Wildlife group urges Washington to save the deer

[high_hunter]

Didn't see it posted here or in the predator sections so sharing.  I don't hunt the northeast much but agree numbers are lower mid state and wetside based on hunting this year and what usually hangs around my property.   Water/heat, predators, & disease all are likely contributors.   

https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/we-have-a-predator-problem-wildlife-group-urges-washington-to-save-the-deer/article_32ac4654-53e4-11ed-b009-d34e2a196e06.html

[Sandberm]

Quotes from article

"The Northeast Washington Wildlife Group is concerned growing wolf and cougar populations in Northeastern Washington are decimating deer, elk and moose herds.

“We have a predator problem, and it continues to get worse with each passing year,” said Dale Magart, secretary of the nonprofit group that has written a position paper on the issue...

...The Wildlife Group is asking the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to review its white paper and consider changes to predator management policies to restore sustainability among herds...

...He invites hunters, ranchers and others concerned about the situation to speak out at the commission meeting in Colville on Thursday, Oct. 27, where game management is on the agenda. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m.in Colville Kalispel Hall of the local Spokane Community College campus, 985 South Elm Street. Zoom participation is available at wdfw.wa.gov, and people can also provide virtual comments on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28 and 29...

...Magart said WDFW officials insist that game levels are stable, often citing a University of Washington study with that conclusion. That study is faulty, he said, because field research ran from 2016 to 2021, before the latest losses from Blue Tongue disease were known.

“What that study reports is not what we are hearing from hunters and property owners in this region,” Magart said “The overwhelming response falls in the line of, ‘Just not seeing deer as we used to, used to see 25 in a field nearby and now there are four or five, and on and on.’”...

...Without a change in management policies, the Wildlife Group predicts big problems ahead for game animals and people with livestock living in remote areas.

“With less wildlife to prey on, there will be more domestic depredation and increased danger to our children and selves,” said Magart. “Our wildlife managers have their blinders on, and they are not seeing the whole picture.”

The Northeast Washington Wildlife Group is a nonprofit, local organization that promotes hunting, fishing, recreation, conservation and advocates for balanced wildlife and fish management policies..."

[Elkaholic daWg]

"“What that study reports is not what we are hearing from hunters and property owners in this region,” Magart said “The overwhelming response falls in the line of, ‘Just not seeing deer as we used to, used to see 25 in a field nearby and now there are four or five, and on and on.’”..."
  More like 2 to NONE!

[Ridgeratt]

I'm not sure that it wouldn't be a wasted trip. Not sure how you can change the current game commission viewpoints. Or even if you could. They don't listen to any science. They just make decisions based on emotion. Unfortunately, they won't listen to people who have watched the decline in the numbers. The random surveys that say the condition of the herd is usually based on "both" deer they see in the neighbor's field.

[Fidelk]

Medals should be given to hunters, or anyone who understands wildlife management, that attend these public meetings.  I've been to a few and they were painful. Common sense gets left at the door but emotion fills the first 5 rows.

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Maybe they need to hear some passion and strong vocal "emotion" from our side Just under the "call security" threshold.

STOP the   BS!

[buckfvr]

Ive been to meetings up here.  Yes to painful and throw in disgusting.  Cherry picked, manipulated, old, incorrect, all the above is plentiful as they support their agenda with their data based on misinformation (lies), and numbers that are made up from areas not even in the realm of the conversation.  They skew numbers to support their means, and ignore numbers (their own) that dont support their story.

My personal observation over many years is being politically correct is a sign of weakness.  Trying to talk to these people and explain what we see going on up here is dismissed as irrelevant based on the source, people who dont support their agenda.  They give you your few minutes to speak to deaf ears and move on towards the predetermined outcome.

Nothing is ever going to change until the root cause experiences some serious pressure and discomfort.  Just like the rest of the government.  Talking and writing letters is MOSTLY a wasted effort.

[KFhunter]

Maybe they need to hear some passion and strong vocal "emotion" from our side Just under the "call security" threshold.

STOP the   BS!

They got that, in person, and ended the session and went to all virtual meetings, decrying safety 

They won't allow it, they'll end your call soon as you raise your voice even a bit, they want you to do it so they can cancel you and move on all the quicker