Snow Goose Rules????

[h2ofowlr]

What about those that use garbage bags or sheet squares for decoys.  It has to be actual size or bigger than a mallard decoy.   The decoys have to be in immediate control?  If the snows shift left and you move left to shoot and are not right by your decoys spread, you get a ticket.  Who thinks this stuff up.  

Skagit County Special Restrictions
It is unlawful to discharge a firearm for the purpose
of hunting waterfowl within 100 feet of any paved
public road on Fir Island or to discharge a firearm for
the purpose of hunting snow geese within 100 feet
of any paved public road in other areas of Skagit County. It is unlawful
to hunt snow geese on Fir Island, Skagit County, inland of surrounding
dikes, unless each hunter sets up a minimum of 24 snow geese decoys.
Additionally, it is unlawful to hunt snow geese over decoys unless the
decoys are set up in a realistic pattern, are under the immediate control of
the hunter, and are not left unattended. For the purposes of this section
a "decoy" is defined as any structure the size of or larger than a mallard
duck decoy. A violation of this section is punishable under RCW 77.15.400.
While hunting snow geese, if a hunter is convicted of 1) trespass,
2) shooting from, across, or along the maintained part of any public highway,
3) discharging a firearm for the purpose of hunting waterfowl within
100 feet of any paved public road on Fir Island or discharging a firearm for
the purpose of hunting snow geese within 100 feet of any paved public
road in other areas of Skagit County, 4) exceeding the daily bag limit for
snow geese, or 5) violating decoy requirements, written authorization will
be invalidated for the remainder of the current snow goose season and an
authorization will not be issued for the subsequent snow goose season.

[satchel3006]

thats stupid what the realistic pattern? that doesn't make any sense. also anybody see the new regs out? i talked to a guy at wholesales sports and they got a big shipment of them in but they were last years same at walmart as well

[ducksdoom12]

go online. they have this years up now. 
I like the not being able to shoot within 100 feet of a paved road, but the min. of 24 decoys? wtf, what if you are crossing a field to get to a pond to hunt ducks and snows happen to fly over you well within range? u supposed to stand there and wave as they fly by?

[terrellwa]

It is unlawful to hunt snow geese on Fir Island, Skagit County, inland of surrounding dikes, unless each hunter sets up a minimum of 24 snow geese decoys

Remember this only pertains to Fir Island I know that is where most snows are hunted but if you are walking a field or setting in the bay in your layout boat and they fly over well within range 

[singleshot12]

I think this is a great ruling!  This should help eliminate the ground pounders and sky blasters on the dike and most definately provide quality hunting with a lot less idiots out there.  Responsable hunting = more farmers permission too 
Something had to be done, things were way out of control out there.

[Special T]

There has been a long battle between farmers needing/wanting hazing of snows to prevent crop damage, and others on the island. Mostly people who have constant bad experiences and bunny huggers... I think the place is a GD zoo most weekends...I won't hunt out there most of the time because of it... I want to see birds cupped coming into the blocks.  When some jag-off throws steel at 90yrds up and passing geese or ducks i just want to go home.   I'm much happier with 2-3 birds that decoy well that combat hunting with a bunch of clowns...    That said it has been VERY satisfying to be where birds want to be when the circus is in... 4 limits of decoying birds when that happens makes me  

[Dustin07]

my only question is "realistic" decoy.

This is a very broad term and can leave you up to the mercy of the mood of the gamie that morning. Maybe today his coffee was good and those diapers are spread in realistic way. Maybe tomorrow his coffee is burnted and your foam cutouts look like a garbage dump to him.

Terrell and Singleshot make two good points though.

a. out in the bay these things seem not to apply (good thing too, remember that one we took last year Mike?)
b. where it does apply, some of the new rules MAY make the hunting better? maybe? we'll see.

[CP]

“Realistic” applies to the spread, not the decoy itself.  But that part is too subjective to be enforceable.  That part doesn’t bother me but the definition of a decoy as a structure does.

struc•ture (strkchr)
n.
1. Something made up of a number of parts that are held or put together in a particular way: hierarchical social structure.
2. The way in which parts are arranged or put together to form a whole; makeup: triangular in structure.
3. The interrelation or arrangement of parts in a complex entity: political structure; plot structure.
4. Something constructed, such as a building.

