Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: Bango skank on March 28, 2019, 01:55:05 AM
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Word on the street is we are getting a 2 bear limit and an august opener. :IBCOOL:
WDFW Bear season Poll
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298
(added link to WDFW poll)
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I can say undoubtably if they put an august opener on the north east I'll be there chasing bears.
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Looking to boost the fawn/calf survival rates a bit I bet!
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That makes no sense, WDFW actually making a smart season change? Silly.
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I hope it's true .
Huckleberry unit was August opener years ago and it was great.Didn't really understand why it was changed.
There are so many areas I had game cams last year and getting 3x more pics of bears then deer.
I think a lot of animals get to know the hunting seasons
And learn when to hide out .August opener will help get some tags filled.
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I talked to fish and game a few years ago about moving the open date to August 15th and they stated that the reason it changed was the conflicts between bear hunters and huckleberry pickers. At the time they stated that it would not change back.
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This makes me really excited to see the new regs for the year.Hope it's mostly good.
I won't buy any permits until I see those regs though. :dunno:
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I may be missing something but i dont see bears on any of the agenda meetings.
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Bears were discussed at length in Spokane earlier.......as were all predators in general.
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Cracks me up, they can't keep their lies straight.
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Ya the biggest hurdle for the new director, provided he truly wants to make a difference, will be to re establish honesty. BIG hurdle, since the agency is many years into the misinform, mislead, lie above all else until you believe your own lies defacto of standard operating procedures.
Then add in agenda driven studies that have zero true value.
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Hopefully it's true. A second bear tag in the NE would also be nice.
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Hopefully it's true. A second bear tag in the NE would also be nice.
What im hearing is its actually going to be statewide, 2 bears / aug 1st opener. Really hope its true, and im not just blowing smoke up everybodys asses.
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Hopefully it's true. A second bear tag in the NE would also be nice.
What im hearing is its actually going to be statewide, 2 bears / aug 1st opener. Really hope its true, and im not just blowing smoke up everybodys asses.
Smells smoky
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What im hearing is its actually going to be statewide, 2 bears / aug 1st opener. Really hope its true, and im not just blowing smoke up everybodys asses.
Fingers crossed.
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My hunting season ends mid September this year so this prospect is making me really excited.
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I’m not holding my breath. That would be a major change to not appear on any proposals or be an agenda item on a commission meeting.
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I’m not holding my breath. That would be a major change to not appear on any proposals or be an agenda item on a commission meeting.
:yeah:
Likelihood of WDFW moving to a NE or state wide 2 bear harvests and a general August opener this year is zero.
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Well, there is this, that was filed on March 5th:
Agency: WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)Subject of possible rule making: The department is considering rule changes related to black bear seasons and regulations, and cougar seasons and regulations.
Statutes authorizing the agency to adopt rules on this subject: RCWs77.04.012, 77.04.055, 77.12.047, 77.12.240, 77.32.070, 77.32.090, 77.32.370 and 77.32.530
Reasons why rules on this subject may be needed and what they might accomplish: Amendments to the rules are needed to provide clarification, expand recreational opportunity, and mitigate wildlife conflicts, while maintaining sustainable game populations.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/about/regulations/2019/wsr_19-06-080.pdf
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Well, there is this, that was filed on March 5th:
Agency: WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)Subject of possible rule making: The department is considering rule changes related to black bear seasons and regulations, and cougar seasons and regulations.
Statutes authorizing the agency to adopt rules on this subject: RCWs77.04.012, 77.04.055, 77.12.047, 77.12.240, 77.32.070, 77.32.090, 77.32.370 and 77.32.530
Reasons why rules on this subject may be needed and what they might accomplish: Amendments to the rules are needed to provide clarification, expand recreational opportunity, and mitigate wildlife conflicts, while maintaining sustainable game populations.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/about/regulations/2019/wsr_19-06-080.pdf
It wouldn’t break my heart at all to be wrong on this one. :chuckle:
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Well, there is this, that was filed on March 5th:
Agency: WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)Subject of possible rule making: The department is considering rule changes related to black bear seasons and regulations, and cougar seasons and regulations.
Statutes authorizing the agency to adopt rules on this subject: RCWs77.04.012, 77.04.055, 77.12.047, 77.12.240, 77.32.070, 77.32.090, 77.32.370 and 77.32.530
Reasons why rules on this subject may be needed and what they might accomplish: Amendments to the rules are needed to provide clarification, expand recreational opportunity, and mitigate wildlife conflicts, while maintaining sustainable game populations.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/about/regulations/2019/wsr_19-06-080.pdf
It wouldn’t break my heart at all to be wrong on this one. :chuckle:
:chuckle:
Makes 2 of us
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That would make up for not drawing a spring tag. Not holding my breath.
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This seems to be on the table, but by no means is it set in stone yet. I suggest anybody that cares about our deer, elk and moose populations in the northeast corner takes 5 minutes to send an email to the commission and the director voicing your support for an august 1st opener and a 2 bear limit. It wont take up much of your valuable time, you can do it on your phone while sitting on the can if youre busy. :chuckle:
Dont procrastinate, send an email tonight.
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
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I can only hope this happens! I remember when we got a few years in NE WA on a Aug 1st opener. The most unbelievable spot and stalk bear hunting Ive ever done hillsides with 5-10 bears was the norm. Thats the bad thing with the current season in NE WA is we are getting the very end of the berry feed and if we get a super dry hot summer the hills the bears are gorging on are gone by the time we can hunt them.
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After downloading the commission meeting agenda for april 4-6th, it looks like we got hosed on this. Cant say im surprised.
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Ya I'm not counting my eggs till they hatch. :chuckle:
(when the regs come out)
I did send a long email to commission right before the meeting . If my suggestions come true I will post a copy of my email ,if not then I will keep to myself.
At the end of the day most people that live in NE Washington knows we need changes for almost every species. :tup:
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Ya I'm not counting my eggs till they hatch. :chuckle:
(when the regs come out)
I did send a long email to commission right before the meeting . If my suggestions come true I will post a copy of my email ,if not then I will keep to myself.
At the end of the day most people that live in NE Washington knows we need changes for almost every species. :tup:
:yeah: Spring bear should be OTC! fall season should start in August to get more people involved in harvesting bears. Bad thing with Sept opener is alot of people wont waste time chasing bears if they bow hunt deer and elk. Cougar quota needs to be greatly increased or no quota at all with a season.
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Well that's not going to happen during this present 3 year hunting proposals time frame
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Ya I'm not counting my eggs till they hatch. :chuckle:
(when the regs come out)
I did send a long email to commission right before the meeting . If my suggestions come true I will post a copy of my email ,if not then I will keep to myself.
At the end of the day most people that live in NE Washington knows we need changes for almost every species. :tup:
:yeah: Bad thing with Sept opener is alot of people wont waste time chasing bears if they bow hunt deer and elk.
I generally only get to hunt maybe a week in september, then im working nonstop until november. When im focused on a big buck its hard to want to kill a bear that first week of sept when my hunting time is limited. Now if i could hunt bears in august or may....
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and nope
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We got screwed on everything. Theyll be losing a good deal of money from me each year from here on out, screw wdfw. One of you can buy my leftover multi deer this year, im not giving them the money. No more raffles, no more buying elk or predator tags or apps of any kind. Ive had it.
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From brock hoenes, wdfw deer and elk section manager. Part of an email i recieved from him:
We will be proposing changes to our general black-bear seasons during the June Commission meeting, which will include opening the season on August 1 and liberalizing the bag limit to include 2 bears. I encourage you to participate during that process just as you did in Spokane. We could not propose changes during the recent March-April Commission process because the WAC was not “open”, which prevented us from making changes.
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Where is the June commission meeting? When?
I just looked. June 14-15 in port Angeles. Not very helpful to attend.
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Where is the June commission meeting? When?
I just looked. June 14-15 in port Angeles. Not very helpful to attend.
I would go despite the drive, but on june 12th im heading to alaska.
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From brock hoenes, wdfw deer and elk section manager. Part of an email i recieved from him:
We will be proposing changes to our general black-bear seasons during the June Commission meeting, which will include opening the season on August 1 and liberalizing the bag limit to include 2 bears. I encourage you to participate during that process just as you did in Spokane. We could not propose changes during the recent March-April Commission process because the WAC was not “open”, which prevented us from making changes.
Would the proposal be for this fall or next fall? What's the protocol for voicing my support other than being at the meeting?
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From brock hoenes, wdfw deer and elk section manager. Part of an email i recieved from him:
We will be proposing changes to our general black-bear seasons during the June Commission meeting, which will include opening the season on August 1 and liberalizing the bag limit to include 2 bears. I encourage you to participate during that process just as you did in Spokane. We could not propose changes during the recent March-April Commission process because the WAC was not “open”, which prevented us from making changes.
Would the proposal be for this fall or next fall? What's the protocol for voicing my support other than being at the meeting?
Hoping its for this fall, thats my impression. You need to show up to the meeting early, id suggest at least by a half hour, and sign up to speak in the public comment period.
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Where is the June commission meeting? When?
I just looked. June 14-15 in port Angeles. Not very helpful to attend.
I would go despite the drive, but on june 12th im heading to alaska.
Not in the cards for me to make it
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Is it just NE units Brock is referencing?
Or all of eastern Washington?
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Is it just NE units Brock is referencing?
Or all of eastern Washington?
Not certain, but i think it might be all of eastern wa
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I got my fingers crossed it goes through this fall, still hoping for OTC spring bear too.
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They need to open central wa too. I find giant bears in the spring there, but no draw tags of any kind. I really hope they get something going for this. That ne needs some reprieve from all the predators being mixed in around there
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If youre subscribed to wdfw emails, they just sent out a notice with a pdf of the proposed changes. it is all of eastern wa, statewide aug 1st opener, 2 bear limit. email and comment, show support for this!
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If youre subscribed to wdfw emails, they just sent out a notice with a pdf of the proposed changes. it is all of eastern wa, statewide aug 1st opener, 2 bear limit. email and comment, show support for this!
Link?
