Big game season proposals

[TriggerMike]

Allow more lenient predator hunting seasons (year round cougar) and eliminate all doe tags for all user groups except youth whitetail and magically watch ungulate numbers bounce back. Pretty simple.

[RC]

Allow more lenient predator hunting seasons (year round cougar) and eliminate all doe tags for all user groups except youth whitetail and magically watch ungulate numbers bounce back. Pretty simple.

Until we get people on the commission that are more favorable toward predator management, it will only get worse.  Hopefully we have a strong presence at the upcoming commission meeting.

With that said, the population of this state is only growing, so it's probably just a matter of time before we go to a draw regardless.

[TriggerMike]

Allow more lenient predator hunting seasons (year round cougar) and eliminate all doe tags for all user groups except youth whitetail and magically watch ungulate numbers bounce back. Pretty simple.

Until we get people on the commission that are more favorable toward predator management, it will only get worse.  Hopefully we have a strong presence at the upcoming commission meeting.

With that said, the population of this state is only growing, so it's probably just a matter of time before we go to a draw regardless.

I don't think the people that are moving here are hunters. In fact, I'd bet a large percentage of the people that have left in the last 5 years have been the outdoors type that hunt and fish.

[Rigby416]

I think you're correct, Trigger Mike!

[Kingofthemountain83]

Having lived and hunted in WA my whole life... I see all kinds of cons with making it draw only eastern WA... I don't see many pro's without having their exact plan with seasons and amount of tags to look over... How many people from the east side go hunt the west side of the state already? I doubt many do for deer... I know some do for elk but it can't be many... I myself always go mule deer hunting and started being a little more selective and come home to the west side and blacktail hunt the longer season... I've hunted elk on both sides but majority on the east side by far... It is nice having a 3 point min for elk though... But my dad was born and raised in Yakima and hates hunting the west side... I told him about it and he said he thinks it's a horrible idea... Specially for the people that only hunt east side cause they live there... Don't hunt out of state... It sure would make those late muley hunts better for some of the tribes though... I can see them being the #1 supporter of this... They aren't going to cut back on anything they kill... The #2 supporter of this will be places that can profit off the hunting industry to take advantage of turning central WA into a mecca again...    It's already been there for elk... If you personally want, and can help the deer where you hunt or somewhere... #1 Thing is to shoot coyotes... That's their biggest predator when fawning... #2 is bears when fawning... I know we have wolves and they'll come through and decimate them... Not much we can do about it... A cougar won't sit on the fawning grounds like a yote or bear for some reason... They travel more...

[Humptulips]

Everybody has an idea on ungulate management, but all the proposals end up being a different taste of restricting hunters. I wish there was a different thought that maybe we could increase ungulate populations. I see very few hunters during hunting season, and it is because there are few animals to actually hunt. It didn't used to be that way. I know those that are younger and a shorter observation window don't realize how many deer, elk and yes hunters there used to be. Opening day was shooting all day. Now lucky if you hear a shot on a day. Also lack of game tends to concentrate hunters in the few pockets where there are game.
I know DFW would have to wake up to the fact that we have a predator problem, and I don't expect that in my lifetime. We used to have a lot more deer and elk and we had cougars too, just not one behind every bush. Please don't tell me we have a good population of ungulates, statistics Shoe leather tells me we have a lot of great habitat with not much in it. I don't understand why we should lie down and accept restrictions when we are not the problem.
OK, rant over. I couldn't hold it in.

[hunter399]

Less opportunity = less enforcement….which currently is not enough.
Poaching will drastically increase. Combine that with “un-enforceable” hunters….. easy to see where this ends. 

Just another step toward NO HUNTING.

1. Super simple to manage people and critters, …easy start, no more multi season permits. Take pressure off the critters.

2. Drastically reduce (or do away with) late “trophy” hunts, again take pressure off ungulates. More breeders/ing= more animals.

Yes sir,

And

A end to group camps, which reduce hunter numbers, which will in power anti hunters . Less hunter numbers means less opposition. Less need for guns, less gun sales.

If you think you will draw every other year, you are smoking some good stuff. They will reduce the hunts as they already have. You might get to hunt 4-5 times in your life. For old guys maybe not that.

I would rather see an end to all doe tags , all cow tags, all multi season, all quality hunts and pick east or west for deer. Wildlife lands shut down November to April were big game winter.

Stricter restrictions on new bike or hiking trails with in the National Forest. The use of atv strictly enforced of main roads. Increased penalties for poaching or party hunting.

I agree
They have tools to limit harvest right now,and don't utilize it.
To let over harvest happen to the point we need a draw system is a failure.

[hunter399]

Of course they want to drop the 3pt minimum and spike elk regulations.
I'm guessing every permit holder can shoot a spike muley or a trophy elk.
Just WOW 🤯

[Kingofthemountain83]

And the best way to help mule deer is to improve their winter range and not impede it... The herd is only as healthy as the winter range with proper predator management...

