Alkali

[Jackjr]

Anyone have any ideas why they cut the tags on this unit this year?

[bobcat]

I would think that there could have been quite a bad winter kill. Also I wonder if the hair loss has gotten into that unit yet....could be a contributing factor.

[Dman]

 Given the success rates of last year, the winter only added to the cut. Hair loss has been a factor.

[WDFW-SUX]

louse

[klickriverchromer]

we've had why worse winters than that!!  I saw alot of deer out there this winter and they were not have'n fun, but none the less they were survive'n just fine.  there's a lot of wintering area by the river.

[Jackjr]

was the scucess rate down last year because of weather.  I know when the fog rolls in sometime it does not leave all day.  I hunted it 2 years ago and seem to be a good number of deer. 

[Dman]

 A bio told me and I read it as well elsewhere that the units south of I-90 have been hit hard by louse the last two years. If your up on the affects of louse, the hair loss causes heavier winter mortality, some herds are down as much as 60%. This is the first cut on Alkali tags of any consequence in a few years.

[Muleyslyr]

Haven't you been trying to draw that tag Dman?  Is that why you went with a Ghost point this year or what?

[Dman]

Haven't you been trying to draw that tag Dman?  Is that why you went with a Ghost point this year or what?

I took up bowhunting, got a new bow for my birthday. This year my plan is Washington general archery, Idaho rifle. Next year Montana general archery and Washington rifle and (another crack at Alkali and my 2nd choice).

[bobcat]

Anyone have any ideas why they cut the tags on this unit this year?

If you haven't seen the other thread yet regarding the Alkali permits, CJ-5 called the DFW and was told they did more than "cut the tags," they ELIMINATED them, completely!

[Jackjr]

WOW you think they would of decided that before they printed the regs.    Oh ya I forgot who we were talking about for a min.

[CJ-5]

yeah no *censored*.  you think they would have that figured out by the time the printed the regulations...yesterday morning was when they were eliminated apparently. oh well, just another one of those things i guess.  I dont know if i will even apply for any deer tags now.  i am hunting archery and there are late season hunts that are just as good as permit hunts..why waste the points!

[Dman]

 WOW. The herd has to be decimated. Hope it can bounce back, will take years.

[wannahunt]

Seems like they would have posted a cancellation like that on the web site.  Think of all the folks that will be putting in for that hunt only to find out later that it wasn't even available. I checked and didn't see any news. They cut the Quilomene tags again this year also. 

[bobcat]

  Think of all the folks that will be putting in for that hunt only to find out later that it wasn't even available.

It's not on the list so there is no way a person could apply for it. But still they should put a notice on the website, and I expect we will see one tomorrow, or sometime this week.

[wannahunt]

Thanks Bobcat? That a bummer thou. That was a nice place to hunt.

[wannahunt]

Just got off the phone with fish and game. The guy told me that the military cut the hunts because they have planned maneuvers through the whole hunting season.

[Curly]

Their planned manuevers probably involve the military guys taking some trophy mulies !

That does sound a little better than the deer population being so low that WDFW had to scap the season though.

[CJ-5]

Yeah i figured it had to do with military operations when i called friday and the fish and wildlife guy couldnt give me a good reason.  Definitely a better reason than having low populations!

[wannahunt]

Hopefully that means we are back in next year. I had a hard time with the low numbers. i saw a lot of deer in there this year. I still don't understand the Quilomene tags being reduced thou. I saw a lot of deer in ther two years ago but they got rid of alot of the buck tags and all the youth anterless hunts. Quite a reduction.

[kirkl]

That sucks, i was gonna put that down as my last choice with 11 points this year.  Im tired of not getting drawn.

[Dman]

 OK, I thought about this one and I'm a little confused about this situation. I have hunted military post's in the past, namely Ft. Lewis and the ONLY time I have ever heard of an area the size of the YTC closing down indefinitely was, well, ... never. There was a time when Ft. Lewis went to accompanied hunting only for certain areas after 2001, active military escort required, but there were still areas of it open to enescorted hunting even then. I have to say, with the possible season time-slot of September to December and the hundred's of square miles involved in the hunt at the YTC, you can't convince me that SOME type of minimal season could be held for 2008, even in a few select units, I've never even heard of them having maneuvers in the northern most units  . I won't put in for this tag again, I wouldn't want to risk wasting points on a "ghost hunt" given this years' event's, the DFW does not have to credit your points back if you cannot gain access, not worth it. 

[klickriverchromer]

better luck for me then ha haa ha aahhaa

[Dman]

Yeah i figured it had to do with military operations when i called friday and the fish and wildlife guy couldnt give me a good reason.  Definitely a better reason than having low populations!

 I guess I don't follow that. To me the only valid reason for closure is to protect the resource, loss of opportunity is loss of opportunity. I didn't put in for this hunt for the last couple years as it was, I don't have personally selfish interest's as far as that goes, but I've been consistent about preserving current opportunities, as well as adding new ones. It wouldn't bother me as much, if I didn't know that "private hunts" do happen on post's during "public closures". When areas of Ft. Lewis were completely closed to public access, it so happened they were the choicest hunting units and also, base personnel were still allowed to hunt those areas exclusively for several years. Perhaps the public should be able to have more input on how these post's recreation opportunities are managed, just like State, or NF land's, after all they were ultimately purchased with taxpayer dollar's and these thing's could at least be communicated better to the public, as opposed to finding out online the day of applying.

[wannahunt]

The guy i talked to at fish and game said it was because of the amount of live fire they would be doing. He also said they were working on a new release that would explain the closure. When I asked about next year all he said was that he hoped we would be back in. 

[Dman]

 

 I have to laugh a little, to drop that much ordinance over 480 square miles for four months straight would cost us about 5 billion to begin with, I don't know if I buy that, if it's true it's scary.