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See if this works
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And it would go into effect this year! :IBCOOL:
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Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
SEND THOSE EMAILS, SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! You can bet the hippys will be crying, we cant let them be the only voice weighing in. Emails must be sent BEFORE MAY 16TH!
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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298)
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hope this goes through! Ill have time off in august, ill make it a point to whack two bears before archery deer opens!
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On the email list but didn't get any of these. Responded to survey.
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Completed Survey!
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Survey done :tup:
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hope this goes through! Ill have time off in august, ill make it a point to whack two bears before archery deer opens!
I'd be out in august as well if it changes.
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Send emails too, only takes a minute, dont just take the survey.
Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
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Survey and Email complete. :IBCOOL:
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Done and done. :tup:
Thanks for keeping after this bango
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Survey done and emails sent to all three
Thanks bango
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I already posted this to rokslide, monstermuleys, predatormastersforums and wapititalk. if any of you guys are on any other social media where you can get to more washington hunters, please spread this around. also send texts to any washington hunters in your contacts list. We need hunters voices to overpower the antis on this. To make it easy, you can copy paste the following, containing email addresses and survey link. ill also attach the pdf for the proposal onto the bottom of this comment. Spread this around!
WDFW is proposing an improvement in our bear regulations that is long overdue, the proposal will make an August 1st opener and 2 bear bag limit statewide, and will go into effect this year if passed. Please BEFORE MAY 16TH send emails supporting these changes to:
Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
Also take this survey and comment!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
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Won’t my wife be happy to here this
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You get two tags, takes the pressure off getting a nice rug/trophy.
dump one for the freezer then be selective for the 2nd :dunno:
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You get two tags, takes the pressure off getting a nice rug/trophy.
dump one for the freezer then be selective for the 2nd :dunno:
Yup. and if a guy is going to kill 2 bears per year, does he really need every hide to be prime? How many bear rugs can you fit in your house? Keep the occasional exceptional hide from a spring or late fall bear, and keep meat skull and claws from the rest. and when youre enjoying your bear stew think about all the fawns and calfs youre saving for your future hunts.
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:yeah:
dump the coin and wait 2 to 4+ years for a rug and it ain't such a big deal anymore :chuckle:
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....
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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298)
Done
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
They will have delicious berry flavored meat though!
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What about the southeastern corner
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:tup:
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
They look much better than a rubbed out spring bear but do have short hair. Still tan up nice tho.
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Spred the word on every social media platform I’m on
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What about the southeastern corner
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Its statewide dude
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When do they make a decision?
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When do they make a decision?
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Public comments are open until may 16th via the emails and survey link provided, then it should be finalized one way or the other after the june 14-15th commission meeting in port angeles. I encourage anybody who is able to go to the meeting, get there early, and sign up to talk. Id go myself, but ill be on a boat headed to alaska.
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If they make a decision in June, does this go into effect this year?
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If they make a decision in June, does this go into effect this year?
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Yes, season would open aug 1st this year for the entire state
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Emailed and survey taken.
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I hope that some Huntwa members are close enough to attend the commission meeting in Port Angeles. It is important that our voice is in the audience as you can bet the commission will be hearing from the other side.
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What about the southeastern corner
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Its statewide dude
Thanks. I saw that you said that but your screen shot didn't show it so was just curious
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What about the southeastern corner
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Its statewide dude
Thanks. I saw that you said that but your screen shot didn't show it so was just curious
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Good grief! I hope this passes.
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Good grief! I hope this passes.
Do what you can to get as many people as possible to take the survey (as long as they will support the change of course.)
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I’m spreading the word!!
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
dont get me wrong, I’m not against more predator hunting opportunities. As a hunter I’ll always support all aspects of hunting, you couldn’t pay me to ever kill an elephant, but I’d never try to ban it. I am a hide guy when it comes to bears, that’s all.
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Currently. Is GMU 578 east or west? One bear limit or two?
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Took the survey! Super easy, along with this and the wolf letter I think everybody should take the time to fill both out.
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
dont get me wrong, I’m not against more predator hunting opportunities. As a hunter I’ll always support all aspects of hunting, you couldn’t pay me to ever kill an elephant, but I’d never try to ban it. I am a hide guy when it comes to bears, that’s all.
So dont hunt bears in august if its not for you, but still please take the survey to support this for the increased bag limit, the benefit to our herds, and for those of us who do want to hunt bears in august.
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This is more about expanding hunting opportunity and hopefully putting a dent in the predator load then whether we should hunt in August or November. I'm all for it although I don't foresee hunting bears in August anytime in my future. Let's not get lost in the weeds here fellow hunters.
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Done, hope it goes through.
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Done. Would be a nice step in starting some better predator control!
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
They look much better than a rubbed out spring bear but do have short hair. Still tan up nice tho.
Hair off tanned bear hide would be cool
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:tup: done, hopefully my voice counts still. I would even hunt WA as a non-resident first 2 weeks of August!! :tup:
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survey and email submitted
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Just did the survey and email. Stated full support for the change and that I hoped they would consider more spring bear permits in more GMU's in the future.
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Survey and emails done
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just did
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I filled it out and fully support the season changes but the skeptic in me has to ask, is this political grandstanding? Wolves, cougars and bear are hot button issues in this state and it does seem to be quite a coincident that Kelly is now talking about predator management just a few weeks after the legislature session in which they did not give the WDFW the increases they asked for. Is this just a ploy to raise the hackles of legislatures and their constitutes to get the funding he wants? Hope I'm way off on this but the timing does smell of political BS to me.
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
Fall bears taste better than spring bears in my opinion but this is a bunch of BS. Give us a cascades spring draw season and keep your extra bear tag. It’s a lackluster ploy to please the mob and I’m not buying it. I strongly disagreed and put down basically the same comment on the survey.
Here’s a question for those of you that have hunted fall bear and spring bear. Which season are you more opportunistic in spring or fall? I know that most fall bears shot are jumped and seen for a split second then shot. Bear harvest would be managed much better in the spring and they’d also give more options for spring bear hunting
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
Fall bears taste better than spring bears in my opinion but this is a bunch of BS. Give us a cascades spring draw season and keep your extra bear tag. It’s a lackluster ploy to please the mob and I’m not buying it. I strongly disagreed and put down basically the same comment on the survey.
Here’s a question for those of you that have hunted fall bear and spring bear. Which season are you more opportunistic in spring or fall? I know that most fall bears shot are jumped and seen for a split second then shot. Bear harvest would be managed much better in the spring and they’d also give more options for spring bear hunting
I've hunted both and fall bears are way easier to kill. Especially in August when they are on berries. At least on the westside.
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
Fall bears taste better than spring bears in my opinion but this is a bunch of BS. Give us a cascades spring draw season and keep your extra bear tag. It’s a lackluster ploy to please the mob and I’m not buying it. I strongly disagreed and put down basically the same comment on the survey.
Here’s a question for those of you that have hunted fall bear and spring bear. Which season are you more opportunistic in spring or fall? I know that most fall bears shot are jumped and seen for a split second then shot. Bear harvest would be managed much better in the spring and they’d also give more options for spring bear hunting
So youre actively voting against other hunters getting increased opportunity, even when it takes absolutely nothing away from you, just because its not what you specifically want for yourself? How selfish can you be?
A lot of guys have been lobbying for this for a long time. maybe instead of worrying about obstructing other people from getting what they want, you should spend your energy actively working to get what you want.
Supporting this would not take any opportunity from you. theres no reason not to support this first step, then after its achieved, continue to work toward increased spring bear opportunity.
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
Fall bears taste better than spring bears in my opinion but this is a bunch of BS. Give us a cascades spring draw season and keep your extra bear tag. It’s a lackluster ploy to please the mob and I’m not buying it. I strongly disagreed and put down basically the same comment on the survey.
Here’s a question for those of you that have hunted fall bear and spring bear. Which season are you more opportunistic in spring or fall? I know that most fall bears shot are jumped and seen for a split second then shot. Bear harvest would be managed much better in the spring and they’d also give more options for spring bear hunting
So youre actively voting against other hunters getting increased opportunity, even when it takes absolutely nothing away from you, just because its not what you specifically want for yourself? How selfish can you be?
A lot of guys have been lobbying for this for a long time. maybe instead of worrying about obstructing other people from getting what they want, you should spend your energy actively working to get what you want.
Supporting this would not take any opportunity from you. theres no reason not to support this first step, then after its achieved, continue to work toward increased spring bear opportunity.
Well said
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
Fall bears taste better than spring bears in my opinion but this is a bunch of BS. Give us a cascades spring draw season and keep your extra bear tag. It’s a lackluster ploy to please the mob and I’m not buying it. I strongly disagreed and put down basically the same comment on the survey.
Here’s a question for those of you that have hunted fall bear and spring bear. Which season are you more opportunistic in spring or fall? I know that most fall bears shot are jumped and seen for a split second then shot. Bear harvest would be managed much better in the spring and they’d also give more options for spring bear hunting
Just because you want more spring opportunity doesn’t mean this is a bad proposal. The reason to support this proposal is 1) state wide seasons are simplified, 2) 2 bears anywhere in the state is better than what we have now.
I agree with you that there should be more spring permits and I would also like to see hunters be able to harvest 2 spring bears on their permit.
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
Fall bears taste better than spring bears in my opinion but this is a bunch of BS. Give us a cascades spring draw season and keep your extra bear tag. It’s a lackluster ploy to please the mob and I’m not buying it. I strongly disagreed and put down basically the same comment on the survey.
Here’s a question for those of you that have hunted fall bear and spring bear. Which season are you more opportunistic in spring or fall? I know that most fall bears shot are jumped and seen for a split second then shot. Bear harvest would be managed much better in the spring and they’d also give more options for spring bear hunting
So youre actively voting against other hunters getting increased opportunity, even when it takes absolutely nothing away from you, just because its not what you specifically want for yourself? How selfish can you be?
A lot of guys have been lobbying for this for a long time. maybe instead of worrying about obstructing other people from getting what they want, you should spend your energy actively working to get what you want.
Supporting this would not take any opportunity from you. theres no reason not to support this first step, then after its achieved, continue to work toward increased spring bear opportunity.
