Swakane

[fishingnut71]

goplay i agree on 2 things. more GMUs for wetside hunters on wetside and the WDFW will screw it up. You guys need to invade or take part of oregon over instead on E WA. You guys sound like people from california!

[GoPlayOutside]

I have about 40 family members that live in Malaga, Downtown, Sunnyslope, etc.  Two sets of Great Grandparents travelled there by rail from Arkansas 60 years ago...
They have owned many orchards, spent there lives building the Dams, working at the PUD, etc..
Since some of their kids have moved to the Westside for more abundant jobs, you want to make a stupid arguement about  your opinions. 

With that being said, Respectfully, "Kiss my ass".

Have you ever wanted to hunt or fish in Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, or Western Washington?
Funny thing is, this Westsider could probably show more honey holes in your own hometown than you know of

[jrebel]

WOW    Who is this fishingnut guy? 

[Craig]

 . Insert foot into mouth

[GoPlayOutside]

Just divide WA into two states. Like the carolinas or virginas. Out of state fees for wetside to hunt east and out of state fees for 509ers to fish west. OH, that wont ever happen because west WA needs eastern WA money.  Since king co is the majority./quote]


Your thinking is Exactly Wrong.  Western Washington makes a majority of the Tax Revenue, and still has to pay/cover the costs for the entire state. 
Don't get me wrong...if they ever divide the state, I'm moving east in a hurry! 

[biggamehunter]

Just divide WA into two states. Like the carolinas or virginas. Out of state fees for wetside to hunt east and out of state fees for 509ers to fish west. OH, that wont ever happen because west WA needs eastern WA money.  Since king co is the majority./quote]


Your thinking is Exactly Wrong.  Western Washington makes a majority of the Tax Revenue, and still has to pay/cover the costs for the entire state. 
Don't get me wrong...if they ever divide the state, I'm moving east in a hurry!

Also the small towns and small businesses would get hit real hard with no hunters coming over from the westside (why would i pay out of state to hunt eastside when i could go to say Idaho, Montana,Colorado). dividing would do some serious damage to the eastside.

[muley freak]

wow nice buck congrats

[KopperBuck]

Your thinking is Exactly Wrong.  Western Washington makes a majority of the Tax Revenue, and still has to pay/cover the costs for the entire state. 
Don't get me wrong...if they ever divide the state, I'm moving east in a hurry!

Yup. That's why we tolerate you Truth though. I haven't done a lot of research on it, but I'd question our sustainability if we separate. As sexy as it sounds, we don't need to make enemies of our bretheren. Just kick the hippies out

[biggamehunter]

Your thinking is Exactly Wrong.  Western Washington makes a majority of the Tax Revenue, and still has to pay/cover the costs for the entire state. 
Don't get me wrong...if they ever divide the state, I'm moving east in a hurry!

Yup. That's why we tolerate you Truth though. I haven't done a lot of research on it, but I'd question our sustainability if we separate. As sexy as it sounds, we don't need to make enemies of our bretheren. Just kick the hippies out

  I like your style. 

[antlerking]

How about doubling the multi season tags to 8000 so all the folks that didnt get a deer can go hunt the late swakane with a bow! I am not to sure but I think we need a few more hunters in there. I did not see near enough this last week, I need more walking around so I dont have to get out of the rig.

On a serious note this was buy far the most hunters I have ever seen in one gmu! I have been hunting this unit for quite sum time and WOW it was absolutly insane. I am going back to rifle next year and giving up the bow for deer until something is fixed. I dont have an answer for a fix, but never again will I partake in the zoo.

I have talked to quite a few hunters this year that this was there first time in there and they all had the multi tag, I beleive the ratio in that gmu was 7-10 hunters for every legel buck and the arrows were flying.

[jrebel]

Won't partake in the zoo of bowhunting the swakane....so your going back to rifle?     I'm so confused???

[bobcat]

Won't partake in the zoo of bowhunting the swakane....so your going back to rifle?     I'm so confused???

I think he's saying rifle season is less crowded so he'd rather hunt that. Kind of the same way I feel about rifle versus muzzleloader elk seasons, and why I bought a rifle tag for elk this year instead of muzzleloader like I normally do.

[Rainier10]

The answer is to open more Late Archery GMU's around the state (to spread out the hunters), or make it permit only for everyone, or limit the amount of Rifle opportunities (general season and a Late Permit), or all 3.

You nailed it on this part to stop overcrowding they need to open more areas.  They also say they need to get the buck to doe ratio up, to do that you need more doe permits or less bucks killed.  They say there are 700 archery hunters, they don't say if they are late or early season, there is no way to determine that with the reporting system they have now, but those 700 hunters take about 70 bucks.  If they eliminate the 20 late rifle tags that saves more bucks without limiting hunting for as many people.

I think the best option is to open more areas for late archery, the second option is to eliminate the late rifle tags and have 20 people hunting somewhere else rather than 700 looking for somewhere else to hunt.  And I still question the 700 number, I have hunted there for the last 17 years and in the past 5 there have been more hunters on the first couple of days but not 700.  After the first couple of days it thins out when people realize it is tough hunting and there aren't 180 class bucks everywhere.  Or they leave because they get frustrated at not being able to get close enough for a good shot so they take a hail mary shot, wound a deer and don't track it into to deep canyon because they know by themselves they will never get it out so why even bother following it.

You will see a couple of 160" deer on here this year taken, maybe one or two 170-190 bucks and those will probably be raffle or governor tags.  Next year there will be a whole new crop of newbies showing up because they heard the big deer are in Swakane or Entiat and by day two or three they will be frustrated and go elsewhere.  The deer in Swakane migrate in, you can find them in the rifle season in other areas if you put in the work, if you want to wait until they get to Swakane you are still going to have to work your butt off to get one and odds are real good that it won't be a 180" deer.

[fishingnut71]

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.

[bobcat]

Rifle season is less crowded in the Swakane... the facts prove that wrong... go to the WDFW site and see for yourself.

250 - SWAKANE - PMU 26

Archery                4    67    71    0    0    20    37    10    644    11%      3,150    44.4
Modern Firearms    0    87    87    0    1    47    26    13    618    14.1%    2,146    24.7

OK, I looked it up like you said, and it shows 644 archery hunters, and 618 modern firearm hunters, in 2010.