Little Naches now open for Early Season Archery

[norsepeak]

this topic got me fire up so I wrote the following letter to the game dept.  Probably won't do any good, but just had to say it.

To whom it may concern,
 
I am extemely concerned about a few issues including the proposed changes to the current hunting rules regarding archery elk hunting.  What is the reasoning behind making units 352-356 spike only for archery.  The average success rate for archery is very low, so it can't be from over harvest.  If you think that the overall herd population is low in that area, your crazy.  I spend 200+ days a year in the mountains around chinook pass including those units and there are a lot of elk up there.  Way more than you think there are because your serveys are very inaccurate.  This year in particular a lot of elk never even moved down out of the higher elevations due to lack of snow.
 
Next, making 346 open for spikes and cow during early archery is an absolutely horrible idea.  What is the reason for this?  That unit is one of the best big bull areas in entire state and you are going to ruin this hunt by putting the general season hunters in there with the bull hunters.  If anything, you should be increasing the number of big bull tags.  There are tons of big bulls up there.  During archery season, I usually call in 5-8 different big bulls per day!
 
Next, why on earth are you taking away another goat tag from the bumping unit?  The goats are doing excellent on Chinook pass, there are definetly way more goats than you guys think there are up there.  I can take you up from my house and within 5 minutes show you 30 goats.  You don't even fly that area in your surveys.  Mr. Rice's study said there is a population of approximatly 3800 goats in this state(which is very inaccurate) and your harvest goals are to havest 1%.  Well, I'm no mathmatician, but 1% of 3800 is 38 tags, not 15!  I know one of your goals is to reduce the number of nannys taken, well your 2008 havest data says that 5 nannys were taken....so how do you ruduce that?  Easy.  You make the goat tags OUTFITTER tags.  That way you have trained proffessionals determining sex, and you would actually be helping to stimulate the economy.
 
Next, the handling of the sheep issue in the Yakima River canyon was horrible.  Why didn't you let the guys with max sheep points harvest those animals?  I know some personally who would have used all of their points and paid upwards of $10,000 to harvest a ram.  That would have be huge for the sportsman of this state, instead of all the money that WE have raised to help the sheep through our tags sales and through WFNAWS being wasted, you could have actually made money to help the sheep and reduced the number of hunters with max points.  The quote in the Yakima Herald saying that the game department felt that the terrain was to rugged for hunters made me laugh.  I'd take anyone from the department out hiking any day, and we'll see who the terrain is to rugged for.
 
Next, the wolves.  Take a lesseon from Idaho.  I've hunted Idaho a lot of times, but I won't anymore.  The wolves have absolutely ruined the hunting in that state.  Keep in mind who pays your salaries and funds the game department.  Hunters!  Yep that's right the hunters are the ones who pay for everything, and we don't want wolves!  The wolves will ruin the hunting in this state within 3 years which in turn will greatly decrease the amount of revenue that the game department generates from hunting.  If that happens you will all be looking for jobs, just ask the folks in Idaho, they are polishing up their resumes right now.
 
I apologize if some of my comments seem harsh, but I'm one of many hunters in this state who are very frustrated.  I've been hunting in Washington for 25+ years and I'm very worried about the direction of the management of the hunting in this state.  Thank you for you time.
 
Signed,
A frustrated hunter.

[colockumelk]

I also wrote this letter to the director and the region three director.  Please read mine and send it as well.  Maybe if they get enough letters they will change their mind. 

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,45331.msg547965/topicseen.html#new

[SuperDave]

Well put guy's!  Hopefully it doesn't fall on deaf ears!

[hughjorgan]

Don't fool yourselves their minds are made up, it doesn't matter what you write, they will do what they want to do.

[rougheye]

good post norse     except for the outfitter thing 

[gasman]

Don't fool yourselves their minds are made up, it doesn't matter what you write, they will do what they want to do.

True, but better then sitting back and do nothing

[hughjorgan]

It is better than doing nothing. I gave them my opinion, though I doubt it will change their minds. The comment period is for PR purposes.

[colockumelk]

Don't fool yourselves their minds are made up, it doesn't matter what you write, they will do what they want to do.

