I have been in there for about 4 years,but my dad and other huntin partners have been huntin it for about 17 years
About as long as winshooter88 here
I may not have done the research numbers like Colockumelk has, but we are 46 years and four generations intimate with the Colockum Elk herd and it's central to northern range.
Throughout the majority of the years spent hunting there things were fine. Before green dot we drove almost anywhere. And yes the Game Reserve was bordered on 3 sides by open roads. Before 1972 the Colockum Pass road was the eastern boundary of the reserve, not Brewton road. There were a lot more hunters up there then than now
In the early 80s They came up with resource allocation and, moved the season from November to the last week of October. Didn't didn't like it but What could WE do?
Before this time elk season started either on a Sunday,or Monday.They also came up with an early and late tag and moved the opener for the early tag to Saturday, late tag on Monday. WHY some would ask, would anyone then buy a late tag?!?!?!?! Here is your answer. Special permits were only available to those who had purchased LATE tags. This was obviously before they discovered their cash cow. There also was no east or west tag....there was western, Blue mountain, Yakima,or Colockum tags, so you were more restricted east than you are now as to where you could go.
Was it 1994 that they expanded the Blue mountain "Spike only" to the Yakama, and Colockum herds.
Didn't like that either, but (once again)What could we do? In the early years there was a very noticeable increase in branched animals. and we ALL started feeding the cash cow! there were about 60 any bull permits issued in the Naneum, Mission, and Quilomene GMU's at that time. Now we have what, 6 all weapons? Colockum/Mission has become an OIL tag.
Things were okay for about 10 years and IT happened.What was it? would we call it racial discrimination, or just Gregoire, Casino campaign money? DNR Logging ? whatever it is, it has ruined a great area
In 2008 I attended the March final 3 year season setting Comm. meeting in Ellensburg and commented I would rather close the area for a couple years than go permit only. Since then it has got no better. we have been sacrificing since 1994 for what......
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"Somehow Phill Lancaster from East Wenatchee has got to be stopped. If anyone would like to stop by and talk to him about it, his home address is 45 south June, East wenatchee. This guy is single handidly destroying the herd. He isnt helping the deer herds around here either."
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Now this is only ONE individual! I also hear there is another "problem child" family on the other side of the hump.
This year at the meeting in Moses lake I will be promoting Permit only since I hear in an emergency OTC closure to permit only will put the NA's and us on the same level. Am I wrong on that CE
Rifle: 228 cows x 85% success rate equals 270 cow permits
ML: 52 cows x 40% success rate equals permits 130 cow permits
Archery: 70 cows x 25% success rate equals 280 cow permits
Total Permits 680
Rifle: 130 bulls x 65% success rate equals 200 Any Bull permits
ML: 30 bulls x 40% success rate equals 75 Any bull permits
Arhcery: 40 bulls x 20% success rate equals 200 Any bull permits.
Total Permits 475
They would probably be wise to increase the group size for this particular SP,since there are some large camps up there/OR in our case there are 4 separate families in camp and many of us just love the experience of just being there ,so we would probably put in in 3-4 smaller groups so that the chances would be better we would have a reason to go at all.
If not we would certainly invade someone else's area.
Now as a 1/2, or 1, or 5 mile buffer around the Art Coffin Game RESERVE ( not refuge or preserve) and all other road closure issues .......Comparing the roads in the 328/329 and the 251 is definately apples to oranges. In the 251 you have only 2 access roads Colockum Pass and Schaller/Jumpoff with Naneum road connecting them bordering the reserve. There is much more cover on the open side of this road than Colockum pass rd. until you get to the DNR mess beyond 4 corners( which is about 3/8 mile from the reserve.) Hard for bulls to escape if they get out in any of these huge clearcuts.
In the four miles between the monument at Colockum/Naneum junction to the Wood line at four corners there were (M/R) less than 10 camps. Now lets compare that to the number (Colockum pass) of camps from the the reserve south toward that steel line. How many, and LARGE camps, and much more wide open flat country. I would estimate at least five times more camps and hunters,and that's only about a 3 mile distance.
I suppose you could close the Brewton,and then the Reserve would only have a road on the north border. But as we have read in other threads, that there are some N. A's that don't need a road, or the lands commissioner has passed out keys
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My idea is permit only (ech!) Colockum. Consider the early/late tag thing again if not permit only. and figure out whatever it is that can stop the slaughter of our big bulls by unlicensed untagged hunters who have months to do their damage,and have been for too long.
Or close it all together for a couple years
Sorry for all the added history........
