New archery season proposal?????

[pianoman9701]

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.       

Trouble maker! You'll stir that pot and sit back and enjoy...and then decide to hunt modern!

[JLS]

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.

Not me, 14-21 every time.  I consider myself pretty serious.

[Swatson]

I guess I could have worded it a little better by stating 99% would not tell you the first week of September!  I'll take the last week of September hands down!

[Fullabull]

They used that statement before about archery hunters taking more bulls. There was an unfair complaint from an MF hunter who said archery hunters take more mature bulls per hunter they MF hunters. As pure numbers go MF hunters take a huge number of bulls compared to archery hunters. And if you look at the % of large bulls taken during permit hunts (which I do not believe they used for their example) MF hunters are double that of archery hunters when is comes to success rates. If you consider the amount of bull permit tags available to the MF hunter over all (allmost double) to the archery hunters that is a huge number of mature bulls harvested.

From what I saw the plan shows the following for Quality and Bull elk permits:
MF: 974 total
Archery: 580 total
ML: 205 total

For antlerless: (get this)
MF: 3765 total
Archery: 418 total (granted many archery units allow for antlerless or 3 points or better) (most archers are happy to take a cow)
ML: 2129 total

[Echomules]

Sent them my two bits worth.


Commission Members,

Proposed Dates for General Archery Elk Seasons:
Why start the first Tuesday after Labor Day, Why not a firm date like the 8th, 10th or 15th of September every year? Like turkey starts April 15th no matter the day of week.

Hot Game Meat
A single week or most of one in early September can make a big difference in weather. The extreme heat of summer is often still with us for a few more days in September. This makes the ethical caring for meat a daunting challenge. The weather changes that come quickly in September can make this task much easier and lets a successful hunter avoid meat spoilage. This is not only the law, but is the ethical way to participate in this pursuit. Please help us avoid how quickly meat can spoil in the heat.

In the most recent proposal for changes to the Washington early archery elk season, it appears that the start of the season is earlier and earlier each year. We do not need to have a floating start date for this season any more than we need a floating start date for turkey season. The archery seasons seem to be further and further out of the season of the elk rut. Is there some scientific harvest gain or more likely reduction in harvest that is desired by this? I’m guessing that is has nothing to do with harvest, just a random starting date.

Thanks for your consideration,

[BowBender87]

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.

Not me, 14-21 every time.  I consider myself pretty serious.

i understand the later week thing...but id take the 1st every year if i had to choose...i just like gettin to the elk before other people do   

[Swatson]

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.

Not me, 14-21 every time.  I consider myself pretty serious.

i understand the later week thing...but id take the 1st every year if i had to choose...i just like gettin to the elk before other people do   

Lets not dig too deep!  I guess I need to rephrase it again...Theres only a one week season for everyone, what week would you want???  Thats the simple point I was trying to make. 

[NWWABOWHNTR]

Last week of Sept.. bulls have gotten really active the last few years at the end of archery... but that is never going to happen here.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

 
You can please some of the people....
It does not matter, whatever they do, someone is going to complain.
Sure, the last week of september, and the first week of October, you hear more bugling...
But I can call in a Bull from the end of August until the middle of October...
I like it better when there are not a bunch of "bunny Huggers" out in the woods, because they actually hike in the woods, most Elk hunters I meet rarely get further away from their vehicle than a mile, and they wont leave the road still, thank god for gates ( ) I actually talked to a guy that called them "trails"  .
I have been told EVERY YEAR that "they just are not talking", yet I hear them, call them, see them (damnit, need to work on killing them)
The reason they start the season when they do, is because of all the complaining in past years, no wonder they turn a deaf ear to our complaints now. 
Seems we will never be happy, until they let us use infra-red, heat seeking, arrows, allow all ORV access, and mix the Elk with Northwest Trek animals (so they stand next to road)
Do a search, see how many Elk are harvested in the first week of season, compaired to the last week...

[NWWABOWHNTR]

I concur that probably most cows are killed in the 1st week of the season... but we have no data from the 4th till the 8th to confirm that with, as for at least the last 8 years we have started later than that.  There was no real scientific reason to move our season from a set date to a floating date like it is now.  I have called bulls in during August, but they are not really "HOT" until mid month... There is a difference in a bull coming in to cow calls, and bugles for curiousity, and a bull coming in blinded by rage and hormones. 

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

True that !! been a long time since they came in, snot flying, screaming their heads off,  and fear of god in my quaking boots !!
I have to give you that, but still, I am happy to have multiple encounters on a regular basis, than that one heart stopping one.
But then again, when they went to Spike only on the East-side, that only was cause for further frustration, unless drawn....
Have not "been back" on the West side long enough to know the difference, been 20 years......

[huntndad]

For years I've been hearing about all the bulls that archers take, and how the seasons need to be restructured to make everything equal.  This is BS.  Over the last 3 years (not including 2011 as there is no data yet) only 4.5% of archery hunters killed a bull.  Compare that to 6.3% for mf hunters and 5.4% for ml.  To look at it another way, archers made up about 37% of all the hunters during that span, and only harvested about 26% of the bulls. 
Yes, believe it or not, rifle hunters kill bulls at a higher percentage rate than archers or muzzleloaders, not just more bulls due to the higher number of hunters.

[jstone]

huntndad,  Its only common sense. some people just cant figure it out..

[Snapshot]

Just two comments from me, each worth one cent:

1) It wasn't total number of bulls killed that caught the attention of the MF'er (read that either way) who started the process that got our early elk season dates changed; it was the average number of points on the bulls.

2) Those who will wait to decide which type of weapon they will hunt with may never understand why this "whining" is important to unconditional archery hunters, those of us who would prefer to not hunt at all than to not hunt with a bow.

[dreamingbig]

huntndad,  Its only common sense. some people just cant figure it out..

Another 

I haven't even drawn a branch antlered tag yet in 9 years!  Gum 356 being spike only is also a joke!