So, is a white rag wrapped around a tuff of grass or tied to a stake a structure?  It is an effective decoy but I’m not sure that it’s legal by this definition.

[Dustin07]

“Realistic” applies to the spread, not the decoy itself.  But that part is too subjective to be enforceable.  That part doesn’t bother me but the definition of a decoy as a structure does.

struc•ture (strkchr)
n.
1. Something made up of a number of parts that are held or put together in a particular way: hierarchical social structure.
2. The way in which parts are arranged or put together to form a whole; makeup: triangular in structure.
3. The interrelation or arrangement of parts in a complex entity: political structure; plot structure.
4. Something constructed, such as a building.

So, is a white rag wrapped around a tuff of grass or tied to a stake a structure?  It is an effective decoy but I’m not sure that it’s legal by this definition.

depends on how complex of an entity it is, and it's political leanings.

[CP]

Yep.  I'm sending an email to the dept for some clarification.

[Snowman]

I think this is a great ruling!  This should help eliminate the ground pounders and sky blasters on the dike and most definately provide quality hunting with a lot less idiots out there.  Responsable hunting = more farmers permission too 
Something had to be done, things were way out of control out there.

There has been a long battle between farmers needing/wanting hazing of snows to prevent crop damage, and others on the island. Mostly people who have constant bad experiences and bunny huggers... I think the place is a GD zoo most weekends...I won't hunt out there most of the time because of it... I want to see birds cupped coming into the blocks.  When some jag-off throws steel at 90yrds up and passing geese or ducks i just want to go home.  I'm much happier with 2-3 birds that decoy well that combat hunting with a bunch of clowns...    That said it has been VERY satisfying to be where birds want to be when the circus is in... 4 limits of decoying birds when that happens makes me 

  Or some yahoo cuts your son off with out thinking twice about it. Great rule, 110% in agreence with this... Less idiots equals better hunting and better realtions with land and home owners on the island.  Don't even mimd the decoy rule, because most the idiots won't bother...

[h2ofowlr]

Unfortunately we have scene the guys chasing snow geese double in the past 3-4 years, so it sucks that so many have ruined it that the WDFW has to go to the extent it has.  I am definitely not a fan of the ground pounders as they have educated and crippled a lot of birds.  WDFW should just start pulling snow goose cards when they see it.  It will get the repeat offenders off the island.

[Dustin07]

it surprises me to see people pushing the limit the way they do on the island. I personally do not like to hunt within anyones view. makes me feel weird. but on the island you'll see guys shooting from their trucks on the side of the road, tresspassing, hunting the field right next to 100 people watching the birds. it's odd to me.

[h2ofowlr]

Like refuge hunting.  Another hunting party set up 150 yards from you.  Times that by 15 in the area plus decoy sets in private fields.  Pretty interesting.  Everyone that doesn't come up from Seattle to hunt, usually has a camera to take pictures of the geese.

[singleshot12]

Entertainment at it's finest!   Geese,hunters,game wardens,and bird watchers all chasing each other around in circles all day long (kind of a joke actually) but what the hey it's what western washington bird hunting has become.
I thought it was great tho when two bird watchers were issued citations for walking out into the field during season to take pics of geese, they were ticketed for harassing wildlife, bout time

[boots]

