussing cans and can not's… also, lead free ammo required and no strait wall cartridges, they want you to shoot in June with "ammo being used".

[fishngamereaper]

I am disagreeing with what you just said

Hope it's your feel good moment of the day.

[bigmacc]

The NPS is saying "put up or shut up" to hordes of average-joe hunters who were and remain indignant that prior culls such as these were not offered as opportunities.  This opportunity is part of an eradication plan; development of the plan is water under the bridge and is no longer subject to input apart from NPS and the courts.  Make the best of it, be humane, and if a cull turns your stomach, don't participate.  Don't project your disdain on participants as some sort of virtue signal.   

I don't think folks that have mixed feelings about this or feel this is wrong for that matter have "disdain on participants" or are using this as "some sort of virtue signal. Maybe some have put thought into it concerning our appearence as hunters being involved in this by the many, many anti hunting groups and organizations, which, threaten our hunting rights everyday and salivate knowing "average-joe hunters" (as you called them) are going to be killing every goat in sight, young and old. Maybe some are thinking outside the box as what the repercussions could be concerning the general public, many of who could be on the fence as far as how they look at hunting. Maybe some wonder why THIS TIME we are being thrown this bone by the government, do they know there is a backlash coming and they want to spread the wealth? They can save money? This is going to get national attention, all they have done(government) is relocate at this point, "average-joe hunters" can do the killing, HMM. Maybe some have seen how much we have lost over the decades as hunters and know there are forces out there that want us gone and will use, spin and gobble up anything they can to use against us to achieve their goal. I said in the other thread that if this was a different time I would be first in line for this but in todays world and especially in THIS STATE I wouldn't touch this operation as a hunter with a 10 foot pole. Ive killed a lot of animals in over 60 years of hunting and like I said in the other thread, I was fortunate enough to have hunted in this state when killing a nice bear, a big elk, a beautiful goat or a trophy buck would have gotten your picture and a flattering write up in the local paper and you would have gotten honks and thumbs up from everyone that drove by as you got your trophy home strapped to the top of your rig. Maybe some of us lived AND hunted in those times and can actually tell stories of how much we have lost and how things have changed drastically for we as hunters because we were there. As I said in the other thread, Im old enough to remember a time when an operation like this would have also gotten positive feed back from the public and gotton you a nice write up in the local paper on how "hunters were used to rid the National Park of the evasive goats to save flora and fauna and make the trails safe for our hiking public" and as I said, Im also old enough to know those days are long gone, politics are drastically different and in this age of social media and 24 hour news, information can travel fast and you need to be careful what you absorb, good or bad because you don't know whats true or what hasn't been spun to fit a narrative. Speaking for myself, I wished others in the other thread "Good Luck", not sarcastically but genuinely, I wished them to "shoot straight" and for quick kills. Those of us that have questions about this have their reasons, I myself see more negatives coming out of this for us as a hunting community than things that will help us as hunters when it comes to public perception, thats all. Speaking only for myself, when you say "disdain on participants as some sort of virtue signal", well, your wrong as far as Im concerned, Im just a guy who was fortunate enough to hunt when hunting and hunters were not looked at as the devils hobby or as the scourge of the earth by most folks and can see a day in the not to distant future when none of us will be in the woods chasing anything, Im just trying to slow the arrival of that and not give the folks who want to achieve that any more fuel. Those are my thoughts and my 2 cents. I,ll say it in this thread also, to all who are involved in this operation, good luck and shoot straight and do whatever you can to put we as hunters in a positive light, they will be watching and unfortunately though, they will spin this to hurt us.......

[NumaJohn]

Thanks so much for this thoughtful post, bigmacc.

I, too, wish those who participate the best of luck in what will likely end up being a thankless task.

John

[idaho guy]

The NPS is saying "put up or shut up" to hordes of average-joe hunters who were and remain indignant that prior culls such as these were not offered as opportunities.  This opportunity is part of an eradication plan; development of the plan is water under the bridge and is no longer subject to input apart from NPS and the courts.  Make the best of it, be humane, and if a cull turns your stomach, don't participate.  Don't project your disdain on participants as some sort of virtue signal.   

