Margaret Unit

[CastleRocker]

Guess I'll have to read this thread from the start, but did Cabela's sell all the rest of this property?  I personally know two of the land owners very well, and both had been approached by Cabela's to put small cabins on their property for clients during elk season.  I'm going to read the whole thread before I jump up on my soap box though.

[Huntbear]

Guess I'll have to read this thread from the start, but did Cabela's sell all the rest of this property?  I personally know two of the land owners very well, and both had been approached by Cabela's to put small cabins on their property for clients during elk season.  I'm going to read the whole thread before I jump up on my soap box though.

Interesting CastleRocker....  Kind of hard to have clients elk hunting in a draw only unit, don't you think? 

[kentrek]

the bulls around the high lakes are def not little..another thing peaple are forgeting is the other hunting opertunieties lost such as the monster high country blacktails and bear that call that place home..

obvously we all are going to hate the dude that bought our stomping grounds(didnt think there would be a price on a place like the highlakes..) but realy there are very few hunters who if had lots of $$$$ who wouldnt dream of owning a place like that..but owning high country land should always have remaned a dream and it should have been made into some type of public land. its the states fault for haveing there head up there azz.

i hope that this privitization is a short time thing.peaple need to remember land is finite.you cant put a price on public country..the indians new this centuries ago

[Huntbear]

Thanks for the reply to my question 

In response to your question..

NO, do not know if this Agnew guy hunts, fishes or plays checkers with old men on the courthouse square.. .do not care..

All I care about is the fact that there is that much PRIME hunting land, that hunters are denied access to by someone... and the WDFW allowed it.  The only way both WDFW and the RMEF bowed out is because someone greased some palms with some good old fashioned green....

And that is the reason the WDFW is taking this unit to a regular old general season tag ....   to screw the hunters and give some rich ass people what they want...   sorry if you can not see it that way... hell maybe you are part of the rich people that feel they deserve to hunt where others should not be allowed...  not sure, do not know you...   However, the hunters in the state keep getting screwed in the ass, but we are expected to continue to fund the same agency that is shoving the dry corn cob where the sun does not shine, if we working class people still want to hunt....

[Branden]

In response to your question..

NO, do not know if this Agnew guy hunts, fishes or plays checkers with old men on the courthouse square.. .do not care..

All I care about is the fact that there is that much PRIME hunting land, that hunters are denied access to by someone... and the WDFW allowed it.  The only way both WDFW and the RMEF bowed out is because someone greased some palms with some good old fashioned green....

First you were bashing the wdfw/rmef. Then when bobcat brought up Agnews name you started bashing him. Now its back to the wdfw/rmef. Wonder how many posts and it will be Agnews fault again?

Do you have proof/evidence money changed hands? Just more speculation. Also, in reading the regs margret still looks like it is a draw to me. Not otc. So I would not call that a general tag. 

[kentrek]

In response to your question..

NO, do not know if this Agnew guy hunts, fishes or plays checkers with old men on the courthouse square.. .do not care..

All I care about is the fact that there is that much PRIME hunting land, that hunters are denied access to by someone... and the WDFW allowed it.  The only way both WDFW and the RMEF bowed out is because someone greased some palms with some good old fashioned green....

First you were bashing the wdfw/rmef. Then when bobcat brought up Agnews name you started bashing him. Now its back to the wdfw/rmef. Wonder how many posts and it will be Agnews fault again?

Do you have proof/evidence money changed hands? Just more speculation. Also, in reading the regs margret still looks like it is a draw to me. Not otc. So I would not call that a general tag.

the point is wdfw shouldnt have let agnew buy the land

[Huntbear]

In response to your question..

NO, do not know if this Agnew guy hunts, fishes or plays checkers with old men on the courthouse square.. .do not care..

All I care about is the fact that there is that much PRIME hunting land, that hunters are denied access to by someone... and the WDFW allowed it.  The only way both WDFW and the RMEF bowed out is because someone greased some palms with some good old fashioned green....

First you were bashing the wdfw/rmef. Then when bobcat brought up Agnews name you started bashing him. Now its back to the wdfw/rmef. Wonder how many posts and it will be Agnews fault again?

Do you have proof/evidence money changed hands? Just more speculation. Also, in reading the regs margret still looks like it is a draw to me. Not otc. So I would not call that a general tag.

No proof....

HOWEVER... the WDFW and the RMEF both let the Best elk hunting area in SW Washington state be bought up and COMPLETELY CLOSED OFF TO HUNTERS by this guy...  I am not switching back and forth at all...  I am bashing them equally...  Every last one of the parties involved needs to be taken behind the woodshed...

Bough cutters are at risk?  This is nothing more than a ploy.. Bough cutters are in the Nat'l. Forest every year during elk season.. I can not remember any being shot by being mistaken for an elk or a deer..  If they are worried put them in blaze orange jump suits...

Bottom line, this is all about getting that area turned into a rich person's personal playground, and they do not care who gets screwed in the process...  and the WDFW has turned a blind eye?  Not hard to read between the lines here..  Of course that is if you really care about that area..... and have even been back into those high lakes..   I have been up there many times...  my cousin was part of the crew that built that Highway up to the observatory.. 

