youth season...am i imagining things?

[jackelope]

so my buddy asked me about a youth season that i swore up and down was a week before the general season, maybe a weekend only or something along those lines. he called me last night to ask me WTF i was talking about and i just went and looked and there is no youth only season this year...did they eliminate it? i don't have any youth hunters in my house yet, so i don't recall stuff like this.
am i imagining things or did they get rid of it this year?

[julzzz]

Skookumckuck D is a youth only permit and its for any deer and it starts Oct. 10 and goes to the 31st.

[cabin308]

There is a youth modern firearm season in some Eastern WA GMUs like last year but they removed the late season any WT deer in NE WA GMUs.  Plus there are the youth special permits for deer, too. 
The only youth season I can think of that opens before the general season is the statewide youth only upland bird hunt this weekend (Sept 26-27). 

[jackelope]

There is a youth modern firearm season in some Eastern WA GMUs like last year but they removed the late season any WT deer in NE WA GMUs.  Plus there are the youth special permits for deer, too. 
The only youth season I can think of that opens before the general season is the statewide youth only upland bird hunt this weekend (Sept 26-27). 

i should have been more specific. last year there was a youth only whitetail hunt in the NE and if i remember correctly it was the weekend before the general modern opener. i have looked over the reg's thoroughly(by my standards) and found nothing this year. i could have missed something.
youths can still shoot whitetail does down in some gmu's in the Blues this year during general, but i couldn't find the youth NE seasons.

[cabin308]

You're right, I went through this years regs and found nothing about an early youth hunt.  On that note though, looking at the 2008 regs I can't find what you're saying about an early opening youth hunt last year that got eliminated this year?      Not trying to    or call you out but I don't see it. 
   http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/huntregs2008.pdf

[jackelope]

You're right, I went through this years regs and found nothing about an early youth hunt.  On that note though, looking at the 2008 regs I can't find what you're saying about an early opening youth hunt last year that got eliminated this year?      Not trying to    or call you out but I don't see it. 
   http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/huntregs2008.pdf

you're certainly not calling me out or stirring the pot. i said i could be imagining things 2-3 times.

[cabin308]

It's all good  .  You said that hunt existed last year when it didn't.  I only meant to help clarify  .

last year there was a youth only whitetail hunt in the NE and if i remember correctly it was the weekend before the general modern opener. i have looked over the reg's thoroughly(by my standards) and found nothing this year. i could have missed something.

[runningboard]

last year's  NE youth season ran from the close of modern season until the open of late season. shortened this year.

[jackelope]

last year's  NE youth season ran from the close of modern season until the open of late season. shortened this year.

thank you..i guess i had it on the wrong end of the season.

[turbo]

I wonder why they are cutting back on youth hunts? Not a good idea IMO unless your goal is to reduce future hunters??

[JackOfAllTrades]

I have last years regs at home.. For three years runnin I've taken my son to LPO for the youth any deer hunt in November for a doe. Then we continued my general/late hunt for the east side. They did away with the youth only season this year. Last year, the youth hunt carried into the late buck, for any deer for kids, but it wasn't a 'youth only' season. General tag holders had to shoot a buck.

-Steve

[bowpredator]

The only one I can think about is the skookumchuck unit which opens on the 10th. My son drew this tag this year so it should be interesting.

[Pathfinder101]

I'll bet it had to do with the winter kill in the NE.

[lazydrifter]

The state started cutting back on a lot of the youth seasons some years ago.  They had alot of 200 unit seasons that were either sex whitetail and mulie for youth.  I was told that they had to many complaints from adult hunters because the kids all wanted to shoot bucks so they were shooting alot of the 2 points.  Then they went to a permit and it was for a doe or 3 point or better.  In a lot of the 100 unit areas it still is either sex for youth but it must be a whitetail and it is not a permit.
I hope I made sense with all of this babble.

Brant

[runningboard]

I'll bet it had to do with the winter kill in the NE.

[nw_bowhunter]

Made sense..to bad they are cutting back youth tags... Let them hunt does and apply for youth buck tags.

[DOUBLELUNG]

The state started cutting back on a lot of the youth seasons some years ago.  They had alot of 200 unit seasons that were either sex whitetail and mulie for youth.  I was told that they had to many complaints from adult hunters because the kids all wanted to shoot bucks so they were shooting alot of the 2 points.  Then they went to a permit and it was for a doe or 3 point or better.  In a lot of the 100 unit areas it still is either sex for youth but it must be a whitetail and it is not a permit.
I hope I made sense with all of this babble.