:yeah:
Why are you working against us?
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I did my part....short of making it to the meeting, Which I now have on my calendar.
I also just like the idea of these changes to simplifying the regs.
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As an avid archery hunter spring bear are WAY easier to kill in WA state because they are more lethargic, not traveling fast. The ground is much quieter, allowing for true spot and stalk opportunities.
August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
You can always hunt them later if you want. me, i dont care. We need more bears killed, and august is a much easier time to get it done. Figure i dont keep hides from deer i kill, just meat and skull. If a bears hide isnt great ill still get meat, fat, skull and claws. And being able to focus on bears for a month before deer opens, and when berries are ripe, thats huge.
Fall bears taste better than spring bears in my opinion but this is a bunch of BS. Give us a cascades spring draw season and keep your extra bear tag. It’s a lackluster ploy to please the mob and I’m not buying it. I strongly disagreed and put down basically the same comment on the survey.
Here’s a question for those of you that have hunted fall bear and spring bear. Which season are you more opportunistic in spring or fall? I know that most fall bears shot are jumped and seen for a split second then shot. Bear harvest would be managed much better in the spring and they’d also give more options for spring bear hunting
I've hunted both and fall bears are way easier to kill. Especially in August when they are on berries. At least on the westside.
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I put that I wanted to see spring bear opportunity expanded or otc in most areas.
If that were the case we could hunt one spring bear and one fall bear, with an annual 2 bear limit.
But for now I applaud aug 1st opener and 2 bear limit.
I dont vote things down because its not exactly what I wanted.
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If they'd be ok with taking two bears I don't see why they wouldn't allow am otc spring tag. Keep the two bear limit regardless of the season just like a late and early deer hunt.
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If they'd be ok with taking two bears I don't see why they wouldn't allow am otc spring tag. Keep the two bear limit regardless of the season just like a late and early deer hunt.
There is no reason not to have an otc spring bear. And a lot of people are hounding the department about that too, and will continue to. but in the mean time, what were getting now was the easiest change to make, because there has already been an aug 1st / 2 bear limit in place for the west side, so just making the east sides rules equal is an easy change to make. We dont have otc spring bears anywhere, so thats going to be harder to get done. For one thing wdfw is afraid of losing revenue, we have to convince them they wont. thats why one of my suggestions was to make the spring and fall tags separate, so if a guy doesnt fill his spring bear tag, its no good in the fall, he would have to buy a fall bear tag. thats one way to offset revenue loss from no special permit app fees. Some people may not like that idea, but it is an idea at any rate, and youre all welcome to come up with better ideas that will convince wdfw that otc spring wont be a revenue loss. Another reason that otc spring will be harder to get is that spring bear hunting receives more backlash from anti hunters, because they think that sows with little cubs get slaughtered en masse in the spring. A proposal for otc spring would have anti hunters fighting it way more than a proposal to give the east side the same fall rules that the west side already has. So if otc spring was a part of this proposal, there would be more of a fight from anti hunters, and if they won we would get nothing. Having spring bear bundled into this proposal would just increase the chances that it gets shut down entirely, and we walk with nothing at all. so i think its best that we start out with the proposal as is, to make it easier to get these changes through, then get the increased spring hunting brought up separately.
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:yeah: I've talked with both Kelly Susewind and Anis Aoude about OTC spring bear tags and both have said that the spring bear season would be to political and they would have a hard time selling it. Baby steps, lets get this approved then move on to spring season, maybe add more spring permits and work our way up from there. At least this proposal is a step in the right direction.
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Well said!
Id be happy with increased spring draw tags too, a big increase where at first it would be rare to not get drawn, can always reduce later if the bear population goes downhill (it won't)
Increasing the tags should br easy, especially after that study showing bear #1 killer of fawns and calves.
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Id be happy with increased spring draw tags too, a big increase where at first it would be rare to not get drawn,
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Two ways for this. Increasing permit numbers in current spring bear units, and adding spring bear opportunities in additional units that dont currently have them. A combination of both would be ideal.
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No loss of revenue, might gain more actually.
But I doubt we'll get a spring bear in the grizz zones
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113 would be a great fall hunt, no spring season and a ton of bear, loaded with huckleberries still ripe in aug
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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298)
Done
Aug 1 needs to happen, it should have been done years ago.
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Forwarded your request today, Sunday at 2:30. 80+ addressees. And took the survey, too. We need this, badly.
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https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-04/wsr_19-10-025.pdf
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:tup: done, hopefully my voice counts still. I would even hunt WA as a non-resident first 2 weeks of August!! :tup:
I am going to e mail when I get to computer. I will make the trip in August as well!
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dun
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:yeah: I've talked with both Kelly Susewind and Anis Aoude about OTC spring bear tags and both have said that the spring bear season would be to political and they would have a hard time selling it. Baby steps, lets get this approved then move on to spring season, maybe add more spring permits and work our way up from there. At least this proposal is a step in the right direction.
I’m sure I can speak for everyone on here when I say that I appreciate you lobbying for more hunting opportunity. When they yanked hound hunting in the mid 90s my grandpa got rid of all of his hounds but 2. Hound hunting and trapping were things that went back in my family generations and it was all taken away in one day by people that didn’t know what they were voting and by a spineless government agency.
The two bear limit on the west side wasn’t given to hunters because fish and game cared about their clients! It was put in place to attempt to reduce the amount of bears peeling trees and destroying timber farmers investments. Now I see it as their attempt to reduce the complaints by east side hunters for the reduction of elk and deer tags.
The game department needs to understand that we pay their bills. Until this point is made clear we’ll be eating the gristle for the rest of our lives and my grandkids will be showing pictures of me with deer and elk to their friends and explaining an old past time called hunting. It’ll be the exact same way I talk about hound hunting
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Survey needs to be taken and emails sent before thursday! Dont delay, do it now. and get everybody you can to at least take the survey.
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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298)
Survey link above, email contacts below.
Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
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The game department needs to understand that we pay their bills. Until this point is made clear we’ll be eating the gristle for the rest of our lives and my grandkids will be showing pictures of me with deer and elk to their friends and explaining an old past time called hunting. It’ll be the exact same way I talk about hound hunting
The problem is we (hunters/anglers) pay less of their bills every year. WDFW is becoming less of a user-funded agency and more of a general state/federal tax funded agency.
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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298)
Survey link above, email contacts below.
Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
Just keeping the survey link and email contacts on each page so they are easy to find.
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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298)
Survey link above, email contacts below.
Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
Just keeping the survey link and email contacts on each page so they are easy to find.
Thanks for the email addresses, email sent!
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The game department needs to understand that we pay their bills. Until this point is made clear we’ll be eating the gristle for the rest of our lives and my grandkids will be showing pictures of me with deer and elk to their friends and explaining an old past time called hunting. It’ll be the exact same way I talk about hound hunting
The problem is we (hunters/anglers) pay less of their bills every year. WDFW is becoming less of a user-funded agency and more of a general state/federal tax funded agency.
Totally agree. I know reasonable minds could disagree, but I was in favor of the fishing fee increases this year. Compared with we spend on outdoor gear, in state licenses are trivial. Not being considered an important stakeholder in wildlife issues scares me as a hunter/fisherman. I know many of us (including myself) don’t feel as though we are currently being treated as well as we should be, but it could be worse. The less important our dollars are, the less important we are.
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That makes no sense, WDFW actually making a smart season change? Silly.
It is better than nothing. As much as it seems like just a band-aid to shut us up. Want real results get out the bait and release the hounds
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The game department needs to understand that we pay their bills. Until this point is made clear we’ll be eating the gristle for the rest of our lives and my grandkids will be showing pictures of me with deer and elk to their friends and explaining an old past time called hunting. It’ll be the exact same way I talk about hound hunting
The problem is we (hunters/anglers) pay less of their bills every year. WDFW is becoming less of a user-funded agency and more of a general state/federal tax funded agency.
Why is that BT?
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Survey complete! Hope this passes it would be cool to be able to draw a spring tag, and hunt fall Bear on the east side.
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The game department needs to understand that we pay their bills. Until this point is made clear we’ll be eating the gristle for the rest of our lives and my grandkids will be showing pictures of me with deer and elk to their friends and explaining an old past time called hunting. It’ll be the exact same way I talk about hound hunting
The problem is we (hunters/anglers) pay less of their bills every year. WDFW is becoming less of a user-funded agency and more of a general state/federal tax funded agency.
Why is that BT?
Hunter numbers have been steadily declining in WA since the 70s. Although I would take issue with one fact that BT hasn't considered: gun sales, which fund hunting and conservation through an 11% tax on firearms and ammo (and archery equipment), have increased exponentially since 1996. PR funds have actually increased and they are part of the WDFW budget that hunters pay for.
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The game department needs to understand that we pay their bills. Until this point is made clear we’ll be eating the gristle for the rest of our lives and my grandkids will be showing pictures of me with deer and elk to their friends and explaining an old past time called hunting. It’ll be the exact same way I talk about hound hunting
The problem is we (hunters/anglers) pay less of their bills every year. WDFW is becoming less of a user-funded agency and more of a general state/federal tax funded agency.
Do you think they got the message this past session when sport interests got their giant fee increase killed in the legislature?
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Poll added to thread to see how many people on here are actually getting surveys and emails sent out.
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Did mine the other day and sent texts with the link to everyone i know that hunts
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Did survey/emails.
A few days ago .
I'm still a little hesitate that wdfw will actually change any rules this year.
But if your support it bango,then I will too.
First bear I ever shot was in August back when huckleberry was a August opener. :tup:
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The game department needs to understand that we pay their bills. Until this point is made clear we’ll be eating the gristle for the rest of our lives and my grandkids will be showing pictures of me with deer and elk to their friends and explaining an old past time called hunting. It’ll be the exact same way I talk about hound hunting
The problem is we (hunters/anglers) pay less of their bills every year. WDFW is becoming less of a user-funded agency and more of a general state/federal tax funded agency.
Why is that BT?
