Possible Closure Of Fir Island To Hunting

[T-Bone]

I know the slobs could care less, but unless we all "police our own"; all Fir Island hunting (even the Skagit Bay front) could be history:

 http://refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=593392

[NWTFhunter]

Good read T bone. Thanks for posting it.
I have hunted that area for many years myself and have seen some crazy stuff too.
I have no problem reporting it to my WDFG buddy.
I will have to register on that other page so I can keep up there also.

[Buckshot Bill]

So does it take a special permit to hunt on the island or is it open to all public access?  It's unfortunate that once again the few bad apples are ruining it for the rest of the bunch.  You would think that the F&G would have a sizable force out there during the season to monitor this and help educate those in need.

[Ray]

You can hunt along the shore in a couple of places but the geese never land there unless they are injured or dead. That's usually pass shooting for geese and ducks.

The rest seems to be private property hunting coordinated with the WDFW - referred to as quality snow goose hunts...

I doubt that the quality snow goose hunts are in jeapordy quite yet but the public access areas along the shore could be.. It's my understanding that most land owners don't want the birds on their fields. Especially when they approach you and tell you that they were up after dark trying to scare them off their land... and seem to be pleased that hunters are helping.

[T-Bone]

The Skagit Wildlife Area offers a variety of public waterfowl hunting on Fir Island. A FREE permit is needed to hunt / shoot snow geese; available thru the WDFW prior to the season.

"Slob Hunters" are the BIG  PROBLEM with a group concentrated at the Jensen Access due to a narrow corridor of public land and a high number of snow geese. Elbow to elbow skybusting from the dike is very common at this location with jerks blasting away at EVERYTHING from sea gulls to swans to snow geese.

[singleshot12]

These few Slob Hunters are going to ruin it for us all, the same thing is happening near Stanwood . . . I wonder which is the best way to weed these guys out ?? 

[Ray]

I don't believe there is cause for alarm. The simplest solution is to close one strip of area to hunting and continue permit hunts in the farm areas.

The other strip at the end of Rawlins road is probably the only spot where there is some debate on what to do. You cannot regulate skybusting. You can regulate illegal activity. If the hunters do not collectively regulate themselves then the best answer is a closure if you ask me. I don't see it as a big loss ... mostly because the real quality hunting on land around there is not in either of these areas.. but that's just me.

To recap - I don't believe these incidents will close ALL of Fir Island to hunters. Probably they will consider regulating or closing the two public access areas near the shore... Low quality to me.

[ck]

I would hate to see the access areas closed to all hunting.  Maybe ban goose hunting from those areas or ban shooting from the dike, but we really don't need to lose any more access. Something needs to change though, I was down there a few times in Dec/Jan., and it was sad to watch the shooting that went on there.

[T-Bone]

I'm in favor of turning Jensen's into a bird watcher's site; I'm NOT in favor of many changes at the N.F. Access. I hunted it for over 20 years and if you read a tide chart; get your butt off the dike and learn the marsh; you can have some great days of hunting.

[Ray]

T-Bone I can respect your opinion. Although I might not usually drive that far to hunt that marsh only .. I believe that you can connect and get some good birding in over there. For me it's a simple question - Do I want to drive that far for that specific hunting area. I suppose I might on rare ocassion.