Mountain Goats - Final Game Management Plan

[shanevg]

Interesting, reading through the final game management plan on WDFW website and I noticed when talking about mountain goats they say:

"Goat populations along the southern Cascades, the north shore of Lake Chelan, surrounding Mount Baker, and the Methow region appear to be stable to slightly increasing."

Overall I agree with the statement, but why was the Methow closed last season then?

Maybe they're going to open it up again this year?  Let's hope so!

[boneaddict]

Its a three year management plan, so I think its out for 2 more years.

[WDFW-SUX]

can we get a link?

[shanevg]

can we get a link?

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/management/2009-2015/final_game_management_plan_2009-2015.pdf

Page 66 I believe.

[WDFW-SUX]

Yeah I saw that one..

[Skyvalhunter]

yea were stuck for another 2 years with the current permit system.

[Houndhunter]

i really wish they'd give out more tags, not saying there over populated or anything but in the areas i hunt in goat rocks i see tons of them and im only hunting a small peice

[PacificNWhunter]

There seems to be more goats then they admit. I have been seeing them quite often in the alpine lakes wilderness on the west side.

[WDFW-SUX]

There are huntable pops in areas that have popular hiking trails so they put them off limits so there wont be any conflicts with other user groups...

[woodswalker]

There are huntable pops in areas that have popular hiking trails so they put them off limits so there wont be any conflicts with other user groups...

 
Freaking disneyfied granola crunchers.

[BillyG]

Happy New Year! Shane, good to see your staying on top of things. My Goat made gold award for SCI @ 30 2/8's and 49 5/8 unofficial. Will have B&C official numbers soon! Thank again!

[actionshooter]

There seems to be more goats then they admit. I have been seeing them quite often in the alpine lakes wilderness on the west side.

I agree, I was in an area last summer hiking and counted 37 in one sitting, from one location. The WDFW claims there are only 50 in the whole area. There is NO way I saw nearly 80% of the areas population in only 2% of the habitat.

[shanevg]

There seems to be more goats then they admit. I have been seeing them quite often in the alpine lakes wilderness on the west side.

I agree, I was in an area last summer hiking and counted 37 in one sitting, from one location. The WDFW claims there are only 50 in the whole area. There is NO way I saw nearly 80% of the areas population in only 2% of the habitat.

LOL, get used to it.  I know of multiple mountains with herds of 80+ that co-mingle with the huntable herds up by Baker but are still not even open to hunting!

[Viszla]

They aren't building up in Chelan.  We haven't seen any goats for a couple years now.  The WDFW has decimated the Chelan goat herd and the mule deer herd is about decimated as well.

[hirshey]

I think they are just a little timid to open up the hunts again even if we weren't amidst the 3 year plan, seeing as the result of their study (both west and east biologists came and presented twice in classes of mine at UW... once halfway through the study and once at the end) was pretty clear that a few of the struggling populations were only in trouble because they had allowed too many permits. Must be difficult as an agency to recognise and admit that the decline of a population is expressly your fault.. that you overestimated the reproduction rate vs. natural and hunter kills and the populations declined significantly because of it. I think they will end up being on the conservative side of mtn. goat tags for a significant amount of time now.. not saying that its right.. just that it is what I forsee.