Quality elk hunts cut

[Meathunter06]

https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/about/regulations/filings/2022/WSR%2022-04-103.pdf

They have literally destroyed Washington elk hunting in less than 5-7 years.

You can thank the Indian's for that!  Just have to have that jerky 

[Stein]

When there are units with more sheep or goat tags than units with quality elk tags, one might wonder what the heck the game managers are doing.  162 had what, one archery tag last year?   Under 10% draw odds with 31 points.   

Heck, the quality tag I would want to draw only had 10 tags last year, down from 134 only 5 years ago!  This is an area with zero development, can't blame urban creep. 

At 12% draw odds with 23 points, I'll put my raffle ticket in the NM bucket.

Let's face it, quality tags are now OIL if you are lucky (and have 20-30+ points) except WDFW lets a guy keep paying every year.  If you are just starting, just drew or have a handful of points, it's the same odds as the best trophy out of state draw tags.

[trophyhunt]

  Oil now for sure! And when you have 27 points you just keep chasing the cheese, but odds just keep getting worse, what a joke.

[NRA4LIFE]

Pretty discouraging after 20 years that the hunting thrill of your life would be to draw a deer permit.  A bull permit to me now is OIL, as I will not even participate after that.

[bigmacc]

Pretty discouraging after 20 years that the hunting thrill of your life would be to draw a deer permit.  A bull permit to me now is OIL, as I will not even participate after that.

Yep, its an absolute shame what the WDFW(we don't have a game department anymore) have done or let happen to most of the once historic and healthy herds in this state and IMHO it started as soon as the switch happened to the WDFW back in the 90,s, after that, management of our herds as anything even close to a priority was only a memory, big game herds have now taken a backseat to everything from frogs, lizards and raptors all the way to their darlings, predators, specifically the wolf. In my opinion and in others I know, our herds are basically being managed now days to support predators, whether it be by their territory expansion or by concentration of their numbers and their growth, anyway you look at it, predators need food sources wherever they are to support their numbers, growth of #,s and their expansion. I don't have to tell any of you, when those  arnt happening or are threatened, we as hunters will loose our opportunities before their darlings(predators) will......And yes, like others on here, I am plenty old enough to remember when we had a Game Department, our herds were priority 1 for hunters...

[huntnnw]

If they want to move it to the bull permit instead of quality, I get that, but don’t eliminate it for bs reasons.

all "bull" permits should be eliminated what a scam! its harder to draw than quality. they all need to be listed under quality nobody is forcing you to apply for them.

[huntnnw]

how many of you with 20+ points applied for the entire duration for muzzy or archery?  if it was rifle then you dont have much to complain about as the odds for almost every rifle bull permit now or 10 years ago was extremely low.