Free: Contests & Raffles.
I have talked with Dana Base the game biologist for 121. He is VERY much against the 4 point restriction. So is Jim Nelson the head of deer management in the Olympia office. There is NO scientific base for changing to a 4 point restriction. The biologists agree it will do nothing to improve the state of the deer herd in our area. Ask a farmer, if he wants to increase his herd he does not kill or sell his cows. Letting the bull grow older does nothing to increase his herd. It was a political decision by the commissioners to ignore the biologists. There is one particular commissioner that is a trophy hunter and has pushed for this for all his term. The only thing this has done is to restrict the hunting opportunities for youth, disabled, and senior hunters in these units. Hunting rights are for all hunters, not just trophy hunters. Trophy hunting is a personal choice, NOT a management tool. If it really helped bring back the deer population, I would be all for it. It does not. I personally do not shoot small bucks but I do not try to force my ideals on everyone else. This used to be an area someone could bring their kids and have a fairly good chance of success. We need our youth to carry on our hunting tradition. I think the hunter numbers will be down as well as the success. Remember we are ALL in this together. I live in the heart of 121 and know of the process that got this regulation in place. We will not be silent at any more commissioners meetings!
the 4 pt rule is actually going to do just the opposite of creating a trophy area; its going to be detrimental to the trophy quality of these units; these units receive tremendous amounts of hunting pressure; now that you cannot shoot anything less then 4 pts, ALL of this hunting pressure is now going to be focused on the mature bucks; A two week rut hunt with all the hunters focused on 4 pt or better bucks? hmmm..........anybody have a guess what age class of bucks is going to get hammered???we can all check back here in a year when the data comes out, but, my guess is that the harvest of 5 pt or better bucks out of these units at least DOUBLES this year;the real problem will come in the 2013 hunting season when the full effect of two years of rut hunts with all the hunters focused on the older bucks. sure, overall deer harvest will be down tremendously, but, you are going to essentially wipe out the older bucks populations in the next two years; there won't be any more recruitment of bucks into the 4.5 yr old age class then there was before the 4 pt rule; but, in the next two years there will be permanent damage down to the older age classes.The average public got sold a bill of goods on this.......the population of older age class bucks on public ground will get hammered with the amount of hunting pressure this unit receives along with the two week rut hunt. The people that pushed this are private land owners and outfitters; they will not see these devastating effects because the hunting pressure is highly regulated on these lands.Not only will this rule not help the deer herds, it will hurt them because you are protecting the youngest age class instead of the older age classes; over a few years the dominant age class will become 1.5 yr old bucks; they will then do the majority of the breeding; mother nature sets it up for older age class bucks to do the breeding for a reason......lots of data to show that does bred by older bucks have more fit fawns; so, now we are going to have the equivalent of a bunch of 12 yr old boys doing the breeding.The first casualty of the 4 pt rule will be the dramatic shortening or elimination of the two week rut hunt by 2013 as it becomes obvious the mature bucks are getting hammered.
Quote from: muleyguy on July 01, 2011, 06:23:20 PMthe 4 pt rule is actually going to do just the opposite of creating a trophy area; its going to be detrimental to the trophy quality of these units; these units receive tremendous amounts of hunting pressure; now that you cannot shoot anything less then 4 pts, ALL of this hunting pressure is now going to be focused on the mature bucks; A two week rut hunt with all the hunters focused on 4 pt or better bucks? hmmm..........anybody have a guess what age class of bucks is going to get hammered???we can all check back here in a year when the data comes out, but, my guess is that the harvest of 5 pt or better bucks out of these units at least DOUBLES this year;the real problem will come in the 2013 hunting season when the full effect of two years of rut hunts with all the hunters focused on the older bucks. sure, overall deer harvest will be down tremendously, but, you are going to essentially wipe out the older bucks populations in the next two years; there won't be any more recruitment of bucks into the 4.5 yr old age class then there was before the 4 pt rule; but, in the next two years there will be permanent damage down to the older age classes.The average public got sold a bill of goods on this.......the population of older age class bucks on public ground will get hammered with the amount of hunting pressure this unit receives along with the two week rut hunt. The people that pushed this are private land owners and outfitters; they will not see these devastating effects because the hunting pressure is highly regulated on these lands.Not only will this rule not help the deer herds, it will hurt them because you are protecting the youngest age class instead of the older age classes; over a few years the dominant age class will become 1.5 yr old bucks; they will then do the majority of the breeding; mother nature sets it up for older age class bucks to do the breeding for a reason......lots of data to show that does bred by older bucks have more fit fawns; so, now we are going to have the equivalent of a bunch of 12 yr old boys doing the breeding.The first casualty of the 4 pt rule will be the dramatic shortening or elimination of the two week rut hunt by 2013 as it becomes obvious the mature bucks are getting hammered. While I'm not a fan of the 4 pt min, I disagree with your guess on the harvest of older bucks 100%. I think you are dead wrong there. It may go up a little but I don't think it will even come close to doubling. I don't even think the average hunter even sees a 5 pt or better buck each year, let alone has any kind of shot opportunity. Most hunter's don't go far from roads still, and I can count the number of 5 pt or better bucks on one hand that I've seen from a road. It's not nearly as easy to find a 5 pt as it is to shoot a spike crossing the road in front of you. Most people just simply don't put in enough effort to trophy hunt.
Most people just simply don't put in enough effort to trophy hunt.
The pisser is this. The locals who live and have hunted there for generations now have to put up w/hunting 4 point. I know a lot of families who hunt for the meat, including myself when I live there with my 5 kids. O, I guess if they don't like it, they can spend lots on gas and not hunt there own land.
That is kind of where I am at with this. The kids...I have hunted and taken my fair share of animals. But my son started hunting a few years ago, he had taken a couple deer. We live on the west side and over the past couple years have been driving over putting in time and effort trying to get to know that area because we have been told a lot better chance over there and that is what I want for my son and now this year my wife will hunt for her first year. But this new rule has me looking else where now. I am not sure if its time to start all over or what. I really do like that area, but I still haven't learned it enough to be really confident yet. That does take a few years.
