New archery season proposal?????

[Bob33]

it may be our equipment has evolved so much that just about anyone can buy a bow and within a month with a range finder can shoot 60 yards

I'd agree with that if you cut the distance in half. For me anyway, it was a challenge getting tight groups at 40 yards. But I could see just about anyone, with a little help, being proficient to 30 yards in a month.

He did say "shoot 60 yards", not "hit at 60 yards".

[bobcat]

it may be our equipment has evolved so much that just about anyone can buy a bow and within a month with a range finder can shoot 60 yards

I'd agree with that if you cut the distance in half. For me anyway, it was a challenge getting tight groups at 40 yards. But I could see just about anyone, with a little help, being proficient to 30 yards in a month.

He did say "shoot 60 yards", not "hit at 60 yards".

That's true. Yes, I CAN shoot to 60 yards, no problem. I guess I mis-read his statement! The issue would be how long would it take for me to run out of arrows and have nothing to show for it?

[bigbeamhunter]

 I guess some people think because they can hit a target at 60 on a range think they can shoot an elk i a clearcut at 60 yds..there are many archers that can shoot that far accurately I can but prefer that under 40. there are a lot of what we call rifle hunters with a bow out there

[Fullabull]

It's like watching that one show on TV where these guys are shooting animals at 800 to 1000 (or longer) yards and making it look like that is ethical. There are to many people taking shots with all weapons that they should not be taking. Or when they shoot an elk on TV and leave it over night  then come back the next day and act like all is well....BS! I tried that as a rookie elk hunter and lost a quarter, and I actually skinned it before leaving it over night, but just the meat laying on the hide spoiled that side of the quarter.

[Slow-1]

Does anyone know when we find out if our letters have made a difference?
Or am I going to have to change my vacation.

[dreamingbig]

The public meeting is in two weeks.  We won't know anything until that time at the earliest.  After the meeting the commission meets again to vote on the final draft.  My thinking is that we will get a good feel at the March meeting.  I am not very optimistic but it will help if we can show up and voice our opinion one more time!

Commission Meetings:

•March 9-10, 2012 (public input accepted)
Moses Lake City Hall
321 S. Balsam
Moses Lake, WA  98837
•April 13-14,  2012 (Fish and Wildlife Commission decides on and adopts rule proposals)
Natural Resources Building
1111 Washington Street SE
Olympia, WA  98501

[D-Rock425]

This is are last chance.

[NWWABOWHNTR]

We need to show up in force at the Moses Lake meeting.

[dreamingbig]

Public input for the general elk seasons are at 5:40pm on Friday.     Clever game dept.  Why can't they deal with the important issues on the Saturday?

[buckfvr]

Keep in mind, we will be required to share the elk with the wolves in the name of herd enhancement....I'd be shocked to see better dates.  I hate the heat as much as the next guy. 

[dreamingbig]

If I had to choose order of priority for changes I would say:  1. give us our day back from 13 to 14, 2. give us cows back GMU 356 (PMU is back to objective; their original data (survey choice and timing) to make the change was questionable to begin with) and 3. change the date to the 8th to the 21st.  I can work with a rotating season (First Tues post labor day) but I would prefer the 8th to the 21st as we had it.  It was working and didn't need to be changed.

I can handle the heat too, that is not my main motivation for the change.  I have taken three animals in past 6 years and temps were in 80s all three times and we were 5+ miles in.  No meat was lost.

[et1702]

Here is message I sent to DFW earlier last month.  Preferred alternative is to have early archery elk start the second Saturday of the month of Sept and run for 16 days (i.e., would give us three weekends).  So, the dates would shift between the 8th thru the 23rd (2012) and the 14th thru the 29th (2013).  After 2013, we would shift a day earlier until 2018 when it would once again be on the 8th thru the 23rd.  Just my  but this would be the best of all trade-offs available.

ET

Dear DFW,

I have been an archery hunter for over 33 years and had the privilege of hunting in many of our western states.  I have been a WA resident since 1992.  I do not understand why the DFW has moved the early archery elk season around so much in the past few years (i.e., shortened the season and moved it up).  There is no evidence that Archers have a higher success rate or take more bulls than Modern Rifle or Muzzleloader seasons.  In fact, the evidence is contrary to this unfounded assumption, as the Modern and ML success rates have been much higher that the Archery season success rates.  Additionally, as a group, the Modern and ML seasons have significantly more Quality bull tags available.  To add insult to injury, Early Archery Elk seasons have been getting shorter and moving earlier in the month of September.  Can someone please explain the scientific reasons for this?

If it is a matter of the start date being the Tuesday following Labor Day, please fix the annual start date to occur on the 8th of September thru the 23rd of September.  I have proposed the season to include a total 16 days, as I would like to recover the three days we lost when DFW changed from the Saturday before Labor day to the Tuesday after Labor day.  I also understand that in the year 2015 that these will be the approximate hunt dates.  However, for the next three years, the date will continue to move forward. 

Alternatively, the DFW could fix the start date as the second Saturday of the month in September, which would be my preferred alternative.  This would avoid any use conflicts that occur due to Labor Day and allow early archery hunters to hunt when the weather is cooler and more conducive to meat preservation.  It would also allow Archers to hunt closer to the rutting season and would be an equitable trade-off (i.e., presumably the success rates would also go up and down each year).  Assuming a 16-day season, the dates would move forward and backward (i.e., in and out of the rut) between the 8th thru the 23rd and the 14th thru the 29th of September.  Most of the other western states allow three to four weeks for their early archery seasons (i.e., typically the entire month of September) without any detiment to the Elk herd or other users (i.e., Modern & ML groups) quality or quantity of opportunities.

Unless the DFW can provide a scientific reason why we shouldn't extend the archery season and move it later in the month, I respectfully request that the proposed changes identified above be incoroporated into the 2012 thru 2014 three year plan currently being considered.

[NWWABOWHNTR]

Send lettersto the Commission regarding why is the public input on a workday, is it so they do not get much public input, since most people have to work???

[bobcat]

Send lettersto the Commission regarding why is the public input on a workday, is it so they do not get much public input, since most people have to work???

Doesn't matter anyway, because by now they're done listening to public input and already have their minds made up. (IMO)

[dreamingbig]

Bobcat,

Yes it is a low probability but we aren't going to throw in the towel and quit fighting.  They may want us to go away quietly but they are going to keep hearing from us!