[JimmyHoffa]

So from reading through the thread, this Agnew character bought land that was already private.  Some guys before him bought it from DNR and transformed it from public to private.  Those guys allowed public hunting on private land for X number of years.  Now a new landowner (Agnew) is no longer allowing public access.  Am I off?

[bobcat]

I believe it used to be National Forest land, not DNR.

[Huntbear]

So from reading through the thread, this Agnew character bought land that was already private.  Some guys before him bought it from DNR and transformed it from public to private.  Those guys allowed public hunting on private land for X number of years.  Now a new landowner (Agnew) is no longer allowing public access.  Am I off?

You are basically correct.  This was Weyco land... This is land that is right along the edge of the National Monument and Blast Zone..  it is gorgeous country, fantastic views of Mt. St. Helens.  It is also some of the best elk hunting on the Wetside you could ever ask for... as well as the previously mentioned high country blacktail, blackbear and cougar.

As part of the conditions of sale.. Weyerhauser also was required to ditch the main line (this is a 30 ft. hole about 100 ft. across) through the unit before Miners Creek... to stop access behind the property as well, where there are other high lakes and bowls ... that fill up with elk...

It is funny they talk about the danger to the bough cutters.. there are only 50 total tags for Modern Rifle in the unit...   it is not like the zoo in the Winston, and the bough cutters work there right through the hunting season.

[Branden]

Huntbear, it is to bad that private land is now closed to public hunting. You have over 6000 posts on this forum. Instead maybe use your time to start your own non profit org for future purchases of pristine private land that becomes available to purchase. As passionate as you are about losing access to private, maybe you could make your time more productive. Complaining on a message board and bashing orgs and people isn't going to help anything. 

[Huntbear]

I have over 6000 posts on this forum because I have basically been here since the beginning...  so in 4.5 years I have been on here, yes, I have acquired quite a few posts....

Now, as far as how I use my time?  I do volunteer a lot of my time.  I wish I could afford to start my own non profit to buy back those lands, and others..  being a working stiff, does not allow for much free money...

Oh. trust me, I do not just bash on a message board.   The Director, the commissioners and the Region 5 office of the WDFW, as well as the RMEF foundation have heard from me over the last few weeks on this topic and others..  multiple times.   I send out my emails with a read receipt, so I know someone has opened it and read it.  I will also be bringing this topic of the Margaret unit up with the WFW, to see if we can throw some weight behind the words..

However, I will never stand by and not say anything about hunting land being taken from us....  either by the government or by the rich and wanna be powerful that want their own private playground. 

This all reminds me of the Million Mom March on Washington DC a few years ago.. all about gun control....  the next week, the big name organizer of the event (one Rosie O'donnel) was shown that her bodyguards had applied for concealed weapons permits in several states...  Guess gun control did not apply to her, since she has money....   

That is the attitude that pisses me off so much... 

And, I have a solution... since the wildlife on that land belongs to the taxpayers, and the property owners will not allow access by the public... tax the *censored* out of them for every deer, bear, cougar, elk, ground squirrel, chipmunk, rabbit, porcupine and skunk, etc... that resides there...  the animals do after all belong to US, not the property owners.

[Branden]

Or fence out the animals completely so that there is less habitat, which means less animals. I like that idea. (heavy sarcasm)

It honestly sounds like you are just mad because some guy that has more money then you bought some private property and closed it. Thank god we still have property rights, and can allow who we want on the property that we own.

[Huntbear]

Think what you want...  Again, you do not have to click on my posts...

I have hunted this area for over 35 years...  I was hunting elk around Mt. St. Helens before the it blew up....  I hunted the first year we could get back in there, when there was the "red zone" that we could not enter...  So yes, I have a vested interest in this area and the wildlife that I grew up hunting....

That land should no more be taken away from hunters than the air we breath...

Mad at him? YES

Madder than hell at the WDFW...  HELL YEA...  There is no way in hell this area should have been allowed to be bought by private individuals, and closed off .....  They should be horse whipped publicly for this.... imagine someone allowed to buy thousands of acres in the Colockum... and shut off all access.....

Sick of the games by the Department of watchable wildlife..  completely...

If you had ever hunted up there, or even hiked that country you would understand...  obviously you have not done so...  I hiked that whole area over the years..... it is amazing country that now YOUR KIDS and others will never see or be able to hunt...

unless of course this Agnew guy is your buddy, and you have access that no one else now has.....

And again.. just to be clear... if he was standing right in front of me with the Director and Commissioners of the WDFW, they would be told right to their faces what I think of them about this... 

[buckhorn2]

Well Huntbear told why he has so much interest in what has happened and that he hunted around that area for many years so how about you saying where you like to hunt and where you live he is in castle rock abouit 30 miles from this area we talk about. Are you a tree hugger here to just stir the pot or what your location posted as nodak sounds vague maybe put up a couple pictures of some game you have harvested so we know you really do hunt. Your opinion is well noted and I respect you for that but at the same time a lot of things have happened in the department this year that has hunters wondering. Whenever big money takes over any rights we all have a right to question why we will all have the answer in a couple years but a big lodge being built on prime hunting grounds does;nt need to be there to harvest noble fir.