Skagit County Special Restrictions
It is unlawful to discharge a firearm for the purpose
of hunting waterfowl within 100 feet of any paved
public road on Fir Island or to discharge a firearm for
the purpose of hunting snow geese within 100 feet
of any paved public road in other areas of Skagit County. It is unlawful
to hunt snow geese on Fir Island, Skagit County, inland of surrounding
dikes, unless each hunter sets up a minimum of 24 snow geese decoys.
Additionally, it is unlawful to hunt snow geese over decoys unless the
decoys are set up in a realistic pattern, are under the immediate control of
the hunter, and are not left unattended. For the purposes of this section
a "decoy" is defined as any structure the size of or larger than a mallard
duck decoy. A violation of this section is punishable under RCW 77.15.400.
While hunting snow geese, if a hunter is convicted of 1) trespass,
2) shooting from, across, or along the maintained part of any public highway,
3) discharging a firearm for the purpose of hunting waterfowl within
100 feet of any paved public road on Fir Island or discharging a firearm for
the purpose of hunting snow geese within 100 feet of any paved public
road in other areas of Skagit County, 4) exceeding the daily bag limit for
snow geese, or 5) violating decoy requirements, written authorization will
be invalidated for the remainder of the current snow goose season and an
authorization will not be issued for the subsequent snow goose season.

What about the dike itself? I see how a person could read it two different ways depending on whether the rule includes the front edge or the back edge of the dike...or even the middle of the dike?

[h2ofowlr]

Top of the dike to the bay okay with no decoys. You drop down on the back side or inside you will get sited.  You best hide on the bay front side.

[Dustin07]

Top of the dike to the bay okay with no decoys. You drop down on the back side or inside you will get sited.  You best hide on the bay front side.

the worst dike skyblasters IMO aren't even on fir island they are further south, IMO. I haven't had too much issue with guys ruining shots from the FI dikes. But at the other place they'll pop their 5 gallon buckets upside down on top of the dike and blast em as they are coming in on your deeks.

[boots]

Top of the dike to the bay okay with no decoys. You drop down on the back side or inside you will get sited.  You best hide on the bay front side.

Thats the same thing I was thinking. It sounds like there still can be the guys on the dike shooting at the geese and driving them up into the jet stream

[Mr56Jeep]

I drove through that area on my way back from B'ham with a buddy of mine last January.  We stopped along the north fork just to turn the truck around.  Well, this big flock of snows are coming off the water and over they dike at ever bit of 100 yards and probably closer to 125 or 150.  A huge volley of a dozen rounds go off.  My buddy starts looking around and says "What are they shooting at?".... To this day he still can't honestly believe that someone would take a shot at a flock of birds that far up. 

[CP]

Better get clarification before you pass shoot off the dike.  I would interpret “inland of surrounding dikes” to start at the seaward edge of the dike, not the inland edge.  But my interpretation, or yours, does not matter; it’s the enforcement officer’s opinion that counts.

[jeepster]

i hunted the most of that area all last fall and said screw it after shot rained down on me multiple times...no combat hunting for me... in my oppinion, fir island is like opening day of trout season, except everybody has a gun vs a fishing rod... its a madhouse. it is rather retarded to see a flight of birds 120+yards up, then watch some guy point his 10gauge 90deg straight up and procede to empty his gun resulting in, more often than not,  a few puffs of feathers and one bird flying slower than the rest.... might as well just get an AR with a 40 round clip then procede to pray-and-spray...

[Stilly bay]

so lets say your just hunting ducks, or your just rambling around scouting with a gun and dog and you come across a wounded goose in one of these areas. do you leave it be for fear of the gamey's wrath or do you do the ethical thing and put it out of its misery and take it home?

if im reading the regs right it sounds like if you don't have a couple dozen goose decoys, you sure as hell better not have a dead goose anywhere near you.

[h2ofowlr]

I would just leave it.  The eagle need to eat as well.  If you go to retrieve it on private the gamies will ticket you.  They don't play around as watching the flock everyday has to be an exciting job.  I don't like picking up wounded ones in the bay, you never know why they are sick.  I will shoot it when it's flying or let someone else have the wounded one.  Not to much is going to change, other than you still 24 rags out in front of where your shooting.

[Dustin07]

i'm not much sure why'd you be scouting with a dog and a gun on fir island though. pretty much anywhere you are hunting you can see from the car. maybe past the dikes, but... like H20 said, i have no interest in eating a sickly snow either anyways. and you might be surprised how quick an eagle can scarf a snow goose. I know i was...

if you are off the island, I don't think these new rules apply.