Hunter numbers have been steadily declining in WA since the 70s. Although I would take issue with one fact that BT hasn't considered: gun sales, which fund hunting and conservation through an 11% tax on firearms and ammo (and archery equipment), have increased exponentially since 1996. PR funds have actually increased and they are part of the WDFW budget that hunters pay for.
I do believe that the licence increase being shut down was a eye opener.But there is department
Policy for conservation and sustainable wildlife populations that the department has not been keeping up on.Along with policy that they have to follow for PR funds .So basically they got to get there ducks in row.
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August bears must have terrible hides at that point?
back when we could hunt them in August there wasnt much difference in hides till about Sept 15th they begin to change
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what I don't get is why is there a survey to extend season and increase bag limit? if the population needs managing and is exceeding carry capacity it needs to be opened regardless of a survey asking hunters. Not like you are being forced to hunt bears.
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what I don't get is why is there a survey to extend season and increase bag limit? if the population needs managing and is exceeding carry capacity it needs to be opened regardless of a survey asking hunters. Not like you are being forced to hunt bears.
:yeah:
Wildlife management based on opinions and politics instead of biology
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what I don't get is why is there a survey to extend season and increase bag limit? if the population needs managing and is exceeding carry capacity it needs to be opened regardless of a survey asking hunters. Not like you are being forced to hunt bears.
:yeah:
Wildlife management based on opinions and politics instead of biology
It's unfortunate, but that is the way it is. Don't think for a second that it is only hunter that are doing the survey, I'm sure there are many opposed to bear hunting that are filling out the survey against the changes that why we as hunters need to be involved and get our voices heard.
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I think I took the survey...was it really only 1 question?
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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298)
Done
Aug 1 needs to happen, it should have been done years ago.
For anyone who hasnt done it yet
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When would this take affect?
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When would this take affect?
This August.
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Really only 31 people so far saying theyve done the survey? There are 77 members online right now. Come on guys, it only takes a minute.
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When's a reasonable timeline to hear the resulys wheather this passes or is rejected?
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I've lobbied Game Division for years to either go 2 bears statewide or at least make spring bear a separate bag in eastern WA. In addition to allowing successful eastern WA spring bear hunters to hunt the fall season along with every other person with a bear tag in eastern Washington, I believe this will result in more accurate spring bear harvest reporting and tooth submission.
This change is even better - simpler, and allows everyone statewide to hunt bear starting August 1. Is it everything I'd like to see for bear management? No, of course not. But it is an incremental improvement, please support it - unless you just hate the idea of more hunting opportunity.
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what I don't get is why is there a survey to extend season and increase bag limit? if the population needs managing and is exceeding carry capacity it needs to be opened regardless of a survey asking hunters. Not like you are being forced to hunt bears.
:yeah:
Wildlife management based on opinions and politics instead of biology
Most large carnivore management is for populations below the biological carrying capacity, due to social, economic and political concerns. The Commissioners who make these decisions want to know what the hunters think, are they strongly or somewhat in favor? If not, they will either direct the Department to find out, or vote down any change - they already know antihunters hate hunting large carnivores most of all.
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When's a reasonable timeline to hear the resulys wheather this passes or is rejected?
It will be officially decided at the june 14-15th commission meeting in port angeles. anybody who can find the time should go, get there early and sign up to speak. I hate that this is being done in port angeles. may as well discuss blacktail regs at a meeting in colville, would make as much sense.
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what I don't get is why is there a survey to extend season and increase bag limit? if the population needs managing and is exceeding carry capacity it needs to be opened regardless of a survey asking hunters. Not like you are being forced to hunt bears.
:yeah:
Wildlife management based on opinions and politics instead of biology
Like it or not the department in the past has gauged how much support they will get for the changes. Perhaps ther biology supports the change but they need the hunters support to make it stick. There was bilogical justification to support raising the cougar quoats and it got overridden by the governor. Perhaps this is a data point to PROTECT the decision?
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Really only 31 people so far saying theyve done the survey? There are 77 members online right now. Come on guys, it only takes a minute.
Don't know how I missed this before. First time I have seen this thread. Maybe it deserves a bump every 24 hours or so. I took the survey. As a high school teacher, I can actually take advantage of the August season a lot more than I am able to in September. In the comments I promised to buy a second bear tag. That increase in revenue should move WDFW... :chuckle: Seems to be the thing they care most about... :rolleyes:
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:bumpin:
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🐻🍖🥩 :drool:
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Not everyone replys after filling it out. I filled out the survey a week ago and also passed it along on my fb page. I know of a few on my page that also filled it out. :tup:
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Just took the survey. Takes about 45 seconds.
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Just did it... super quick!
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Good job people!
Spread the word to all your friends even if they aren't hunters but would endorse this. The anti's are doing it, they even said so in the last webinar, the director even put out a plea for hunters to voice their opinion on this without trying to show clear for or against but it was clear that he wanted hunters to do this.
The anti's are hitting their facebook pages and spreading the word to shut this down.
We need to beat them for once
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The anti's are hitting their facebook pages and spreading the word to shut this down.
We need to beat them for once
And theyll do it. so many ignorant people just ready to attach themselves to a "good cause" so that they can virtue signal to their friends and attempt to feel like their lives have meaning.
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Just took it and spread the word!
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Bumping this up because the survey deadline is TOMORROW
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Link:
WDFW Bear season Poll
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN5J298
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This seems to be making the rounds on FB so I have high Hope's for its ability to move sportsmen to react.
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have seen it shared all over fb and some of the comments made by people who are hunters is disgusting and pretty much unbelievable
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This seems to be making the rounds on FB so I have high Hope's for its ability to move sportsmen to react.
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Its a double edged sword. Making the rounds on facebook also means its getting brought to the attention of a lot of people we DONT want taking the survey. I guess we just wait and see how this pans out. Burns my ass that its being decided at a meeting on the west side.
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have seen it shared all over fb and some of the comments made by people who are hunters is disgusting and pretty much unbelievable
I dont have facebook. Lots of sentiment against these changes by hunters? For what possible reason?
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:yeah: the way this is being handled is a joke the only way WDFW knows how. should be no survey either it needs to be opened or not
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have seen it shared all over fb and some of the comments made by people who are hunters is disgusting and pretty much unbelievable
I dont have facebook. Lots of sentiment against these changes by hunters? For what possible reason?
hunters saying we shouldnt have a 2 bear limit as there are not that many to support it :o or just no reason at all they just dont think it should be open or extended
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have seen it shared all over fb and some of the comments made by people who are hunters is disgusting and pretty much unbelievable
I dont have facebook. Lots of sentiment against these changes by hunters? For what possible reason?
hunters saying we shouldnt have a 2 bear limit as there are not that many to support it :o or just no reason at all they just dont think it should be open or extended
Not that many to support it? Those guys dont spend much time in the woods. at least not in the northeast. Send them a link to my tcam thread if they think we dont have too many bears. Man i was just looking at my tcam files from 2 different cams that both had bears on them damn near every single day in august.
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exactly what I said! you havent been in NE or the blues to see how many bears there are! this should of been done right when hound/baiting was banned and shoulda never gone away from the Aug opener we had for a few years back then
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When's a reasonable timeline to hear the resulys wheather this passes or is rejected?
So this says it will be finalized one way or the other on june 28th.
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I have to say my favorite survey was done that required the wild ID# and you only could comment on what you purchased.
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I have to say my favorite survey was done that required the wild ID# and you only could comment on what you purchased.
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That would sure be nice
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As huntnnw said there was a few on fb that opposed but on all the threads I started the mass majority supported it and claimed to send emails or take the survey or both
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That's very good to hear!!
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Survey is important. Poll...not so much.
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I just copied the link and emailed everyone in my address book that hunts. I am also going to post it on the board in my classroom for my students that hunt.
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6 of my students just took the survey.
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Awesome teacher! I will do the same with my students!
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You should have to have a wild id and have purchased a hunting license to take this damn survey.
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You should have to have a wild id and have purchased a hunting license to take this damn survey.
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Agreed
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Im aure everybody here has seen this by now, but the clock is ticking, so one last bump
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So who's going to the meeting in Port Angeles next week? The black bear topic is scheduled for Friday the 14th. I'm surprised it only gets 20 minutes, 1:40 to 2:00. But from the public comments they received, I'd say it's a done deal.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190606/3cb947dab5858dcd80ee7d3bdc271c59.jpg)
https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/meetings/2019/june-13-15-2019-meeting-agenda
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Man those are promising numbers!
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Wow people actually got behind this. Nice.
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🙏. Sure hope this does pass!!!!
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I don't follow these issues very closely do they typically act inline with public opinion or is there precedent to go against overwhelming public support?
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Awesome, thanks for posting that bobcat, 738 vs 9, now thats awesome! I would absolutely go to the meeting even though its in port angeles, but im getting on a boat and heading to alaska on the 13th. Hope some folks show up and voice support.
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Wow that is awesome!
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Looks promising.
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Looks promising.
Looks like a landslide victory to me.
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Fingers crossed!
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Looks promising.
Looks like a landslide victory to me.
unfortunately we can't underestimate WDFW heads to not go full retard in the opposite direction :bash:
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Looks promising.
Looks like a landslide victory to me.
unfortunately we can't underestimate WDFW heads to not go full retard in the opposite direction :bash:
Wdfw put the proposal out, and asked for public input. Well, they got it. 718 in favor, 9 opposed. That is absolutely an overwhelming margin of support. They really only have the one way they can go after the way this went. They have to make the change. I think this is in the bag, as long as our *censored*bag governor doesnt just veto it like he did the increased cougar quotas a couple years ago.
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Looks promising.
Looks like a landslide victory to me.
unfortunately we can't underestimate WDFW heads to not go full retard in the opposite direction :bash:
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At the GMAC meeting this past Saturday the Committee voted unanimously to endorse it, so hopefully that should help as well.
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At the GMAC meeting this past Saturday the Committee voted unanimously to endorse it, so hopefully that should help as well.
How much sway does the gmac have on the commission, director etc? Who are they appointed or elected by?
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At the GMAC meeting this past Saturday the Committee voted unanimously to endorse it, so hopefully that should help as well.
