The increased fees won't even maintain the current access. Most of the lands under agreement with WDFW under "Feel Free To Hunt", "Hunt By Written Permission", etc. were by agreement in exchange for signing of property for access and enforcement, planting of shrubs and trees and or food plots.
This was handled by field staff that essentially no longer exist. Ware and his peers didn't think much of that program and let it dwindle back to basically being nonexistent in it's ability to deliver the goods to landowners and sportsmen. The new vision is to pay for quality access......less but better. Only problem is when you start paying some, all the others that are basically giving you use of their land for the above nominal costs will also want payment. Human nature.........why should he get paid, especially when he has never been on the program and I have for 30 years and yet you are not paying me. Bye bye. Many have already left taking with them thousands and thousands of acres once open, due to lack of interest, stupid bureaucratic paperwork requirements, lack of enforcement, and general care less attitude as exhibited with letting the old program essentially disappear.
This is so much BS it's laughable, but understandable.............as they needed something to throw out to all of you to make you believe something good was going to be done with the increased revenues. The new permit system is just an example of how WDFW manages your wildlife resources and opportunities...............we think....we guess....we really don't know. Wildlife management in WDFW has been in the toilet for the past 20 years............and needs to be flushed and start anew.
