Cougar Archery Poll

[saylean]

I just wanted to see how much this now lowers my chances of bagging a coug...

[Alan K]

This whole thing is a joke. . . This doesn't do anything as far as people saying 'Oh I was hunting for cougar/bear' when they are approached by an officer when they're packing a gun during archery season. . . Bear season still overlaps the seasons and people will just say 'I'm hunting bear'.

This doesn't mean we'd better change bear to specific weapons too, that would be equally rediculous, if not more.

It's just classic Washington politics.  Penalize everyone for the poor actions of a few.  Hunting is really just the honor system.  There is nowhere near enough enforcement out there to stop everyone who violates a game law.  Either get the enforcement out there or you're just going to have to live with the fact that there are a few bad apples out of the thousands of good ones.

It burns me up that they keep limiting me due to the actions of a select few!    I can't believe they even considered closing the bear season due to the hiker being shot.  It's tragic but it's an isolated incident.  Why the hell would you even consider penalizing everyone for it!?!?!

 

Sorry got a bit off topic, just had a vent moment. . .

[whacker1]

This whole thing is a joke. . . This doesn't do anything as far as people saying 'Oh I was hunting for cougar/bear' when they are approached by an officer when they're packing a gun during archery season. . . Bear season still overlaps the seasons and people will just say 'I'm hunting bear'.

This doesn't mean we'd better change bear to specific weapons too, that would be equally rediculous, if not more.

It's just classic Washington politics.  Penalize everyone for the poor actions of a few.  Hunting is really just the honor system.  There is nowhere near enough enforcement out there to stop everyone who violates a game law.  Either get the enforcement out there or you're just going to have to live with the fact that there are a few bad apples out of the thousands of good ones.

It burns me up that they keep limiting me due to the actions of a select few!    I can't believe they even considered closing the bear season due to the hiker being shot.  It's tragic but it's an isolated incident.  Why the hell would you even consider penalizing everyone for it!?!?!

   

Sorry got a bit off topic, just had a vent moment. . .

 

[matlockmike]

I think the whole cougar season thing now is a joke.

Got to buy a differnet permit to hunt the second half of the season... ...just another way to discourage the common hunter from hunting.

[Ray]

I think there are more cougars out there than any biolgist team can count and estimate.

[mossback91]

That anneoakleaf (sp) lady has killed a cougar with her bow!! I saw a pic on here somewhere

[bobcat]

The new law won't protect any cougars. They will just have to be left in the woods. At least that's what I will do. That is, if I am lucky enough to see one, while carrying a rifle, and am forced to defend myself.  

[7mag.]

I used to think that my chances of seeing and shooting a cougar during the 7 1/2 month season was pretty slim, but I was allways hopeful. Now with a 1 1/2 month season, well I guess I will probably never have that full body cougar mount.

[Pathfinder101]

Agree with everybody.  THis new law looks like they had a problem (some guys caught running around with a rifle during deer/elk season after they filled thier tag), and they got a room full of lawyers (that were paid by the hour) to come up with a solution.
Tards.

WDFW

             

[lamar_hunter]

I think there are more cougars out there than any biolgist team can count and estimate.

+1

[jmx369]

There are definitely more cougars out there that the biologists are saying. I think as a whole there are more of every species than the bios claim. I have been hunting in Washington for 20 years and up until 4 years ago I had never seen a cougar in the wild. Since then, I have seen 5. Same thing goes for the Mt. Goats. I live near Mt Baker and last summer I spotted more that 80 goats in separate locations throughout the summer. One group alone there were 18 together. But the biologists claim that the numbers weren't making substantial gains during all the time the season was closed up there until a few years ago. I remember when I was younger 50 tags were given in the area and there never was nor never has been a shortage of goats.

[mhadix]

I think there are more cougars out there than any biolgist team can count and estimate.

with that being said, i remember a few years back i was visiting a certain wildlife park near eatonville and we came to the cougar pen.  the cougars were hiding pretty good that day and the "cougar expert" that was there couldn't find them, finally we found them and my wife commented about how small they were. the "expert" says you won't find any bigger than this. so i told him just a few days ago i saw one that was probably twice the size of the big tom they have. he indirectly called me a liar, so i showed him the picture on the digital camera of me holding him(cougar season was in), he looked at me and says to me.......YOU'VE SEEN A WILD COUGAR? I WISH I WOULD SEE ONE............ i thought this guy was a "expert"

[TeacherMan]

The new law won't protect any cougars. They will just have to be left in the woods. At least that's what I will do. That is, if I am lucky enough to see one, while carrying a rifle, and am forced to defend myself.  

 

I know in the Curlew area bear doesn't open until around the 8th of Sept. but after that you can carry a gun for bear so if they are trying to stop archery guys from being unethical and not true hunters it will only work for about a week. It wont stop a guy from carrying a gun in the late season because they will just carry one for bobcats and yotes. Stupid new law.

[littlebuf]

this whole thing cant be for guys "carrying guns" in the woods, that doesn't make sense. especially since thees no law that says you cant carry a riffle in the woods, even if you don't have a hunting license you can carry a riffle in the woods. you can only get busted for poaching if you get caught poaching. im not sure what the motivations are behind this but i suspect its some sort of test run to making more stringent regs for all species, if they start with a species that has a low success rate to begin with they can then slowly sneak the rest of them in the same restrictions. it is my firm belief that the majority (not all) of Washington fish and game doesn't want us to be able to hunt at all. we need to make sure they hear us on this cougar issue. any suggestions on how we do that?     

