Brain Storming "How to send the DFW the message"

[Special T]

We have all talked about differnet ways to sen the WDFW the "Message" and they just don't seem to get it still.... There only 3 ways to affect change 1 Your $$$ (my personal choice) 2 your vote 3 your time.
I think we need a good brain storming session on how to EFFECTIVELY promote change within the WDFW... Lets just toss out some ideas and organize some thoughts... Brainstorming BTW does not include shooting down or rating any of the  ideas. What has worked in the past, and what hasn't should be our next stage, but not this one. 

Here is my idea  Hit em in the wallet... I don't buy a fishing lic anymore because i don't like the way they run their program...  This year I'm not buying the big package... just my deer and elk instead of all 4... I would like to not buy at all but that's not possible... for me with out becoming an outlaw...

What are your ideas? the crazier the better! Most Great ideas come from thinking outside the box!

So I'll through out the first craze one.... put forth a initiative that requires WDFW employees to purchase a hunting and or fishing licence as a job requirement hunting for hunting related jobs and fishing for fishing related jobs!

[Galpster]

I am really ignorant on this subject, but, I believe the only way to get real change is to change the leadership we have now. Is this elected positions or? If so then we need to find and support a hunter/fisherman to run for these positions to make change.

If not then I believe it is having a well educated hunter/fisherman group attending these meetings and voicing the truth. If we conduct ourselves professionally and regularly attend these meetings and discussions our voices will be heard.

change will not happen for sure if we just continue to complain about it and do nothing.

Great post by the way, I am looking forward to the ideas. If we get some real good ones maybe we all can act on it and make change!!

[Gobble]

I think we need a good brain storming session on how to EFFECTIVELY promote change within the WDFW...

HOPE and CHANGE, that sounds familiar 

[ICEMAN]

If I said what I am thinking, I would probably be arrested. Instead of jailtime, how about these ideas; 

I think the best way to send the message of what we want is to rally in their faces with signs and a bit of anger. Show some anger and force the discussion you want. The media already has decided all hunters are a bunch of whackos.  So who cares about the image? Maybe bus angry hunters to commisioners homes and protest in their neighborhoods.

Investigate the private dealings and indescretions of anyone involved in the decision making processes.

Get every hunter and fisherman in the state to pay for our licenses and tags with pennies and nickels. Piss of vendors so much that wildlife will have to start selling to the public again. This is half the problem, they have discarded all fiscal and customer service contact with the hunters that they are free to screw with you from a distance.

Post the salaries and any and all publically available information that you can get your hands on about every employee of Wildlife, and post it on the internet.

Get a few hundred hunters to hang a BA at them from their parking lot. 

[Sporting_Man]

I think that we have to improve the image and show that mission of hunting community is to preserve and enjoy the nature, just as much as green groups do... In other words, we should be better established and show our genuine concern for our resources to the wider public, rather than to have wolf groups and similar idiots take things in their hands... Our stand should be put against theirs and compete in every way, in front of the public eye. I don't see a problem there, we would not fake anything, just show it in a better light. I see that hunters somehow shy away when needed to present what's good about us in general...
With the above process, we need to be more present with comission and try to change things within. Someone mentioned monitoring them, especially have their special dealings under scope. This one is hard and I don't know how...  

[singleshot12]

+ 1    and also if we could elect our own commisioners rather than they chosing their own - - Big Step in the right direction

[DOUBLELUNG]

What is the message?  What change do we want?  We need to agree on that before we try to communicate ...

I want: draw-only for eastern WA deer and elk for all user groups, general for west side. (like oregon)
I want: less harvest of bucks for more escapement and older age classes.  (like we already do for eastern elk)

Bet these are not messages we all agree on.

I want: 2/3 of all WDFW employees deployed in the field, rather than 60% in Olympia.
I want: Department of Game separated out of WDFW, and the regulatory part of Habitat Program and threatened and endangered species conservation functions put into Ecology.
I want: every professional employee sent through an academy and commissioned to enforce hunting and fishing WACs (like ID and CO).
I want: ski areas, concert venues and other conflicting uses off wildlife areas.

[bobcat]

I had a post typed up saying almost exactly what Doublelung just said. So I won't repeat it. But yes, that is the problem, the "message" is different for everybody. Some people want more quality, some just care about quantity.

I'm with Doublelung in wanting draw only hunting for eastern wa. deer and elk. But most people are not.