How much sway does the gmac have on the commission, director etc? Who are they appointed or elected by?
I would encourage you guys to do 2 things. Look at what the director has been doing and saying. DO the same for the commissioners. SO FAR I have liked the direction Susewind has gone on predators. Especially with his public statements. The commisioners are not as public as the Dorector, so if have a tallied up vote history for them share it.
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At the GMAC meeting this past Saturday the Committee voted unanimously to endorse it, so hopefully that should help as well.
How much sway does the gmac have on the commission, director etc? Who are they appointed or elected by?
I don't know how much sway they have but they are suppose to be making recommendations to the Commission regarding game management and seasons and they are suppose to have a bit of input. It's my understanding that the WDFW Game Manager selects the groups that sit at the table. Currently there are a number of hunting groups at the table like Boone and Crockett, Washington Trappers Association,Washington State Bowhunters and several members from hunting clubs from across the state. I can't remember all the groups but the sportsmen are well represented and they are pretty much saying the same things as what is being said here, we need to manage predators.
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So is anybody on here going to the meeting in port angeles on thursday?
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The Commission agenda shows that the bear changes are scheduled for 1:40 pm, Friday. I was planning to attend but my work schedule got screwed up. I do know someone that's going so I'm going to ask him for an update Friday afternoon. They are only allowing 10 minutes for this in their agenda so hoping that's a good thing.
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The Commission agenda shows that the bear changes are scheduled for 1:40 pm, Friday. I was planning to attend but my work schedule got screwed up. I do know someone that's going so I'm going to ask him for an update Friday afternoon. They are only allowing 10 minutes for this in their agenda so hoping that's a good thing.
Cool, please let us know how it goes. I think this is pretty much a done deal, but still.
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I've got an august bear hunt on the schedule so hope it all goes through.
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How does it stand now if you harvest a spring bear on the east side? Are the fall seasons currently separate from spring?
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How does it stand now if you harvest a spring bear on the east side? Are the fall seasons currently separate from spring?
As it stands now only 1 bear per year can be harvested in e wa. Spring bear is not an "additional bear."
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How does it stand now if you harvest a spring bear on the east side? Are the fall seasons currently separate from spring?
As it stands now only 1 bear per year can be harvested in e wa. Spring bear is not an "additional bear."
Is that part of the proposed change?
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How does it stand now if you harvest a spring bear on the east side? Are the fall seasons currently separate from spring?
As it stands now only 1 bear per year can be harvested in e wa. Spring bear is not an "additional bear."
Is that part of the proposed change?
The proposed change is an aug 1st opener and 2 bear limit statewide. A spring bear will still count toward your 2 bear bag limit.
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Why do i not see an option to purchase a second bear tag online? What am i missing? Ive never purchased a second bear tag before.
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I have bought them a couple times in the past but it has always been after the season has started and I have filled my first one already. I may be mistaken but I don’t know if the option to buy the second one comes up until after the season starts.
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Makes sense i suppose. I have no intention of buying a 2nd bear tag before the new regs are official anyways, just checking.
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Anybody hear anything on how this went?
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.
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I wish I could have sent my 12 year old to the meeting. He's besides himself. "YOU MEAN WE COULD BE BEAR HUNTING WHILE WE'RE PICKING HUCKLEBERRIES!!!??? WE ALWAYS SEE BEARS WHEN WE PICK HUCKLEBERRIES!!!" :chuckle:
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That's awesome, Pathfinder.
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Anxious to hear what the temper of the discussion was at the meeting if anybody knows
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Any updates after the meeting?
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I haven't heard back from the guy I know that went but looking at the Commission meeting agenda and the summary of the rule change they are not going to vote on whether to adopt the change until June 28 during a conference call meeting.
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The commission agenda showed june 14th at 1:40pm was the time they would be discussing the bear regs. Anybody feel like getting on the wdfw website and watching that part of the video? Im on the ocean on crappy satellite internet, so i cant watch it.
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The commission agenda showed june 14th at 1:40pm was the time they would be discussing the bear regs. Anybody feel like getting on the wdfw website and watching that part of the video? Im on the ocean on crappy satellite internet, so i cant watch it.
I looked and don’t see minutes or audio yet. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong spot?
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Might be a couple days before its posted. They live stream them, but dont necessarily have the videos uploaded right away.
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I haven't heard back from the guy I know that went but looking at the Commission meeting agenda and the summary of the rule change they are not going to vote on whether to adopt the change until June 28 during a conference call meeting.
Well, at least this gives me a date that I can use to tell Little Pathfinder "Stop asking me until after the 28th." I'm not kidding, he asked me like 5 times this weekend if they changed the rule yet... :chuckle: :chuckle:
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https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/commission-reviews-skagit-elk-action-plan-2020-proposed-legislation
They posted the video. 5+ hours of video. Trying to find the bear part, will post back if I do. If someone else finds it please post what time in the video it happens.
Video 1
1:12 - old lady claims increasing bear hunting is without science, then claims people who don’t hunt will fund the dept if informed of wildlife areas and birdwatching. She of course has no “science” to back up her claims.
1:25:30 - a guy drops some science on predator/prey interactions. Study showed lions responsible for 49% of fawn predation.
I have scanned most of it with no real substance on bear hunting, I can’t watch anymore of this nonsense, new respect for members of the commission. 5 hours of incredibly boring, slow procedure filled with people complaining. Ugh :puke:
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Starts at 4 hours 13 minutes.
End 4 hours and 36 minutes.
It sounds like it was just a proposal and asked for comments. No decision to be made yet. Sounded like most support it except for the bear-loving hippie that was there.
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Starts at 4 hours 13 minutes.
End 4 hours and 36 minutes.
It sounds like it was just a proposal and asked for comments. No decision to be made yet. Sounded like most support it except for the bear-loving hippie that was there.
Dont understand your "just a proposal" comment. What do you think the point of a proposal is? They are making the final decision next week, and if approved it goes into effect this season.
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https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/commission-reviews-skagit-elk-action-plan-2020-proposed-legislation
They posted the video. 5+ hours of video. Trying to find the bear part, will post back if I do. If someone else finds it please post what time in the video it happens.
Video 1
1:12 - old lady claims increasing bear hunting is without science, then claims people who don’t hunt will fund the dept if informed of wildlife areas and birdwatching. She of course has no “science” to back up her claims.
1:25:30 - a guy drops some science on predator/prey interactions. Study showed lions responsible for 49% of fawn predation.
I have scanned most of it with no real substance on bear hunting, I can’t watch anymore of this nonsense, new respect for members of the commission. 5 hours of incredibly boring, slow procedure filled with people complaining. Ugh :puke:
Sounds like what H-W moderators have to put up with :chuckle:
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Starts at 4 hours 13 minutes.
End 4 hours and 36 minutes.
It sounds like it was just a proposal and asked for comments. No decision to be made yet. Sounded like most support it except for the bear-loving hippie that was there.
Dont understand your "just a proposal" comment. What do you think the point of a proposal is? They are making the final decision next week, and if approved it goes into effect this season.
What i was saying is the video sounded like a presentation of a proposal. Dont need to get your panties in a bunch :tup:
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My panties arent in a bunch
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Starts at 4 hours 13 minutes.
End 4 hours and 36 minutes.
It sounds like it was just a proposal and asked for comments. No decision to be made yet. Sounded like most support it except for the bear-loving hippie that was there.
Dont understand your "just a proposal" comment. What do you think the point of a proposal is? They are making the final decision next week, and if approved it goes into effect this season.
What i was saying is the video sounded like a presentation of a proposal. Dont need to get your panties in a bunch :tup:
that'll teach you ya to try and be helpful :rolleyes:
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Starts at 4 hours 13 minutes.
End 4 hours and 36 minutes.
It sounds like it was just a proposal and asked for comments. No decision to be made yet. Sounded like most support it except for the bear-loving hippie that was there.
Thanks for posting the times. I am optimistic. Didn't hear anything that might kill the proposal. Sounded to me like WDFW "wants" to do it.
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My panties arent in a bunch
Then don't act like they are to a guy who is only trying to help you out with info! Thanks for the update HH24 :tup:
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I wasnt acting like they are. You guys are just hyper sensitive i guess.
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...
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Starts at 4 hours 13 minutes.
End 4 hours and 36 minutes.
It sounds like it was just a proposal and asked for comments. No decision to be made yet. Sounded like most support it except for the bear-loving hippie that was there.
Thank you!
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...
So in theory the decision is made during the call and we will know pretty well right after then?
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Yeah, thats how i understand it. Decision finalized during the call on the 28th. Being friday, i doubt official announcement will be made before monday, july 1st. I dont think ill be able to call in to listen to the meeting, ill be up in the arctic working, and need to squeeze in as much sleep as i can when i get the chance.
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If you watch the 10-15 minutes before the black bear discussion they are talking about grizzly status and reintroduction. The WDFW employee stated there were less than 10 comments opposing reintroduction in the North Cascades. We need to get more people writing in opposing this insanity before we have another wolf situation on our hands. It’s simple to send an email. Commission@dfw.wa.gov is one place to send those comments. Please take the 3 minutes to let them know reintroducing an apex predator to Washington State is not acceptable. The historical range means nothing as it is now full of millions of people. Times and habitats change, trying to remake the land as it was before European settlement is a pipe dream.
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If you watch the 10-15 minutes before the black bear discussion they are talking about grizzly status and reintroduction. The WDFW employee stated there were less than 10 comments opposing reintroduction in the North Cascades. We need to get more people writing in opposing this insanity before we have another wolf situation on our hands. It’s simple to send an email. Commission@dfw.wa.gov is one place to send those comments. Please take the 3 minutes to let them know reintroducing an apex predator to Washington State is not acceptable. The historical range means nothing as it is now full of millions of people. Times and habitats change, trying to remake the land as it was before European settlement is a pipe dream.
done
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If you watch the 10-15 minutes before the black bear discussion they are talking about grizzly status and reintroduction. The WDFW employee stated there were less than 10 comments opposing reintroduction in the North Cascades. We need to get more people writing in opposing this insanity before we have another wolf situation on our hands. It’s simple to send an email. Commission@dfw.wa.gov is one place to send those comments. Please take the 3 minutes to let them know reintroducing an apex predator to Washington State is not acceptable. The historical range means nothing as it is now full of millions of people. Times and habitats change, trying to remake the land as it was before European settlement is a pipe dream.
done
Thank you!
