New archery season proposal?????

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Dont tell all the secrets!

[lokidog]

For my  it is mostly a matter of access and secondarily of elk activity, not so much worried about the rut.

[bobcat]

Very well stated Bobcat. Or blow out of this state and archery hunt in a state where the season is the whole month of september!

Or, do two states.

Good idea. You could get 10 days of hunting in Oregon's archery elk season before you come back to Washington for the opener here!   

[pianoman9701]

I think having two weekends is more important to me than the rut, but I'd prefer both. I'd also prefer the temperature not be in the high millions, too. It wouldn't hurt the animal numbers to add a few days to the season to make it start no earlier than the 6th or so and end no earlier than the 18th.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Worms out of the can! Hopefully people will see this and apply it! Take your money to other states! :tup:i

[bowhunterty]

It use to be Sept 1st thru the 14th at onetime. It's not that bad of hunting. The weather can be ab issue as well as access. But if you want to hunt then you have to overcome these obstacles.

[Fullabull]

Wildsau,

If you notice in reading the link you provided, yes the bugling may start in August during what is called the pre rut which will last into September. During that time bulls are finding out who is living in their house and will start to determine a pecking order.  But this is not the prime rut or when they actually start collecting cows and start breeding. That does not start until mid to late September with the heavy rut not kicking in until the later part of the month and lasting until early to mid October due to cows not being bread during their first cycle. If a cow does not get bread she will have a second cycle 20 days later which usually happens in early to mid October.

This is why most western states have their archery seasons last until later into September so that archers have a better chance of harvesting a bull or cow. Archery hunting for elk even during the prime rut is not an easy task and takes many years to learn elk behavior and hunt them.

[Swatson]

Guess I'm just crazy!  I should just suck it up and be happy they are moving the season farther and farther back over the next 3 years cause in 4 years it will be going back to the 8th!  The whole weekend thing is crap!  If the season started on the 8th and ended the 21st you'd still get two full weekends in!  I don't think the Muzzleloaders or rifle seasons have a better season that doesn't mean I should not be upset that they're making our season worse!  Bobcat I'm sorry if you are a bowhunter, guess I just concluded that after it seemed like you didn't see the problem and why some of us are getting frustrated with wdfw pushing our season back.  I archery hunt because I love calling in Bulls in September, I know that the later our season is the better chance I have at hunting closer to the rut as the weather will most likely be cooler as September rolls along.  I used to rifle hunt, and I could care less what the season dates were going to be.  Nov 1 or Nov 8 back then made no difference to me, now 6 days is a huge difference in my eyes!  That's all I'm getting at!  If you don't archery hunt and don't care what the season is then don't worry about it but for those that do care its bothersome.  I've emailed the state and also made a phone call.  I've done my part. 

[Fullabull]

Bobcat, the best way for you to undertand our plight is for you to take up achery like you have been talking about. Many of us have seen what the hunting is like when the dates are later in the month and it make a huge difference!!! I use to hunt elk with a rifle but it was just not as much of a challange shooting one at 200 yards. Archery is a little different and much more challanging. I have had multiple elk as close as 10 yards and come away with nothing because of no shot opportunity. Now that is exciting 

We are not against MF or ML hunters we just can't figure out why WDFW keeps messing so much with the archery group when it is the most difficult of the three hunting styles.

[bobcat]

Bobcat, the best way for you to undertand our plight is for you to take up achery like you have been talking about. Many of us have seen what the hunting is like when the dates are later in the month and it make a huge difference!!! I use to hunt elk with a rifle but it was just not as much of a challange shooting one at 200 yards. Archery is a little different and much more challanging. I have had multiple elk as close as 10 yards and come away with nothing because of no shot opportunity. Now that is exciting 

We are not against MF or ML hunters we just can't figure out why WDFW keeps messing so much with the archery group when it is the most difficult of the three hunting styles.

90% chance I will be archery hunting for elk this year. The only reason I'm having a hard time deciding is that if I archery hunt, I'll be hunting alone. But I like having the opportunity to take a cow or a bull, and I can hunt close enough to home that it's easy for me to scout year around.

The timing of the archery season is intentional, I believe, in order to decrease the number of bulls taken by archery hunters. This has been explained by the WDFW. This is why I don't think there's a chance they're going to change the proposed seasons. Also they do have a moratorium on rule making right now so I'm not sure it's something they would even consider.

They're supposed to be pretty much sticking with the status quo for this three year package.

[Curly]

Very well stated Bobcat. Or blow out of this state and archery hunt in a state where the season is the whole month of september!

You guys are a bunch of whiners.   

[pianoman9701]

Bobcat, the best way for you to undertand our plight is for you to take up achery like you have been talking about. Many of us have seen what the hunting is like when the dates are later in the month and it make a huge difference!!! I use to hunt elk with a rifle but it was just not as much of a challange shooting one at 200 yards. Archery is a little different and much more challanging. I have had multiple elk as close as 10 yards and come away with nothing because of no shot opportunity. Now that is exciting 

We are not against MF or ML hunters we just can't figure out why WDFW keeps messing so much with the archery group when it is the most difficult of the three hunting styles.

90% chance I will be archery hunting for elk this year. The only reason I'm having a hard time deciding is that if I archery hunt, I'll be hunting alone. But I like having the opportunity to take a cow or a bull, and I can hunt close enough to home that it's easy for me to scout year around.

The timing of the archery season is intentional, I believe, in order to decrease the number of bulls taken by archery hunters. This has been explained by the WDFW. This is why I don't think there's a chance they're going to change the proposed seasons. Also they do have a moratorium on rule making right now so I'm not sure it's something they would even consider.

They're supposed to be pretty much sticking with the status quo for this three year package.

Shortening the season was also done because archers were taking a higher percentage of bulls. It's starting to become total BS. Will they eventually close the archery season altogether because archers take too many bulls?

[Swatson]

Bobcat, the best way for you to undertand our plight is for you to take up achery like you have been talking about. Many of us have seen what the hunting is like when the dates are later in the month and it make a huge difference!!! I use to hunt elk with a rifle but it was just not as much of a challange shooting one at 200 yards. Archery is a little different and much more challanging. I have had multiple elk as close as 10 yards and come away with nothing because of no shot opportunity. Now that is exciting 

We are not against MF or ML hunters we just can't figure out why WDFW keeps messing so much with the archery group when it is the most difficult of the three hunting styles.

90% chance I will be archery hunting for elk this year. The only reason I'm having a hard time deciding is that if I archery hunt, I'll be hunting alone. But I like having the opportunity to take a cow or a bull, and I can hunt close enough to home that it's easy for me to scout year around.

The timing of the archery season is intentional, I believe, in order to decrease the number of bulls taken by archery hunters. This has been explained by the WDFW. This is why I don't think there's a chance they're going to change the proposed seasons. Also they do have a moratorium on rule making right now so I'm not sure it's something they would even consider.

They're supposed to be pretty much sticking with the status quo for this three year package.

Knowing this then you should see why were upset with the state!  Then WTH are they going back to the 8th in 4 years then?  So is it a holiday thing, weekend thing, elk harvesting thing......  I know your new to the archery elk thing but ask any serious archery elk hunter what week in September he'd hunt if he had only one week to hunt?  You'll find that the overwhelming majority will take the last week of September. 

[bobcat]

Shortening the season was also done because archers were taking a higher percentage of bulls. It's starting to become total BS. Will they eventually close the archery season altogether because archers take too many bulls?

Yes, possibly. If lumenocks are allowed, the bull harvest by archers will drastically increase.       

[Swatson]

hahaha Nice!