Free: Contests & Raffles.
*ADDED 3/10/2010 PETITION FOR RULE CHANGE – DECISION: Pursuant to Pursuant to RCW 34.05.330, the Commission will discuss and consider a petition for rule change submitted by Stevens County Commissioners and related to the next agenda item (#15). The Commission may either (a) deny the petition in writing, stating (i) its reasons for the denial, specifically addressing the concerns raised by the petitioner, and, where appropriate, (ii) the alternative means by which it will address the concerns raised by the petitioner, or (b) initiate rule-making proceedings
the pend oreille county sportsmans club voted to support this petition as well (part of unit 117 is in this county) and I think the commissioners will support it. I think it's for a 3 pt though?
I promise they are trying to fool all of us trying to save as many deer to feed enough to Diamond pack and some new packs coming in. So it will balance out ok for 3 years at least then worst after that will happen for sure.Mulehunter
Quote from: mulehunter on March 11, 2010, 10:30:17 AMI promise they are trying to fool all of us trying to save as many deer to feed enough to Diamond pack and some new packs coming in. So it will balance out ok for 3 years at least then worst after that will happen for sure.Mulehunter that's untrue. The people pushing this are the sportsmen.
Like everywhere else in the state, if they want larger deer herds maybe they should just cut down the archery and muzzle season.
Antler restrictions are not synonymous with Quality DeerManagement. Rather, antler restrictions are a strategy to protect a specific age class (generally1½ -year-old bucks, also called yearlings) or classes of bucks.
Many antler restrictions have beenused, including point, spread and beam length requirements as well as Boone & Crockett score. Allrestrictions have advantages and disadvantages. The key to implementing an effective strategy is todevise it from local data and then educate local sportsmen and women on the benefits.
Antler spread is a better predictor of whether a buck is 1½ or 2½ years orolder, and is therefore a more biologically sound approach to protecting yearlings.
The QDMA is encouraged by the increasing number ofstates implementing strategies to protect yearling bucks. In general, the QDMA prefers the voluntarypassing of yearling bucks to mandatory antler regulations. However, we recognize that antlerrestrictions may be justified in some situations to achieve specific deer management objectives. Inthe long term, QDMA is optimistic that enough hunters will voluntarily pass young bucks that antlerrestrictions will become unnecessary and even cumbersome to more sophisticated management.
The percentage of bucks in the harvest has declined in most states during the past decade. This isa positive trend for the health of deer herds and habitat and for the future of hunting. The QDMArecommends deer herds are maintained in balance with their habitat, with balanced adult sex ratiosand age structures. This situation is obtained by harvesting the biologically appropriate number ofantlerless deer and by protecting young bucks. For most states, adult bucks (1½ years and older)should constitute less than half of the total deer harvest, and yearlings should constitute lessthan half of the adult buck harvest.
I've hunted Stevens County for over 30 years and have never shot a buck with less than five points on at least one side. I'm sure even some of the 4 x 5's I've taken weren't more than 2 1/2 years old. I think it's a good idea to let 'em grow up a bit.
Yea I know how it is I don't shoot anything less than 8 point mule deer myself!!
I've hunted Stevens County for over 30 years and have never shot a buck with less than five points on at least one side.