May 18th spring bear opener?

[Timberstalker]

The hunting is just getting good on 5/18 in most units.
Hunt it.

[jrebel]

IMO that is a ridiculous idea. Basically half of the spring bear season is nonproductive due to access issues and lack of bear activity.

If they open the season they already said they will let hunters decide if they would like to keep the permit and hunt or give it back and get their points back. That is plenty. 

Even if they dont open it till june 1 i am keeping that permit and hunting.

What is ridiculous about the idea.  If they take away half the opportunity....regardless of what you believe is the most productive time to hunt....they should make point reinstatement reflective of opportunity and dates they set.  Are you ok with them just cutting the season in half because "you" only like hunting the later half.  Pretty selfish way of looking at it in my opinion.  I have had bears on camera for the last 3 weeks (in the gmu I have a tag for)....and anyone who knows bears hunting knows the big boars come out earlier then the smaller boars, sows and cubs....so hunting early may give you a great shot at a big bore roaming looking or food or early love.   

Yes, since i don't hunt until later in the season means i don't know anything about bears or bear hunting. Thanks for informing me.
If you feel like you missed out on your best chance to get the bear you want you should ask for your points back and forego the permit. If not keep the permit and hunt when you can.
Like i said i think they gave the best options they can and they are good options. They are giving you a choice and not asking for a decision yet.

I just dont think it meeds to be complicated even more by prorating the season length and then figuring out points to give back. They have better things to focus on. 

I can see how WDFW may think halfing points for 700 lucky winners is a daunting task and how it may overwhelm them.....but really.....half of 2 is 1.  half of 4 is 2 and so on.  There most of the work is done for them.  Why do you think hunters that drew that tag should be penalized with a shorter season.....or.....have half the season to hunt.  This should not be a one or the other......maybe if our game department gave a darn about us they would have not shut down the season.  Now that they have....they should say hunt what is left and we will make it right by you.....not "your screwed either way". 

[bobcat]

They're not going to restore some of your points. They're just not. All or nothing.

[jackelope]

Half of 3 is 1.5.

Half points?

Round up or round down? What’s fair to all the other guys who didn’t draw and didn’t get to hunt and only got 1 point regardless of whether they applied with 3 points or 8 points?

Devil’s advocate. I’m not near knowledgeable and don’t apply. Just thinking out loud.

[KFhunter]

They're not going to restore some of your points. They're just not. All or nothing.

    no since even discussing this as if it were even a remote possibility. 

[jrebel]

Half of 3 is 1.5.

Half points?

Round up or round down? What’s fair to all the other guys who didn’t draw and didn’t get to hunt and only got 1 point regardless of whether they applied with 3 points or 8 points?

Devil’s advocate. I’m not near knowledgeable and don’t apply. Just thinking out loud.

round up like stated in my earlier post. 

[BULLBLASTER]

IMO that is a ridiculous idea. Basically half of the spring bear season is nonproductive due to access issues and lack of bear activity.

If they open the season they already said they will let hunters decide if they would like to keep the permit and hunt or give it back and get their points back. That is plenty. 

Even if they dont open it till june 1 i am keeping that permit and hunting.

What is ridiculous about the idea.  If they take away half the opportunity....regardless of what you believe is the most productive time to hunt....they should make point reinstatement reflective of opportunity and dates they set.  Are you ok with them just cutting the season in half because "you" only like hunting the later half.  Pretty selfish way of looking at it in my opinion.  I have had bears on camera for the last 3 weeks (in the gmu I have a tag for)....and anyone who knows bears hunting knows the big boars come out earlier then the smaller boars, sows and cubs....so hunting early may give you a great shot at a big bore roaming looking or food or early love.   

Yes, since i don't hunt until later in the season means i don't know anything about bears or bear hunting. Thanks for informing me.
If you feel like you missed out on your best chance to get the bear you want you should ask for your points back and forego the permit. If not keep the permit and hunt when you can.
Like i said i think they gave the best options they can and they are good options. They are giving you a choice and not asking for a decision yet.