Brant

In the 200 units in the Columbia Basin, youth general was switched to permit only to limit buck harvest, as escapement was suffering in some units.  That tied in nicely with the need to go permit only for youth in GMUs in Chelan and Okanogan Counties on National Forest where a LOT of dirtbag dads were covering illegal does with kids' tags.  It was an LE, not buck escapement issue on the NF.  Most of the dirtbag daddies are not the type to put their kids in for permits, so permit-only also helped cut out an opportunity for the worst of the ranks to launder an illegal doe.  That is not PC, but is fact, and it worked very well.  As always, it is the dirtbags among us who spoil things for all of us.

[jackelope]

thanks doublelung

[PA BEN]

PAGE; 17 2009 REG.s

Hunters 65 and Over, Disabled, or Youth Modern Firearm General Deer Seasons
Eastern
Washington
White-tailed Deer
Oct. 17-30 101-124 Any white-tailed deer

Oct. 17-25 127-142, 145, 154, Deer Area 1010, 172-178 White-tailed, 3 pt. min. or , antlerless

[PolarBear]

We use to run into guys who had a truck load of kids in the hills.  The dad would shoot the doe and the kid would tag it.  We watched one guy with 4 kids in his rig shoot 3 mulie does (actually one was still a fawn) from the window of his truck in the same clearcut above Chelan.  By the end of the day they all had their does.  That is one reason that I am against an open doe season for youth, the kids didn't shoot them, the dad did.  

[PA BEN]

We use to run into guys who had a truck load of kids in the hills.  The dad would shoot the doe and the kid would tag it.  We watched one guy with 4 kids in his rig shoot 3 mulie does (actually one was still a fawn) from the window of his truck in the same clearcut above Chelan.  By the end of the day they all had their does.  That is one reason that I am against an open doe season for youth, the kids didn't shoot them, the dad did.  

As far as my family it's the best way to get kids out hunting. I know there is the DIP-S#^t out there shooting them for there kids, but I don't and I know a lot of first time kid hunters who shoot there own deer. I'm sure these dads who shot there kids deer are doing a lot more damage in other areas of there kids lives too. I think it's good and turn in the poachers.

[jackelope]

PAGE; 17 2009 REG.s

Hunters 65 and Over, Disabled, or Youth Modern Firearm General Deer Seasons
Eastern
Washington
White-tailed Deer
Oct. 17-30 101-124 Any white-tailed deer

Oct. 17-25 127-142, 145, 154, Deer Area 1010, 172-178 White-tailed, 3 pt. min. or , antlerless

PA Ben-
thanks  , i read this years regs, i was more curious about last years.

[lazydrifter]

yeah I had my youngest with me and he shot this big mulie doe.  We didn't realize it at the moment but we had 3 guys watching us across a small canyon.  They came over and congratulated him and said they had already watched 3 different dads shoot deer for their kids.  My kids probably would've shot me if I had shot their deer.

[PolarBear]

Dads shooting deer for their kids doesn't introduce them to hunting just poaching. 

[runningboard]

it must happen often enough, when my boy got his buck last year and we took it to the butcher, one of his hired hands had the nerve to ask my son if he really was the one who got it. my son proudly told him he did but it kinda pi$$ed me off that he even asked

[Schmalzfam]

The year before I had my tag which was 1999 or 2000 youth could hunt anything I believe. Than, the next year it was drawings. I was bummed but it did make sense. We put our kids in for anterless or like our older one is shooting a muzzle loader in hope for a better chance at a buck. He has shot 2 does and wants a buck now. Our youngest put in for a 2nd deer tag in Conconully and got drawn, he got his first deer(doe). The youth don't have their own season unless it's waterfowl/upland but, there are plenty of tags. It's kinda like a double win if they get drawn. I know my boys always were excited and felt like "winners" just to be drawn but, knew if they didn't they just had to work harder. Which, is a good thing.
I do think it wouldn't be a bad idea that with the youth's first deer/elk tag came some type of permit for a doe/cow. But, I don't think that just because they are youth they should be able to shoot anything. I think it teaches them that they need to always be aware of what they are shooting and the laws of different areas. I mean otherwise it could turn into who cares just shoot it for many years. I think they are doing a fine job with the way they handle the youth hunts.