Free: Contests & Raffles.
The reason there are so many Ruger upgrades is because they're necessary.
PS: I watched the august 5th cougar meeting on TV today and not one person was in favor of increasing hunting opportunity. It was all hikers complaining they had never seen a cougar in the wild so there must not be any left. SPEAK UP!
Done.Quote from: WildlifeAssassin on August 15, 2011, 08:23:23 PMPS: I watched the august 5th cougar meeting on TV today and not one person was in favor of increasing hunting opportunity. It was all hikers complaining they had never seen a cougar in the wild so there must not be any left. SPEAK UP!There could be ten times as many cougars and the hikers probably still wouldn't see them. The hikers are usually in groups, move too fast, make too much noise, hike at the wrong time of day, only hike on trails, etc.........
RCW 77.04.012Mandate of department and commission.Wildlife, fish, and shellfish are the property of the state. The commission, director, and the department shall preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage the wildlife and food fish, game fish, and shellfish in state waters and offshore waters. The department shall conserve the wildlife and food fish, game fish, and shellfish resources in a manner that does not impair the resource. In a manner consistent with this goal, the department shall seek to maintain the economic well-being and stability of the fishing industry in the state. The department shall promote orderly fisheries and shall enhance and improve recreational and commercial fishing in this state. The commission may authorize the taking of wildlife, food fish, game fish, and shellfish only at times or places, or in manners or quantities, as in the judgment of the commission does not impair the supply of these resources. The commission shall attempt to maximize the public recreational game fishing and hunting opportunities of all citizens, including juvenile, disabled, and senior citizens. Recognizing that the management of our state wildlife, food fish, game fish, and shellfish resources depends heavily on the assistance of volunteers, the department shall work cooperatively with volunteer groups and individuals to achieve the goals of this title to the greatest extent possible. Nothing in this title shall be construed to infringe on the right of a private property owner to control the owner's private property.[2000 c 107 § 2; 1983 1st ex.s. c 46 § 5; 1975 1st ex.s. c 183 § 1; 1949 c 112 § 3, part; Rem. Supp. 1949 § 5780-201, part. Formerly RCW 75.08.012, 43.25.020.]Notes:State policy regarding improvement of recreational salmon fishing: See note following RCW 77.65.150.
Issue Scoping GuidelinesUnder the Governor’s Rule Moratorium, changes to regulations that are 1) not necessary for conservation, or 2) have not been specifically requested by those being regulated (hunters), should not be submitted for consideration.
My cougar commentsI think the method of estimation of cougar numbers is lacking. It is my understanding that the WDFW uses harvest # to determine the quantity of cougar in an area. This method is inexpensive but prone to poor correlation of actual population #. I think some kind of pursuit only season with hounds requiring documentation is a good way to gain population estimates at little cost to the state yet gives houndsmen an opportunity to train dogs.My Bear commentsI think the WDFW needs to do a better job of educating politicians as well as the public as to the benefits of hound and bait hunting. Treed bears are easier to determine sex, and baited bears (especially spring) are easier to determine if they have cubs. I know that if i am in the woods, hunting under current rules, I will shoot the first legal bear that steps in front of me... Good management and conservation NEEDS baiting and Hound hunting.I think this survey is important and we should make our case heard...
Bigger shame was the amount of people who showed up for the meeting last night in Federal Way, maybe 25 people. I will say that bowhunters were there in force though!
Boy was that the biggest joke I've seen. I've been filling out these scoping issues for at least the last 3 before this one and this one had hardly anything in it. Based on this the changes for teh next 3 year cycle will be minimal, which is too bad.
Quote from: Ridgerunner on August 18, 2011, 12:33:10 PMBoy was that the biggest joke I've seen. I've been filling out these scoping issues for at least the last 3 before this one and this one had hardly anything in it. Based on this the changes for teh next 3 year cycle will be minimal, which is too bad. I would have to disagree with your last sentence. Can anyone remember ANY good changes made by them lately? (The last 30 years)
As outlined in the timeline below, there will be two opportunities for you to provide your input during the process.Your first opportunity to participate will be in late-August. The Department will ask for your help identifying the major issues that are important to you for the next three-year hunting season cycle.
Under the Governor’s Rule Moratorium, changes to regulations that are 1) not necessary for conservation, or 2) have not been specifically requested by those being regulated (hunters), should not be submitted for consideration.
Although the purpose and rationale for the spring bear hunt in Northeastern Washington is based on nuisance and damage activity by bears in the spring, there may be a secondary effect to deer fawn survival. Bears are known to prey on deer fawns in the spring. In most cases bear predation on deer fawns does not limit deer populations. It is unknown if bear predation on deer fawns in northeastern Washington is impacting the overall deer population growth. Nonetheless, increased spring bear harvest may have an ancillary impact to deer fawn survival.
The turn out for the meeting was a little disappointing but the good side was I got to speak with each member one on one and voice my concerns. Dave Ware and Jerry Nelson were good listeners and at the end of the meeting each representative did an overview of what they heard for comments.At the beginning of the meeting they explained that because of budget cuts there were only going to be 4 meetings this year for input and that the scoping survey was a very important tool to receive input. There are only six issues that they feel are critical this year, there were a lot of things that they thought needed attention but they could only deal with a few because of budget restrictions so these were the ones they thought they could get handle with the budget they have.Dave said that we should fill out the additional comments at the end of the survey on issues that weren't covered in the survey. He said the townhall style meetings are great but the written comments at the end of the survey are very powerful also.
