Swakane

[Rainier10]

WOW rainer10, A true bred coastie. closing late rifle WOW. hailmary shots and not following into a draw WOW. You said it not me. way TOO many people during the rut and time to make babies. They have some of the best genes up there and that needs to be preserved. rifle guys yes are more but as you said they migrate. if they shot all of the big ones you would never see any.

I said the best option was to open more areas to decrease pressure, my first point that you obviously missed.  My third option was if they are going to lower the number of bucks killed it would be smarter to eliminate the 20 rifle tags rather than eliminate 700 general season hunters.  Turning away 20 permits isn't going to create overcrowding somewhere else, turning away 700 general tags is going to create overcrowding somewhere else.  I hate to see opportunity taken away from anyone and believe if they opened more area(my first point) it would spread people out but if the game department doesn't see it that way and has to cut something it would make more sense to cut 20 permit hunters out instead of 700.
Hail mary shots are taken by archers, muzzy and rifle guys.  I ran into a couple of tag holders the weekend before the archery season and they told me about a nice buck that they shot at 300yards over the edge, but it didn't drop so they didn't even hike down to see if they hit it.  I think we all need to shoot within our comfortable range and owe it to the animal to follow up and see if we drew blood but not everyone feels the same way and there is nothing we can do to control that.  It is just a fact some people in each of the groups will take longer shots than they are capable of, maybe you haven't seen it but it happens.
What is your solution to the overcrowding in region 2?  How would you increase the buck to doe ratio above 22?

[muleracks2]

Are those of us who archery hunt finally ready to embrace the wdfw bio's recommendation that we go to a permit system in the Swakane Unit? 
Permits would eliminate the hoards  :yike:of archery hunters in Nov. and let the bucks relax as they recover form the rut and prepare for winter.  48 permits like we have in the Entiat would be a big improvement.  General Season is not a problem becaue most the the Chelan County herd migrates and are generally not in areas with road access in mid-October.

[Deep Forks]

I am all for making us pick "east" and "west" deer tags just like the elk

                                        

[KopperBuck]

WOW rainer10, A true bred coastie. closing late rifle WOW. hailmary shots and not following into a draw WOW. You said it not me. way TOO many people during the rut and time to make babies. They have some of the best genes up there and that needs to be preserved. rifle guys yes are more but as you said they migrate. if they shot all of the big ones you would never see any.

I'm still waiting for my shot from the Prescott unit to land in the Swakane... wait for it... wait for it...

[fishingnut71]

Pick east or west. Just like modern, archery, muzzy like the elk season. or simply eliminate late archery in that unit like the entiat has.

[Rainier10]

Pick east or west. Just like modern, archery, muzzy like the elk season. or simply eliminate late archery in that unit like the entiat has.

Thanks for the input, I guess we just see it different.  You want to decrease opportunity in more areas like they did by closing Entiat.  What happened?  People moved over to Swakane.  Maybe it will work to close down another GMU but I see it as WDFW taking away our options not making them better.  We just see it differently, I think we both want better deer hunting it is more of difference of how to get there.  I think you are saying less hunters makes it better for the few that do get to hunt and I think more hunting area will allow more hunters to spread out and have a more enjoyable experience.  It is a great debate the WDFW will decide.
Thanks for giving your opinion I am glad to see that you do have a solution you would like to see implemented at first I thought you were just going to throw out the "coastie" name calling and not have any real input.  On this one we will just have to agree to disagree on the best way to handle overcrowding and hunter pressure on deer in Swakane.

[klickman]

Why not make all archers take and pass a bow hunters safety class, with a proficiency shoot out to 30 yds.  This would eliminate a lot of people hunting archery with a multi tag.  THere are more archery hunters everywhere something needs to change. 

KLICKMAN

[Rainier10]