That is the problem. Everybody wants different things. The WDFW has a tough job trying to make everybody happy. I don't agree with some of the things they have done, but I also realize that what they are doing is trying to please those who whine the most.

[Sporting_Man]

I think that we are far from drawing our wish lists and have perfect hunting opportunities. We have a system of management that doesn't work (problems outside of the hunting community, mostly).
- Wolves, tribal hunting, habitat loss... general public against hunters...
- Commercial and tribal regulations, sea lions, hatchery vs. native, etc. - just to mention a few...

[Curly]

I'm not sure how to send the message, but one thing we need to do is flood the commission meetings with concerned sportsmen and get more people to send in letters.  The March commission meeting was sad with only about a half dozen hunters/fisherman there and one wolf hugger there for public input.

But it is discouraging when it seems that the commission seems to listen more to the WDFW staff than the public.........  I'm starting to think that mergeing WDFW, Parks, and DNR might be alright; but I'd like to try getting more people involved in flooding the commission members with letters first to see if they get it.  (I'm still pissed about the commission's vote on the special permit changes)..

[Special T]

Ok so the message is more important than how we send it... good... what are some of the core points that we think most hunters can agree on? lets make a list and then put it to a pol.... its easier to move forward with a few 3-5 points that 90% agree on than a whole laundry list of things... what 3-5 thing would ralley us together and make the largest impact?
1 I like the point of seperating the game aspect of WDFW from the endangerd speices stuff.
2 I like the idea of voting for the wdfw commision, with some kind of emphesis on hunters and fisherman getting more voice for thier pay...  People are usually willing to pay the cost of a program if they can see the tangable benifits... I hate paying more but if the wdfw spen more time and doing the right things to improve hunting and fishing i'd be willing to pay more. 

I must say i like the first 3 points that dble lung had on his post. 

[Curly]

I like all of Doubleloung's points too.

I think what most of us would like is more animals.  I think that means reducing the amount of antlerless harvest, reducing road access in some units, and increasing the harvest of cougars, bears, coyotes, and wolves.  Also, WDFW needs to stop taking away opportunity......look at what they did with the hound guys and coyote hunting and what they are talking about with hunting at night.

[Galpster]

1- elect the officials / or requirements to be able to have the position like stated already
2- reduce small buck (inmature) and anterless harvest - could have special hunts for the handicapped and youth to still take some of these animals
3- increase predator harvest
4- Department of Game separated out of WDFW

Not necessarily in that order but I believe that would have the most impact.

Please add or take away from!!

[boneaddict]

I read Bobcats post in the recycle bin and wondered why he deleted it.  It was pretty similiar to Doublelungs.   Have to agree on the message before you can get it across.   He who squeeks the loudest seems to get the prize in this state. 

One suggestion would be to be part of organizations that do what you think or has a similiar mission to what you want.  Being active on this site is just one part of that.  THen there is the muledeer foundation, RMEF, WSB, Pheasants forever, Washington Trappers association etc.  The bigger the group, the louder the squeek.  Once again, ask the hound hunters and trappers what they know about not being heard. 

[bobcat]

I read Bobcats post in the recycle bin and wondered why he deleted it.  It was pretty similiar to Doublelungs.   Have to agree on the message before you can get it across.   He who squeeks the loudest seems to get the prize in this state.

Well, I typed my post at the same time as Doublelung, but then when I posted it I read his, and it looked like I was just copying what he said.

As for what Curly said, that what we all want is "more animals," most people would probably agree with that by itself, but they also apparently don't want more animals at the expense of less hunting opportunity. So it's not easy to come up with a way to have more animals. The other problem in many areas is with more animals comes more crop damage and with that the WDFW is paying out more money to landowners.

There are some things that would give us more animals to hunt without reduced hunting opportunity, but these things more mostly out of the control of the WDFW. Tribal hunting/poaching is one thing, that if managed better could help to increase deer and elk numbers in certain areas. Another thing is a reduction of predators such as coyotes, cougars, and bears, but this has become harder to do with hounds and baiting taken away. One more thing that has a lot of potential, is we need more fire to create better habitat for deer and elk.

As hunters we should be supporting controlled burns on state and National Forest lands. I've seen many times where people, including hunters, will complain about controlled burns that the Forest Service has planned. After decades of putting out fires, we need to get our forests opened back up and healthy again, and as a result we will see a lot more game. So when you hear of a controlled burn in the works, or a wildfire that the forest service has decided to let burn, don't complain!