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Email sent!!!
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Could it be that some of this more agressive predator management is an attempt to open up room on the landscape for the grizzly?
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Email sent. How can they afford to start reintroducing and monitoring more animals in areas that will lead to animal vs people conflicts.
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Thank you guys for sending emails!
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I sent an email. I have nothing against grizzlies, and even grizzlies in WA... But they need to sort this wolf mess out before even putting grizzlies on the table.
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I just sent an email about the grizzlies myself
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For anyone interested, here is the location to sign up for all WDFW email lists
https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/lists (https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/lists)
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I am also not against getting the Grizzly bear off the endangered list. If the WDFW was able to somehow bring the predators to a reasonable level and stabilize our ungulate population then I feel like we may have room for some Grizzlies. But until the ecosystem gets a little more balanced, we have no room for them.
Not to mention how many tree huggers from Seattle will want to go hiking to see those bears and get mauled....
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But until the ecosystem gets a little more balanced, we have no room for them.
:yeah: :yeah: :yeah:
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I also am not opposed to some grizzly inhabitation of the north cascades, IF they come back on the land naturally. B.C. has plenty of them (recently banned hunting of them), if they wonder into the Pasayten or the national park and the habitat can support them great. But capturing grizzlies from other ecosystems and dropping them on the landscape is not acceptable. The prey animals in these areas haven’t dealt with grizzlies in too many generations and a sudden influx is too drastic of a change. The populations of prey animals are struggling to adapt to the wolves +increase in lions and black bears.
We know the people pushing this have an agenda. The agenda is: with enough wild apex predators on the landscape humans will be phased out of the natural system of predator and prey. They are short sighted and ignorant or the realities of life and wildlife management. I don’t hate predators, I love that they exist, I just want them managed in a balanced proportion to the ecosystem that hunting is a part of.
And thank you to everyone writing in, it doesn’t take much from each individual but together our efforts do make a difference.
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I also am not opposed to some grizzly inhabitation of the north cascades, IF they come back on the land naturally. B.C. has plenty of them (recently banned hunting of them), if they wonder into the Pasayten or the national park and the habitat can support them great. But capturing grizzlies from other ecosystems and dropping them on the landscape is not acceptable. The prey animals in these areas haven’t dealt with grizzlies in too many generations and a sudden influx is too drastic of a change. The populations of prey animals are struggling to adapt to the wolves +increase in lions and black bears.
We know the people pushing this have an agenda. The agenda is: with enough wild apex predators on the landscape humans will be phased out of the natural system of predator and prey. They are short sighted and ignorant or the realities of life and wildlife management. I don’t hate predators, I love that they exist, I just want them managed in a balanced proportion to the ecosystem that hunting is a part of.
And thank you to everyone writing in, it doesn’t take much from each individual but together our efforts do make a difference.
other states tend to capture problem bears, they don't go out and capture bears that "behave" and never interact with people or livestock
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I also am not opposed to some grizzly inhabitation of the north cascades, IF they come back on the land naturally. B.C. has plenty of them (recently banned hunting of them), if they wonder into the Pasayten or the national park and the habitat can support them great. But capturing grizzlies from other ecosystems and dropping them on the landscape is not acceptable. The prey animals in these areas haven’t dealt with grizzlies in too many generations and a sudden influx is too drastic of a change. The populations of prey animals are struggling to adapt to the wolves +increase in lions and black bears.
We know the people pushing this have an agenda. The agenda is: with enough wild apex predators on the landscape humans will be phased out of the natural system of predator and prey. They are short sighted and ignorant or the realities of life and wildlife management. I don’t hate predators, I love that they exist, I just want them managed in a balanced proportion to the ecosystem that hunting is a part of.
And thank you to everyone writing in, it doesn’t take much from each individual but together our efforts do make a difference.
other states tend to capture problem bears, they don't go out and capture bears that "behave" and never interact with people or livestock
I don't mean to be flippant or instigate an argument but it that true or is that just something people say? I've never seen anything real one way or the other it just seems to be something bios wouldn't go for at face value.
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I also am not opposed to some grizzly inhabitation of the north cascades, IF they come back on the land naturally. B.C. has plenty of them (recently banned hunting of them), if they wonder into the Pasayten or the national park and the habitat can support them great. But capturing grizzlies from other ecosystems and dropping them on the landscape is not acceptable. The prey animals in these areas haven’t dealt with grizzlies in too many generations and a sudden influx is too drastic of a change. The populations of prey animals are struggling to adapt to the wolves +increase in lions and black bears.
We know the people pushing this have an agenda. The agenda is: with enough wild apex predators on the landscape humans will be phased out of the natural system of predator and prey. They are short sighted and ignorant or the realities of life and wildlife management. I don’t hate predators, I love that they exist, I just want them managed in a balanced proportion to the ecosystem that hunting is a part of.
And thank you to everyone writing in, it doesn’t take much from each individual but together our efforts do make a difference.
other states tend to capture problem bears, they don't go out and capture bears that "behave" and never interact with people or livestock
I don't mean to be flippant or instigate an argument but it that true or is that just something people say? I've never seen anything real one way or the other it just seems to be something bios wouldn't go for at face value.
@bigtex - any knowledge on this one?
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Think about the logistics and cost of a remote bear vs a problem bear.
Not only that but you have orgs like bearsmart advocating for transloction of problem bears instead of killing them.
http://www.bearsmart.com/managing-bears/relocation/
Relocation (translocation) involves capturing an animal and releasing it in a safer or more suitable area, away from potential conflicts with humans. Capturing and moving a bear is sometimes necessary and may be the only non-lethal option in busy human-use areas. Various factors should be taken into account before relocating a bear, including the age and sex of the animal, the type and location of conflict behaviour, choice of release site and the desired outcome of the translocation.
https://www.vitalground.org/problem-bear-relocation-cabinet-yaak/
The bear’s arrival occurred on April 28, 2018, when Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) officials relocated a young male grizzly from the Lake McGregor area west of Kalispell, Mont., to a remote drainage in the Yaak Valley region of the state’s northwest corner. According to a report from the Daily Inter Lake, homeowners had repeatedly seen the 3-year old bruin near Lake McGregor residences and the bear had eaten bird seed and garbage, prompting the FWP relocation. Transplanting a problem bear is customary practice for FWP and bear managers everywhere. What’s less common is the arrival of new grizzly genes in the Yaak, and that’s why this relocation effort has the chance to accomplish much more than keeping a bear out of the trash.
You can bet that the Cascades is "suitable habitat away from people"
Yup - its real
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I'm no biologist but I wouldn't want to start a new population with bears that have a history of conflict. Sounds exactly like a recipe for disaster. That's a dumb policy.
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Sounds exactly like a recipe for disaster. That's a dumb policy.
Which puts it right up wdfw's alley
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I also am not opposed to some grizzly inhabitation of the north cascades, IF they come back on the land naturally. B.C. has plenty of them (recently banned hunting of them), if they wonder into the Pasayten or the national park and the habitat can support them great. But capturing grizzlies from other ecosystems and dropping them on the landscape is not acceptable. The prey animals in these areas haven’t dealt with grizzlies in too many generations and a sudden influx is too drastic of a change. The populations of prey animals are struggling to adapt to the wolves +increase in lions and black bears.
We know the people pushing this have an agenda. The agenda is: with enough wild apex predators on the landscape humans will be phased out of the natural system of predator and prey. They are short sighted and ignorant or the realities of life and wildlife management. I don’t hate predators, I love that they exist, I just want them managed in a balanced proportion to the ecosystem that hunting is a part of.
And thank you to everyone writing in, it doesn’t take much from each individual but together our efforts do make a difference.
other states tend to capture problem bears, they don't go out and capture bears that "behave" and never interact with people or livestock
I don't mean to be flippant or instigate an argument but it that true or is that just something people say? I've never seen anything real one way or the other it just seems to be something bios wouldn't go for at face value.
@bigtex - any knowledge on this one?
If we are talking about black bears, no WDFW does not go out and trap them in the woods just to move them around. WDFW only traps and removes "problem" bears. Such as the ones running through downtown Tacoma going through garbage. The bear will be trapped, darted, marked and released into the cascades, if it comes back and causes more issues its a dead bear.
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I think they are speaking to the hypothetically trapped grizzly bear that is to be relocated to WA.
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I am also not against getting the Grizzly bear off the endangered list. If the WDFW was able to somehow bring the predators to a reasonable level and stabilize our ungulate population then I feel like we may have room for some Grizzlies. But until the ecosystem gets a little more balanced, we have no room for them.
Not to mention how many tree huggers from Seattle will want to go hiking to see those bears and get mauled....
Self-correcting problem... :dunno:
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I think they are speaking to the hypothetically trapped grizzly bear that is to be relocated to WA.
100 percent of trapped and relocated grizzlies that I am aware of were problem bears. I guess that would make me assume they would be relocating problem bears to Washington :dunno:
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Well, lookie here. i think maybe all of our crying for expanded spring bear opportunity may have done some good!
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Emails already sent
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Emails already sent
Who y'all emailing, I want to send a few.
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Emails already sent
Who y'all emailing, I want to send a few.
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,240421.0.html
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Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
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Emailed out boys at WDFW about the Grizzly's in the North Cascades. My position was that they shouldn't help expedite the process in any way; e.i. transplanting bears from elsewhere. Let it happen but let it happen naturally. Their response was as followed FYI:
Thank you for contacting the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife(WDFW).
WDFW is not reintroducing Grizzly Bears into Washington state.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) and National Park Service(NPS), is looking to establish a 200 bear population in the 6.1million acres of the North Cascades Ecosystem over a 25 to 100 year timeline. WDFW would respond to “grizzly bear” calls where the public are concerned about human safety or property damage whether they are truly black bears or are in fact are grizzlies. WDFW would add this in to similar work we do related to black bears, cougars, wolves and other wildlife, which would minimize the “new” work load in the North Cascades. To offset costs of grizzly work, the agency would likely seek funds from USFWS and/or NPS.