I would be in favor of an archery safety class.  The proficiency thing gets tricky, there isn't one for rifles, you just have to be able to safely handle and fire the weapon not necessarily hit the target.  At least tha is how it was in the class I took with my daughter last year.  They didn't care so much if you hit the bullseye, just that you were safe.
I think an archery class would educate people about taking shots with the bow and that it takes longer for the arrow to affect the animal sometimes than a gunshot does.  Also about arrow placement and how there is not nearly the energy in an arrow as a bullet.
As I said before though long shots with a bow aren't any different than long shots with a muzzleloader or rifle.  Unfortunately some members of each user group take shots that are beyond their effective range and no class is going to stop that, hopefully it will educate some and lower the amount of long distance shots taken.  I think most of us have been frustrated at not being able to get close enough and have struggled with wether to take a long shot, running shot or just poor shot overall and in the end it is the person behind the weapon that has to decide if it is a good shot or not.
The multiseason tag did bring people into all of the folds, my guess is more rifle guys picked up muzzleloaders and bows, but I know my wife went back to rifle from bow this year with a multiseason tag so she could hunt with my daughter.  That is the drawback of the multiseason tags because it is not a for sure deal once you get drawn is when many pick up a new weapon to try a new season.  If the multiseason was something everyone could just buy then some people would be hopefully more prepared.  Again the responsibility falls back to the individual hunter to proficient in the use of the weapon they choose and know their own limits with that weapon.
An archery safety course would be beneficial no doubt.  Funding for the class would be tough in these economic times of budget cutbacks, but maybe down the line.

[MtnMuley]

Here's my  . 

Open all GMUs in the Chelan, Methow, Okanogan vicinity on a draw only Nov 20-30 late archery season.  30 tags per unit.  Open up the general archery season Sept 1-30 as it used to be.  People complain about the early archery season being hard to hunt and most wait until the late season when the pickings are much easier and more abundant. 

Rifle hunters in these areas are forced to hunt the 9 day general during a primarily nocturnal season (compared to the Sept 1-30 season and Nov 20-30 season). 

Muzzleloader hunters are forced to hunt their 9 day "middle of the pack" season.

With this idea, the bowhunters still get 3 times as much time to fill their tag.  If you put in some time and hunt, you should have plenty of opportunities during the month of September to harvest an animal. 

Nobody ever said hunting seasons were a guarantee.  Seems too many hunters are disapointed when a tag goes unfilled and look to point fingers at WDFW.  By no means am I sticking up for WDFW, but they have their hands full managing this state's deer herd with our deer:hunters ratio.  Not too mention having a few bio's that would rather spend their time pursuing predators and other "fantasy" animals rather than devoting their time to our deer herd.

Overall, in my opinion, bowhunters here have always had the better and longer seasons and generally speaking, think they're getting the shaft when a season is shorter or made draw only.  The quality of our deer herds should be the number one focus.

PS, I love bowhunting muleys.  

[coachcw]

how about opening all the eastside units for late season hunts to permit only , just have more permits in given areas . no everyone could hunt every year but you would have more quality hunts . say 30-40 % of hunters draw tags and spread them out across the state , I'd be willing to hunt like that every 2-3 years .

[MtnMuley]

Close to what I'm saying coach, but also leaving the Sept season open so that all hunters have an opportunity if they choose. Maybe you meant leaving it open.................

[fishingnut71]

good idea coach. I say pick east or west and then do as you are talking.

[fishingnut71]

Is everyone in awh!!!!

[huntrustdog]

I usually don't weigh in much, but I agree with Coach, enough permits to hunt a good late archery mule deer hunt every 2-4 years and still be able to hunt early archery and head to the NE to hunt whitetails if you can't draw.  When you do draw, it will be a better experience.  I have bowhunted the area since the 80's, I hope it happens. 

[Logsplitter]

Sad that people want more restriction by the game department.   For what?  So you can drive the roads and shoot a trophy deer from your truck.  Just get off the road you won't see a single hunter all day.  And guess what you will see deer.   I was up derby last weekend and it was a zoo ( on the roads).  If you got off them nobody.  We glassed deer all over a heavy three pt. Nice four pt and the big five that hunternash commented about earlier in this post over 30"and a couple of other dinks  Guess what people were just flying by us with chains on all fours smoking cigarettes. We laughed as they cruised by looking for the easy kill.   And as for dividing east and west or "putting up a fence".  I can understand your frustrated but that type of talk just divides us hunters. Just because I choose to live and work on the westside of Our state shouldn't bar me from hunting on the east or you fishing or crabbing the west.  I know it's easyier to hope they restrict people from hunting so you can have the roads to your self rather than hiking from tibbits down to the pinnacles or from birch down all those fingers to swakane canyon or all the various bowls in mills.   But I can promise that on most of those hunts you won't see another hunter and you will at least see a buck that most would be proud to put on their wall.   I for one hope that it stays open and maybe open some other units to ease the swakane pressure cause I know I can still get to places that others won't go and have the opportunity to see and possibly put my tag on one of those great animals.