I just dont think it meeds to be complicated even more by prorating the season length and then figuring out points to give back. They have better things to focus on. 

I can see how WDFW may think halfing points for 700 lucky winners is a daunting task and how it may overwhelm them.....but really.....half of 2 is 1.  half of 4 is 2 and so on.  There most of the work is done for them.  Why do you think hunters that drew that tag should be penalized with a shorter season.....or.....have half the season to hunt.  This should not be a one or the other......maybe if our game department gave a darn about us they would have not shut down the season.  Now that they have....they should say hunt what is left and we will make it right by you.....not "your screwed either way".

The choices they have given are far from “your screwed either way” its really as simple as a) you hunt, or b) you don't hunt and you get all your points back like you never drew. I really don't see that as “screwed” either way.

Ive always said that people put way too much value on their precious points in WA. most cases it is little more than a counter for how many years its been since you drew a hunt. But thats an entirely different subject.

[jrebel]

Lot of pessimistic folks on here.....   You guys are likely correct that they will not do it....but It has been emailed as a possible solution.  At the end of the day the all or nothing screws the lucky folks who drew the tag.

1.  You get your points back and don't get to hunt......
2.  You loose all your points but half half the season to hunt.....

Beings they made this mess (OK....Inslee did).....why not make right by the folks who drew.  Hunt the remainder of the season.....1/2??  1/4???  whatever it is and we will only take a percentage of your points.  It is no hunters fault that Covid 19 caused this situation.  It lies 100% on our state..WDFW..Inslee....and I just though ti would be nice if they considered a win win for hunters.  Once in their excistance it could benefit hunters. 

Just because there is 6 weeks left to hunt (hypothetical) doesn't mean a hunter can hunt the entire 6 weeks.  Had there been 12 weeks to hunt a hunter may have had time to hunt a total of 6 weeks.....see the math here??  They are limiting time so why take all points for those who want to give it a go??  Heck successful bear hunters maybe lose their points in full.  Again make it a win win and maybe people would have more faith in WDFW.   

[KFhunter]

If you pro-rate the value of the season  (April being less valuable than May or June) then you should really only get 1/8th of your points back, depending how deep into May it opens. 


To be fair 

[jrebel]

If you pro-rate the value of the season  (April being less valuable than May or June) then you should really only get 1/8th of your points back, depending how deep into May it opens. 


To be fair

For debate sake....why would April be less valuable than the other months?   

[Buzz2401]

From my experience hunting before the 15th of May for spring bear is more of a hike then anything else. It just starts to get good around that time id definitely be hunting

[jackelope]

If you pro-rate the value of the season  (April being less valuable than May or June) then you should really only get 1/8th of your points back, depending how deep into May it opens. 


To be fair

For debate sake....why would April be less valuable than the other months?

Snow preventing access.
Relatively Inactive bears.

These may not be concerns in your specific area, but they are absolutely issues in April in other parts of the state.

[jrebel]

If you pro-rate the value of the season  (April being less valuable than May or June) then you should really only get 1/8th of your points back, depending how deep into May it opens. 


To be fair

For debate sake....why would April be less valuable than the other months?

Snow preventing access.
Relatively Inactive bears.

These may not be concerns in your specific area, but they are absolutely issues in April in other parts of the state.

That is not a good answer.....a day of hunting is a day of hunting period.   To devalue a 24 hour day that the hunting regs has open over another is really silly.  Again, do we think we should just ask WDFW to shut down the month of April for spring bear?  I would argue that the early bears have nicer coats / hides so there is more value is an early hunt over the later rubbed bears.  I like to eat the meat and save all my hides so hide condition matters.   Again....to each their own but that argument doesn't hold water. 

Your dollar in quarters is not worth as much as your dollar bill because it is harder to carry 20 dollars in quarters in your pocket than it is to carry a 20 dollar bill......LOLOL  Maybe a bad analogy, but you get where i'm going. 

[Jonathan_S]

If his argument doesn't make sense but that's just because it was based on a silly idea that you started 

[KFhunter]

I was just throwing mud in your water