Community > Advocacy, Agencies, Access
Public comment periods open for Washington hunting season, wildlife feeding prop
hughjorgan:
--- Quote from: GOcougsHunter on February 06, 2025, 08:55:16 AM ---Mountain goat permits down to 8 for a supposed population of 2800. that is only .3% of the population, not 4% under guideline. It's a really good thing that permit numbers continue to get decimated while the poorly surveyed population continues to apparently decline. Can we rule out that recreational harvest is not the leading factor of smaller numbers of mountain goats? Can the WDFW get serious about Mt Goat management in this state? Idaho allows 41 goat permits on possibly a herd of 2000. Oregon allows 25 permits on a population of 800. :bash:
--- End quote ---
Wa wildlife first is targeting the mountain goats and blaming hunters for over harvesting. They also are the ones that got us our current commission.
BreezyBear:
Just looked at the bear area descriptions, it appears that GMUs 244,245,246,247,249,250,251, 328,329,334, and 335 are all included in both BBMU units 5-Okanogan and 6-Central Cascades East, with different start dates and different bag limits. :dunno:
Tbar:
--- Quote from: hughjorgan on February 06, 2025, 09:44:03 AM ---
--- Quote from: GOcougsHunter on February 06, 2025, 08:55:16 AM ---Mountain goat permits down to 8 for a supposed population of 2800. that is only .3% of the population, not 4% under guideline. It's a really good thing that permit numbers continue to get decimated while the poorly surveyed population continues to apparently decline. Can we rule out that recreational harvest is not the leading factor of smaller numbers of mountain goats? Can the WDFW get serious about Mt Goat management in this state? Idaho allows 41 goat permits on possibly a herd of 2000. Oregon allows 25 permits on a population of 800. :bash:
--- End quote ---
Wa wildlife first is targeting the mountain goats and blaming hunters for over harvesting. They also are the ones that got us our current commission.
--- End quote ---
Incorrect. The baker population is down 60%+. Hunters have averaged 50% nanny harvest over the decline, although I agree hunting is not the cause of the decline, dead nannys can't contribute. All of the hunt units in baker and Darrington are below the minimum hunt threshold to have a hunt. Hunters have been poor representatives of themselves in this one.
Tbar:
--- Quote from: hughjorgan on February 06, 2025, 09:44:03 AM ---
--- Quote from: GOcougsHunter on February 06, 2025, 08:55:16 AM ---Mountain goat permits down to 8 for a supposed population of 2800. that is only .3% of the population, not 4% under guideline. It's a really good thing that permit numbers continue to get decimated while the poorly surveyed population continues to apparently decline. Can we rule out that recreational harvest is not the leading factor of smaller numbers of mountain goats? Can the WDFW get serious about Mt Goat management in this state? Idaho allows 41 goat permits on possibly a herd of 2000. Oregon allows 25 permits on a population of 800. :bash:
--- End quote ---
Wa wildlife first is targeting the mountain goats and blaming hunters for over harvesting. They also are the ones that got us our current commission.
--- End quote ---
This slide is not incorrect. Managers managed as if reproduction rates were similar to deer. This led to over hunting and population crash across the range.
GOcougsHunter:
--- Quote from: Tbar on February 06, 2025, 10:01:06 AM ---
--- Quote from: hughjorgan on February 06, 2025, 09:44:03 AM ---
--- Quote from: GOcougsHunter on February 06, 2025, 08:55:16 AM ---Mountain goat permits down to 8 for a supposed population of 2800. that is only .3% of the population, not 4% under guideline. It's a really good thing that permit numbers continue to get decimated while the poorly surveyed population continues to apparently decline. Can we rule out that recreational harvest is not the leading factor of smaller numbers of mountain goats? Can the WDFW get serious about Mt Goat management in this state? Idaho allows 41 goat permits on possibly a herd of 2000. Oregon allows 25 permits on a population of 800. :bash:
--- End quote ---
Wa wildlife first is targeting the mountain goats and blaming hunters for over harvesting. They also are the ones that got us our current commission.
--- End quote ---
This slide is not incorrect. Managers managed as if reproduction rates were similar to deer. This led to over hunting and population crash across the range.
--- End quote ---
Reading the 2023 game status report, harvesting of nannies did not appear to happen much for the open N Cascade units over the past few years and doubtful that it led to the reported dramatic decline of the herds. I agree that we need to be conservative on the management of mountain goats. Just the drastic reduction of any hunting opportunity (which actually provides very important disease sampling for the bios) is like putting a band aid on a gunshot wound. We need serious management of our Mt Goat herds. Not the haphazard, side of the desk guesstimation science going on right now.
From the trend report: "The Mt. Baker area mountain goat population has rebounded substantially since the low abundance
in the 1980s and 1990s. However, surveyors counted approximately 50% fewer goats each year
during the 2021–2023 survey seasons than were counted each year from 2005–2020. The cause or
causes for this change are unknown, though potential factors may include habitat quality issues,
climate-caused changes in elevational use patterns (thus reducing sightability during surveys),
human recreation impacts, and predation. The conservative hunting season, reestablished in 2007,
appears to have negligible effects on population size, age/sex structure, and population trend."
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