STOP KILLING THE BABY MAKERS

[hunter399]

Should be spear and knife only. No more of these 100 yard plus shots. Walk in only to all public lands. No optics allowed at all. No trail cams allowed at all. No cell phones either. No baiting AT ALL.
Need I go on?
It all contributes to less critters and higher success rate.
But wait, I those things only apply to ‘the other guy’, because ‘we’ are the high morale standard ‘righteous’ ones that are correct in all we say and do.
Carry on!

I didn't see multi season in there ....

[jstone]

  No more doe hunting

[hunter399]

Last I heard, you can't make a baby without sperm.

Sperm seems to find its way as long as there is a vagina to put it in.

[GOcougsHunter]

This is a very good discussion and I agree with everyone's logic.  I think this applies on a GMU to GMU basis.  Lots of does in my GMU with very little public land harvest.  Been a great opportunity to get kids their first deer.

 And, I know of a few folks who put in for doe tags to simply fill the freezer.  Hunting is subsistence, not sport.

[Sandberm]

Last year during late archery  I think I saw 2 bucks and a moderate amount of does over 8 days of hunting.

So my little corner of the world needs more bucks. Either that or they were all at the bar having drinks after a successful season of chasing tail .

[Angry Perch]

  No more deer hunting.
If you want to solve a population problem, then solve a population problem.

[boneaddict]

I am the righteous one I guess.
I hunt with a longbow, when I do hunt, since I chose not to even kill a buck for the last few years, but I figure that’s asking a lot for most hunters, so I will stick with not shooting does.
I do hike in 10 to 14 miles on average
I don’t own a cell phone
I don’t bait
I don’t own a trail camera.

Oh crap, I do own and use binos.   I guess I have some improving to do.

There are alot of things contributing. My point here. Stop shooting the baby makers. 

[MountainWalk]

I think in some areas, the taking of females should be off the table totally. Kid or no. Some species, it shouldn’t be allowed. Sheep and goats for one and to a lesser extent, cow moose.

  For areas capable of sustaining some female predation, a three or four day window would be helpful.

    In general, I agree with the very first post. I go through phases where I am away from this forum for months or sometimes years, and every time I come back, it gets even whinier and hopeless with everyone blaming everything but themselves for the sad shape of affairs down there.   But by all means, type out a three paragraph post about what pack you “run” (  ).

   Thank God I moved to Alaska.

[Longfield1]

I would love to get a archery buck. Unfortunately i have a wife and 2 kids, also a job with long work hours and very little time off. The weekend for deer is all i had time left after i spent 5 days for elk. I harvest game for food for my family, your saying that i should just not shoot a legal tag because someone else screwed up? What about my kids when they get hunter safety done should they not have success if there's no legal bucks? I'm not sure my kids will be into hunting as much if its all grind and no reward and i want them to be lifelong hunters.

I hunted eastern washington where you can still harvest doe tags with archery equipment. The past 3 years combined amounted to 10 does taken from this GMU (more than 25+ were legal bucks). Am i the problem with declining deer? I will still continue to legally hunt. I will always strive for a buck over a doe, But if a doe tag is an option then i'm taking it.

Its unfortunate your so frustrated and upset with hunters like me, we should be on the same side.

[MountainWalk]

If all it takes is killing something to keep a kid interested in hunting, then maybe that kid is hunting for the wrong reason.

[Rainier10]

I say if it is legal then it is up to the hunter to decide if they want to do it or not.

Everyone can choose their own ethics and those ethics will change from day one of hunting to year 35 of hunting.

I believe it was Aldo Leopold who said there are five stages to hunting.
Shooting Stage.
Limiting-Out Stage.
Trophy Stage.
Method Stage.
Sportsman Stage.

Every hunter is at a different stage.

Nobody should be called out for doing what is legal and calling someone out for different ethics is no good either.  Not saying that is what you are doing Bone.

When I have a problem with the regulations and something being allowed that I don't believe in, I take it to the commission and advocate for change.

Years ago Swakane was overrun with hunters because it was the only unit in eastern washington that had a november OTC doe hunt.  I advocated that they make it buck only and the next year the hunter numbers in that unit dropped as hunters dispersed to the surrounding units.

I know someone is going to say swakane is still overrun with hunters but I assure you there was a significant increase when it became the only unit with an OTC doe opportunity and it dropped when the OTC doe opportunity was removed.  I jumped through the hoops and did the public request for information on hunter reports specifically for that unit.

[Longfield1]

If all it takes is killing something to keep a kid interested in hunting, then maybe that kid is hunting for the wrong reason.

Not killing per se. But most people love hunting for the whole experience. The biggest part of that experience involves harvesting and caring for and consuming game. The success of hunting i think comes down to harvesting and animal or not.

[kramman]

I've never have harvested a doe. But I don't belittle those who do legally. Wdfw sets  the season, gives out the tags.

In a perfect world it would be unit to unit based on science.

[jackelope]

If all it takes is killing something to keep a kid interested in hunting, then maybe that kid is hunting for the wrong reason.

There’s a lot more to hunting than killing, but the 100’s or 1000’s of threads on here about how much the hunting sucks in our state goes to show that some success once in a while is a big part of keeping enthusiasm and interest alive in hunting. I’d quit hunting too if I never killed anything. I don’t know how people can go 20 years without killing a deer and still keep doing it.

I think the No doe killing, as mentioned above, is very applicable on a unit to unit basis. It should be used as a conservation tool when needed. I think Rainier10’s swakane example is a great one. There’s no reason people should be killing mule deer does on the winter range anywhere in Washington if you ask me. I don’t think a blanket bomb “don’t kill does” is the way to go though either. There’s a time and a place and a reason to do it.
My .02

[hunter399]

I also agree if it's legal ,then it's on WDFW to regulate.
No shame in legal harvest doe or buck.