[littlebuf]

oh ya and this 

[luvtohnt]

I think there are more cougars out there than any biolgist team can count and estimate.

First of all here is some work in progress for cougars. If we required biologist to do actuall population counts instead of comparitive analysis for population numbers then our hunting licenses would be thousands of dollars each!!
http://projectcat.net/index.html

with that being said, i remember a few years back i was visiting a certain wildlife park near eatonville and we came to the cougar pen.  the cougars were hiding pretty good that day and the "cougar expert" that was there couldn't find them, finally we found them and my wife commented about how small they were. the "expert" says you won't find any bigger than this. so i told him just a few days ago i saw one that was probably twice the size of the big tom they have. he indirectly called me a liar, so i showed him the picture on the digital camera of me holding him(cougar season was in), he looked at me and says to me.......YOU'VE SEEN A WILD COUGAR? I WISH I WOULD SEE ONE............ i thought this guy was a "expert"

Anyone who works in a "park" can give themselves a title of expert, but don't necessarily have the proper training to be an expert.

Now the reason for this closure is female harvest is too high. If we continue to harvest at the rate we do then eventually all the cats will be gone. I don't like the idea better but right now it is our only option. I personally think the best management would be to bring back the hounds. Because it controls harvest statistics far better than open or restricted seasons do. The only problem would be to convince Seattle that this is OK!! If only we could figure out how to piggy back this in on a bill that would pass with flying colors!!

Brandon

[PolarBear]

Got one from my treestand while waiting for a big buck to show.  After I stuck it, I thought that it was going to come up the tree and visit me.

[lamar_hunter]

well if they never shut down using hounds they wouldnt have that problem.

[Aneoakleaf]

WOW Saylean, you stirred up the bee's nest!
Your chances for getting a cat with a bow will increase if you actualy persur the cat. I think if you get anywhere around Mt. Adams and spend some time calling you can call one in. The cat I called in was the 2nd one I have shot in 10 years . The first one came in to my cow elk calls. The one last year came up the trail in my tracks. It was screaming on the ridge above my stand that was just 6 ft. up in the tree. I made a choice to call it in and have the element of surprise on my side. I shot it at 5 yards. It was 6 ft. 2 in. female . If I could do it so can you if you want it bad enough. I like cougar steaks!
I have heard of 3 other people hearing or seeing a couger last year and my husband and I saw 2 run accross the road together.
Yes there's a ton of cats out there and the biologists are sitting in the truck drinking coffie. 

[bowhunterforever]

This new rule sucks!

[BULLZ-i]

Never a cougar with my bow, but nailed a good sized female bobcat a couple years back.  makes for a great full body mount.

[Pathfinder101]

Got one from my treestand while waiting for a big buck to show.  After I stuck it, I thought that it was going to come up the tree and visit me.

This guy I met had just shot one at 13 yards (face to face) with his bow.  He said he hit it a little far back and it took him 3 hours to get the nerve to go into the brush looking for it.

[7mag.]

Got one from my treestand while waiting for a big buck to show.  After I stuck it, I thought that it was going to come up the tree and visit me.

This guy I met had just shot one at 13 yards (face to face) with his bow.  He said he hit it a little far back and it took him 3 hours to get the nerve to go into the brush looking for it.

Wounded kitty, no thanks.

[Pathfinder101]

Got one from my treestand while waiting for a big buck to show.  After I stuck it, I thought that it was going to come up the tree and visit me.

This guy I met had just shot one at 13 yards (face to face) with his bow.  He said he hit it a little far back and it took him 3 hours to get the nerve to go into the brush looking for it.

Wounded kitty, no thanks.


Yeah, no kidding.  I am pretty sure I would have gone home, gotten a half dozen buddies, a LOT of firepower (modern-type), and THEN gone to look for my kitty....

[videoman]

Great poll.  Send to the WDFW bio's

[PolarBear]

I was lucky, after the cat that I stuck did brodies for about a minute she finally piled up only 35 yards away in plain view.  I had a good eye on her as I was coming out of the tree and all the way up to her. 

[lamar_hunter]

hmm i think if it was me she would have gotten an extra arrow lol

[Intruder]

Never killed a cat myself but there was a photo in Spokane Sportsmans of a guy who (at least in the photo it look this way) killed 1 w/ a long bow by trailing it in the snow.

Gotta be pretty looooong odds I would think.

[saylean]

WOW Saylean, you stirred up the bee's nest!
Your chances for getting a cat with a bow will increase if you actualy persur the cat. I think if you get anywhere around Mt. Adams and spend some time calling you can call one in. The cat I called in was the 2nd one I have shot in 10 years . The first one came in to my cow elk calls. The one last year came up the trail in my tracks. It was screaming on the ridge above my stand that was just 6 ft. up in the tree. I made a choice to call it in and have the element of surprise on my side. I shot it at 5 yards. It was 6 ft. 2 in. female . If I could do it so can you if you want it bad enough. I like cougar steaks!
I have heard of 3 other people hearing or seeing a couger last year and my husband and I saw 2 run accross the road together.
Yes there's a ton of cats out there and the biologists are sitting in the truck drinking coffie. 

I guess so huh Aneoakleaf. While I dont agree with the new reg, it is the new reg and I guess will just make it all that much sweeter if/when I bag a cougar. I do enough calling, I will either bag one, or it will bag me.