I don't think folks that have mixed feelings about this or feel this is wrong for that matter have "disdain on participants" or are using this as "some sort of virtue signal. Maybe some have put thought into it concerning our appearence as hunters being involved in this by the many, many anti hunting groups and organizations, which threaten our hunting rights everyday and salivate knowing "average-joe hunters" (as you called them) are going to be killing every goat in sight, young and old. Maybe some are thinking outside the box as what the repercussions could be to the general public, many of who could be on the fence as far as how they look at hunting. Maybe some wonder why THIS TIME we are being thrown this bone by the government, do they know there is a backlash coming and they want to spread the wealth? They can save money? This is going to get national attention, all they have done(government) is relocate at this point, "average-joe hunters" can do the killing, HMM. Maybe some have seen how much we have lost over the decades as hunters and know there are forces out there that want us gone and will use, spin and gobble up anything they can to use against us to achieve their goal. I said in the other thread that if this was a different time I would be first in line for this but in todays world and especially in THIS STATE I wouldn't touch this operation as a hunter with a 10 foot pole. Ive killed a lot of animals in over 60 years of hunting and like I said in the other thread, I was fortunate enough to have hunted in this state when killing a nice bear, a big elk, a beautiful goat or a trophy buck would have gotten your picture and a flattering write up in the local paper and you would have gotten honks and thumbs up from everyone that drove by as you got your trophy home strapped to the top of your rig. Maybe some of us lived AND hunted in those times and can actually tell stories of how much we have lost and how things have changed drastically for we as hunters because we were there. As I said in the other thread, Im old enough to remember a time when an operation like this would have also gotten positive feed back from the public and gotton you a nice write up in the local paper on how "hunters were used to rid the National Park of the evasive goats to save flora and fauna and make the trails safe for our hiking public" and as I said, Im also old enough to know those days are long gone. Speaking for myself, I wished others in the other thread "Good Luck", not sarcastically but genuinely, I wished them to "shoot straight" and for quick kills. Those of us that have questions about this have their reasons, I myself see more negatives coming out of this for us as a hunting community than things that will help us as hunters when it comes to public perception, thats all. Speaking only for myself, when you say "disdain on participants as some sort of virtue signal", well, your wrong as far as Im concerned, Im just a guy who was fortunate enough to hunt when hunting and hunters were not looked at as the devils hobby or as the scourge of the earth by most folks and can see a day in the not to distant future when none of us will be in the woods chasing anything, Im just trying to slow the arrival of that and not give the folks who want to achieve that any more fuel. Those are my thoughts and my 2 cents. I,ll say it in this thread also, to all who are involved in this operation, good luck and shoot straight and do whatever you can to put we as hunters in a positive light, they will be watching and unfortunately though, they will spin this to hurt us.......

 

I really enjoy your posts bigmac especially some of your stories of the good ole days. I think you are being far too pessimistic on this situation and I think for the right teams its a chance to prove the VALUE hunters can provide even for a total eradication like this. The good old days aren't gone everywhere and I still live in a state where we normally see lots of hunters driving around with racks hanging out of the truck. They still put pictures of people in the paper every year with nice animals and the high school my kid goes too had an assembly to basically threaten anyone that left any more animal carcasses in the parking lot  We got a couple nice elk and deer this year and my son drove around town showing his buddies. I know you saw an amazing time in Washington hunting but all is not lost everywhere. Huge opportunity to show the value hunters bring to the table and from some of the people I have seen posting they have applied I am sure they will do hunting proud. I am putting in with a great bunch of hard core hunters as well. None of them live in  Washington   

[bigmacc]

The NPS is saying "put up or shut up" to hordes of average-joe hunters who were and remain indignant that prior culls such as these were not offered as opportunities.  This opportunity is part of an eradication plan; development of the plan is water under the bridge and is no longer subject to input apart from NPS and the courts.  Make the best of it, be humane, and if a cull turns your stomach, don't participate.  Don't project your disdain on participants as some sort of virtue signal.   