The USFWS and NPS in March of 2017, hosted a series of public meetings around Washington state. During these meeting public impute was taken. Public impute was also accepted online at, https://parkplanning.nps.gov/documentsOpenForReview.cfm?parkID=327&projectID=44144. At this time both agencies are no longer accepting public impute.
For more information on this plan, including the formal process for filing an objection with the NPS, please visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkID=327&projectID=44144.
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Theres a separate thread about the grizzly plan, this one is about the fall black bear regs, it just kind of got hijacked. https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,240388.0.html
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Was looking for that thread. Thanks.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Fall bear changes will be decided upon in the conference call today at 08:30. Did anybody sign up to call in and listen? I wont be able to. At any rate, hoping to hear good news by monday at the latest.
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Fall bear changes will be decided upon in the conference call today at 08:30. Did anybody sign up to call in and listen? I wont be able to. At any rate, hoping to hear good news by monday at the latest.
I won't. I'm actually driving up your direction for a wedding. I'll have to log on tonight and see what happened.
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I just received call-in instructions... Now I just have to be able to shut my office door. We'll see!
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Got my instructions yesterday, I'm hoping to be left alone at least until after the bear decision.
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Got my instructions yesterday, I'm hoping to be left alone at least until after the bear decision.
:chuckle: exactly where I'm at. I have it on speaker/mute so I'm hoping we can get to that bear talk before someone pops in.
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Recommendation is to make 2 bear bag limit state wide, and open fall bear Aug 1 statewide. They also want to remove a handful of GMUs from the regs due to an apparent lack of black bear population.
It was said that there has been a lot of write-in support for this decision. The commissioner who said this mentioned spring bear seasons and asked how we're going to protect sows with cubs in the spring... The guy who made the proposal was very tactful and explained again that this is for FALL bear :chuckle:
Commissioner Baker is against this rule change because WDFW doesn't actually know how many bears are on the east side. She mentioned a study that was done that concluded that they don't know. The guy who brought the rule change proposal corrected her and informed her that there haven't been any population density studies, but instead a study to determine how to determine density of population... And on that study, they concluded that the east side does technically have a higher density bear population. I like this guy - he's very tactful with the ign'ant folks from Olympia :chuckle:
So then Baker backpedaled and rambled about how we really need better black bear population estimates before we make this rule change. I think she's kind of played her cards out LOL
They asked why Spring Bear proposals weren't brought to this meeting. Apparently the guy proposing the change said they felt that the two issues should remain separate because Spring Bear has it's own level of debate nationwide and it should be it's own issue. They are considering some changes that they'll bring in September.
VOTE --- APPROVED!
:IBCOOL: :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL:
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That is an accurate description of the discussion. APPROVED!
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ctwiggs1, nice write up, were you writing as they were talking? :) I did find the comments about spring bear interesting. We are really going to need to rally around that one.
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ctwiggs1, nice write up, were you writing as they were talking? :) I did find the comments about spring bear interesting. We are really going to need to rally around that one.
Yep I was sitting at my desk typing a little bit as they went between work stuff LOL. I figured that people who couldn't hear it would want the details.
I think if we get on here and get everyone active in September, we should be able to offer a lot of support for this. Overall, I only heard Baker offer any real resistance. The commission leaned heavily toward the proposal and public opinion. It was very clear that they got our letters and were seeing the public support. Kind of cool to hear that.
@Bushcraft - you usually have a lot more info on this stuff. Is Baker the typical Olympia anti-hunting nutcase?
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Thank you for the info my man! Much appreciated :tup:
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appreciate that detailed write up. been super busy lately with work/kiddos so fell out of the loop on when/how this was being decided, glad to hear it was approved
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I was disappointed with commissioner Baker. She brought up a valid concern about populations however when that concern was addressed by the Game Division Manager letting her know the population density is higher on the east side and that there won’t be any new info on this front coming for several years she still voted no. It was clear that she was just using that as an excuse to vote against increasing hunting opportunities.
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Awesome, thanks for the report! Ill be hunting bear in the northeast august 1st, with 2 tags in my pocket! :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL:
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Ctwiggs, who was the guy that brought the proposal, that was shutting down bakers arguments?
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Awesome news. Looking forward to the 2 bear opportunity
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Outstanding!! Nice work everyone :tup:
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Does this mean we will have the 2 bear limit statewide starting aug 1 this year?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Two more things from the call:
They decide wether to increase or decrease hunting opportunity by this metric.
If less than 35% of harvested bears are sows they INCREASE hunting opportunities.
If more than 39% of harvested bears are female they REDUCE hunting opportunities.
So please try to target boars. The department has a video on determining sex that they really need to make available to everyone. If you don’t know the difference here are some things to note.
Boars (males)- Have large bulky shoulders. Their back is level or higher in the front. Their snouts are big and blocky.
Sows (females)- Have large asses. Their back end is usually higher than their front end. They have narrower and slightly pointed snouts.
second thing is: this is approved for this season. It will be reviewed and the results will effect future seasons. So to everyone excited to fill their new 2nd tag: if at all possible get someone else their first bear before you get your 2nd. The numbers they gave were last year 400 second bear tags were sold of which 31 people harvested second bears. If that number explodes they may pull back on the reigns. So buy that second tag to give them the financial incentive and fill it if you get a chance but if you can get someone else to fill their 1st tag instead of you filling a second tag, that would probably look better. Not a huge issue but we have to play the game however we can.
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Does this mean we will have the 2 bear limit statewide starting aug 1 this year?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yes, except some units aren’t open to bear hunting so check the regs.
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:rockin: :brew: :salute:
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:rockin: :rockin:
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Two more things from the call:
They decide wether to increase or decrease hunting opportunity by this metric.
If less than 35% of harvested bears are sows they INCREASE hunting opportunities.
If more than 39% of harvested bears are female they REDUCE hunting opportunities.
So please try to target boars. The department has a video on determining sex that they really need to make available to everyone. If you don’t know the difference here are some things to note.
Boars (makes)- Have large bulky shoulders. Their back is level or higher in the front. Their snouts are big and blocky.
Sows (females)- Have large asses. Their back end is usually higher than their front end. They have narrower and slightly pointed snouts.
second thing is: this is approved for this season. It will be reviewed and the results will effect future seasons. So to everyone excited to fill their new 2nd tag: if at all possible get someone else their first bear before you get your 2nd. The numbers they gave were last year 400 second bear tags were sold of which 31 people harvested second bears. If that number explodes they may pull back on the reigns. So buy that second tag to give them the financial incentive and fill it if you get a chance but if you can get someone else to fill their 1st tag instead of you filling a second tag, that would probably look better. Not a huge issue but we have to play the game however we can.
It's worth noting that nowhere in the state of Washington has a >39% harvest stat on sows, but one area did have a one year ~39% stat. Bears aren't a high-harvest animal so it really doesn't take many to slide that scale though :twocents:
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Two more things from the call:
They decide wether to increase or decrease hunting opportunity by this metric.
If less than 35% of harvested bears are sows they INCREASE hunting opportunities.
If more than 39% of harvested bears are female they REDUCE hunting opportunities.
So please try to target boars. The department has a video on determining sex that they really need to make available to everyone. If you don’t know the difference here are some things to note.
Boars (makes)- Have large bulky shoulders. Their back is level or higher in the front. Their snouts are big and blocky.
Sows (females)- Have large asses. Their back end is usually higher than their front end. They have narrower and slightly pointed snouts.
second thing is: this is approved for this season. It will be reviewed and the results will effect future seasons. So to everyone excited to fill their new 2nd tag: if at all possible get someone else their first bear before you get your 2nd. The numbers they gave were last year 400 second bear tags were sold of which 31 people harvested second bears. If that number explodes they may pull back on the reigns. So buy that second tag to give them the financial incentive and fill it if you get a chance but if you can get someone else to fill their 1st tag instead of you filling a second tag, that would probably look better. Not a huge issue but we have to play the game however we can.
It's worth noting that nowhere in the state of Washington has a >39% harvest stat on sows, but one area did have a one year ~39% stat. Bears aren't a high-harvest animal so it really doesn't take many to slide that scale though :twocents:
Agreed. They said the entire state has been <35% for the last 5 years. Not huge issues but if you’re serious about bear hunting, things to keep in mind.
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Two more things from the call:
They decide wether to increase or decrease hunting opportunity by this metric.
If less than 35% of harvested bears are sows they INCREASE hunting opportunities.
If more than 39% of harvested bears are female they REDUCE hunting opportunities.
So please try to target boars. The department has a video on determining sex that they really need to make available to everyone. If you don’t know the difference here are some things to note.
Boars (makes)- Have large bulky shoulders. Their back is level or higher in the front. Their snouts are big and blocky.
Sows (females)- Have large asses. Their back end is usually higher than their front end. They have narrower and slightly pointed snouts.
I think this is exactly how they should describe it in the pamphlet :chuckle: :chuckle:
Thank you everyone for the updates! Looking forward to August bears :IBCOOL:
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Ctwiggs, who was the guy that brought the proposal, that was shutting down bakers arguments?
Anis Aoude, Wildlife manager for WDFW.
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Great news. I will do my best to take a bear this year and help others do the same.
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When will we know when this goes into effect?
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Thanks for info. Been off the grid improving habitat and counting bear. Looking forward to a hunting break.
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When will we know when this goes into effect?
It will go into effect this season. Im sure notices will be put out by next week.
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:IBCOOL: :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL:
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Sweet! Thanks for the blow by blow Curtis, I've got an august bear hunt planned already!
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I dont think this ever would have happened if Unsworthless was still at the helm. Im liking Susewind so far.
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Dang. This has been the week for good news. Good luck to everyone out there. Kill a big, fawn-eatin’ Boar! 8)
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:tup:
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Great news. Already Started planning some trips in August.