That is not true.  You can't succeed if you don't try.  Last year the WDFW changed a number of their proposals due to members like us voicing our concerns and opinions.  It only takes a few moments to cut and paste the letter.  And it is well worth the effort.  Or you can sit back and do nothing.  Just don't complain when the WDFW changes things that you don't agree with.  It's kind of like when people complain about our President that didn't vote.  You only have yourself to blame.  

Not trying to pick on you hughjorgan.  Just saying when people say things like that then nothing positive comes of it.

[brianb231]

I sent in my e-mail and thoughts referencing other letters. It cant hurt. If this means that much to most of us the least we can do is shoot a e-mail or letter off. 

[brianmtsinc]

Please take time and send in your opinions to the WDFW - It might not help, but IT CAN'T HURT.

I have been hunting these areas for more than 18 years and I believe there are MORE elk now than anytime in the past.  I get into elk just about every day of my hunt and so do the 6+ guys I hunt with.  We also have been waiting YEARS for the Peaches draw, which could now get totally screwed up     

IMHO this is all about money.  I wish they would just leave the areas alone, leave the draw system alone, and if they "need" more money, charge me more - but don't mess up the one thing I spend all year looking forward too!   
 

[TeacherMan]

There is hope, last year they talked about opening GMU 101 for late whitetail, it never happend because of the out cry by sportsman.

[colockumelk]

There is hope, last year they talked about opening GMU 101 for late whitetail, it never happend because of the out cry by sportsman.

Thanks teacherman.  I couldn't remember which unit the WDFW changed their proposals on because of the out cry of sportsman.  Thanks.  So to all you negative nancy's.  There's an example of change.

To be honest with the WDFW.  I don't think they put much thought into this.  I think they saw a decrease in cow numbers in Goose Prairie.  THey cut cow tags and the archery antlerless hunts because most cows are harvested by the archers.  This solved problem #1.  Then to fix problem #2 they glanced on the map and opened the closest GMU closed to archers.  Bam solved problem #2.   Probably took about .2 seconds of thought.  If we send enough letters like the one I wrote then they WILL change it.

[hughjorgan]

Not sure if you guys caught the thread a while back, but somebody said that they were proposing to change goose prairie to spike only, so I think the WDFW has been thinking about doing this for a while. I don't think they took all of two seconds to make this decision. This has probably been in the works for quite a few months. Write your letters, like people said, it won't hurt. But IMO these proposals are pretty much set in stone.

[BAR C3]

There is hope, last year they talked about opening GMU 101 for late whitetail, it never happend because of the out cry by sportsman.

That is a fact! I saw the original proposal and was pist as hell as I'am now about 346. It did get removed and I hunted 101 this year. Saw no hunters and no deer due to the winter kill from the last two years. They did change there mind though! Get the calls and letters going.

[Matt]

I am kind of split on this decision.  On one side it will definately reduce the pressure on the herd in those units.  I used to hunt the wilderness area and rarely saw anyone.  Now there are plenty of hunters in there.  The Nile unit is a war zone from Sept- Dec it crazy how many guys are in there.  As for the little Naches thats a big rough area and it is full of motor cycles during the early season.  You really need to get off the beaten path.  I quit hunting the bumping/nile units in early season because it was just too crowded.

Personally I hope that this will thin the bowhunters out.  I may get some flack over that comment but it's true.  I think that anyone should be alowed to hunt anyway they want but there are a ton of guys out there that have no business hunting with a bow.  Only because they don't take the time to be proficeint with their equipment.  So on the other side of this I hope that it discourages those that fit this mold to try something else.  It may be off topic but kind of ties in.

I would like to see Washington be more like other states.  lessen the amount of units in the state and then allow quotas for each unit for over the counter tags.  When the amount of tags for that unit is reached no more tags issued.  That may piss a lot of people off but it would allow for the management of each herd by limitting or increasing opportunities.  Spread the hunters out.  Quite frankly I don't see how any spike can survive the bumping/nile and Behtel barage of the 4 months of war zone.  As it stands now I bet 40% of all elk hunters in this state hunt 10% of the elk population areas.

This state does need to do something.  It does not manage it's resources very well at all.  No matter what they do they will piss someone off.  Now they are talking about combining WDFW with other government agencies due to the budget shortfalls, so we will have more influence from non user groups as to how, when and where we hunt.  It's going to get worse before it gets better.  Just my .02.