Lions and Bobbies.

[Machias]

One of the angles that MAY work is a ballot imitative that you can get ALL sportsmen behind, but not directly related to hounding or trapping even and that is an initiative that removes wildlife management out of the initiative process and back into sound Wildlife Management.  Ballot initiatives have no place in wildlife management, the professionals need to be the ones who manage the resource for the good of the resource and for the good of the state.  Maybe we could get a initiative crafted that returns sound wildlife management and ALL management tools back to the WDFW......of course that presents problems as well since you still have the WDFW managing wildlife politically and not scientifically.

[jackmaster]

MACHIAS i believe your on to somethn there sir and i bet it would work and i could bet that WDFW would get behind that, we would hope and i would bet they would bring back hounds baiting trapping, and who knows what because it would create jobs and revenue in a time of serious need....

[wraithen]

Machias... are you a politician or something? That's an awesome idea. I'm pretty sure though that the anti's would see through it. What kind of backing would support that move? Still not sure there'd be enough coffers to get it through.

[bornforhorns]

Jackmaster, I like your enthusiasm and I would be willing to assist at some level.  I am a former employee of the WDFW right out of college for about 4 years, ended up in Olympia...I'm an eastern washington native and didn't like my job over there and to make a long story short returned to school to get a teaching certificate.  Been a teacher/baseball coach for about 15 years...teach Science.  I am a former hound owner that hunted cougars, bobcats, raccoon etc. here in the Kittitas Valley (cougars galore).  I wish this state for this reason alone was two states...East Wa. and West Wa.  two different worlds with two different populations of people.  I was apart of the contingency trying to save hound hunting way back when and remember all the tactics and emotions that came about when we lost our hound hunting.  I'm looking at hounds right now in fact to try and get my 9 and 12 year old boy involved in coon hunting....love it!  I'll be headed over to a hunt this Friday in fact just to meet up with people in Pomeroy Washington.  I agree, management needs to be back in the hands of the WDFW and even if for the most part the hunting was pursuit only I would be completely happy.  Of course, lottery type tags with seasons for those who own hounds would be great but if we could at least get the whole states population to see that at minimum a PURSUIT season is an effective way to manage Cougar/Bear encounters as a deterrent and an education of the problem animals.

Keep me in the loop.

[Machias]

bornforhorns, I may see you Friday or Saturday night.  Not sure but I may be headed down to Pomeroy as well.

[jackmaster]

i agree bornforhorns, even if the wdfw would let us have a pursuit season back it would be a great tool for them to get more accurate numbers on the cat population, would something like that even need to be brought to a vote, it isnt like hound hunters would get to kill the cats they tree, so where would the harm be just putn back into action it doesnt seem like it would be that hard for wdfw, hell it would be harder on the dogs having to leave a cat in a tree  . i had a big ole walker male named BUCK, there is no way he would have let me take him away from a cat in a tree, he would clearcut a swath around the tree, waitn for the cat to get nocked out of the tree..... oh the good ole days 

[Rooster1981]

Prohibited Hunting Methods  Page  66


Using dogs:
• Hunting wild animals with dogs during
any deer or elk modern firearm season is
prohibited.
• Allowing a dog, owned or controlled by
you, to pursue or injure deer or elk or to
accompany you while you are hunting
deer or elk is prohibited.
• Hunting or pursuing any big game animal,
bobcat, or coyote with dogs is prohibited,
except cougar hunting as permitted by the
Fish and Wildlife Commission.

[bearpaw]

The gray area is if he keeps the dog on the leash, then he isn't hunting......


I can tell you why the hound hunting was lost last session in two words:

"Hans Dunshee"

he is very powerful right now and the huggers have him in their pocket....

Now, if the state elects more republican reps this fall, we might get hound hunting back..... so don't lose hope, it's possible......

[bloodhound]

" Im hunting racoons officer, sometimes they tree a cat i cant help that" 

[BOWHUNTER45]

I will never give up ..we need to fight alot harder than this year ...Dale is right we need more Republicians on our side !!  Hopefully 2012 is the year for the sportsmen ....

[tommyhydro]

my step father used to run cats and bear back in the day, and now that i am finally able to move back to WA and wanted to start hound hunting myself.....you cant. been in NJ for the last 10yrs thanks to the AF and they had the same political issues out here with the bear hunting. When i first got out here in 2003 they had a season, but i was not able to buy a tag because i had not been through a "bear hunting safety seminar"? in 2005 they closed the season, antis actually have websites telling people to run a bear off with a umbrella or super soaker. finally in 2010 after astronomical increase in bear complaints and the election of a new governor(the previous was receiving money from various animal rights groups) , they reopened the bear season, but the antis now just harass people at the check stations, some go as far as vandalizing hunters vehicles, and it is a gun only hunt.


long story, but, keep the faith, hopefully they will reinstate the hound season for bear and cats.....and baiting for bear(my bowtech wants one baaaad lol)

I mean living on Lost Hwy. for 10yrs. and hunting deer and bear around there, i had never once seen or heard of a cougar being anywhere in the county, let alone taking out a pitbull and messing up another pit and a boxer in 4 days just down the road a ways.

they will bring it back sooner or later, my$.02

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/12/wounded-cougar-being-hunted-near-seabeck/

[HairTrigger]

couldnt you also say "I CANNOT BELIEVE MY BIRD DOGS TREED A CAT" LOL

[BOWHUNTER45]

Trust me .... if your running anything BUT A COON with your dogs it will not matter if you have a gun or not ....YOUR TOAST !!!!