WDFW-Why our Early Elk Season is Shorter

[dreamingbig]

I am a good law abiding citizen.  I have been an avocate for accurately reporting your harvest.  If this is the reason why the shortened our seasons because we have been accurately reporting our harvests then why report anymore.  Well I can tell you that from now on I will ALWAYS report, "NO HARVEST" because if me being a good citizen means they are gonna use my data to take away more opportunities and more of my season well then the WDFW can kiss my rear end and just lost my accurate harvest reporting.  I would suggest more people do the same.

I may have done this already as have other arrow flingers I know.    Kiss my arse indeed!

[Matt]

Pianoman we lost 1 day of elk hunting and we still get 2 weekends.  As for deer hunting the reason sighted was to make room for the muzzy's last week in September so they don't overlap with their elk season.

We are the only western state that has a short early archey elk season but we also have a better late season than those other western states.

[pianoman9701]

we lost an entire week since 2005.

[Matt]

we lost an entire week since 2005.

Deer season yes not elk.  Elk was 14 days now it is 13. It was 1-14 then went to 8-21st then the 13 days following labor day

[pianoman9701]

we lost an entire week since 2005.

Deer season yes not elk.  Elk was 14 days now it is 13.

Not sure if you're talking about a specific unit that has wonky seasons, but the WDFW game manager acknowledged to me on Tuesday evening that early archery elk used to be Sept. 1-21 for most of the state and is now Sept. 6-18.

[dreamingbig]

Pianoman we lost 1 day of elk hunting and we still get 2 weekends.  As for deer hunting the reason sighted was to make room for the muzzy's last week in September so they don't overlap with their elk season.

I thought it was to have zero overlap with the modern firearm special bull elk tags that are the last 5 days or so of Sept.  They hopped at the chance to create more revenue; they through the "you can't hunt during the peak rut (last half of Sept)" arguement right out the window which is the crutch they used to lean on.

[pianoman9701]

Nope, according to the WDFW elk specialist we talked to it was done to lower the percentage of branch bulls taken by archers, and raise the percentage of them taken by modern hunters. This is another example of trying to please a larger base of hunters by switching opportunities from a smaller to a larger group, instead of just increasing opportunities for the larger group and leaving the season for the smaller group alone. As I said in my letter to them, what we'd like to see is an attitude from WDFW of "How can we work to increase hunting opportunities?", instead of immediately looking for trade offs - the attitude of "if we give some more to one, that automatically means you have to take from another."

[NWWABOWHNTR]

2005 we had the 8-21st  http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00473/wdfw00473.pdf

2000 we had 1-14 Sept  http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00478/wdfw00478.pdf

Pianoman,
I was told that our seasons went to the rotationg date because of 2 factors, one is Muzzie guys start hunting now on the 24th for deer.... and 2 was the Special "rifle" permit hunts go into the woods the day after archery closes... The whole thing about us killing more big bulls.... BS! 

[pianoman9701]

Well, I'm not saying WDFW wouldn't feed me BS. I('m just relating our conversation from Tuesday night. Kain was there. Ask him if I'm telling you what they said.

[pianoman9701]

2005 we had the 8-21st  http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00473/wdfw00473.pdf

2000 we had 1-14 Sept  http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00478/wdfw00478.pdf

Pianoman,
I was told that our seasons went to the rotationg date because of 2 factors, one is Muzzie guys start hunting now on the 24th for deer.... and 2 was the Special "rifle" permit hunts go into the woods the day after archery closes... The whole thing about us killing more big bulls.... BS!

You're absolutely correct. We lost a week total only when including the late season. Sorry for the misinformation.

[Matt]

Nope.  3 total.  It is still a loss either way but not extreme.  I think that losing the last week of September deer effects more than anything.  We have a total of days 29 in the woods on the East side and 36 on the West for archery elk, that's more days than I have vacation time.  Do we really want to fight this battle for more or be happy with what we have.

[Gamblin Guy]

The biggest problem i have with the dates the way they are now is that they back up to Labor Day.  We are the only group that has to deal with the impacts of the last big camping weekend of the year and all the people out enjoying the woods.  We essentially lose a couple of days because of the amount of people in the woods over Labor Day and the pressure on the elk.  I'll have elk on my trail camera right up until the friday before Labor Day and I can almost guarantee they will not be back for a week or so.  I've sent my comments to them already and have every year. 

Go back and search for the threads regarding the influence of one member on the game management advisory committee or whatever it's called and you'll find the reason why the archery hunters got screwed again, money talks....

[pianoman9701]

I want to fight every time they take away a minute of our hunting time without scientific justification. I want them to know we're seeing it and concerned about it. Being happy about what we have? No, I want more if it doesn't hurt the herd. Sorry, I'm selfish that way.

FYI I hunt Ryderwood in the late season and they took away a week, so that may account for the difference we're seeing.

[Snapshot]

No, according to the head of game management, they took away days from archery because archers took too many branch bull in comparison to modern shooters. Moving the ML season was just a result of that.

I think they told it to you bass-ackwards, P-Man. The so-called "branched-antler" discrepancy was called a "mature bull" discrepancy back when they were in the process of changing the seasons around (late 2008 & early 2009). It was then and is now a smoke screen to get to their end game; elk rut permits for modern users (the biggest income-generating group) and better muzzleloader dates (favored weapon of the Big Game Manager).

[pianoman9701]

I'm sure they told me a bunch of stuff to get me out of there Tuesday. Kain and I cornered a couple of them for a good hour.