Free: Contests & Raffles.
After the proposed rule change in 2009, I quickly emailed different embers of the Washington Department of Fish and Game the following inquiry:"After reading through the new 2009 hunting regulations I have a number of questions and clarifications regarding the new mountain goat rules. It says in the regulations that the director can close certain sub populations. Does this mean that sub populations can be closed mid-season, or does this mean that from season to season, the areas will change? If someone gets drawn for a given unit, will they be guaranteed to be able to hunt every area listed in the brief area description in the regulations?"Although the response I received from Donny Martorello was not exactly what I had hoped to hear, it did make one thing clear to me: that mountain goat applicants would be able to hunt the units they applied for and that any changes in hunting units would take place after the season was over. The following is the response email from Donny Martorello:"Mr. VG:Thank you for your letter to the Fish and Wildlife Commission regarding mountain goat regulation changes. The Commission has asked that I respond to your questions directly. Our intention for the rule changes is to make mountain goat regulations more dynamic and flexible in order to adjust hunting seasons in a timely manner if populations are over-harvested. That being said, our intent is not to change permit levels or hunt boundaries once these are published in the annual hunting pamphlet. We want flexibility between seasons rather than within an existing season. In regard to the hunt unit boundary, currently we are drafting the new hunt area boundaries for Mt. Baker and anticipate these to be out and available to the public this month. If you have specific questions about Mt. Baker, please do not hesitate in contacting our District Biologist, Mike Davison, at (360) 466-4345, ext 280.Thank you again for taking the time to ask the Department to further clarify the new rule changes.Sincerely,Donny MartorelloCarnivore, Furbearer, and Special Species Section Manager"I have emphasized the specific area of the email in question. I personally knew both applicants of the Mt. Baker West mountain goat tag in 2009. I hunted with both applicants and scouted multiple days with both of them before season. Not only were they not given their hunt boundaries until the beginning of August, but WDFW decided it would be best to split the unit up into 2 units - the Chowder Ridge and Lincoln Creek units, but they randomly drew the two hunters and limited them to each specific unit. That was very frustrating for all parties involved as both hunters had been scouting both units the entire summer! Additionally, the hunt that the applied for - the Mt. Baker West hunt was listed in the regulations with the following: "Subpopulations Open to Hunting: Chowder Ridge, Black Buttes." In the end, both hunters got to hunt the unit they preferred to hunt, so they did not complain to much, but that would not be the case with each and every hunter.My father has hunted the Coleman Pinnacle subunit in the Mt. Baker East unit multiple times in the past. He applied points only for the 8 or so years that the Mt. Baker herds were closed in hopes of being able to hunt that unit again if it was ever opened. Since WDFW re-opened the Mt. Baker goat herds to hunting again, the Coleman Pinnacle unit is the only unit he has ever applied for. He wants to hunt the unit he grew up hunting and the unit he knows where the goats are. If he gets drawn for the Mt. Baker East unit, under the current management strategy, WDFW would have a "mini-drawing" to decide which sub-unit he wants to hunt. Living in Lynden, we are only an hour drive from the trailhead for the Coleman Pinnacle subpopulation. ON the other hand, reaching the Dillard Creek unit takes a minimum of 2.5 hours to reach because we have to drive around the entire mountain to get there. Additionally, my father and I observe mountain goats whenever we possibly can, we want to hunt the units we know like Coleman Pinnacle, not the units we have never been too like Dillard Creek. Also, although the Lake Ann unit does have some good mountain goats, they tend to migrate in and out of the National Park due to pressure and they are in a unit that we do not know as well as the Coleman Pinnacle unit.Ultimately, the entire purpose of special hunt applications is giving the hunter the option to draw the unit that he/she wants to hunt. Unfortunately, your current system for distributing mountain goat tags does not give hunters the choice anymore. I understand the desire to leave units flexible to adjust to hunting pressure, but that is still possible if hunters get to choose what subpopulation they want to hunt. One year you can have all five subpopulations open. If the herd is not responding well to hunting, then you can temporarily close a subpopulation and add a second tag to a separate subpopulation. If the problem is that you can't know how herds are doing until after the pamphlets are printed, then do what some other states do and state that these are preliminary tag distribution numbers, if a unit can't support hunting that year, just don't draw for that unit. This option would provide the best opportunity for everyone all around. Not only would hunters get to choose the specific subpopulations that they want to hunt, but it would spread out the mountain goat hunters into more hunt options creating better draw odds.Please consider the needs of the average hunter. Hunters want to choose where they get to hunt, based on the areas they know. I spend many days each and every summer photographing mountain goats in the Mt. Baker herds and if I ever get lucky enough to draw a tag, I want to be hunting a unit that I am familiar with, not a unit I have never stepped foot in. Under your current tag distribution system, that cannot be guaranteed. If you adopt the more fair system that I have suggested, not only would you be staying true to your original intentions as stated in the above email, but you would allow hunters the choice that they desire and that your current draw system was designed to provide.
Shane, your letter sounds like a more sound management plan and I'd support your assessment as I know you spend many days in the units you've addressed. I wish the department would recoginize the field work we do as conservationest . I'd sugest you put in for a federal grant to study the goats. At least it will help pay for your time and gass!. Thanks for working for sound management!Annette
Mr. VG,Thank you for your email to the Fish and Wildlife Commission and others. I have forwarded it to each Commissioner for their information.Feel free to contact the Commission Office with any questions.Nancy BurkhartCommission Administrative Assistant
