Initiative to revamp the Game department?

[washelkhunter]

The way to make WDFW and the GOV sit up and take notice of US the sportsman is to hit them where it hurts. Lets all not participate in 2012. Dont buy a hunting or fishing license this year. dont buy any recreational equipment or supplies, or vehicles. or at the very least cut way back on your extras; just purchase the basics. Things will change fast and we will be heard loud and clear when business"start pressuring the Governor about the lost biz.

[KillBilly]

No matter how or why we think that would be effective, all it would accomplish is to make it more difficult for WDFW to manage the wildlife that nobody is hunting. In the long run, we would still lose. In addition it would cut back the numbers of enforcement officers that would be needed to catch the poachers... No matter how you cut it, we would still be the losers.

Besides, you could not get even half of the hunters to agree and comply...and half of that half would probably buy and not tell...

[jackmaster]

i am a firm believer in that if you want to vote on hunting and fishing type bills then you should have to have bought a huntn or fishn license.... i hate that tree huggers and bunny humpers get to vote for something that they do not support monitarily like sportsman do, if tree huggers and bunny humpers want to vote then they gotta but a license and then they can vote, what would be wrong with that  , dont give me the we live in america crap, i know we do.. but us sportsman spend a ton of money for are fish and game and yet we are the minority, so if antis want to vote then they GOT TO SPEND A LITTLE MONEY ON LICENSES AND THEN VOTE AWAY.....

[Wenatcheejay]

No matter how or why we think that would be effective, all it would accomplish is to make it more difficult for WDFW to manage the wildlife that nobody is hunting. In the long run, we would still lose. In addition it would cut back the numbers of enforcement officers that would be needed to catch the poachers... No matter how you cut it, we would still be the losers.

Besides, you could not get even half of the hunters to agree and comply...and half of that half would probably buy and not tell...

Morally, you are correct. But if all that are left are human poachers so what? Ever hear the saying, "If only outlaws can have guns then all you will have is outlaws."

We are the "Eyes In The Woods." We catch the poachers, we gather their harvest data, we pay to do this. In todays world they get a pension, we get a bill. And, we are crapped on and disrespected to do it. Con-NW/DFW & WDFW has zero repect for the people who buy tags and support that economy, the true workers in the current model of conservation. The think they can build a new system and fund it without us. Not cooperating in mass is a nuclear option. The thing is, they may do it to us. What good is the threat then? What if, soon there are no tags not to buy? For me, that is the bigger concern.

[NoBark]

The non hunting public needs to be sold on hunting as a heritage tradition for all americans and respected as such. 

good luck with that.  But it would make a world of difference.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

110% behind washelkhunter. Even if people cut back to basic stuff it will hurt OLYMPIA in the pocket. Which is.all they care about anyway. We will do are part i hope all reading this seriously think about all the state does to screw us. This has gone on for many years.

[Dhoey07]

The way to make WDFW and the GOV sit up and take notice of US the sportsman is to hit them where it hurts. Lets all not participate in 2012. Dont buy a hunting or fishing license this year. dont buy any recreational equipment or supplies, or vehicles. or at the very least cut way back on your extras; just purchase the basics. Things will change fast and we will be heard loud and clear when business"start pressuring the Governor about the lost biz.

So who's in on the boycott? 

[jackmaster]

i would be in a heart beat, i love huntn blacktail and like to do a little predator huntn but i would gladly give it up for a year if it would make a differance i hope everyone would, its called banning together, alot of little voices make one huge ass voice

[Dhoey07]

So let's start a pledge.  How many would we need to be "in" to make a difference?  1000, 5000, 10k?

[wraithen]

60k to 80k

[jackmaster]

i would hope everyone, damn if people are gonna complain then damn it stand the hell up for what you believe in, it will kill me to miss out on deer season but i think it is worth it and yes it would make a differance, but it is gonna take everyone, put in for your ghost points and leave it at that,

[jackmaster]

scratch the ghost point that would cost the buying a license

[wraithen]

You get 90% boycott and how much of a voice will you have then? They will drop you off the radar and then they will legitimately be working for the watchers and the wolf huggers. What happens then? I think a boycott will box us out of the fight completely because they will ask why the numbers drop every year and then everyone gave up. Looks like we didn't care. Have you ever heard these people think?! They will come at you sideways.

[JimmyHoffa]

You get 90% boycott and how much of a voice will you have then? They will drop you off the radar and then they will legitimately be working for the watchers and the wolf huggers. What happens then? I think a boycott will box us out of the fight completely because they will ask why the numbers drop every year and then everyone gave up. Looks like we didn't care. Have you ever heard these people think?! They will come at you sideways.

Not to mention all the rural economies that depend on hunting will start to go under.  Then they will have to convert all the Big Bob's BBQs to espresso shops and vegan restaruants to get granola hikers and mountain bikers to offset the lost hunter business.
I kind of see going the other direction...finding people that don't hunt but would maybe allow the cheapest (small game?) license to be bought in their name.  Then it shows the hunter numbers being even higher...make WDFW answer to more hunters.

[bigtex]

FYI,
All recreational and commercial hunting and fishing fees go into the Wildlife Fund, which only funds WDFW. The notion that these moneys go to the general fund is wrong.