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I take it we will have to purchase a second tag/transport tag?
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I take it we will have to purchase a second tag/transport tag?
Yes
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Recommendation is to make 2 bear bag limit state wide, and open fall bear Aug 1 statewide. They also want to remove a handful of GMUs from the regs due to an apparent lack of black bear population.
It was said that there has been a lot of write-in support for this decision. The commissioner who said this mentioned spring bear seasons and asked how we're going to protect sows with cubs in the spring... The guy who made the proposal was very tactful and explained again that this is for FALL bear :chuckle:
Commissioner Baker is against this rule change because WDFW doesn't actually know how many bears are on the east side. She mentioned a study that was done that concluded that they don't know. The guy who brought the rule change proposal corrected her and informed her that there haven't been any population density studies, but instead a study to determine how to determine density of population... And on that study, they concluded that the east side does technically have a higher density bear population. I like this guy - he's very tactful with the ign'ant folks from Olympia :chuckle:
So then Baker backpedaled and rambled about how we really need better black bear population estimates before we make this rule change. I think she's kind of played her cards out LOL
They asked why Spring Bear proposals weren't brought to this meeting. Apparently the guy proposing the change said they felt that the two issues should remain separate because Spring Bear has it's own level of debate nationwide and it should be it's own issue. They are considering some changes that they'll bring in September.
VOTE --- APPROVED!
:IBCOOL: :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL:
Thanks for taking time to listen and to share this info! :tup: :tup:
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Good job everybody. Now on to spring changes.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/commission-approves-changes-fall-bear-hunting-rules
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I really do think that the strong public support helped. They really emphasized that. Good work to everyone who submitted!
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Im thrilled i have a whole month to hunt bears before deer season opens. Ill be at it august 1st, bright and early. Looking forward to getting 2 berry pickin bears.
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So when do they bring up cougar? We really need to get the quotas up on those things in the NE
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So when do they bring up cougar? We really need to get the quotas up on those things in the NE
Thats coming, but im not sure exactly when. We need quotas up, but another thing id like to see is for the general season to go through jan 31st instead of dec 31st. give us an extra month to hunt cats before harvest guideline shutdowns go into effect.
Im also going to ask for the season to open august 1st, to coincide with the bear opener. i know most folks will be glassing berry patches in august, but some, myself included, will be calling. and the thing with that is, most coyote callers do 5-15 minute sets. General accepted theory is lions and bears often take much longer to come in to calls. if youre calling lions or bears, you want to call for a solid hour. so the guys out doing short calling sessions for coyotes in the winter have very low odds of calling in a lion. but guys doing hour long calling sessions for bears have a much better chance of getting a cat. So i think having cougar season open august 1st to coincide with bear would be a great idea.
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This is great news! For years my buddies and I used to do a bear camp in the middle of August. We killed a lot of bears back then. We quit holding our annual camp when they moved the opener to Sept. 1st. The berries are usually gone where we live in the NE.
Thanks to everybody who helped make this happen!
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I guess im feeling confident, just purchased my second bear tag
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So when do they bring up cougar? We really need to get the quotas up on those things in the NE
they need to get the quotas of cougars up everywhere (or get rid of quotas) :twocents:
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I see that they sent emails saying the commission approved it.
But have not actually seen the email from wdfw saying the regs have changed.Maybe I missed it. :dunno:
I know I get emails three times a day with fishing rule changes, But have not seen any hunting rule change emails.
If they don't change the regulations to what the commission approved is it legal to hunt bear in August.
Someone needs to email or call wdfw on this before a bunch of us get tickets for hunting out of season.
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Read the link at the first post of this page. "The changes will take effect august 1st" etc etc. its done dude. I got the email. there are lots of different email lists you are probably not signed up for. fix that here: https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/lists
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Download the corrections to the pamphlet and it’s tjere as new regs
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190712/a16ee80f9bac91b22ae7f835865d4aad.jpg)
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THANKS
Glad to see the changes in the regs .
Worry free Aug 1
Thanks again.
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2018 vs 2019. New regs im sure helped with the increase in ne. Not significant in all the units, 101 stayed the same for some reason, but man 117 more than doubled fall harvest. From 28 to 58 with the new fall regs. Good record to beat in 2020
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Just noticed mt spokane went from 10-43!
430% increase in that unit :yike:
And they had an august 15th opener before the reg change.
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Although the two bear tags is a great hunter opportunity/predator management.Im still on the fence about it.
One question though if your raising fall harvest for x amount of years how do you expect to get OTC spring bear hunt.
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Although the two bear tags is a great hunter opportunity/predator management.Im still on the fence about it.
One question though if your raising fall harvest for x amount of years how do you expect to get OTC spring bear hunt.
For one thing, the spring bear is not an additional bear, it does not increase the bag limit.
For another, wdfw says they do not have an estimate for the bear population, instead they rely on hunter harvest statistics as a surrogate for population estimate. So by wdfws methods, the more bears killed, the higher they assume the population to be
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Even considering much of the state already had a 2 bear limit and august 1st or august 15th openers, still the total statewide fall harvest increased by almost 50% from 2018 to 2019. :tup: that extra 685 bears reported killed last fall will help out the deer elk and moose.
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Most of the folks I talked to last year had no idea about the reg change because it wasn't in the paper copy they picked up in spring. I'd bet alot more pressure gets put on them this fall too.
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Most of the folks I talked to last year had no idea about the reg change because it wasn't in the paper copy they picked up in spring. I'd bet alot more pressure gets put on them this fall too.
This. There were a lot of people that questioned us last season.
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Although the two bear tags is a great hunter opportunity/predator management.Im still on the fence about it.
One question though if your raising fall harvest for x amount of years how do you expect to get OTC spring bear hunt.
For one thing, the spring bear is not an additional bear, it does not increase the bag limit.
For another, wdfw says they do not have an estimate for the bear population, instead they rely on hunter harvest statistics as a surrogate for population estimate. So by wdfws methods, the more bears killed, the higher they assume the population to be
I'm fully aware of how bear population is estimated.So when or if there is a decline in harvest we will lose opportunity.
As you know WDFW has a pretty good record for allowing over harvest ,then taking opportunity away. I've been emailing a few people at WDFW over spring permit numbers ect.It didn't sound as if permits numbers or any kind of spring bear season was gonna change.
But knowing how WDFW is you can see my concern.
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If people will get out and put the effort In success rate should not go down. Most people just don’t even go out there hunting And only shoot them incidentally. All you have to do is get out there and try. My brother Was never much into it because he would never see bears. I kept shooting bears in August when there weren’t nearly as many people out and I finally got him over this year and he did get a shot off at one. Unfortunately he just nicked it. He went home and I killed a different one a couple days later then the one he had missed his chance on the week after that. He is now hooked and will be back August 1st.
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Although the two bear tags is a great hunter opportunity/predator management.Im still on the fence about it.
One question though if your raising fall harvest for x amount of years how do you expect to get OTC spring bear hunt.
For one thing, the spring bear is not an additional bear, it does not increase the bag limit.
For another, wdfw says they do not have an estimate for the bear population, instead they rely on hunter harvest statistics as a surrogate for population estimate. So by wdfws methods, the more bears killed, the higher they assume the population to be
I'm fully aware of how bear population is estimated.So when or if there is a decline in harvest we will lose opportunity.
As you know WDFW has a pretty good record for allowing over harvest ,then taking opportunity away. I've been emailing a few people at WDFW over spring permit numbers ect.It didn't sound as if permits numbers or any kind of spring bear season was gonna change.
But knowing how WDFW is you can see my concern.
Yeah, i see your concern, it goes in a pattern like this.
We need more predator control!
Oh no, they gave us more predator control, this is bad because if we kill more predators theyll take away our increased predator control!
Serious dude, just stop.
Whats the point of having opportunity if youre afraid to yse it for fear of it being taken away?
Everybody should make sure not to kill predators so we can have good seasons?
You make no sense, you just look for things to complain about. I think you enjoy being a massive pessimist naysayer.
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Any increase in predator harvest in Washington is a very very good thing. Bears kill a lot of caves. A LOT! I wish they would also make the harvesting of meat optional like Idaho. I personally take meat, but the ultimate goal of predator hunting is to reduce the numbers. This especially applies in Washington due to the wolf and lion situation.
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Although the two bear tags is a great hunter opportunity/predator management.Im still on the fence about it.
One question though if your raising fall harvest for x amount of years how do you expect to get OTC spring bear hunt.
For one thing, the spring bear is not an additional bear, it does not increase the bag limit.
For another, wdfw says they do not have an estimate for the bear population, instead they rely on hunter harvest statistics as a surrogate for population estimate. So by wdfws methods, the more bears killed, the higher they assume the population to be
I'm fully aware of how bear population is estimated.So when or if there is a decline in harvest we will lose opportunity.
As you know WDFW has a pretty good record for allowing over harvest ,then taking opportunity away. I've been emailing a few people at WDFW over spring permit numbers ect.It didn't sound as if permits numbers or any kind of spring bear season was gonna change.
But knowing how WDFW is you can see my concern.
Yeah, i see your concern, it goes in a pattern like this.
We need more predator control!
Oh no, they gave us more predator control, this is bad because if we kill more predators theyll take away our increased predator control!
Serious dude, just stop.
Whats the point of having opportunity if youre afraid to yse it for fear of it being taken away?
Everybody should make sure not to kill predators so we can have good seasons?
You make no sense, you just look for things to complain about. I think you enjoy being a massive pessimist naysayer.
:hello:
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Just got this info. Thats a hell of a big jump in 2nd bear tags sold. Those additional 609 2nd bear tags sold brought in about $15,000 for wdfw, which im sure they will spend wisely :chuckle:
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Hope they keep it for life
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Hope they keep it for life
Have you ever known wdfw to give up a revenue source once they get it?
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Just got this info. Thats a hell of a big jump in 2nd bear tags sold. Those additional 609 2nd bear tags sold brought in about $15,000 for wdfw, which im sure they will spend wisely :chuckle:
That's good news. I was one of them, didn't get to fill the second one this year. Lookin forward to two notched bear tags this fall though!