I don't think folks that have mixed feelings about this or feel this is wrong for that matter have "disdain on participants" or are using this as "some sort of virtue signal. Maybe some have put thought into it concerning our appearence as hunters being involved in this by the many, many anti hunting groups and organizations, which threaten our hunting rights everyday and salivate knowing "average-joe hunters" (as you called them) are going to be killing every goat in sight, young and old. Maybe some are thinking outside the box as what the repercussions could be to the general public, many of who could be on the fence as far as how they look at hunting. Maybe some wonder why THIS TIME we are being thrown this bone by the government, do they know there is a backlash coming and they want to spread the wealth? They can save money? This is going to get national attention, all they have done(government) is relocate at this point, "average-joe hunters" can do the killing, HMM. Maybe some have seen how much we have lost over the decades as hunters and know there are forces out there that want us gone and will use, spin and gobble up anything they can to use against us to achieve their goal. I said in the other thread that if this was a different time I would be first in line for this but in todays world and especially in THIS STATE I wouldn't touch this operation as a hunter with a 10 foot pole. Ive killed a lot of animals in over 60 years of hunting and like I said in the other thread, I was fortunate enough to have hunted in this state when killing a nice bear, a big elk, a beautiful goat or a trophy buck would have gotten your picture and a flattering write up in the local paper and you would have gotten honks and thumbs up from everyone that drove by as you got your trophy home strapped to the top of your rig. Maybe some of us lived AND hunted in those times and can actually tell stories of how much we have lost and how things have changed drastically for we as hunters because we were there. As I said in the other thread, Im old enough to remember a time when an operation like this would have also gotten positive feed back from the public and gotton you a nice write up in the local paper on how "hunters were used to rid the National Park of the evasive goats to save flora and fauna and make the trails safe for our hiking public" and as I said, Im also old enough to know those days are long gone. Speaking for myself, I wished others in the other thread "Good Luck", not sarcastically but genuinely, I wished them to "shoot straight" and for quick kills. Those of us that have questions about this have their reasons, I myself see more negatives coming out of this for us as a hunting community than things that will help us as hunters when it comes to public perception, thats all. Speaking only for myself, when you say "disdain on participants as some sort of virtue signal", well, your wrong as far as Im concerned, Im just a guy who was fortunate enough to hunt when hunting and hunters were not looked at as the devils hobby or as the scourge of the earth by most folks and can see a day in the not to distant future when none of us will be in the woods chasing anything, Im just trying to slow the arrival of that and not give the folks who want to achieve that any more fuel. Those are my thoughts and my 2 cents. I,ll say it in this thread also, to all who are involved in this operation, good luck and shoot straight and do whatever you can to put we as hunters in a positive light, they will be watching and unfortunately though, they will spin this to hurt us.......

 

I really enjoy your posts bigmac especially some of your stories of the good ole days. I think you are being far too pessimistic on this situation and I think for the right teams its a chance to prove the VALUE hunters can provide even for a total eradication like this. The good old days aren't gone everywhere and I still live in a state where we normally see lots of hunters driving around with racks hanging out of the truck. They still put pictures of people in the paper every year with nice animals and the high school my kid goes too had an assembly to basically threaten anyone that left any more animal carcasses in the parking lot  We got a couple nice elk and deer this year and my son drove around town showing his buddies. I know you saw an amazing time in Washington hunting but all is not lost everywhere. Huge opportunity to show the value hunters bring to the table and from some of the people I have seen posting they have applied I am sure they will do hunting proud. I am putting in with a great bunch of hard core hunters as well. None of them live in  Washington   

idaho guy, 

I truly hope you are right and I am wrong, I hope none of this does any damage to us as hunters and is only a tiny blip on the radar of the antis and their like. Cherish the area you live in because places like that are disappearing, I once lived in one also, I have also spent my whole life cruising the hills of the Methow Valley only to see it slowly fill with folks who no longer like to see people like me chasing deer around, they would rather have me bird watching, meditating, making pottery or cross country skiing, times are changing as far as our hunting heritage goes, feel fortunate it hasn't hit your neck of the woods yet. idaho guy, I wish you and your crew the best of luck with quick kills, shoot straight

[coachcw]

It was the anti hunter that couldn't protect them selves from the goats and got this whole thing started .. Relocating all the goats isn't feasible in a good portion of the area . my group of guys will take the job serious ... Sure it's not for everyone or the faint of heart . but as a serious group of sportsman we don't need guns for hire coming in . it's still a opportunity to be afield and hunt / cull a wild goat . something most will never get a chance to do .

[buglebrush]

It was the anti hunter that couldn't protect them selves from the goats and got this whole thing started .. Relocating all the goats isn't feasible in a good portion of the area . my group of guys will take the job serious ... Sure it's not for everyone or the faint of heart . but as a serious group of sportsman we don't need guns for hire coming in . it's still a opportunity to be afield and hunt / cull a wild goat . something most will never get a chance to do .

 

[Tbob]

I’m curious how many people are applying for this? I have a group of friends who aren’t even hunters, mostly climbers and Mountaineers who are even signing up to volunteer..

[Airohunter]

Hard to say how many but it's a boatload more than they anticipated I bet money on that. I've talked to several different people who applied or had the intent to apply and I am amazed at the lack of detail I here from those that show interest, this is a much more complex project than actually drawing that once in a lifetime hunt. I hope those that get the opportunity represent the hunting community in a positive way. There's a lot of ways this goes bad for the hunting community.

[jackelope]

I can tell you I’ve seen people on Facebook from other states talk about their groups applying. Probably a bunch of people. 

[yakimanoob]

I can tell you I’ve seen people on Facebook from other states talk about their groups applying. Probably a bunch of people.

Yeah I lol'd when I read the "if we get more than 30 qualified applications" bit.  Like there was ever a chance of getting less than that, especially when all the hunters in the country are bored and at their keyboards.