[hunter399]

Money grab 💰💰💰
Dream land if you think your gonna draw a permit every other year.
It will be exactly as the draw system is now.
Alot of apps,a lot of point creep. Some lucky sap will probably never draw.

Comparing Washington to other states with wildlife management is ridiculous.
Both idaho and Oregon have spring bear hunts.
Cougar seasons and harvest rates are a lot different in idaho/Oregon.
Sinking boat with no bucket to get the water out.

[craigapphunt]

In theory its exactly what WA needs. In practice it will be agenda driven, pro-predator anti-hunters setting the quotas and it will fast track the demise of deer and elk hunting in WA state for non-tribal sportsmen.

WDFW is starting to admit that our deer herds are in trouble. If they refuse to acknowledge or mitigate any of the other factors killing deer besides license-buying hunters, then hunter quota reductions will be the only tool at their disposal to try to offset all of the other forces at play. Pretty easy to see how that's gonna go.

 

[hunter399]

In theory its exactly what WA needs. In practice it will be agenda driven, pro-predator anti-hunters setting the quotas and it will fast track the demise of deer and elk hunting in WA state for non-tribal sportsmen.

WDFW is starting to admit that our deer herds are in trouble. If they refuse to acknowledge or mitigate any of the other factors killing deer besides license-buying hunters, then hunter quota reductions will be the only tool at their disposal to try to offset all of the other forces at play. Pretty easy to see how that's gonna go.

 

Maybe true

I have another theory.
Too many hunters are complaining about the 3 pt minimum for muley and the spike elk restrictions.

It is always there "solution" is the draw system.
Happened here in the NE few years ago,bunch of guys wanted 4pt minimum brought back.
So the solution was to make late WT a permit season.
It's always about the money 💰.
Add restrictions or change season, licence sales go down.
Add permits,gain a permit sale with a licence sale.
The screwed part is your still hunting the same crappy area, nothing changed,may even get worse, depending on amount of permits given, restrictions lifted.

Does this affect some of the quality deer and elk permits we have now.
Do those units get dropped from the quality category,just a general draw.
Guys that have been putting in for 20 years on a quality hunt, now it's a general draw ,shoot any bull or spike muley you like.

I would rather sit on top of a mountain for ten days of OTC mule deer hunting and not see or harvest nothing. Then wait for a permit,have a ton of pressure to harvest,cause you don't know if you'll ever draw again. Then shoot some spike/forky on the last days.

After it goes to a draw system it will never go OTC again,that money factor guarantee that.

[JakeLand]

In theory its exactly what WA needs. In practice it will be agenda driven, pro-predator anti-hunters setting the quotas and it will fast track the demise of deer and elk hunting in WA state for non-tribal sportsmen.

WDFW is starting to admit that our deer herds are in trouble. If they refuse to acknowledge or mitigate any of the other factors killing deer besides license-buying hunters, then hunter quota reductions will be the only tool at their disposal to try to offset all of the other forces at play. Pretty easy to see how that's gonna go.

 

Maybe true

I have another theory.
Too many hunters are complaining about the 3 pt minimum for muley and the spike elk restrictions.

It is always there "solution" is the draw system.
Happened here in the NE few years ago,bunch of guys wanted 4pt minimum brought back.
So the solution was to make late WT a permit season.
It's always about the money 💰.
Add restrictions or change season, licence sales go down.
Add permits,gain a permit sale with a licence sale.
The screwed part is your still hunting the same crappy area, nothing changed,may even get worse, depending on amount of permits given, restrictions lifted.

Does this affect some of the quality deer and elk permits we have now.
Do those units get dropped from the quality category,just a general draw.
Guys that have been putting in for 20 years on a quality hunt, now it's a general draw ,shoot any bull or spike muley you like.

I would rather sit on top of a mountain for ten days of OTC mule deer hunting and not see or harvest nothing. Then wait for a permit,have a ton of pressure to harvest,cause you don't know if you'll ever draw again. Then shoot some spike/forky on the last days.

After it goes to a draw system it will never go OTC again,that money factor guarantee that.

one flaw in your theory, they don’t give a rats #%% about our “complaining “ about the herds or our system they will do what feeds the agenda of the commission

[GOcougsHunter]

one flaw in your theory, they don’t give a rats #%% about our “complaining “ about the herds or our system they will do what feeds the agenda of the commission
[/quote]

I have to slightly disagree... they are extremely delighted and proud that they get 1000's of responses to their public scoping/public comments.  Unfortunately they could give a rats #%% about the content of those responses.   

[hunter399]

one flaw in your theory, they don’t give a rats #%% about our “complaining “ about the herds or our system they will do what feeds the agenda of the commission

I have to slightly disagree... they are extremely delighted and proud that they get 1000's of responses to their public scoping/public comments.  Unfortunately they could give a rats #%% about the content of those responses.   
[/quote]
You guys probably right , comment period for sure sham wow.