If the East Side Went to Permit Only!!!

[colockumelk]

Thank-you legacy.  I remember my Grandpa started with his .32 Remington with open sights and he used that until a stroke took him out of the game at 80.  In his later years he cursed the advent of a 4wheeler because he'd seen the damage that they have done to hunting. 

I think it's funny how much people freak out when I talk about road managment.  They act like I want to make it into a wilderness are with no wheeled traffic allowed.  Legacy I think both you and I know the real reason they freak out about road managment.  

[colockumelk]

ElkDawg.  Here's what the WDFW has to say about the road system affecting the Colockum Elk herd.

Achieving management goals in the Colockum
is problematic. Most Colockum antlerless harvest is
designed to address agricultural damage. Recruitment of
spike bulls through the hunting seasons has typically been
low. High road density is likely contributing to elk
vulnerability during damage and regular hunting seasons.
A change in regulation (True-spike) is being tried in an
attempt to increase bull escapement.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/status/09trend.pdf
Scroll down to page 79

[WDFW-SUX]

true spike is a band aid on a bullet wound.

[colockumelk]

The WDFW strait up told me that the true spike thing would only help the spike survival rate by 10-15%.  For a reference to that on average from 2003-2008 only 20% of spikes survive the hunting season.  Then out of that 20% that lived through the hunting season 10% of those die becaues of natureal causes.  So basically every year on average only 18% of spikes live through the season. 

Since 2002 the branch bull population has dropped by 78%.  In 2002 there were 391 branch bulls in the Colockum.  There are currently only 85 left.  Basically 11% drop a year.  So by about 2014 there will not be a breeding population of elk in the Colockum.  Thank you WDFW.

[colockumelk]

I'm going to go snag the paper I wrote in Biology about the Colockum Elk herd and edit a short and dirty version of it.  If any of you take the time to read it you will then realize why I am so adamant about the Colockum going to permit only.  You will also see why I am so worried about it.

The 78% drop in branch bulls since 2002 is literally not an exageration.  You are looking at a herd that has a branch bull to cow ratio of 2.83:100.  The reason is simple.  On average only 18% of spikes live to become branch bulls.  Mix in poachers, Indians and natural causes of death and you can see why the Colockum elk herd will cease to have a breeding population by 2014. 

[6x6in6]

I already treat my eastside tag buy as a draw only.  Sure, I go what seems to be every other year and wander around what used to be our traditional hunting area for 3-4 days and get peeved and just head home.  Been that way for going on 15 years now.  It's no big deal to me if they make it a draw only.  Someday I'll be fortunate enough to pull my bull tag.  Until then I will spend my quality elk hunting time continuing to grease the coffer's of the likes of WY, MT and CO.  Why?  The hunt experience is just that, an experience in observing a reasonable attempt at quality game management with the bonus of an enjoyable hunt experience. It's actually fun, like it used to be here, to know that you could drop that raghorn right now if you wanted to or hold out for something different.  And then see him again just about every day and say to yourself is today the day?  That's fun to me.  But hey, take my word for it.  I like the solitude.   
I do truly hope that some form of proper management does evolve for the sake of preserving the resource for years to come in this state.  That ball is in the WDFW's court.  Until they learn how to care for and manage the resource and not be so concerned that it's just a revenue generating tool  this states game will suffer and we will too.
I'm not so certain that either taking certain GMU's or dedicating certain PMU's as either OTC or draw would work so well.  We just flat have too many people that want to hunt and therefore the OTC units would be a forest of orange.
Realistically, I do beleive that going draw on the entire eastside would be best.  Including the NE.  If I were still a die hard had to take 9 days and hunt Eastern Washington every year person, I'd find my way up to wandering around the 49DN.  Hell yes!  It's elk hunting season and I have to go.
I'll still support this state with my license and tag buys as a resident eventhough I disagree an awful lot with how they conduct the business of game management.  I will guarentee you though that when I do pull my bull tag, and if this state has not made some form of forward steps towards properly manageing this resource of ours, I will not waste money any longer here!  Yes, they have me fish on until that time. 

[Elkaholic daWg]

The second thing to do is look at a map at all those roads that go into every little ravine and gully.  If you look at a map of the Colockum there's connecting roads and spur roads everywhere.  The road accesss is ridiculous.  So the next thing would be to close alot of those spur roads.  The main roads and a few of the connecting roads should stay open but close off all those spurs and the ones that lead nowhere.

You cut down road accesss you cut down on both types of poaching.  You will also give the elk and deer something which they currently do not have;  a place to escape to.  80% of the spikes get smoked every year because with an ATV and a spotting scope there isn't a place to hide.  We need to give them some places to escape to.  It's pretty simple really.

I know, I know God forbid we make guys walk anymore.  I wonder how my 80 year old grand-father was able to hunt elk.  Oh yeah he used his feet.

 I don't have a problem with anything  you  said in this or the previous post CE. Some of those spur roads have been blocked already (some just by vegetation). I still say that there is too much cover removal going on thanks to the DNR. One thing I have noticed is that just as the hunter safety must be given in Spanish- those signs should also be bi-lingual, since in all cases I have experienced up there....the driver could not read english(or could they?)
 One other thing...I hunt with a disabled hunter. Can't use thier feet...tragicly only 49 Y/O

[colockumelk]

I agree that the DNR has logged way too much.  Unfortunately the WDFW doesn't own all the land up there and therefore cannot control what the DNR does.  The only thing the WDFW CAN control is the hunting season.  If the WDFW was business executive in charge of resource managment (elk) in an area and had lost 78% of its resources in 6 years I guarantee you that they'd have been fired long ago.  Unfortunately a general season in that PMU is Mismanagment. 

We all know what the definition of insanity is right?  Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  If people think that things will get better they are either stupid or very very naive.  This herd has gone down hill for the past 20 years.  And especially the last 8 it has just plummeted.  Something needs to be done. 

I'll ask this.  Does anyone have ANY BETTER IEDEAS of what to do???  If so let me know.  I'd love to hear them.

Elkdawg I'm sorry to hear about your friends.  IMHO instead of letting able bodied men shoot cows in the hayfields or nearby they should let disabled and kids shoot them.  But we shouldn't not close down roads because of the disabled when it has a dramatic impact on the health of our elk herds.