Post by: Chase 1 on February 18, 2012, 02:47:26 AM
CC: Dave Ware, WDFW Commissioners
From: Ron Chase
RE: Goose Prairie- Nile and Bumping Elk Allocation
Dear Dr. Nelson,
Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you at the public meeting in Federal Way and our discussion regarding elk allocation and the rule changes affecting archers in the Goose Prairie Unit. As you requested I have enclosed my research of the issues surrounding the changes along with a list of questions. Thank you for your concern and attention to this issue and I look forward to continued dialogue as we move forward in the three year planning process.
Requested Rule Change for the 2012-2014 Seasons: Re-establish the Goose Prairie Unit as a spike and antlerless season for early archery and reinstate the 53 bull permits lost during the 2009 and 2010 adjustments of the three year management plan.
Reason: The following information shows an inconsistency in the allocation of elk hunting opportunity to each user group between 2008 2011 seasons in Goose Prairie: the Nile (352) and Bumping Units (356). The following information also highlights the affect to archers hunting opportunity following the total closure of early season antlerless elk hunting.
BULLS - Adjustments were made to the three year management plan in 2010 that reduced the bull permits to each user group in the Goose Prairie Unit. The changes were far more impactful to archers than to firearm and muzzleloader hunters.
Archers lost 51% of bull permits, from 123 to 60 permits
Firearms lost 29% of bull permits, from 77 to 55 permits
Muzzleloaders lost 23% of bull permits, from 13 to 10 permits.
In 2011 the bull permit numbers were restored to the 2009 levels for firearms and muzzleloader hunters yet they were left significantly lower for archers. Archers were issued 53 less permits, 43% below 2009 levels.
Question #1 Why have archers lost 53 bull permits while the permits allocated to firearm and
muzzleloader hunters have been restored to 2009 levels?
Bull Permit / Kill Ratios - When you compare the bulls that were killed in Goose Prairie to the permits issued to each user group in the 2008 2010 seasons, a vast difference emerges in the harvest success rate between the user groups.
2008 2010 Archery Firearms Muzzleloaders
Bull Permits 310 222 38
Bulls Killed 28 92 11
Kill Ratio 9 % 41 % 29 %
Considering the incredibly high success rate of firearm and muzzleloader hunters, it is difficult to understand why archers have been the focus of tag allocation cut backs to meet management goals.
Question #2 With firearms and muzzleloader hunters having harvested 103 bulls compared to 28 by archers in 2008 - 2010, why have archers been the primary user group targeted for reduction of bull tags allocation and reduction of opportunity?
ANTLERLESS - Adjustments were also made to the three year management plan in 2010 to the early season antlerless hunting in Goose Prairie that closed the unit to archers.
2008-2010 Archers averaged less than 6% harvest success of the antlerless opportunity.
2008-2010 Rifle hunters averaged 28% harvest success of the antlerless opportunity.
2008-2010 Muzzleloader hunters averaged 23% harvest success of the antlerless opportunity.
Early season antlerless opportunity has been greatly reduced for all user groups since the last three year management plan was implemented. Despite the incredibly low success of archers, early antlerless archery opportunity has been completely taken away.
Question #3 Why have archery hunters been completely stripped of the early season antlerless hunting opportunity in Goose Prairie while opportunity for other user groups has continued?
Question #4: Do current elk populations indicate that the early archery season in Goose Prairie will be restored to the 2009 levels as part of the new three year management plan?
User Groups The most accurate information of the numbers of hunters from each of the user groups hunting in Goose Prairie comes from the 2009 harvest report. The following information shows that archers and firearms hunters were nearly equal in the number of hunters utilizing Goose Prairie in 2009. The 2010 harvest report shows the dramatic effects that the rule changes had on archers that had previously utilized Goose Prairie.
2009 Archery Firearms Muzzleloaders
Nile 896 700 181
Bumping 560 640 235
Total 1356 1340 416
2010 Archery Firearms Muzzleloaders
Nile 566 758 126
Bumping 151 715 192
Total 717 (-639) 1473 (+133) 318 (-98)
This user information shows that the rule changes in 2010 dramatically diminished the opportunity for archers in Goose Prairie, yet did not affect the firearms hunters.
Question #5: In 2009 archery and firearms hunters were equal users of Goose Prairie for elk hunting, so why have the rule changes primarily been directed at and affected archers opportunities?
Conclusion
I realize that big game management is a complex issue with many factors involved in determining user group allocation. Yet it is difficult to overlook the significant loss of opportunity for archers as compared to rifle and muzzleloader hunters in Goose Prairie during the last three years. I have patiently waited for the three year management planning to begin so that this issue could be addressed. The changes that were implemented to the Goose Prairie unit were done mid three year management plan and involved minimal public comment. My efforts in this matter are in attempt to open the dialogue and public impute process in determining the allocation of elk hunting opportunity in Goose Prairie. I would request that this issue continue to be part of the three year planning discussion as we move forward with public comment and finalization.
On a personal note, my extended family and friends have archery hunted the Bumping unit for the last thirteen years. Since the regulations changed we have not had the opportunity to return to our traditional hunting grounds and therefore not hunted elk. I hope that with your facilitation, our hunting opportunity will be restored as part of the next three year management plan.
Thank you for your time and attention to these issues. I look forward to your response and a continued dialog during the process of completing the new three year management plan.
Ron Chase
chasecoach@yahoo.com
425-931-6784
PO Box 221
Granite Falls, WA 98252
P.S. The information below was retrieved from the WDFW and used to provide the statistics contained in this report.